Our Team
Our Strength

Behind every success story at Kerensa is a team of passionate professionals committed to delivering compassionate, person-centred care across Cornwall.

Leadership Team

Guided by Vision. Grounded in Values.

David Carruthers

Director

Dr David joined the Kerensa family in 2022, trading his GP stethoscope for a place at the strategy table—yet he still diagnoses challenges with the same precision and prescribes equally creative solutions. After 13 years in the NHS, he’s now fully focused on making Kerensa the best supported living provider in the county, championing our team and empowering the people we support to live their best lives.
When he’s not refereeing mealtimes for his three young children (alongside Emily, his paediatric‑doctor wife), you’ll find him chasing Cornish surf or scheming our next company get‑together. What keeps him ticking? “A new challenge, a good laugh and social events that turn colleagues into friends—especially our legendary beach parties.”

Donna Richards

Regional Registered Manager

Donna is a true professional of Health and Social Care; joining Kerensa at the start of 2025, she has brought experience of over twenty years in care, with eight as a Registered Manager in community and nursing care. Qualified NVQ level 5 in Health & Social Care, Donna has a background in elderly care and mental health, supporting people from all walks of life with a diverse range of needs.
Donna is a history buff who loves spontaneous road trips, enjoying nothing more than packing up the car and seeing where the day takes her! Kerensa, for her, is a new but exciting chapter, with a feeling that the best is yet to come…

Sam Pictor

Director

Accountant turned Kerensa Director; Sam soon realised that the care sector was a place where he could contribute a positive impact. He brings his finance and business expertise to Kerensa, but his real joy comes from being part of proactive solution-focused team.
Married to his amazing wife Claire (a General Practice Doctor), they have three small children (that are getting bigger quickly) keeping them on their toes. When Sam has a spare moment, he can be found out in the waves or running the hills.
Sam’s motivation for starting Kerensa initially was a clear need for quality social care in Cornwall, but what keeps him at Kerensa? “It’s the colourful tapestry of our team and the people we support, each bringing their own story and character to make it a truly special place”.

Claire Wallace

Head of Care

Claire is our Head of Care and a positive force for good when it comes to supporting and advocating for vulnerable people. With over 20 years working in Health and Social Care, supporting both children and adults with learning disabilities, autism and physical disabilities, Claire has equipped herself with significant experience and skills, including Level 5 Leadership and Management in both Adult Care and Children’s Care, and is Head of our Safeguarding Board. A real people person - it’s fair to say, Kerensa would not be the special place that it is without Claire!
Outside of work, Claire is a proud mum of four boys, now grown up men. She and her husband moved to Cornwall in 2012 to raise their family near the ocean, and she’s now a committed gig rower who loves regattas, sea air, and the Cornish way of life.
For Claire, “Kerensa is all about making life better - reducing restrictions, challenging outdated practices, and empowering people to live with dignity, choice, and joy.”

Team Managers

Our Team Managers are the heartbeat of our day-to-day operations, ensuring personalised, consistent support for everyone we care for.

Hollie Robinson

Team Manager & PBS Lead

A fiercely passionate advocate for adults with complex behavioural needs, Hollie has spent the last decade working in care, supporting children and adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health challenges.
As a CPI accredited trainer and NVQ Level 4, Hollie is a highly skilled teams manager and blends her passion with experience to hold a valued role as our Positive Behavioural Support specialist. Outside of work, you’ll find Hollie at the gym in the early hours of most mornings, or tending to her "fur baby," poodles Lilly and Ted.
In her own words, Hollie “thrives in the lively, supportive atmosphere of Kerensa, where social events are a perfect blend of organized chaos and pure joy”.

Craig Peters

Registered Manager & Learning & Development Lead

Craig was our first Registered Manager and is our longest standing member of Kerensa. He was part of setting our foundations and is involved in every single part of what makes Kerensa special.
Craig has spent 11 years in care and has been part of Kerensa since we first started 4 years ago. With experience in dementia, palliative care, brain and spine injuries, epilepsy, and learning disabilities, Craig has a string of qualifications under his belt, including Level 4 Lead Practitioner, ILM level 3 and Train the Trainer certifications in multiple areas, he’s all about empowering both his colleagues and the people he supports.
When he’s not working, he’s shopping, singing, swimming, or enjoying a long dog walk—followed, of course, by a well-deserved spa day.
One Craig’s standout moments at Kerensa was helping someone fulfil their dream of going on a Mediterranean cruise, proving that care is about more than just support—it’s about making dreams come true.

Lindsay Simpson

Team Manager

Lindsay started her career in care with Kerensa in 2023, and it was immediately clear that Lindsay and Care fit together like jam and cream. Quickly stepping up to a Senior Support worker role and then on to Team Manager, Lindsay is a passionate advocate for the people she supports and the team she has around her.
Outside of work you might see Lindsay kayaking along the Cornish coastline or walking the southwest coastal path, enjoying her surroundings and recharging the warm enthusiasm that she brings to Kerensa. Lindsay is a DIY dab hand and loves a challenge, so there aren’t many things that can stand in her way.

Juliet Maude

Team Manager

Juliet joined Kerensa when we first started providing community support; with an infectious enthusiasm that spreads throughout the team, Juliet has rapidly invested in developing her skills and experience in social care quickly stepping up into her current role as a Team Manager.
Alongside her busy family life, Juliet is a passionate cook and loves experimenting in the kitchen, along with swimming, walking, and hitting the gym! At Kerensa, she’s proud to be part of a team that champions person-centred care, helping people live life to the fullest.
Her favourite part? “The legendary Kerensa parties—summer BBQs on the beach and festive Christmas celebrations that always bring everyone together in the best way”.

Anita Roberts

Team Manager

Anita is a true champion for the people she supports and their right to a life that truly enables and empowers.
With over 15 years of experience in care and a long list of leadership qualifications Anita has truly found her calling in Social Care. Holding health and social care level 3, ILM level 3, a key member of our safeguarding board and an accredited trainer of safeguarding and personal care, she’s committed to professional growth and has a wealth of applied experience. Anita loves spending time with family, traveling abroad, and embracing new experiences.
At Kerensa, she thrives in “an environment where the focus is on why things “can” happen rather than why they can’t. Being able to empower people and see the gratitude of those they support is what makes her role truly fulfilling”.

Jenny Creed

Team Manager

Essex girl turned Cornish local, we were lucky enough to have Jenny join our ranks towards the end of 2024. The epitome of hard-working, responsive and loyal to her team and the people she supports, Jenny brings 15 years of care experience, NVQ level 4 in Health and Social care and a quiet determination and competence that gets things done and makes things happen.
Jenny is a proud “dog mum” to Saphy the Chihuahua and Chewbacca the German Spitz, both of whom rule her household!
Since joining Kerensa, Jenny has found it to be a workplace unlike any other—one that truly values and supports its staff. She’s already built wonderful memories, from festive celebrations to witnessing a long-supported individual finally move into their own home and thrive. It’s moments like these that remind her why she loves what she does.

Simon Barnes

Behaviour Support Team Manager

Squadron Leader Simon Barnes retired from the RAF after a 29-year career in the Service to run a guest house in Cornwall. Five years later he packed it in to work in children’s residential care, progressing to earning a Level 5 in Leadership and Management, working in a management role in a home support children with learning difficulties.
After a break, during which he supported children in an alternative education provision and then with Cornwall Council Together for Families Get2gether Team, he joined Kerensa Care.
Simon is passionate about supporting children that are about to fall off the cliff of care at 18 years old, and is “excited to be joining Kerensa in its efforts to help children safely make the transition into adulthood”.
Simon has been involved in amateur dramatics throughout his life and for the last 3 years has been active with Keur Arwodha Kemeneth, Cornwall’s Makaton signing choir.

Lynette Ngotho

Team Manager

Lynette Ngotho is a dedicated care professional originally from Kenya, with four years of experience in the care sector. She holds an NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care and has been living in Cornwall for the past three years.
Lynette is passionate about delivering compassionate, high-quality care while supporting her team to grow and work collaboratively. She particularly enjoys the variety her role brings, as no two days are the same, and appreciates the opportunity to continue developing her communication, empathy, and problem-solving skills.
Outside of work, Lynette enjoys spending time with friends and family, travelling, photography, and music.

Nigel Parkin

Registered Manager

Nigel has spent the last six years working with children and adults with complex medical needs, including VNS, BiPAP, gastrostomy, and jejunostomy care. An incredibly skilled Teams Manager, Nigel consistently puts his team ahead of himself, embodying the very ethos of Servant Leadership.
Outside of Care, Nigel lives on a smallholding bursting with life—dogs, cats, parrots, and more—all of which are his biggest passion outside of work. Whether tending to his animals or providing compassionate care at Kerensa,
Nigel is happiest when making a difference. His favourite part of working at Kerensa? Knowing that every day he’s helping someone live their best life while being surrounded by a team that feels like family.

Carron Livings

Behaviour Support Team Manager

A true cockney, Carron grew up in East London before falling into care work via a YTS placement at a residential school for children with disabilities - and never looked back. Along the way she's picked up an NVQ Level 3, an HNC and an HND, the latter earned after returning to education following a subarachnoid haemorrhage, in a determined effort to get her memory back on track.

Carron lived in Cornwall on and off before settling here for good in 2015 with her wife, Kiki. At home she's kept company by two dogs and two cats, alongside family close. When she does slow down, she turns to cross stitch, a hobby she took up to help her hand-eye coordination after her neurosurgery.

What is Carron’s best bit of Kerensa? Carron says the change has left her happier and more motivated than she's felt in a long time. A close second: losing a trainer in the mud on outreach and spending the rest of the day in someone else's size 15 wellies.

Sukoluhle Ncube

Team Manager

Originally from Zimbabwe, Su has spent the last four years in the care sector and is highly qualified after recently completing her NVQ Level 5 in Leadership for Health and Social Care. Su brings a joyful spirit, diligent work ethic and an infectious laughter to our team, Married with two wonderful children, she loves reading, cooking, and farming.
Her fondest Kerensa memory? “Being nominated for and attending the National Disability Awards in Birmingham in 2023. Everything was just so beautiful and the people where so amazing”.

Amie Waller

Registered Manager

Amie has been in care for 11 years and has lived in Cornwall for the past five. With an NVQ Level 3 alongside her own valuable lived experience, Amie provides a bedrock of stability on which her teams thrive; an incredibly trusted pair of hands she has a skill for building valued relationships.
In her free time she can be found hiking across the Cornish countryside with her loyal dog, Diego. Amie is also a former rugby player turned enthusiastic spectator (thanks to an unfortunate injury), she now enjoys the game from the comfort of her sofa.
At Kerensa, Amie says she feels truly valued—she’s never worked for a company that prioritizes its staff as much as this one. Three years in, she wouldn’t change a thing!

HR, Recruitment & Finance Team

From your first interview to ongoing career development, this team ensures every staff member is supported and empowered.

Vicki Roberts

Recruitment & Training Lead

Vicki is our resident recruitment guru, cool operator and a queen of compliance. With five years as a support worker and three years in recruitment, she brings both hands-on experience and a knack for finding the right people. Armed with a PTTLS qualification, she’s passionate about supporting others to grow.
Outside of work, she’s Chair and Host of her local Walking Netball Team—proving that laughter, teamwork, and a bit of training go hand in hand!
When asked about what makes Kerensa tick: “All the staff at Kerensa are extremely dedicated to the people we support, and non-more so than the Directors. This compassion is filtered down to all the staff and it’s like being part of a work family who care for everyone within Kerensa”.

Michelle Paul

Finance Manager

Finance Manager and IKEA wizard, Michelle is the person that keeps the cogs of Kerensa ticking along. Bookkeeping and AAT level 2, Michelle covers all things finance, numbers and spreadsheets, but truly is happiest in, on, or by the sea—whether surfing, paddleboarding, kayaking, or braving the cold for a swim.
When she’s not at the beach, she’s at her allotment tending to her chickens, digging, planting, or crocheting something cozy.
At Kerensa, she thrives in the friendly, upbeat environment, where both staff and those they support are encouraged to grow. One of her more unusual highlights? Assembling all the new office furniture—she loves a bit of IKEA construction!

Photo of Rianne stood in front of a stone wall

Rianne Hargreaves

Recruitment & Training Administrator

Rianne started out as a paramedic in 2011 before switching attention to all things HR and Recruitment. Alongside her paramedic degree, and an AET Level 3 trainer qualification, Rianne is putting the finishing touches to her CIPD Level 5.
Rianne's met a Cornishman (now husband) while working on a cruise ship in Alaska and the two settled here in 2019. Mum to a daughter with Olympic gymnastics ambitions, Rianne spends most of her free time cheering her on at the gym. But when she's not there, you might find her practising the piano or training for pole fitness, where she and her best friend are reigning Southwest doubles champions.
Only having joined Kerensa recently, Rianne says she's already been struck by the welcoming vibe and is looking forward to everything ahead.