Olivia Elford
BPA (Hons) MEd

Olivia Elford BPA (Hons), MEd Olivia is a Suicide Prevention Trainer and Mental Health Arts Consultant based in the South of England but working across the whole of the UK. After training as a dancer at Northern School of Contemporary dance Olivia completed a MEd in The Psychology of Education. During this time, she focused her research and dissertation on stress in dancers. This research, as well as her own experiences, further fuelled her passion for mental health work. She started working in the charity sector, beginning by teaching ‘Confidence for Work’ courses for those attending peer support groups. She then went on to work in Suicide Prevention – a topic and area of work that she feels very passionate about. Olivia now works as a freelancer, teaching Suicide Prevention courses, writing and delivering talks on Mental Health for Performers and working with professional performers as a Mental Health Arts Consultant. When she’s not working, you’ll find her doing DIY projects that are ambitious for her skill level or roaming around the countryside.

Vas Hirani
BSc (hons) MSc (Occupational and Organisational Psychology)

I have over three decades experience working in the psychosocial arena and in areas of multiple deprivation, within the UK and overseas. My roles range from working pro-bono to Directorships, from Project Management to Capacity Building and Mentoring. I thrive on cross-sector and multi-disciplinary working within the VCS/Charity, Higher Education, Faith Based, Public Service and Health Sectors. The diversity and complexity of communities across all ages and abilities, continues everyday to fascinate and inspire me.

My current roles include:

• Community Development Management with The Bridge Renewal Trust ( Looking after the Haringey Wellbeing Network and Care Navigation/Social Prescribing programmes)
• Trustee: Collage Arts
• Associate Trainer- Brunel University, and more recently
• Associate Trainer- The Jen Group, whose Values of Inclusion, Diversity and Accessibility resonate. People Matter! I am delighted to be associated with the Jen Group

I deliver:

• Suicide First Aid (NCSPET): Lite and Understanding Suicide Intervention
• Mental Health First Aid (MHFA): Adult (2 and 1 day programmes) and Higher Education (1 day)
• Safeguarding Children, Vulnerable Adults and SEN
• Gender Based Violence, Domestic Violence, Coercive Control and impact on child development
• Gambling, Addiction and Mental Health
• Bespoke Training and Consultancy

Ebele Mogo

Ebele Mogo is a public health doctor and biomedical scientist. As Principal of ERIM Consulting (@erimconsulting), her work focuses on data-driven approaches to developing interventions and innovations in public health. Her work often engages with the themes of chronic disease prevention, behaviour change, urban health, child health and health equity. She is also an affiliated researcher at the University of Cambridge Centre for Human-Inspired Artificial Intelligence.

Lydia Nightingale

Lydia is a qualified person-centred therapist and couples counsellor who has been counselling for over ten years. She trained at the renowned Metanoia Institute in Ealing.
Lydia has supported a diverse range of people with a wide range of life challenges. These include relationships issues; domestic, emotional, sexual, financial and physical abuse; bereavement and loss; and anxiety, depression and stress, including work-related stress.

Rheian Davies

Rheian spent 15 years working as a psychiatric nurse before qualifying as a Solicitor in 2006. In private practice Rheian has conducted many ground-breaking mental health cases, winning Legal Aid Lawyer of the year for her work in Mental Health Law.

Rheian designs and delivers training on the Mental Capacity Act, Mental Health Act, Care Act, Preparing for Court and Types of Tenancy.

Marco Pecher

Marco is an experienced and passionate life coach; operational and change manager.

Using several techniques from different psychological theories such as: Transactional analysis, Voice Dialogue, Rational Emotive Behaviour and (family) Constellations he facilitates and accelerates people’s personal and professional development.

Marco encourages coachees to use Personal Development Plans, a highly supportive framework for the coaching process, giving clients the freedom and possibility to achieve their goals.

Marco supports teams through a process called Intervision.  Intervision is a professional exchange of feedback between employees working in the same field. An intervision group provides a structured and safe environment, however, is not subject to a hierarchical structure. Subjects which are typically discussed include: coping with volume of work, working from home, maintaining professional boundaries, limiting feelings or beliefs, responding to organisational changes and personal development issues.

Russell Coles

Russell has been sharing his creative skills with groups for over 3 years. His unique delivery of art for wellbeing has opened the doors, for many, of the possibility for recovery through creativity

Shantonu Chundur

In 2012, aged just 31, Shantonu was asked to go to West Africa to take charge of, and turnaround, a troubled billion dollar deepwater offshore oil project. While he succeeded in doing so, it was not without consequences. A burnout related breakdown at work in January 2013 led to him being hospitalised. What followed was an eighteen month period of recovery that included further residential clinics, intense therapy, varied drug regimes and significant periods away from work.​Realising that he needed to radically change his life, in 2014, Shantonu developed his own model of wellbeing, proactive in nature, evidence based, highly personalisable with a dual focus on self awareness and self care.​CBTEACH® was born!​ In late 2014, Shantonu resumed his corporate career and returned to West Africa. 4 years to the month after he suffered his breakdown, Shantonu was appointed to lead the Central & West Africa region, a business generating over half a billion dollars in revenue each year for his company.​Shantonu has always recognised the role of the health professionals in his immediate post breakdown care, but credits his long term recovery and ongoing mental fitness to CBTEACH®. He now wants to share CBTEACH® and what he learnt with those who want to proactively improve their wellbeing.

Corinne Lamoureux

Corinne brings a unique blend of corporate experience and teaching expertise to her role as a Mental Health First Aid instructor. With a background spanning corporate insurance, road haulage, and rail freight, she’s comfortable presenting in a wide variety of settings and connecting with people from all walks of life.

As a qualified teacher, Corinne is known for her natural empathy and sensitivity—qualities that are essential when delivering training on topics as emotive and important as mental health. She has managed teams across the corporate sector and understands firsthand the impact that wellbeing and sickness absence can have on productivity and morale.

Corinne has delivered training across multiple sectors including construction, logistics, healthcare, education and financial services, both in the UK and internationally through online delivery. She’s also an experienced public speaker, having spoken on subjects such as suicide risk in construction, work‑related stress, hidden disabilities, and domestic abuse.

Her training style is consistently praised for being engaging, supportive, and empowering—creating psychologically safe learning environments where people feel comfortable to share and grow.

Corinne holds QTS and has completed extensive additional training through her union, including employment law, health & safety, redundancy, and advanced representative training.

Chris Barker

With twenty years of experience in training, Chris has worked as an associate for organisations including Mind, Grassroots Suicide Prevention, Homeless Link, and The National Centre for Suicide Prevention. He delivers a range of programs, some of which have been accredited through City and Guilds and The Open University.
Outside of his learning and development role, Chris has worked closely with MindOut, specialising in the provision of mental health support to LGBTQ+ communities. As part of this role, he has facilitated peer support groups for people who experience thoughts of suicide and has delivered training that promotes LGBTQ+ affirmative practice and allyship.
Chris has recently completed a post-graduate certificate in Peer Supported Open Dialogue through London South Bank University. Originating from Finland, Open Dialogue is a trauma-informed approach that builds community resilience and empowers people to explore alternatives to the traditional medical models of mental health. This reflects Chris passion for peer support and the power of story-sharing.

Laura SeQueira

I have 25 years’ experience of working in, managing and leading student support, mental health and wellbeing services in the university sector. I set up my own training and consultancy practice in 2019 and since then have been regularly delivering workplace courses in Mental Health First Aid and Suicide First Aid across a range of public, private and third sector organisations in the UK and globally.

I provide workplace mediation services and routinely run reflective practice and supervision sessions for individuals and teams who are in frontline support roles e.g. social housing and student support. I also provide executive coaching, role consultancy and organisational consultancy.

My qualifications from the Tavistock Clinic and Tavistock Institute heavily inform my training and consultancy style, which emphasises creating emotionally containing spaces where it feels possible to engage in rigorous thinking, work with potentially difficult material and test out possibilities.

I deliver:

• Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) – Adult courses – 2-day, 1-day, MH Awareness (half-day), MH Skills for Managers and MHFA Refresher
• Suicide First Aid – Understanding Suicide Interventions (1-day) and SFA Lite (4-hours)
• Thrive Neurodiversity in the Workplace courses
• Bespoke training and consultancy

Lesley Simpson

Lesley Simpson has spent over 40 years helping people improve their health through physical activity and cardiac rehabilitation. She plays a key role at BACPR Training as a course author, designer, tutor, assessor and IQA, contributing to programmes such as Physical Activity in the Management of Cardiovascular Disease and Behaviour Change Skills.
Over the years, Lesley has led cardiac rehab services, supported primary care teams with lifestyle change planning, and managed community health promotion programmes. She still works directly with individuals living with long term conditions, something she’s been passionate about since starting out as a freelance fitness instructor in 1982.
Lesley brings a wide range of qualifications—from teaching and assessing to exercise referral, counselling, and specialist health education—along with ongoing CPD across cardiac rehab, physical activity and behaviour change.

Maya Twardziki

As a Health Psychologist and Public Health Specialist, I have over 30 years of strategic and operational experience in the health and wellbeing field - including training design, delivery and evaluation. And  have delivered work across the public, third, private and academic sectors. I am passionate about using creativity and have project-managed award-winning arts projects to increase awareness and reduce stigma around mental health (that also received national media coverage).  From a professional and personal perspective, I recognise the importance of maintaining the health and happiness of staff at work, and so I also offer a range of evidence-based activities that can increase staff wellbeing, including forest bathing*, on-site acupressure massage and group singing. (As a qualified and experienced Forest Bathing Guide and on-site acupressure massage therapist).  (So it's not surprising that when I am not working I can be found leading forest bathing sessions, singing in a band and sometimes dancing Argentinian tango).

Definitions & Ref.s

*Forest Bathing is a therapeutic process of being immersed in woodland to de-stress and improve wellbeing. It involves slow walking, mindfulness practices using our senses to connect with nature, and guided relaxation.  Scientific research has shown it can reduce stress, anxiety and depression, boost our mood, regulate heart rate and blood pressure, improve immune system function and sleep) 

Acupressure Massage. Research shows that acupressure can:  · reduce muscle tension; increase levels of endorphins - chemicals that boost mood and reduce feelings of pain; help treat neck pain, back pain, headaches (by stimulating nerves and reducing pain sensation); reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol;  enhance relaxation and help with sleep disturbances.

Group singing. Research shows that singing with others can:

• Improve our mood, sense of happiness and wellbeing(from the release of positive chemicals like β-endorphin, dopamine and serotonin; and from the social connection/bonding with others) ·       Improve breathing, posture and muscle tension
• Exercise the brainand memory ·       Help maintain a healthy immune system (by reducing cortisol and boosting IgA antibodies).

Ross Abbott

Ross is an experienced mental health and inclusion advocate, working across grassroots communities and global organisations. Living with his own mental health and neurodivergent diagnoses, he’s passionate about creating safe, supportive spaces and making mental health education accessible and relevant.

In addition to his work in wellbeing strategy and education, Ross volunteers with SHOUT as a Crisis Textline supporter, sits on the associate board of suicide prevention charity R;pple, and supports the rugby mental health charity LooseHeadz. He is also a speaker, podcaster, and facilitator, championing open conversations around mental health, neurodiversity, and inclusion in everyday life.

Sally Bolton

Sally is a health, fitness and lifestyle coach with over 17 years’ experience supporting women, with a particular focus on menopause health. As the founder of SB Wellbeing & Lifestyle, she’s known for her warm, down-to-earth approach, blending strength training, nutrition and emotional support to help women feel more like themselves again in midlife and beyond.

Over recent years, Sally has become a trusted and reassuring voice in menopause awareness at work. She partners with businesses across a range of sectors, including schools and colleges, delivering engaging, practical training that helps teams better understand the real impact of menopause on wellbeing, confidence and performance. Her sessions are often described as approachable, refreshing and easy to relate to - bringing clarity to a topic that’s too often misunderstood or avoided.

Sally’s work supports organisations to create more inclusive, menopause-aware cultures where women feel seen, supported and valued. By combining evidence-based insight with real-world experience, she helps workplaces take meaningful, positive action so no woman feels isolated during this important life stage.

Jenni Cole

Jenni is a qualified Guidance Counsellor, Teacher, Facilitator and Mental Health First Aid England Instructor with a background in Psychology, Communications and Education.  She has dipped in and out of a variety of professions including working in a prison, managing a television programme, being a radio news reader and training and developing people in the corporate, construction, civil service, hospitality and education fields.

Her love of people and her communication skills give her a strong track record for getting buy-in from participants during facilitation and ensuring that sessions are fun and valued.  Her specific interests are workplace stress and resilience; self-care; parenting and financial wellbeing.  She is a mum of 2 children who have both chartered very different and at times challenging paths - leading to a particular interest and focus on mental health and wellbeing.  When she’s not delivering sessions, you’ll find Jenni writing and developing sessions, out walking or at the gym – or doing a jigsaw puzzle.

Qualifications

Masters In Education (M.phil Edu)
Honours In Psychology
PGCE, Guidance Counselling

Mental Health First Aid Instructor
BA Psychology & Communications Mental Health First Aid Instructor (MHFA England)
Certificate in Understanding Children and Young People's Mental Health Group Training & Facilitation Certificates

Tracom Social Styles Facilitator

Zela Gayle

International Dance & Fitness Innovator Zela Gayle is an internationally renowned dancer, Certified Personal Trainer, and visionary Founder of Innerzeal Reggae-Robics. With a career spanning over two decades, she has toured Europe, performing her electrifying reggae fusion choreography across Italy, Spain, Holland, Switzerland, and the UK. Her passion for movement and cultural expression led her to teach in prestigious international schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she nurtured the next generation of dancers. Beyond the stage, Zela has built a thriving global brand at the intersection of dance, fitness, and holistic wellbeing. She is the driving force behind Reggae-Robics, a pioneering initiative that fuses Caribbean rhythm with dynamic exercise, making fitness accessible and joyful for all. Her expertise in personal training, fitness coaching, and creative movement has not only transformed lives but also positioned her as a sought-after speaker and leader in the wellness industry. Zela’s work currently focuses on helping women and carers feel stronger, more confident and connected through accessible exercise.