Meet the Golddigger Trust team.
Click on the tabs below the pictures to find out more about each team member.
Amanda Toombs, Founder & Creative Director . . .
Back in 2005, Amanda had a dream to support young people around issues of self esteem and so, alongside co-founders Rachel and Claire, began Golddigger Trust. Having worked in youth work for a number of years in Sheffield, Birmingham, Kent and Norfolk before founding the Trust, Amanda was hugely aware of the need for honesty and the need to face up to the 'real issues', so drew on her experience and skills to devise the 'I'm The Girl I Want To Be' course and music project, Golddigger. Amanda is passionate about working creatively with young people and creating excellent resources and projects that are effective and relevant. Alongside forming the 'Senior Leadership Team' with Beth, Amanda oversees the creative elements of Golddigger Trust, developing our current resources and forming new projects. Amanda juggles all this with raising 4 children and enjoys party planning, long muddy walks, decorating, and making everything look pretty!
Beth Stout, Chief Executive . . .
Beth joined Golddigger Trust in January 2009 and following 4 years as Co-Director alongside Amanda, became Chief Executive in 2013. Prior to joining the Trust, Beth worked for a variety of youth work charities and faith based organisations, specialising in strategy, event management and hands-on youth work in urban and deprived areas. Beth is a popular communicator and commentator at conferences and within national media. Beth oversees the strategic and operational development of Golddigger Trust, helping us to help more young people, and is a natural visionary and leader. Beth has a Masters degree in Charity Resource Management, and holds the Insititute of Fundraising Diploma in Fundraising (MInstFDip), ACIE Certificate in Charitable Accounting and the ICEAW Diploma in Charitable Accounting (DChA)... and a B in GCSE maths! Beth loves cooking food with her husband, going on adventures with her two little girls, and is a huge West Wing fan!
Gareth Beer, Wellbeing Team - Head of Schools . . .
Gareth joined the Golddigger Trust staff team in September 2021 to follow his passion of supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing; helping them to discover who they were made to be. After growing up in Reading, Gareth moved to Blackpool to be with his now wife and raise their three girls, until 2019 when they all moved to the right side of the Pennines! With a background in acting, sports, and a number of years running NCS programmes, Gareth has always been one for being active and creative in a variety of ways, and is keen to support young people’s wellbeing through these activities. In his spare time, Gareth loves keeping fit, watching as much sport as possible, grabbing a good cup of coffee and spending time with his family (not necessarily in that order!)
Ella Battye, Wellbeing Team - Head of Community . . .
Ella Joined the Golddigger Trust Team in December 2023. After qualifying as a learning disability nurse and social worker, Ella has experienced working in both community and inpatient mental health organisations over the last few years. Ella loves working with young people to promote their mental health and wellbeing and is so excited to be given the opportunity to do this in such a creative and innovative way! Having lived in Sheffield all her life, Ella actually watched Golddigger Trust and took part in a school course when she was younger! A lover a good sing and dance, she and will often be heard telling the worst jokes (self-confessed). She also has a passion for all things food and will most definitely be interested in what everyone is having for tea!
Richard Turner, Development Team - Head of Operations . . .
Richard joined Golddigger Trust in August 2021 as part of the Development Team, with a focus on operations and finance. Having been a youth worker for a number of years, more recently he has shifted his focus to more administrative roles. He loves the opportunity to work to support the Golddigger Trust team in the amazing work we do with young people all over Sheffield. After moving around a lot and living all over the place, Richard moved to Sheffield in 2017 and has found it to be a wonderful place to call home. In his spare time, he loves to explore Sheffield's green spaces with his family and collect second hand books.
Hannah Moss, Wellbeing Team - Welfare and Quality Lead . . .
Hannah joined the Golddigger Trust staff team (orignially as a Girls Project Worker) in September 2017 and is super excited to be in her dream job, helping young people to discover their true potential. Originally from Dudley, Hannah came to Sheffield to study Education, Psychology and Counselling at Sheffield Hallam University, and is a qualified Intergrative Counsellor, with a Professional Diploma in Intergrative Counselling and Psychotherapy. She's also half way through studying for a Masters in Young People's Mental Health... busy busy! Hannah has previously worked with women and girls in sex work in Thailand, and in colleges and on the Sheffield Rape Crisis helpline, using her counselling skills and amazing approachability to help people understand their value. Hannah loves to be active and recently ran the London Marathon, and also enjoys hanging out with her friends and cooking up lovely food!
Ellen Rimmer, Wellbeing Team - Schools Specialist . . .
Ellen joined Golddigger Trust in January 2022 to follow her love of working with young people and shouting about the importance of looking after our wellbeing! A native scouser, Ellen's moved across the Pennines with a stop off up in Lancaster - all the way working with young people in lots of different guises, including a stint as a high school science lab technician. Not bad for a girl with an English Literature degree, huh! In her spare time you'd probably find Ellen curled up reading with her cats or cooking up a brand new recipe for her ever encouraging partner.
David Willcox, Wellbeing Team - Schools Specialist . . .
David joined the Golddigger Trust staff team in January 2023 to pursue his passion to work with and support young people across all different walks of life. After growing up near Wycombe, studying Sports Science in Bath, and working with young people in Canada, David moved to Sheffield with his wife in 2022 and they are loving settling in to Yorkshire life. David enjoys spending time playing sports and being outdoors - recognising how it boosts his wellbeing - and also loves being around people, watching great movies and playing fun games with his friends and family. After working with young people across summer camps, local youth groups and work placement support, David is excited to support the young people of Sheffield as part of the Golddigger Trust Team!
Pippa Perkins, Wellbeing Team Member - Welcome Specialist . . .
Pippa joined the team in September 2023. Originally from the Sussex coast, she moved to London to study Sociology at university and then spent the next ten years in youth work, in various parts of London and even a few years ‘up north’ in Hull. After a few years expressing her creativity by working in fashion visual merchandising and styling, she missed fulfilling her purpose and passion in supporting young people to flourish so switched from dressing mannequins to working in a South London secondary school with students who had SEN, Literacy and Wellbeing needs. A self-confessed coffee snob, Pippa moved to Sheffield in 2019 to continue working to empower and equip young people and loves running in the lush parks and woodland, as well as mooching the vintage shops and art galleries with friends.
Amanda Fry, Wellbeing Team - Schools Specialist . . .
Amanda joined Golddigger Trust in September 2023. Amanda was previously a teacher, working with students who faced exclusion from mainstream school but has also been a milliner (hat maker). Amanda loves young people and had secretly wanted to be part of Golddigger life for a little while; she just needed to be ready to leave teaching which she had done for 24 years. Amanda likes having time to truly get to know young people and rooting out what makes them tick and what might help them tick more! Amanda is a Londoner but Sheffield is definitely home to her and her two girls now. However, you can’t take London out of the girl and she still needs a little fix of it’s energy, shops and entertainment. She’s trying to talk a bit more Sheffield but is reyt bad and can’t get her head around lunch being called dinner.
Adam Baker, Wellbeing Team - Schools Specialist . . .
Adam joined Golddigger Trust in November 2023 to continue his passion for supporting young people as a youth worker, a job he began in Birmingham back in 2013. He has lived abroad in Tenerife for a number of years before moving to Sheffield to join our Wellbeing Team, bringing with him various experiences working in youth work based projects. In his spare time he enjoys gaming, collecting old games consoles and spending time with his wife walking in the peak district.
Lucy Poppleton, Wellbeing Team - Mental Wellbeing Specialist . . .
Lucy joined the Golddigger Trust Team as Mental Wellbeing Specialist in January 2023. Lucy is so excited to join the team as she loves to connect with young people and see them grow. After spending years volunteering with youth clubs and mentoring students at university, she has developed a passion for journeying alongside young people and helping unearth the gold in them. Originally from Manchester, Lucy moved to Sheffield to study a Masters in Psychology and gain more experience working with vulnerable people in various mental health settings. In her spare time she enjoys salsa dancing, learning languages and trying out different cuisines (read: Italian is the best!)
Latifah Makuyi, Wellbeing Team - Drop In and Workshop Coordinator . . .
Latifah joined the team in January 2023. Born in South Africa, she moved to Leeds when she was 10 years old (which was a slight culture shock, why is it so cold here!?). After studying Psychology at the University of Chester, she began her youth work career training on the Isle of Man for a year before moving to Sheffield in 2016. Her passion for working with young people followed her across the Irish Sea as she has been a youth worker for various organisations across Sheffield and some time working with young people in Argentina. Latifah loves to learn new things and as a result has a silly amount of hobbies and pastimes including puzzles, chess, collecting odd socks and practising her Spanish. One of her biggest passions is music (of which she has released some of her own), so if you ever need to find her in a building, follow the noise.
Alice Watts, Wellbeing Team - Schools Specialist . . .
Alice has been part of Golddigger Trust since September 2017 and is passionate about working with and supporting those deemed most vulnerable and on the fringes of society. Having previously worked here as a Girls Project Worker and Girls Team Coordinator, she now focuses on ensuring every young person who asks for help is able to access support! She has previously worked in a residential setting and a college supporting people with autism, learning disabilities and additional needs, and worked for 2 years supporting young offenders in the North East. With a background in drama having studied Theatre and Performance in Newcastle, Alice met her husband while she was working for Riding Lights Theatre Company and they now have three young children who help keep their dreams alive! Alice enjoys a good coffee and a chat, preferably accompanied by cake and is trying to find the best place to do this where the kids can play instead of stealing the froth off her cappuccino!
Joe Williams, Wellbeing Team Member . . .
Having spent 4 years with Golddigger Trust under various guises, Joe decided to undertake a masters in Youth Work and Community Development in 2023 at Leeds Beckett University. Joe loved his time at Golddigger Trust so much that he has returned as part of his placement for the course. Joe loves working alongside young people, helping them to work out what makes them tick. He's also interested in geography and how place matters to young people. Outside of work and university life, Joe can be found in the Peak District on a mountain bike with his wife, or working away on some new music.
Gemma Ford, Development Team - Special Projects Manager . . .
Gemma joined the Golddigger Trust staff team in August 2021, and finds her role perfectly combines her love of solution-finding and organisation, with her love of supporting the people of Sheffield. Originally from Kent, Gemma first moved to Sheffield in 2011 and started working in communications. After a few years, she then undertook a degree in midwifery and went on to care for Sheffield's families as a midwife. In 2021, she decided it was time to leave the night shifts behind and joined Golddigger Trust where she enjoys utilising her skills to support the wider team and charity as a whole. Gemma lives with her husband, toddler and miniature poodle, and can usually be found either baking (and eating) flapjack, walking in the woods, or reorganising the kitchen cupboards!
Golddigger Trust is governed by a fantastic board of Trustees who volunteer their time to oversee the work that we do. Find out more about them here…