Meet the Team - Ileostomy & Internal Pouch Association

Ileostomy and Internal Pouch Association, known as IA, is a registered charity supporting people living with an ileostomy or internal pouch, their families, friends and carers.

Meet the Team

Supporting IA’s board through their daily activities we are pleased to introduce members of the team. They keep IA operational centrally in our charitable activities such as membership administration; publishing IA’s journal; responding to the thousands of requests we receive via the phone, email, social media or post across the year; organising requests to speak with an IA Trained Volunteer; supporting IA’s network of member organisation and managing IA’s website.

Click any of the images below to read more about the roles of our team member.

Leann LepleyOffice Manager

Caroline BramwellPR & Communications Manager

Paola SimoneschiCommunications

Laura BaileySocial Media

Kellie ArmstrongAdministrative Assistant

Helen WallisAdministrative Assistant

Niamh KeoghJunior Administrative Assistant

Lexie BellFinance Assistant

I want to speak to someone

Volunteer for IA

Leann Lepley

Office Manager

The office manager is responsible for the management of day-to-day administration and maintenance at national office. Leann oversees procedures such as new member applications, general enquiries, subscription renewals and maintenance of IA’s membership system.

As One2One Support coordinator Leann also manages enquiries from individuals seeking support, and ensures they receive the best possible assistance by matching them with IA One2One Support volunteers who are located around the UK.

Organising IA’s Annual General Meeting and Information Day is a busy part of the role throughout the year, fulfilling tasks such as travelling to view suitable venues, liaising with the selected hotel, managing invitations and booking forms alongside the annual reports received by IA’s 45 local member organisations.

Leann is responsible for health and safety and undertakes regular office inspections to ensure staff are protected and kept up-to-date with new office procedures and safety guidance.

Leann notes that no two days are ever the same and you will often find her juggling multiple tasks, but as a great advocate of team work Leann endeavours to preserve balance and stability in the office, and is always available to support members of staff and assist her colleagues when required. It is extremely important to her that national office continue to work in conjunction with all of IA’s member organisations to ensure the best possible service is provided to IA’s members and those in need of support.

Caroline Bramwell

PR & Communications Manager

After having surgery in 2006 and choosing to have a permanent ileostomy as a result of ulcerative colitis, Caroline turned to sport to regain her health and fitness. Learning to live with her stoma she found a new freedom and became an advocate for making the most of life.

Having relied upon the support and advice given by IA when she was confronting her own surgery, and being a member of IA since that time, Caroline found a passion for helping others who were living with, or considering, an ileostomy. Having represented IA through her sporting endeavours in recent years, Caroline was delighted to become part of the IA team in 2019. A qualified marketer for 30 years, through the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and an experienced PR & Marketing consultant in her own right, Caroline has brought her skills and ideas to the benefit of the charity.

Caroline now competes in Ironman triathlons and champions IA through her work and her sport.

Paola Simoneschi

Communications

Having been her mother’s carer for 25 years, Paola has a heart for helping causes dedicated to making the world a kinder place for people with health conditions that need to be more widely recognised and better understood.

Drawing on her many years’ experience of communications in the health, education and charity sectors Paola contributes to IA’s marketing and communications, bringing not just her knowledge and skills but her passion for making a difference too.

Paola lives in Plymouth, a city renowned for its pioneering spirit, with her cheeky ginger cat, Bertie.

Laura Bailey

Social Media

Laura Bailey joined the IA team and looks after all our social media.

At 18, Laura qualified as a Healthcare Assistant and then spent six years working in the healthcare sector. Many years on, her passion for caring for others has not ebbed away, and she was thrilled to be invited to manage IA’s social media, which is such a vital part of our communications.

Laura, who lives in Weston-super-Mare and has a grown-up family, loves meeting new people and hearing their stories. She’s also an avid reader, and never happier than when walking her dog on the beach.

If you’re not already following IA on social media, you can find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. @iasupport

Kellie Armstrong

Administrative Assistant

IA’s Administrative Assistant, Kellie Armstrong, is responsible for assisting the Office Manager and the rest of the IA team with an extra pair of hands.

Helen Wallis

Administrative Assistant

IA’s Administrative Assistant, Helen Wallis, is responsible for assisting the Office Manager and the rest of the IA team with an extra pair of hands.

Niamh Keogh

Junior Administrative Assistant

IA’s Junior Administrative Assistant, Niamh Keogh, is responsible for assisting the Office Manager.

Lexie Bell

Finance Assistant

IA’s Finance Assistant, Lexie Bell, is a member of the Finance Team and is responsible for assisting the National Treasurer on a day to day basis with finance related activities.