We are saddened to formally announce that our founder Leanna Wakely will be stepping down from her leadership role within SNUG following thirteen years of service and dedication.
As a captivating and well respected leader and advocate Leanna has developed the charity from the ground up, championing the parent voice and ensuring thousands of neonatal families have access to the right support in the right place at the right time.
Leanna has been credited with the roll out of many new initiatives including the national spread and adoption of parent/nurse communication tags, developing the UK’s first fully funded ‘hospital to home’ neonatal peer support model and developing research into the impact of parent to parent support in neonatal settings. She has brought the charity through the global pandemic, placing the organisation in a strong financial position to continue long into the future.
Speaking on her departure Leanna said
“I am very proud of what SNUG has achieved over the last thirteen years. Although I have decided to step aside and hand the responsibility of leading this wonderful charity over to someone new, I have every faith that SNUG will continue to grow in the years ahead. I would like to thank everyone for their support over the years. I will miss the teams and the families who I have had the honour of working with, all of whom have made this a great charity to be a part of and my fondness and connection with the cause will remain with me forever. The decision to leave has been a very difficult one but sometimes you just know when the time is right. For now however, I will be focusing on ensuring a smooth transition during my final period in this incredible role”
Craig Bowden, Chairman of The board of trustees stated
“We are immensely proud of what Leanna has achieved during her tenure and we will miss her a great deal here at the charity. I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her vital work in driving forward social change and for inspiring so many others to give back to their communities. We look forward to appointing a new successor in the near future and we will be working closely with Leanna over the coming months to ensure SNUG continues to thrive long into the future”
Here is just some of the things that families supported by Leanna over the years had to say
Leanna, what can we say. Thank you. Thank you for all that you have done for the incredible family that is SNUG. You were the first face of support we saw when we had I. just over 9 years ago, still remember the day we met you. Thank you so much for all of the support you have given us over the years, you truly made a huge difference to our (and so many other) lives
Leanna you are a Legend, I know I say it all the time but you are a real life living Legend. Thank you for everything but most importantly for teaching us and being beside us while we advocated for our babies, you have no idea how many warrior families you have created.
What a legacy you’ll leave behind Leanna, you should be so proud of the impact you have had on so many families. All the best for the future.
Leanna you must be and should be so incredibly proud of all you have achieved for the families you have supported. I will always carry good memories with me for what you gave to me and my family. Well done for achieving what you have, it’s a legacy
