Our Team
Papaya have a dedicated team of presenters focused in Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, Buckinghamshire, Derbyshire, Edinburgh, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Liverpool, London, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and Worcestershire.
BATH
Nicola MacDonald
Nicola MacDonald is a Resilience Coach and Author of the non-fiction book, Resilient Teen. She is the founder of My Resilient Mind and runs resilience workshops and talks for schools, parents, and adults in the workplace.
She specialises in stress, anxiety, anger, and self-esteem. Nicola is available for KS2 and KS3 student workshops and KS2 and KS3 parent talks in the Bath area.
Nicola is an empowering and uplifting speaker who shares her knowledge in a non-judgemental way linking to her own experiences of parenthood and her own previous struggles with teen anxiety.
Sarah Vaine
Sarah is a mum of three young children and is in the midst of navigating the tech world with children. She has a background in medicine and currently works in learning support at a local school with a wide range of ages.
Sarah finds the impact of tech on both children and adults fascinating and believes that the best way of navigating the triumphs and challenges of life and parenting is in community - this is ever more important in our digital age.
Sarah is available for parent talks in Bath and the surrounding area.
BIRMINGHAM
Dr Sam Ibbs
Dr Sam Ibbs is a consultant Paediatrician with a special interest in dermatology. She works in Birmingham Children's Hospital, and is committed to improving the health of the region's children.
She has long been concerned by the impact of screen time on children's development and behaviour. As the evidence grew, demonstrating the harms of social media and smartphone use on children's mental health, coupled with her own children reaching an age when smartphones were becoming a reality, she was galvanized to join the movement. Sam now offers parent talks in the Coventry and Warwickshire area, she can also talks in Solihull and the Birmingham area.
Juliette Morgan
Juliette is a parent of two children and brings both lived experience and professional expertise to her role with Papaya. With a background in speech and language therapy and over 17 years’ experience in higher education, she has worked across student wellbeing, inclusion, and leadership.
Juliette is passionate about supporting families to navigate the challenges of growing up in a digital world, helping parents feel confident and informed. She draws on her personal journey, alongside her expertise in communication and education, to support others in building connection, resilience, and balance at home.
Juliette is available for parent talks in South Birmingham and Warwickshire.
Dr Claire Lunham
Claire is a HCPC registered Senior Specialist Educational Psychologist with over 20 years’ experience working to support children’s learning, mental health and wellbeing. In the course of her work, Claire is witnessing the negative impacts of excessive technology use on children, teens, families and schools on a daily basis.
Claire has been working across the West Midlands to increase awareness of the issues and has been supporting families and schools to delay children’s access to smartphones and social media. As a mother of two primary-aged children, Claire is navigating the challenges experienced by families across the country as she endeavours to minimise tech-related harms whilst trying to prevent her children from feeling left out.
Claire is delighted to be joining Papaya and is available to deliver KS2 workshops in Solihull.
BRISTOL
Dr Susie Davies
Susie Davies is a GP with a special interest in adolescent mental health. She is the founder of PAPAYA and is passionate about improving mental health outcomes for today's adolescents. She founded PAPAYA six years ago when she began recognizing the link between technology use and poor mental health in students. She is the author of The Healthy Selfie: How to Like Yourself in the Digital Age.
Dr. Davies is available to give KS2 and KS3 workshops and parent talks, as well as for interviews and podcasts.
Dr Lorna Hawley
Lorna is a mum of two girls, aged 5 and 8, and she works for the NHS as an oncology consultant in Bristol.
Lorna became involved in this movement because she believes smartphones and social media are damaging the development and happiness of children and teenagers. She wants to empower parents to voice their concerns and protect their children. Since big tech and our government are unlikely to make the necessary changes, it is up to us.
She is available for Parent Talks in Bristol and the surrounding areas.
Dr Catherine Boyce
Cath works as a GP in an inner city practice in Bristol. She is a mum of three children and understands the challenges of navigating parenting in the digital age.
Cath feels passionate about helping young people and their careers and families manage a healthy relationship with tech and promote lifelong mental health and well-being.
She is available for Parent Talks in the Bristol area.
Juliet Bray
Juliet Bray has been a secondary school teacher for 20 years teaching Ethics and Philosophy, and PSHE. She is passionate about giving young people the knowledge and skills necessary to lead healthy and joyful lives.
Juliet has two pre-teen children and is committed to giving them a smartphone free childhood. Juliet is available for KS2 Student Workshops in Bristol and the surrounding areas.
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Laura Storey
Laura is a fully qualified teacher with 20 years of experience working in schools. She now works as a private tutor and workshop facilitator and is training to be a psychotherapist. She has a great interest in mental health and enjoys working with young people, empowering and equipping them to navigate the exciting and often daunting world they’re growing up in.
Laura is particularly pleased to be working with PAPAYA, encouraging young people to take ownership of their screen time in a non-judgmental way and, in doing so, take positive, achievable steps to support their own mental health. Laura is available for KS2 workshops in the Bristol area.
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE & HERTFORDSHIRE
Dr Benjamin Hibberd
Ben is an HCPC registered Educational Psychologist with over 15 years experience of working with children, young people and adolescents in both clinical and educational settings. He previously worked in an IT marketing consultancy, then switching careers to the Child & Adolescent Unit at the Priory Hospital, he now works in schools, helping to support children, young people, parents and staff with issues such as autism, ADHD, learning difficulties and mental health issues.
Ben could be considered a 'millennial' (born 1982) and was one of the first generations to grow up as technology was becoming an integral part of all child and adolescent development. Now with 3 young boys of his own, and having witnessed the rise of tech companies, he is passionate about empowering children to enjoy childhood and supporting teens to learn and grow in a balanced way, making thoughtful choices about their engagement with social media and online platforms. Ben is available for parent talks across Herts and West Essex.
Luke Roberts
Luke is an Assistant Headteacher at a large secondary school in Hertfordshire where he is also part of the safeguarding team. His role places him at the heart of school life, working closely with young people and families, and seeing first-hand the impact smartphones and social media have on students every day. He regularly supports parents in navigating these challenges and delivers guidance on how to help children build healthy, balanced digital habits.
Through PAPAYA, Luke is passionate about helping families feel more informed, confident, and empowered to support their children in the online world. Luke is available for parent talks across Bucks and West Herts.
Laura Cowan
Laura has 10 years of experience working with vulnerable adolescents as a project director for a social arts charity. She is currently a specialist music teacher in primary schools across Hertfordshire and an engaging practitioner of singing, music, drama, and storytelling.
Laura is also the founder of the Girls Rising Movement (Puberty for Girls) and the author of the illustrated book The Moon Child.
As a mother of three girls aged 13, 10, and 7, Laura understands firsthand the pressures young people face from smartphones and social media. She is a passionate advocate for the smartphone-free childhood movement and is excited to bring KS2 workshops to Bucks & Herts.
DERBYSHIRE
Dr Laura Spells
After working as a GP for 5 years, and having three children during her training, Dr Laura Spells realised she had developed an interest in child and adolescent mental health. She therefore chose to step away from General Practice and instead now works as a Specialty Doctor in CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health).
Laura already had concerns as a parent about the challenges she faced with her own children and smartphone use in the future, however these concerns have been amplified by seeing children every day who are struggling in today's modern world with their own mental health. She has become a passionate leader in the Smartphone Free Childhood Campaign and is eager to help families navigate this complex world. She is available for parent talks in the Derbyshire area.
EDINBURGH & GLASGOW
James Rogers
James is an experienced cyber security and tech professional with over 15 years of experience in finance, consulting and public sector organisations.
A father of two, James wants to see his kids engage the digital world safely, and knows we are a long way off from creating the right environment for children. This has created a passion to help parents and young people understand and navigate the blend of cyber and mental health risks, alongside the opportunity cost of addictive tech and algorithms. James is available for parent talks and student workshops in the Edinburgh and Lothian region.
Sam Rice
Sam Rice is the founder of Kids For Now, a voluntary group that encourages parents to adopt a strength-in-numbers approach to collectively delay their child’s access to smartphones. Originally from the south of England, Sam now lives in Scotland and is the father of two young children. He believes that children are healthiest and happiest when they grow and learn through real-world, face-to-face interactions, physical play, and engagement with natural environments.
Sam is available to give parent talks in Dumfries and Galloway, Ayrshire, Inverclyde, Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire, and Dunbartonshire.
ESSEX
Gemma Cook
As a primary school teacher and mum of two (ages 10 and 6), Gemma has seen first-hand the negative impact that smartphone use can have on children—even those as young as Reception age. Driven by a passion for the outdoors, nature, and spending time with animals, Gemma is dedicated to helping families rediscover simple, joyful ways of learning and playing—without screens. She firmly believes that childhood should be filled with imagination, movement, and real-world connection. Through her work with Papaya, Gemma aims to empower and inspire both children and parents to embrace phone-free alternatives that help children thrive, proving that ditching devices doesn’t mean ditching fun.
Gemma is available for Student Workshops in the Essex and Suffolk area.
HAMPSHIRE & DORSET
Hannah Verney Lloyd
Hannah is a qualified teacher with over ten years of experience and, most recently, served as an Assistant Head Pastoral at a London prep school. She is passionate about mental health and wellbeing and cares deeply about empowering parents, children, and teenagers as they navigate managing their online lives to achieve the best possible mental health and happiness.
She joined PAPAYA through her voluntary work with Smartphone-Free Childhood, and after hearing a talk by Jonathan Haidt, she became more convinced than ever that the safest space for children is one where they are free to be themselves. Hannah is available for KS2 and KS3 workshops and Parent Talks.
Dr Helen Thomas
Dr Helen Thomas is a GP in Hampshire, a member of Health Professionals for Safer Screens as well as a parent member of Smartphone Free Childhood. Dr Thomas has delivered health harms talks in schools and healthcare professional training across Hampshire. She has recently developed a professional education module including a screening tool for identifying children at risk and, together with Health Professionals for Safer Screens, a resource package for professionals in healthcare and education to signpost families to.
Working with Health Professionals for Safer Screens, Smartphone Free Childhood, schools and clinicians Dr Thomas is passionate about recognising and reducing the harm on children related to smartphone and social media use and the wider impact on families, schools and communities. Collaborating with colleagues, she hopes to influence schools to be smartphone free, parents to consider brick/basic phones for their children and for children to be free to experience their childhood in real life. She is available for parent talks in the Hampshire area.
Dr Louise Milne
Dr Louise Milne has been a Consultant Paediatrician in the NHS since 2015. As a mother of two boys, she became increasingly aware of the growing influence of screens and social media on children’s wellbeing. This personal concern led her to explore the link between smartphone use and poor mental health. The evidence she discovered closely reflected what she was seeing every day in her clinical work with children and families.
Dr Milne is passionate about providing parents with balanced, practical information to help them make confident, informed decisions about screen time and digital life. She is available for PAPAYA talks in the Portsmouth area, where she shares her paediatric expertise along with practical, family-focused guidance.
Nick Taylor
Nick is an ex-children and youth worker, currently serving as a chaplain in a junior school. He lives in Chichester, is married to Dani, and has two teenage children. Nick is passionate about fostering a culture where children’s phone usage is limited, safe, and well-managed, encouraging both parents and children to take an active role in this process.
Nick is available for KS2 workshops and parent talks in the Chichester and Portsmouth area.
Sam Duffin
Sam is a positive psychology practitioner, coach and forest bathing guide, who enjoys a portfolio career that supports her goal of helping people to feel better about themselves. To date she has taken roughly 1500 NHS staff forest bathing, coached NHS patients and students in a secondary school, designed workshops that she delivers in the corporate sector, and volunteered for two youth mental health charities.
As a parent of two adolescent boys and a younger daughter, Sam was relieved and excited by the surge of activity that ignited in early 2024 in response to the link between children’s mental health and screens. After attending a Papaya Parent talk, she knew she had to involved, and is now available for KS2 student and parent talks in the Guilford area.
Lisa Ratman
Lisa is a dedicated coach, counsellor, and business owner with 15 years of experience in Learning & Development within corporate environments. Passionate about mental health and well-being, she became increasingly concerned about the impact of smartphones and technology—particularly on young people, both in her personal life and through her work.
While technology offers many benefits, Lisa believes it’s essential to help young people develop a healthy relationship with it—using it at the right time and in the right way to truly thrive. Her dedication to this issue led her to become a regional leader in the Smartphone-Free Childhood Campaign, where she collaborates with other parents to raise awareness of the challenges young people and their families face in today’s digital world.
Lisa is available for parent talks and is committed to educating and empowering parents, helping them build stronger connections with their children and confidently navigate the complexities of modern technology.
LEICESTERSHIRE
Dr Sanjiv Nichani OBE
Dr Sanjiv Nichani is a highly respected Consultant Paediatrician at the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre and Leicester Children’s Hospital. With a career dedicated to improving paediatric healthcare, he also serves as an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Leicester College of Life Sciences, where he mentors and inspires future medical professionals.
Driven by a passion for global healthcare equity, Dr. Nichani founded the Healing Little Hearts Global Foundation, a UK-registered charity that provides free heart surgeries to children in developing countries. His exceptional contributions earned him recognition as a Points of Light UK award recipient, personally awarded by Prime Minister Theresa May in 2019.
He is a national champion in raising awareness of the mental and physical health problems associated with excessive screen use in children and adolescents. He has coined the term 'screendemic' to describe the problems with young people and screens and is available for parent talks in the Leicester area.
LONDON AND SURREY
Jennifer Powers
Jennifer was dismayed to discover that nearly every child in her son's year had a smartphone by January of Year 6. In the time-honoured fashion of busy women everywhere, she determined to "do something about it." Jennifer joined the Smartphone Free Childhood (SFC) where she is the leader for the SW London region and part of the SFC advocacy team.
Jennifer is a strategy and policy consultant with over 20 years of experience in energy, infrastructure, and technology. She was a Special Adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on energy, regulation, and business policy. Since leaving Downing Street, she has worked on creating the UK's green hydrogen economy and for National Grid ESO. Jennifer is available for KS2 parent talks in South West London, Middlesex and Surrey.
Nova Eden
Nova Eden, with a background in Psychology and expertise in teaching Mindfulness and Meditation to children, is a passionate advocate for promoting positive mental health in young people. Having navigated the challenges of raising a teenager with a smartphone, Nova is determined to not make the same mistake again with her two younger children. As the Regional Leader for the Smartphone Free Childhood in North London, Nova has been instrumental in advancing the campaign.
Nova focuses on supporting schools and parents by offering guidance to enhance adolescent well-being and mental health. In addition, she conducts student workshops that equip children with strategies to foster a healthy relationship with technology. Nova can give parent talks in North and North West London.
Sammy Mackey
Sammy is a mother of two pre-teens and a dedicated educator with a passion for nurturing young minds. With a background in primary teaching and experience as a nursery school head teacher, she brings extensive knowledge in child development and emotional well-being.
Sammy recently joined the team after attending a PAPAYA parent talk at her children’s school. Impressed by the initiative’s impact and the positive changes that followed, she eagerly joined the team. She believes that sharing ways to navigate the challenges posed by technology with young people will profoundly impact the future of the next generation. Sammy is available for KS2 workshops in South West London and Surrey.
Dr Jennifer Lee
Jennifer Lee is a U.S.-trained medical doctor who specializes in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary, and Critical Care. She is also a healthcare technology expert and a dedicated advocate for children’s well-being in the digital age. As both a doctor and mother, she has seen firsthand the harms that excessive screen time, smart devices and social media pose to young minds. She is an active member of Health Professionals for Safer Screens, working to provide evidence-based education on screen use for healthcare providers, the public, and policymakers.
She is excited to work with PAPAYA to empower children, parents, and educators with the knowledge and tools to develop healthy technology habits that support lifelong well-being. Dr lee is available for parent talks in North West London.
Ruth Smyth
Ruth is an experienced HR Director, mental health first aider and a parent of school aged children. She fuelled her passion for protecting childhood and improving children’s mental health by becoming involved in the Delay Smartphone campaign in early 2024, voluntarily working with her local school leadership and parent community to educate about the harms of smartphones and social media. Her ambition is to do everything she can to raise awareness and equip parents and children with the tools and knowledge that will enable them to create a better, safer future for their children in the digital age. Ruth is available for parent tallks in the Greenwich area.
Donna Dove
Donna is a primary school teacher with 27 years’ experience and serves as the Well-being and Emotional Health Lead at her school, running The Nurture Project to boost children’s confidence, resilience, and emotional literacy. She also runs a children and family life coaching business, supporting families with mindset, communication, and overcoming limiting beliefs.
Having worked closely with children and as a mum to three daughters, Donna has seen firsthand the emotional challenges and hidden risks posed by smartphones in today’s digital world. This has fueled her passion for educating children, parents, and adults about digital overwhelm. Donna empowers families to develop healthy tech habits and encourages a return to joyful, creative childhoods rooted in real-world connection. Donna is available for parent talks in Surrey and the South East.
LIVERPOOL
Dr Sarah Wilks
Sarah is a GP in Liverpool and a Health Inequalities Lead for a network of eight GP practices in Central and South Liverpool.
In her work as a GP, she has witnessed first-hand the impact of declining mental health across all age groups. More recently, she has become increasingly aware of this trend among children and young people, where its heavy toll on their education, attainment, aspirations, and social connections is deeply concerning. Sarah has found the emerging evidence linking childhood mental health problems to screen use so compelling that it has influenced not only her professional work but also her role as a parent.
A mum to three girls, Sarah is actively involved in the Smartphone-Free Childhood movement at their school. She is also a strong advocate for delaying smartphone use and social media.
OXFORDSHIRE
Sally Hall
Sally is a mother of five boys and brings a wealth of realism and compassion in her approach to supporting young people navigate a fast-paced world. Working in the Early Years sector and married to a Deputy Head of a Secondary School, Sally has witnessed first hand the noticeable shift from a play-based childhood to that of a phone-based one over the past decade, and the subsequent impact on mental health, academic achievement and social skills.
She is particularly passionate about empowering young people to make informed decisions in their daily lives as well as their future, and about bringing parents together to support them in their goals; a 'problem shared' philosophy! Sally is available to give KS2 workshops in the West Oxford area.
WORCESTERSHIRE
Katie Bee
Katie's commitment to enhancing early years development, combined with her extensive background in workplace learning and development, positions her uniquely as a leader in advocating for a healthier balance between technology and childhood experiences. Her research in psychological safety and workplace culture, has raised the question of how we can prepare for workplace learning for future generations who have been raised in a screen based childhood.
As a mother of two young daughters, and regional leader for Worcestershire for SFC, she deeply understands the challenges and opportunities that come with raising children in a digital age. Her vision is to empower parents and educators to prioritize children's well-being, ensuring they grow up in spaces that encourage exploration, play, and meaningful interactions. Through her advocacy, Katie is paving the way for a more mindful approach to screen time, ultimately contributing to a healthier future for all children.
WEST SUSSEX
Kate Edgcumbe-Rendle
Kate is the founder of ID YOU and a presenter for the Rap Foundation. Her passion for educating students has led her to deliver talks in both the private and state sectors, as well as overseas.
Kate is a mother of three boys and recognizes the challenges faced by kids today. Her interest lies in equipping young people with the toolkit to tackle everyday life. The impact of technology has had a dramatic effect on young people, and Kate believes that through education, we can really start to see a change and help families make the right choices. Kate is a named speaker for the Smartphone-Free Childhood movement and has been delivering online parent talks in support of this movement.
Our Staff, Trustees and Volunteers
We are four parents who care deeply about the impact the use of technology is having on the mental health and wellbeing of children today.
Dr. Susie Davies
Susie is the CEO and founder of PAPAYA. She is a GP in Bristol with a special interest in adolescent mental health. She is married to Hugh, and they have three school-aged children (16, 14, and 12). As the founder of PAPAYA, she is passionate about improving mental health outcomes for adolescents today
“I decided to set up PAPAYA as I have seen a dramatic increase in the mental health problems in young adults over the past 6 years. It doesn’t feel like a coincidence that these are the first generation of young people to grow up with smart phones and social media. I can’t help but project on ten years to when my children are in their early twenties and wonder if their generation are likely to have the same complexity of mental health problems unless something significant changes.”
Sally Harding
Sally is the COO of PAPAYA and manages our day to day running as well as longer term strategy and planning. She is a seasoned leadership professional with over two decades of experience across people, product, and program management in diverse organisational settings, including start-ups, non-profits, and corporates. As a certified holistic health and resilience coach and mother of three teenagers, she brings a unique perspective to her role at Papaya.
Sally is passionate about building operational excellence, turning vision into action, and driven by the urgent need to educate and empower today's adolescents to better navigate the challenges of technology—to live fulfilled and healthy lives and futures.
Alice Bond
Alice is the pastor of Hope Chapel, Bristol and founder of Biblios. She has three adolescent children and understands the difficult journey of successfully navigating parenting in the digital age.
As a mother of a teenage daughter and two sons she is passionate about helping young people get a healthy balance with tech. She has been involved with PAPAYA since it’s launch in 2018 and is excited to be joining the trustee team in November 2023.
Jo Crow
Jo is a Professor of Latin American Studies at the University of Bristol. Having worked in higher education for almost twenty years, she has witnessed significant changes in the way students approach and experience university life. Particularly noticeable is the increasing pressure they feel, much of which seems to be linked to phone use and social media.
She has two children in secondary school and is constantly considering how best to help them make good use of the exciting digital tools available while also being very cautious of – and wanting to protect them from – spending too much time online. She has been a follower of PAPAYA since its inception and joined as a trustee in early 2024
Raj Gandhi
Raj is a Partner at Ernst & Young (EY), has worked in finance for over twenty years and lived in a number of cities including London, Sydney, Stockholm, Washington and Bangalore. He is married to Deepa and they have two school aged children (11 and 8 years old).
Whilst the kids have so far coped with being the only ones in their class without an iPad/phone (we do have a shared family computer in the living room!) the peer pressure to give them a device to get on social media/gaming only seems to increase by the day. He is actively involved in promoting the benefits of a “Smart Phone Free” childhood within his locality and has been a “fan” of PAPAYA for a number of years.
Joe Watson
Joe is the creative director of a company that creates media for international students. With a passion to see people equipped and set-up to succeed Joe has found a career that she hopes will have a profound impact on students as they transition to new countries.
Joe has also set up and co run a charity in Uganda, has run multiple fundraising events and is a keen advocate of introducing healthy habits to children around social media and screen time.
John Beckwith
John is a business consultant, and father of two twenty-year-olds; the first generation to get smart phones. He has spent the past 30 years working with senior executives to build, develop and optimise their organisation’s delivery and operating capabilities. Having started his career creating and scaling SME businesses, he has more recently supported the safe delivery of £100m contracts for blue chip FTSE 100 organisations. Due to his broad technical background, he helps with a range of activities, from IT enablement to business strategy.
John has volunteered for PAPAYA since 2023, offering business advice, management strategy, and tech support.