Meet our Fundraising Team

Abigail has been involved with youth work and charities for many years. Her numerous roles in public affairs and media relations include extensive experience in the education sector, through spending time working at both the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (now the National Education Union) and the Pre-School Learning Alliance (now Early Years Alliance). Abigail's previous role as a freelance communications consultant has included work for GMPTE (now Transport for Greater Manchester) and Manchester City Council.

An alumna of The University of Leeds, Abigail is a graduate of the prestigious Politics and Parliamentary Studies course and has worked in Westminster and Washington DC. Abigail is also a lay member of the General Assembly of the University of Manchester and a Governor at King David Primary School. In February 2024 Abigail was awarded the prestigious University of Manchester's Medal of Honour, which recognises individuals who have made an outstanding and sustained contribution to the University, the city and the wider region.

Abigail says: “I co-founded this charity in 2011, because I believed then, and still do, that there are a proportion of young people in our schools who, through no fault of their own, are being left behind. It was this injustice that prompted myself and my colleague Nick Bent to create Tutor Trust to transform lives through tutoring. Since then, the team at Tutor Trust has focused on supporting young people at school in underserved communities, who might otherwise not realise their potential. I’m so proud of what we have achieved over the years, and the amazing community we have built amongst our staff and school partners. Long may it continue.”

Cliona joined Tutor Trust in 2017 as a Primary tutor in Leeds, whilst completing a degree in Childhood Studies at the University of Leeds. Working as a tutor Cliona realised that she was highly interested in mitigating inequalities children face, and this interest resulted in her completing the Graduate Diploma in Law. She hopes this will allow her to effectively advocate for children’s needs one day. 

Cliona decided to continue her role as a tutor and joined the staff teams as a full-time secondary tutor in Manchester in September 2020. In January 2021 Cliona moved up once more, this time to the role of Secondary Schools Coordinator where she was able to enhance her expertise in partnership development and organisation set-up, actively advancing the Tutor Trust's objectives. In June 2022 she progressed to the role of Secondary Schools Manager and in February 2024 took on the new role of Fundraising Manager. 

Cliona says: "I am enthusiastic about the prospect of continuing my journey with the charity. I am committed to using my expertise and passion to make a meaningful difference in the lives of students and contribute to the important mission set out by Tutor Trust."

Penny joined Tutor Trust in September 2019 as a Schools Coordinator. Shortly afterwards she joined the Tutoring Plus team as a coordinator and became Tutoring Plus Manager in 2020. In this role Penny oversees all of the programmes aimed towards supporting pupils holistically, such as The Right Angle and Time for Me. In February 2024, Penny added to her role and became part of the fundraising team as Tutoring Plus Partnerships and Fundraising Manager.

She says: "I joined Tutor Trust as a Primary and Secondary English tutor in 2016 during my second year at the University of Manchester.  Whilst tutoring I enjoyed working across a range of ages, as well as advocating for Tutor Trust at University.

"I have always been interested in roles and projects that aim to support young people to develop their confidence and overcome barriers, with the core values of compassion and equality being what initially drew me to this charity.  

"When the opportunity to work specifically with pupils who are looked after or in alternative provision arose within Tutor Trust, I jumped at the chance. With the need for support for these young people only growing, our team and the work we do is more important than ever. Together we hope to continue to diversify the ways in which we can support each young person as an individual. My new role in fundraising provides the opportunity to celebrate and share our work with those who can support us in our mission of transforming lives through tutoring."

Kerys joined Tutor Trust in 2021 as a full-time secondary school tutor after graduating with a degree in English Language and English Literature from the University of Manchester. As a tutor, she was dedicated to helping and inspiring young people who had lost out on vital in-person teaching throughout the pandemic.

She joined the Manchester Secondary Schools Team in 2022 before moving over to the Fundraising Team in her role as Fundraising Development Officer.

Kerys says: "I began working as a Secondary English Tutor in 2021 and I know what a difference tuition makes to young people, I saw first hand how much their confidence grows in a small group setting so I was really excited to join the staff team and continue making a difference to young lives.

"On the Fundraising Team, my focus is to secure vital funding now and make sure that young people in places like Oldham, where I am from, continue to have access to a tutor for years to come. In school my favourite thing to do was read, I loved sharing that with the young people I tutored and now I get to share it with my colleagues in our monthly Book Club!