Meet the team

Debbie – our Director leads the development and delivery of our services and works closely with the rest of the team to ensure the quality and effectiveness of those services.

“Hello, I’m Debbie and a Director at KEEN. I’ve worked in the charity sector for over 20 years because I love working with like-minded, compassionate people, it brings me joy. KEEN is a growing charity with a big heart and this means we can focus all our efforts on reaching young people, supporting them to thrive and have fun. Watching our young athletes grow and benefit from our 121 support is a privilege and makes my job worthwhile, and watching the passion and dedication of our volunteers is awe-inspiring.”

Samantha – our Senior Services Coordinator is responsible for planning, running and managing our South London service and new Early Years work.

“I see Keen and all our families as an extension to my own. If I can even make a small positive contribution to our families lives then I am doing something right. I am blessed to be part of all our amazing athletes’ lives. I often get told by families that I am making a difference to them and they are extremely grateful to have me and keen, and the truth is I am grateful that I am able to be part of their growth and experiences.  To the parents, thank you for trusting me and allowing me to be on  this journey with your children, you all have a place in my heart.”

Viktoria – our East London Coordinator is responsible for planning, running and managing our East London service and our annual residential trip.

“KEEN is a fun and inclusive environment that allows everyone, athletes, coaches and staff alike, to learn something new every week and develop. Having started volunteering at 16 to now being a coordinator 8 years later – KEEN has taught me so much and made me so much more confident, and I have loved every moment of it.”

Samira – our North London Coordinator is responsible for planning, running and managing our North London service.

“KEEN to me means Kindness Encouragement Excellence and Nurturing. It’s a place where community is built and flourishes, where individuality is accepted whole heartedly and development is encouraged and continuous. KEEN allows both adults and children to learn from each other whilst smiling and having fun.”

Sam – our Volunteering Manager, is responsible for developing and expanding our base of volunteers across all of KEEN’s services and ensuring that every volunteer has the support in place to be the best they can be.

Samuel – Our Finance Manager
keeps track of our spending and makes sure every penny raised is spent exactly where it should be.

Kirstie – our Fundraising Manager makes sure we have the money to deliver our services whilst also sharing the impact that your donations, volunteering and support has on the families we work with.

“When I visit our sessions I am on the inside of our sports hall as the doors open and athletes that have waited all week run in, excited to see their Coordinator and coaches, smiling as they see their friends and barely aware of their parent/carer waving goodbye. How could I not love fundraising for these moments. I am so proud to be a part of this community and so grateful to be surrounded by such positivity.”

Our trustees

We are lucky to have a very hands-on board of trustees who not only manage the direction and overall management of the charity but will help out with all manner of things from IT support, drafting contracts or running our family coffee mornings.

Patrick Smears
Patrick Smears has been coaching KEEN London athletes for over 10 years, and previously coached at our counterpart KEEN in Oxford. When not coaching for KEEN, he works for a company developing internet communications software.

Jill Robinson, Chair
Jill has been a KEEN London trustee since 2010. She has worked in PR and communications for 25 years specialising in corporate social responsibility and brand strategy.

Clare Ellis
Clare is a fundraising manager and acts as a parent representative helping to ensure both our day-to-day operations and strategic decisions are informed by our athletes, their parents and carers.

Hazel Peck
Hazel has been volunteering as a coach with KEEN London since Spring 2015 and joined the board of Trustees in September 2018.  Outside of KEEN London, Hazel is a solicitor specialising in social investment, transactional finance and the charity and social enterprise sector.

Marushka Lobo, Finance
Marushka has worked in the financial sector for 15 years, specialising in management and financial reporting. She moved to London 10 years ago from India and is passionate about music and travel. She started her journey with KEEN London as a volunteer coach in 2018.

You can contact them by email:

Patrick Smears
Jill Robinson
Claire Ellis
Hazel Peck
Marushka Lobo