Eric Grounds

Eric’s background spans military service, business, sports and he is an author. Key to his skill set, is extensive charity experience, having worked in the voluntary sector for over 30 years and being a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising.

You can read more about Eric's work as a trustee and what he likes to do in his spare time, here.  

Gawain Paling

Gawain has MCAS. After experiencing a spell of "progressively deteriorating bizarre episodic symptoms" and spending a lot of money on private health consultations, seeing numerous specialists, Gawain was eventually diagnosed with MCAS. However, his struggles led to depression and impacted his family life, motivating him to establish Mast Cell Action with Chris in 2015. 

You can read more of Gawain's story here.

Jackie Fisher

Jackie was introduced to Mast Cell Action by her son, Scott Fisher. Scott ran 27 marathons in 2021 raising an incredible £270k. Jackie's daughter-in-law, Megan, has MCAS. Jackie says "The passion of those involved in the charity is making such a difference to so many people’s lives. It is incredibly important to support it's mission to continue to raise awareness and expand the support network for those affected."

You can read more about Jackie's thoughts on the future of the charity and how she spends her spare time here. 

Chris Wood

Chris says "The complete vacuum of understanding and support within the medical system convinced me something needed to be done, so when I was approached by Gawain and Jennie, I was happy to join them in founding Mast Cell Action. My background is one of branding, design and communications so I was able to help in the initial stages of sorting a name, branding, website and so on. I was subsequently volunteered to raise some money which led to undertaking two walks of the Thames along with 15 different dogs (another story!)"

You can read more about Chris' hopes for the charity and how he likes to spend his spare time here. 

Joy Mason

Joy leads the day to day running of our charity. Joy has MCAS and cares for 2 children with MCAS. Having worked in various charities for the past decade, she has extensive experience which she brings to the team.

Her personal experience with MCAS provides her with a deep understanding and empathy for those we aim to help, ensuring our initiatives are both relevant and impactful.

You can read more about Joy's experiences with MCAS and her work here.

Charise Clarke

Lauren Kelly MSc.  

As a medical writer and content creator, with a family history of MCAS and other chronic conditions, Lauren wants to help patients and doctors to understand each other's side.  

Lauren's area of focus is in creating accessible information for patients and medics, for pre and post – diagnosis.   

Lauren loves to explore & travel, cook & eat but mostly she enjoys spending time with her loved ones. 

Seyi Adebola 

Seyi is a Neurosurgery Specialty Registrar at Walton Centre MBBS (Ilorin), MSc translational neuropathology (Sheffield), Member of Royal College of Surgeons (England). 

Seyi's area of focus is in driving medical communication and a patient-led research agenda for MCAS. 

Seyis is a creative writer and author of ‘A Cluster of Petals’ (Collection of Short stories).  

Sherrin Gotru

Sherrin has a joint honours in Biochemistry and Genetics (BSc) with a masters in nanomedicine. Sherrin is a Licentiate of the IBMS and holds an RSciTech accreditation.

Sherrin's area of focus is on creating accessible information for patients and trying to understand how to best support individuals living with MCAS.  

Sherrin is currently doing her PhD in Eye and Vision Sciences. Outside of her career/study she enjoys art, reading and cooking in her spare time. When possible, Sherrin loves to travel.