About Jo's Hope
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”
- Desmond Tutu
Meet the Team
Joanna Tomkin
“I studied LLB Law at Teesside University. This is the place I consider to have grown and flourished. I then went on to complete an LLM in International Law at Leeds University followed by being called to the Bar of England and Wales through City Law School and Middle Temple. During this time, I was the first Black female president the 400-year-old inn had called. Throughout this time, I was immersed in a new world. A year after completing the Bar, tragedy struck my family, and I gave up my legal pursuit to go home to Huddersfield to be with my family.
Before I could blink, a year had passed, and I decided that pursuing something in the criminal justice field might suit my attributes better. It was then I applied to become an unpaid work supervisor for Thames Valley Probation. During this time, I progressed to become a Probation Service Officer at HMP Woodhill. Whilst at HMP Woodhill I was engrossed and subjected to a type of new world order. A self-governing entity through external support. It is only fair to say that whilst here I made some lifelong friends and witnessed first-hand the trials and tribulations of running a prison and being incarcerated.
I created my charity, Jo's Hope, because I believe in giving others hope. It has always been an ambition of mine to do something that helps and changes the lives of others, and when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I decided to pursue my ambitions.”
Hannah Hilton
Hannah joined our team in late 2019 and is now in charge of events and running the unit. She is a mother of three children, and she also has Borderline Personality Disorder and chronic back pain – with firsthand experience in handling mental health problems, physical pain, and family life, she has great sympathy with our service users. Hannah’s contribution to the charity is invaluable and most of the daily services wouldn’t run without her.
Sarah Markey
A part of our team since 2018, Sarah is a single mother to six children. Having suffered from bowel cancer, she knows firsthand the difficulties and issues faced by our service users, which means she can offer personal knowledge and coping strategies. As well as running our website, Sarah is in charge of keeping records and accounts and she’s a crucial member of our team.
Karen Melville
Karen first joined our charity during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she helped unload more than 15 pallets of food and distribute them throughout Milton Keynes. She went on to establish our baking club for children and families, but due to ill health, she has been unable to continue with this. Karen has seen her mobility decline rapidly, but her dedication to our charity is unwavering. She now heads up our Listening Ear programme and acts as an emergency call handler, so if you are lonely and need to speak to someone, please contact us and Karen will be in touch.
Joanne Scott
Suffering from fibromyalgia and mobility issues, Joanna is a keen supporter of the charity and its events. Jo is also formerly homeless, and she applies her knowledge from her experiences to our service users in an unbiased empathetic forum.
Donna Tomkin
With a multi-disciplinary background, Donna heads DT Hair Design, which helps to shave and cut cancer sufferers’ hair from the comfort of their own homes. As well as being a qualified hairdresser, she is a senior residential social worker, who has worked extensively with drug and alcohol users. Since she started working with the team, she has become an integral part of our daily service, specialising in helping the families of those in crisis when they approach our charity.