Meet the Team

Linzi is one of our three Perinatal Team Leaders who look after our clients, leading small teams of volunteer birth and postnatal companions who provide care, information and advocacy to the people we support through pregnancy, birth and into early parenthood.

Linzi brings huge experience in birthwork to Amma: she studied Maternity Care at college, and has previously worked as a Perinatal Family Support Worker. Linzi is also a trained breastfeeding peer supporter and hypnobirthing teacher.  She lives in Glasgow with her husband and four children.

Originally from New Zealand, Sam joined Amma as a volunteer postnatal companion in 2021 before becoming part of the expanded staff team in Summer 2022. Before coming to work for Amma, Sam worked in social care and as a teacher and a nanny and brings huge experience in the postnatal period and children’s early years development, as well as a special interest in newborn care, to the Amma team.

Sam has witnessed the transformation of new parents as they become confident and comfortable in their new role, and the beneficial knock-on effects that this can have in their and their child’s life.

Atinuke joined the Amma staff team in June 2022 after a period of time volunteering with us. As part of the team looking after our Amma Family peer support programme, Atinuke helps to run our weekly parent and baby drop in sessions which are regularly attended by current and past Amma clients.

Karen joined Team Amma from the British Red Cross Refugee Service, where she built up expertise in providing advice, support, and advocacy to people in crisis as a result of their migration status.

Karen has a wealth of understanding of the asylum process and the barriers faced by people within it. She has worked with a wide range of vulnerable groups and believes that people have a right to safety, security and to realise their potential no matter who they are and where they come from.

As Amma’s Referrals Manager, Karen is responsible for our clients’ journey through our support provision, from initial referral to pairing with a team of volunteers, attending antenatal class, gathering feedback and completing a final evaluation as our support period ends.

Amanda brings over a decade of experience in the third sector to her role as Head of Advocacy & Communications.

Originally from Canada, Amanda has worked for several charitable organisations in both the UK and abroad. She joined Amma in January 2020.

Amanda leads Amma’s efforts to create systemic change through strategic communications, research, and advocacy. She manages all marketing and communications activities and oversees our volunteer recruitment and training programme. Amanda continues to volunteer as a birth and postnatal companion.

Morag joined Amma’s team of volunteer birth companions in 2021 and became a staff member in summer 2022. In her spare time, she loves to sing as a member of the Joyous Choir, listen to live music, cook tasty vegan food and spend a lot of time with her friends and family.

Most recently, Morag worked at Maslow’s Community Shop doing administration and finance part time, a role which allowed her to be involved with the community of volunteers there, as well as those coming into the shop.

As one of our three Perinatal Team Leaders, Morag supports clients directly along with teams of volunteers to provide person-centred care, advocacy, practical and emotional care, supervision and more.

Helen initially joined Amma as a volunteer birth companion and quickly became an integral part of the team. Her strong management skills and experience as a birth companion led to Helen becoming our Perinatal Services Manager. In this role Helen provides guidance and support to our Perinatal Team Leaders and our huge team of volunteer birth and postnatal companions in the day-to-day provision of service to clients.

Before joining Amma, Helen was a business owner for 13 years, prior to which, she had a career in the retail, banking, and finance sectors. Helen contributes extensive experience in training and staff development, as well as valuable expertise in GDPR and compliance issues.

Abigail has extensive experience in the third sector. She previously worked for ChildLine and spent twelve years at Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, where she was part of the management team.

Abigail has years of experience in corporate events and fundraising and brings strong project and people management skills to the Amma team. As Amma’s Head of Partnerships and Fundraising, she is responsible for raising all the funds needed to keep the charity and service running.

A mum of two, she is a qualified hypnobirthing practitioner and a birth and postnatal doula.

For more than a decade, Sarah has worked to support vulnerable people in the asylum process and those with insecure immigration status. In 2019, she co-founded Amma Birth Companions.

As Head of Services, Sarah oversees all aspects of our service delivery, including companionship, antenatal classes and peer support.

​Sarah also leads our monitoring and evaluation activities, helping to ensure Amma is achieving its mission and outcomes.