We’ve been there too
It’s impossible to know what it’s like behind NICU doors unless you’ve walked those corridors, scrubbed your hands, heard the alarms and felt the fear of losing the most precious thing in the world to you. We get it because we’ve been there too. The Smallest Things is run entirely by volunteers who’ve had premature babies. And that’s exactly what inspires us to support families, raise awareness and instigate change. We believe in a better world for families of premature babies. A world in which parents have the time they need before returning to work, without money worries; the support they need after they leave the hospital; and the reassurance that they are not alone on their journey. Because prematurity doesn’t end when you leave NICU.
Meet our trustees
Catriona Ogilvy
Founder and Chair
Catriona is a paediatric occupational therapist, with nearly twenty years experience working with children, young people and families. She was chair of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section for Children and Young People (2009 – 2011) and founded the Smallest Things premature baby charity in September 2014 following the premature birth of both her sons. Having worked in NHS hospitals, including in neonatal intensive care units, for many years, Catriona now works with children and young people in the community, specialising in Special Educational Needs.
Sarah Miles
Trustee/Communications Director
Sarah cut her teeth as a journalist at the BBC in 2002 and worked in content marketing for global brands with a focus on health and family before becoming Head of Content at Mind, the mental health charity. As Editor of Tesco Magazine she oversaw Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life magazine and ran communications workshops for CLIC Sargent. A former parent adviser for Bliss, she currently volunteers for the Twins Trust Bereavement Support Group. Sarah gave birth to identical twin girls at 28 weeks in 2011 and spent over six months in NICU before her youngest, Eva, died from surgical complications.
Matt Wilkinson
Trustee/Strategy Director
Matt works for the NHS as a Programme Manager in Primary Care managing change across Dudley. He has previously held jobs in homelessness and children's services at Birmingham City Council during his 12 years with the local authority before six years as Head of Business Change at Polaris, one of the UK's largest independent providers of children's services. Matt and his wife, Sally, had their daughter Isabelle at 34 weeks’ gestation back in 2011 and then twin boys Harry and Sam at 25 weeks’ gestation in 2015. Sadly, Sam was too fragile and passed away at 16 days old. After various fundraising events and activities raising money as #prematurerockstar for different premature baby charities, including The Smallest Things, Matt became one of our Trustees in 2018.
Lynne Peachey
Lynne is a Digital Marketing Consultant with over 15 years experience working in digital communications, including previous in-house roles at UK Hospitality and the young person’s charity the Youth Sport Trust. A mum of two boys, Lynne’s second son Max was born unexpectedly in 2018 at 24 weeks’ gestation - on her eldest son Oliver’s birthday no less! Max spent four months in Neonatal Intensive Care at The Rosie Hospital, Cambridge and has a number of diagnoses due to his prematurity, including Global Development Delay. She is passionate about raising awareness around premature birth and parental mental health, particularly when it comes to the post-NICU journey and navigating support for the family.
Kerry Myles
Kerry works in financial services and spent 16 years working for Allianz Insurance across a variety of sales, operations and change management roles. She is currently Regional Operations Manager for Gallagher, the UK’s largest insurance broker where she is responsible for implementing strategic projects and overseeing the day-to-day operations of multiple offices throughout the South of England.
Kerry gave birth to her son Alfie at 26 weeks while on holiday in Boston, USA where they lived for three months while he was in NICU. After returning to the UK, Kerry reached out initially as a volunteer for The Smallest Things and became one of our Trustees in 2022.