Our Management

Kate Grimwood (CEO)

Kate brings 15 years of extensive experience within the Health and Wellbeing sector, having developed a deep understanding of the services supporting Suffolk, Norfolk, and Essex. Beginning her career as a practitioner in mental health services, Kate has progressively advanced into management roles, applying her expertise to support both corporate and charity contracts across multiple UK sites. Her operational management experience has enabled her to excel in organising and implementing improvements, thriving in environments that present complex challenges. 

Prior to joining the charity, Kate held the position of Quality Improvement Advisor within the NHS, overseeing Clinical, Corporate, and medical projects, ensuring the delivery of sustainable improvements. Her background in training and compliance is underpinned by formal qualifications in Education and Training, as well as accreditations in Public Speaking and Health and Safety. 

Kate is passionate about expanding Brave Futures’ reach and raising awareness of the invaluable support it provides to individuals through its services. She is dedicated to helping the charity grow and extend its impact in the years to come. 

Ginny Ryan (Service Delivery Manager)

Ginny has spent 19 years of her career working with children and young people in Suffolk and Norfolk. Her career initially began as a primary school teacher.  As she progressed her roles in safeguarding and leadership increased. Her education culminated in six years as the headteacher of a Suffolk primary school.  

She has always had an interest in the safeguarding and the mental well-being of children and young people. She brings her vast knowledge of working with children and young people, and their families, alongside her leadership skills to her role as Service Delivery Manager at Brave Futures.  She has recently completed the CSA Practice Leads’ Programme with the CSA Centre. 

Jason Popple (Lead Practitioner)

Jason began his career in healthcare as a support worker in a nursing home, before advancing to a health care assistant role in operating theatres. His dedication led him to have the opportunity to begin his training as an Operating Department Practitioner. However, Jason made a pivotal career shift, moving into forensic services within the psychology department. As a group facilitator, he co-facilitated various offence-specific programs alongside psychologists, including the Adapted Sex Offender Treatment Programme (ASOTP) and the Life Minus Violence programme. 

In 2020, Jason joined Brave Futures, where he began supporting children who were victims of sexual abuse. More recently, he took on a role in supporting children with neurodiverse presentation exhibiting harmful behaviours, as part of an innovative pilot project in collaboration with the Norfolk Police Crime Commission, NIDAS, and the Ministry of Justice. 

Jason is deeply passionate about mental well-being and is an avid advocate for staff wellness and support. His commitment to these values has earned him a promotion to Lead Practitioner at Brave Futures, where he looks forward to further applying his experience and dedication to support others in their healing and growth. 

Lucy Firth (Clinical Lead)

Lucy is the Clinical Lead at Brave Futures and has worked with the charity for over 10 Years. Lucy previously worked for the Norfolk Learning Disabilities Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and within the specialist education sector. Lucy holds a BSc in Psychology from Durham University, a PGDip in Psychoanalytic Developmental Psychology from UCL and is a qualified Play Therapist. She has also had training is Trauma Focused CBT and in the NSPCC Letting the Futures in intervention for Child Sexual Abuse.  

Lucy enjoys working with children and families and tries to create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. She has experience working with younger children and those with additional needs. She enjoys using a range of play and creative-based techniques to help children explore their feelings and express themselves. 

Hannah Walker (Engagement and Fundraising Manager)

Hannah has spent over 15 years working with children and young people across children’s social care, youth work and advocacy. After more than eight years in frontline roles, she made a career change into fundraising at a local children’s hospice, where she spent three years developing her experience in income generation, community engagement and relationship building.

Joining Brave Futures brought her two worlds together. Having known the charity for many years and referred children and young people to its services during her earlier career, Hannah understands the importance of specialist support and is driven to raise the funds needed to ensure Brave Futures can be there for every child who needs it.

Hannah is passionate about raising awareness of child sexual abuse and the importance of prevention. She is particularly committed to helping frontline professionals feel confident in their professional curiosity, understanding the importance of noticing concerns, asking questions and responding appropriately, rather than relying on children to disclose their experiences. Through her work, she hopes to help create a future where more children are protected from harm and can access the specialist support they need.