The Team
Team
Dr Hannah Burgon
PhD, MA DipSW, MSc, BSc, Cert in Counselling, Cert in Riding Therapy (CEO and Founder)
Hannah is a qualified Social Worker and has completed training in Riding Therapy and Equine Facilitated Learning. She also holds a Certificate in Counselling, and has a PhD into the benefits of Equine-Assisted Therapy & Learning from Cardiff University. Her book ‘Equine-Assisted Therapy and Learning with At-Risk Young People’ was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2014.
Shaun Dérioz
(co-founder)
Shaun is Hannah’s husband and a co-founder of Sirona. As well as being our fabulous photographer, providing promotional material and media support, he works tirelessly behind the scenes to maintain the grounds at Sirona and helps to look after the needs of our horses and ponies.
Josie Arscott
BA English and American Literature. Advanced Diploma in Humanistic Counselling. Certificate in Affective Neuroscience and Attachment Theory (Equine-Assisted Practitioner and Referral Co-ordinator)
Horses have been a huge part of Josie’s life growing up. She recognised the power of the relationship that can develop between people and these wonderfully perceptive animals. Josie is also a qualified counsellor and values the opportunity that Sirona offers in bringing these two aspects of her life together.
Kirsty Bowles
PGCE – Equine-Assisted Practitioner & Project Co-ordinator
Kirsty has grown up with horses as well as working with young people as a qualified teacher. She enjoys working with a positive, trust-based approach and is inspired by the way being with horses can promote this for the benefit of both horses and people.
Kate Ford
BA (Hons) Social Work – Equine-Assisted Practitioner & Project Co-ordinator.
Kate returned to Sirona in 2019, after 4 years in Bristol working with young people experiencing homelessness. Kate is passionate about the positive effect being in the natural environment and particularly around horses, can have on mental health and overall wellbeing.
Jade Badge
Bsc (hons) Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Bsc (hons) Occupational Therapy
Animals (horses and dogs in particular) have always been Jade’s passion. She has practiced as an animal behaviourist, puppyschool tutor, and worked with 2 assistance dog charities. Horses have been a big part of her life since she was lucky enough to meet a Shetland pony called Cherry Pie when she was 11. The happy hours spent at the horse yard as a child and again when she looked after other peoples horses and finally bought her own pony as an adult highlighted the positive effects that being outside in nature with horses and ponies has had on her own health and wellbeing. Working as part of the Sirona team is the perfect way to combine her passions for Occupational Therapy, the natural environment and her appreciation and love of animals.
Amber Hughes
Level 2 Apprentice.
Amber has been passionate about horses for as long as she can remember. When she moved to Cornwall in 2010 she started riding and volunteering at her local riding school. Amber now lives in Devon and has decided to turn her passion into a career, with the support of the Sirona team she is currently undertaking her Level 2 Equine Apprenticeship through Duchy College. Amber is very grateful to all the people and horses who are helping her reach her goals.
Catherine Elson
P/T Equine Project Worker National Certificate in the management of horses, Qualified Equine Veterinary Nurse and Trust Technique Practitioner: teaching owners and animals’ mindfulness.
Catherine is our Equine Project Worker who looks after the horses and ponies. She has always loved being around horses since a young age. She has 8 years’ experience working with horses in Thoroughbred and Arab studs and 6 years’ experience working in the veterinary industry nursing horses.
Diane Cleave
P/T Administrator
Diane supports the Sirona team with their HR, IT and fundraising needs, as well as the general office organisation. If there was an Olympic sport for organisation, she’d get gold every time! Horses are her passion and she has horses of her own and is always learning from them. Diane is the paperclip that holds Sirona together.
Paige Beattie
MSc, BSc (Hons), GMBPsS – P/T Project Worker
Paige is a psychology graduate currently undertaking a master’s in Clinical Psychology at Exeter university. After volunteering for us for a year, Paige is now working primarily on social media, marketing and fundraising for the charity. Additionally, she is on hand to help with any projects and provides a really versatile addition to the team. Her long-term ambition is to qualify as a clinical psychologist and she has a particular passion for mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety.
Our expert freelance team provide additional support
Natalie (Nat) Torr
BA (Hons) QTS
Nat is a qualified teacher and has ridden & worked with horses for over 35 years. She worked for many years training feral Dartmoor ponies and so loves bringing elements of horse psychology & trust-based training to her work with young people. More recently Nat has qualified as a Trauma & Tension Release Exercise practitioner (TRE) and has a real interest in the nervous system and how to support people to self-regulate, especially in nature and with horses. Nat also loves bringing elements of play into her sessions with the horses and the young people we work with.
Zoe Hayter
(FdSc) – BHSAI
Zoe works as a Freelance Riding Instructor at Sirona. She has a foundation degree in equine sports performance and coaching and owns her own horses whom she competes mainly in dressage.
Di Gammage
B.Ed (Hons), M.A. in Buddhist Psychotherapy, MA Creative Writing
Di is a core process psychotherapist, child psychotherapist and qualified play and drama therapist working with both children and adults with numerous publications on play and drama therapy. Di provides regular clinical supervision for the team at Sirona and has a lifelong love of horses.
Sally Croft
Sally Croft is a retired chartered accountant with many years of experience working with small charities, social enterprises and businesses. She worked with Ernst & Young as the changes took place in Eastern Europe. Now semi-retired Sally is working with small charities and social enterprises mainly in the local community. She sits on the boards of both a charity and a small company.
Could This Be You?
(the human, not the chicken!)
Have you got animal, horticultural or other relevant experience ? Do you have a passion for helping others and want to make a difference? If so, click here to find out more about what volunteering with us involves and apply today!
Our Volunteers
Thank you to our fabulous volunteers including Esther, Judy, Jules, Heather, Hesti, Shirley, Mel, Paige, Heather, Louise, Lisa, Sue P, Alica B, David, John, Richard, Yuki and Nana, Lea and many more who bring support in all areas such as poo-picking the fields, admin, producing our annual review (thank you John!) and support on sessions. Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering at Sirona to see what vacancies we have available.
Our Trustees
Sarah Urwin
Chair and Health & Safety Lead Reg. MBACP (Accred) Counsellor/Psychotherapist. BSc., Adv. Dip. Couns., Dip. Supervision, RMA, FdA(HCare), EAGALA Cert. Member HETI (Horses in Education & Therapy), Member Social Farms & Gardens.
Sarah has a background in local government as well as agricultural management and training. However in the past seventeen years she has worked in Health and Social Care, ultimately as a Counsellor/Psychotherapist, latterly using Equine and Animal Assisted Therapy as an intervention. Sarah is a Supervisor and Trainer of practitioners across the UK and is passionate about this work, a fact which is often commented upon by her students and supervisees!
Deirdre Ford
Deputy Safeguarding & Social Work BA, MSc, CQSW
Deirdre is a registered social worker with a background in multidisciplinary teams supporting people who have learning disabilities and mental health problems. She has taught on social work programmes at the universities of Exeter and Plymouth, and has worked extensively with service user and carer groups in education and practice.
Rowan Lawrence
Human Resources
Rowan has worked in HR for over 16 years working within businesses to create and establish successful HR functions, with a focus on providing the best employee experience and growing the business. Rowan has a passion for supporting people, in and out of the workplace, and is now happy to be studying to become a Counsellor. A horse lover since childhood, she is excited to be able to combine her professional and personal experiences in this role.
Jane Turner
Social Work BA (Hons) Social Work. DDP Level 2
Jane is a registered social worker with a background in Child Protection, and is currently employed by Adopt South West in the Adoption Support Team. Jane’s professional interest is in Dyadic Developmental Practice and Self-Care for adoptive parents, particularly linking Mindfulness with Therapeutic Parenting. Jane has been involved with Sirona since the beginning and has been involved with horses for most of her life. As a child, Jane was lucky to have Lucy Rees – Patron of Sirona, as her teacher.
Tania Beard
Education Bed (Hons), NPQH
Until recently Tania worked in education and her most recent role was as the headteacher of a large primary school. Tania has always been driven by improving outcomes for children and finding creative ways to enable children to feel safe, to develop a love of learning and to be able to develop successful relationships. A few years ago, she took early retirement from headship and is now embarking on a new career as a celebrant. Horses have always played an important part in Tania’s life and she is keen to do all she can to support Sirona in improving outcomes for young people as well as their ongoing research into the care and well-being of horses.
Annie Tempest
MEd – Education
Formerly a Principal Consultant for the International Education Agency as well as as Headteacher for over 20 years, Annie has had extensive experience in school leadership. She has worked with government departments in the UK and abroad and has led four schools to receive ‘Excellent’ Ofsted reports, the most recent in Nigeria.
As Director of Education for the Falkland Islands Government, Annie was responsible for all the education across the Falkland Islands from Pre-school to Adult Learning. Her passion is to commission and lead on strategies to work with schools, and other associated bodies, to influence and inform the level of school performance and pupil attainment.
Could This Be You?
Are you passionate about making a difference in people’s lives and interested in helping shape the future of our charity? Perhaps your schedule doesn’t allow you to volunteer directly, but you’re still eager to support our mission in a meaningful way. Joining our board of trustees could be the perfect opportunity for you! We are always on the lookout for dedicated, compassionate individuals to bring their unique skills, perspectives, and energy to our team. As a trustee, you’ll play a vital role in guiding our work and ensuring we continue to positively impact the community.
Our Patrons
Lucy Rees
