We’re delighted to welcome Kathryn Crosby to our staff team as Charity Manager! Kathryn has been working with us as a volunteer befriender for three years, so is already familiar with the needs of our beneficiaries and volunteers, and has also spent 25 years working as a personal impact trainer for the NHS Leadership Academy and The King’s Fund. Chair of Trustees, Tony Toynton said, “Kathryn’s experience means, we believe, that she will be a huge asset to our team and community” – we’re looking forward to seeing how she shapes the management and future of Sanctuary in Chichester! Here’s a more about Kathryn in her own words...

I began my career as a teacher for children with Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD), specialising in music and drama. I taught in Surrey and Portsmouth before joining Fordwater School in Chichester, initially as a teacher and later became Deputy Head. Those years helped me gain extensive leadership, management and safeguarding experience while working closely with vulnerable children, adults, and brilliant volunteers.

Alongside my teaching, I developed youth theatre companies, including Hazardous Youth Theatre in Brackelsham Bay, and developed the special needs theatre groups for Chichester Festival Theatre.

Earlier in my career, whilst my children were young, I also ran community music, baby massage and baby yoga groups across Chichester and the Witterings. 

I have spent 25 years working as a personal impact trainer for the NHS Leadership Academy and The King’s Fund, most recently acting as a final assessment marker on the Mary Seacole Leadership Programme and the Graduate Management Training Scheme. 

My first introduction to working with refugees and asylum seekers was in Calais, where I volunteered in the warehouse and the Refugee Community Kitchen, a great experience and highly recommended!  

But my most helpful experience comes from being a befriender with Sanctuary in Chichester for nearly three years. This has helped me to understand the very varied needs of our beneficiaries, and the crucial work of volunteers who are at the heart of our charity.

When I’m not working, you’ll usually find me on a gravel bike, long-distance swimming off East Wittering Beach, or wrestling with learning the accordion!