Children’s Food Campaign

Barbara leads the Children’s Food Campaign at Sustain, the alliance for better food and farming. This brings together over 80 different health, education, children’s and parenting organisations to champion children’s rights, parent power and government action to improve the food environment children grow up in. The campaign seeks to make healthy, nutritious and sustainably sourced food the easy, affordable and appealing option for all families. Campaign successes include winning government regulation to introduce the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, in-store restrictions on unhealthy food at entrances and checkouts, universal infant school meals and better school food standards and a 9pm watershed on junk food advertising.  Current campaigns include Recipe for Change, calling for more incentives for healthier food industry, and Say Yes to School Food For All.

Barbara has over 30 years’ experience of policy, advocacy and campaigning in the not-for-profit sector, working on children’s rights, international food and trade, public health and social justice, spanning Fairtrade, Save the Children and the international development charity CAFOD. Barbara is also the founder of Out for Change, her executive coaching and campaigns and public affairs consultancy, specialising in food systems, sustainability, ethical trade and social justice. Outside of work she is an avid foodie, birdwatcher, bookworm, traveller and indie choir member.

Founder & Director, Dolitics

Dr Dolly van Tulleken founded Dolitics to help drive positive policy change towards a healthier, more sustainable and equitable society.

Alongside her consultancy work, Dolly is a Visiting Researcher at Cambridge University’s MRC Epidemiology Unit where she completed her PhD on UK government obesity policy. Her research examined why 30 years of government obesity policy in England has failed to reduce the obesity prevalence and improve population health, what influences government policymaking and the specific role of policy entrepreneurs.  Her research has been published in high impact journals and used by government.

Previously, Dolly led the childhood obesity and grassroots sport research at the Centre for Social Justice think tank, ran an election campaign, and was a parliamentary researcher in the House of Lords.

Dolly co-founded 50:50 Parliament’s cross-party #AskHerToStand campaign which helps women in the UK get selected and elected. She is Vice President of ex-offenders employment charity Tempus Novo and an ambassador of women military veterans charity Salute Her.

Elaine began her career in the field of psychology. Her interest in complementary therapies lead to subsequent studies in osteopathy, naturopathy and acupuncture. Following her interest in acupuncture Elaine spent time working in hospitals in China.

Elaine is interested in many aspects of health and well-being. She has combined her time working in the Health Spa environment and hospitals. Her focus is on health promotion and designing wellness programmes for spas, notably The Gut Health Programme for Grayshott spa.

Additionally, Elaine has spent time working in paediatrics at the charity The Osteopathic Cente For Children . A particular interest was tongue tie as an impediment to breastfeeding.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, soil association

Helen farms in a family partnership on a mostly tenanted organic farm in Wiltshire with dairy, beef, pigs, cereals, agroforestry and small scale horticulture. Her products are sold through the Helen Browning’s Organic brand in retailers as well as through her hotel and restaurant/pub on the farm.

Her book ‘PIG; tales from an organic farm’, written with her partner Tim Finney, tells more about the trials and tribulations of their farming and food life.

She has been Chief Executive of the Soil Association since 2011, after a long involvement with the charity in a variety of exec and non-exec roles. Prior to rejoining the Soil Association, Helen was Director of External Affairs for the National Trust.

She is currently a Commissioner and trustee of the Food Farming and Countryside Commission and has had a number of roles in agri-politics over the years, including the Government’s Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food (‘the Curry Commission’), chaired the England Animal Health and Welfare Implementation Group and the Food Ethics Council. Helen was awarded an OBE in 1998 for her services to organic farming

Outreach & Communication Officer, ANH International

As a qualified Nutritional Therapist, she is passionate about empowering individuals to take control of their own health using natural approaches to health care where possible.

Melissa has had a wide and varied career to date and now uses this wealth of experience to inform practitioners about the work that ANH is doing as well as supporting them in promoting natural approaches to healthcare.

Mission Facilitator, Alliance for Natural Health

Paraschiva  holds an LLB (Hons) degree in Law from University of Edinburgh and believes that as individuals we should have choice and free will. She is passionate about creating a world in which we have optimum health and fulfilling lives in connection with each other, nature and spirit.

Prior to working for ANH, she worked as a Police Officer and she’s currently training to become a Nutritional Therapist. She loves being creative through writing, playing music, nature-connection and cooking nourishing recipes!