Meet the Team
JoJo Petty
Founder and Operations Manager
Hi, its JoJo. I decided to start Ten Little Toes because I had seen it happening in Sheffield and was taken back to my own experiences of insecure housing as a young mum on a very low income. My husband and I struggled in the early years with four children close in age and we had to make do with clothing and items from car boot sales and charity shops. I then worked in schools once my own children were in education and saw once again the struggle so many families face with food insecurity and insufficient weather appropriate clothing. I started the charity from my front room building a network via Facebook - I spent my evenings and weekends making up bundles and getting them to the people who needed them. In 2019 we moved to referrals from professionals only to ensure we were reaching those most in need and we have continued to grow ever since - we are now supporting over 600 families every year.
I would like to grow our volunteer base, to reach families easier and to be able to provide longer term support beyond an initial bundles. I would also like to raise awareness of the very real problems families face and what our communities can do to support those most in need.
Richard Benwell
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Hi I’m Rich and I’m honoured to serve as Chair of the board of Ten Little Toes. As the Chair, I am entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the strategic direction of the charity, coordinating with our trustees, collaborating with our dedicated team of compassionate individuals, and leveraging our resources to maximise our impact. All of which is a far cry from repairing buggies, which was my first job as a volunteer. Amanda would bring home pre-loved buggies to clean and prepare for new homes and if any needed minor repairs, I’d wait until after I’d put my three children to bed and then get out the toolbox, l’d set to work replacing a faulty brake or straightening a twisted chassis and generally getting myself covered in grease. From there I moved to helping out with the charity’s IT needs, drawing on my experience of more than 20 years in the sector and it was then, when a lot of my duties overlapped with those of the outgoing chair, that it seemed a natural fit for me to fill the role.
Looking ahead, my goal is to expand the reach and effectiveness of TLT by helping to find us a permanent home, forging strategic partnerships, securing recurring funding, and engaging with our referrers and those in our community who need our services.
Amanda Lusted
Fundraising Coordinator
Hiya, my name is Amanda. I am mum to three boys and a passionate and slightly crazy volunteer at Ten Little Toes. I have always been keen to build a community around what we do, and to put the wellbeing of the families we support at the focus of our operations.
I was so proud when my older sister JoJo started ten little toes from her home in 2017 and was able to join her in 2020 firstly by sorting donations, then in late 2021 I took on more of the administrative work. I now submit and manage all of our funding bids, recruit volunteers, undertake community outreach and build our network plus a million other things that would turn this bio in to a full book. I hope that we can grow the support we are able to offer to our community and make a real start towards eradicating child poverty in West Sussex.
Kamila Klidzia
Trustee
Hi, I’m Kamila and I work in the social housing sector and run a small private block management company. I began volunteering as a delivery driver for Ten Little Toes during the pandemic as something to do during those long days of not much happening and got to know the passionate and devoted team during pick-ups leading me to become one of the Trustees in 2022. My role so far has been to update and formalise the bookkeeping and budget monitoring and I also provide some administrative support. I am so excited for the baby bank to move in to their new premises in the next few months, and hope that we can keep providing the excellent and essential service from our new hub with renewed enthusiasm - and much needed extra space!
Amanda Nolan
Volunteer
Hello, I’m Amanda, mother to four, mental health nurse, and buggy enthusiast. During the Pandemic, I had a buggy refurbishment business from home which is how I met JoJo, I then began refurbishing buggies for the baby bank from home in 2022 and became steadily more involved with the functions of the Charity - I now help with sorting and cleaning donations, putting together bundles and of course, refurbishing buggies. I really enjoy the hands-on stuff and would eventually like to be able to volunteer full time. I would love to see Ten Little Toes have their own property to be able to support the important work they do.
Sam Lusted
Trustee
Hi, I’m Sam. I am a father of three and I work for Crawley Wellbeing. I’m a qualified personal trainer and have always been interested in the health and wellbeing of those around me. I started volunteering for Ten Little Toes in 2022 by helping to build their network, including the Crawley Community Services Team and other local potential partners and I became a trustee in at the beginning of 2023.
I am passionate about supporting the community in any way I can and I’m looking forward to increasing community engagement and getting involved with more fundraising activities with Ten Little Toes. I hope to continue to see and help with the growth of the charity in a steady and manageable way to ensure the support provided continues and the staff and volunteers are able to carry on without burning out.
Anna Stapleton
Trustee
Hello I’m Anna - mum to one daughter and extensively experienced working with and supporting non-profit organisations. I began volunteering with Ten Little Toes in 2021 specifically assisting with funding and fundraising. I adore JoJo and the rest of the team and I am in awe of the amazing work they do for so many families across West Sussex. I became a Trustee in May 2022 and continue to support the team with funding applications and events. I hope that TLT is soon able to move into a larger premises and to continue to provide the essential services to the community.
Paul Petty
Trustee
Hi, I’m Paul and I’m a workshop Manager and HGV technician for plant machinery. I was quite surprised when my wife of 24 years, JoJo suggested starting a baby back back in 2017 - she had seen people doing similar up north and wanted to help people now that our four children were teens. I initially didn’t think it would work but was happy to support her. When the baby bank first started, I was fixing up buggies and other donated items. I did a lot of running around and building sheds to store the items we were receiving. Now, I mainly do what I am told - I collect parts, support with technical issues and provide the muscle when things need shifting.
I would like to see the baby bank move to their new premises and to continue their good work.