MANAGING DIRECTOR

Christian has worked in education for over 20 years, most recently with eight as Assistant Head of Fair Furlong Primary School in Withywood, Bristol.

Christian has extensive experience of supporting children who have had multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and has a strong grasp of the relationships necessary to enable children to thrive. He also has a great understanding of the current research into early childhood trauma and its subsequent impact on neurosequential development and applies this knowledge to develop interventions to help reverse the negative effect of ACEs on children in his care. Christian now works as the Managing Director for star* scheme, driven by his passion to achieve the best possible outcomes for the most vulnerable children.

CHAIR OF TRUSTEES

Following a rugby career at Oxford and Cambridge Universities where he was largely out of his depth (“Dan, all we need you to do is catch and tackle….” B. Mullin, former British Lion), Dan completed his playing days with Chew Valley Vets. He began coaching his sons, Freddie and Joe, at Chew Valley in 2014 and, with his colleagues at Chew, conceived and created the STAR Scheme. Dan is now the Chair of Trustees for the star* scheme.

REGIONAL MANAGER

Sian studied sociology and psychology at university. From Welsh parents, Sian grew up in a tight knit rugby community and is currently a mum to Olly and Nanci. Upon hearing of the star* scheme Sian volunteered to help in bridging the gap between the new star* programme and the players families and carers. A year later and she is now working as a star* regional manager, bringing her magic to all of our Bristol and Bath clubs.

REGIONAL MANAGER

Amy’s career path encompasses Education, Sport, Mentoring, and Mental Health Awareness. She has worked in various contexts, ranging from schools and universities to rugby clubs, to prisons.

She has 26 years’ academic experience, including completing a PhD in Modern Foreign Languages Education and Psycho-Social Linguistics at King’s College London.

A qualified rugby coach and England Rugby Leadership in Union Graduate, Amy is also an RFU Network Ambassador, supporting women in their leadership journeys for the UNIon Legacy Programme. Amy sits on the Surrey Rugby Management Committee, and runs the “Rugby United” programme, encouraging the inclusion of traditionally under-represented male players in community rugby.

REGIONAL MANAGER

Husband to Jo, and dad to Megan and Jack; Hubbs is the Regional Manager for the Midlands.

Hubbs’s background is in community rugby both professionally and personally. He has worked in coach and player development for over 20 years in the RFU, been Head of Community at Worcester Warriors, and helped set up the mini junior section at his local club where he is chair for the section and coaches the U11s. He has been lucky enough to represent England at age grade level, coached internationally and played and coached England Touch adult age grade teams.

REGIONAL MANAGER

Tom, our regional manager at Star* Scheme, leads the rollout of star clubs in the North West. He collaborates with Sale Sharks Community Foundation, to enroll 25 star* children at 30 rugby clubs.

With 13 years working in education and 7 years working in international development, Tom is also one of our star* scheme trainers, delivering ACEs training nationwide.

He coaches an U10s team at Broughton Park (where he also played as a child), and believes in the power of sport to transform the lives of children and young people.

Beyond work, Tom enjoys playing a range of sports, mountain walks, gardening and listening to his vinyl collection.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Nicholas is a specialist in grounded theory and is passionate about authentic research that captures authentic voice. Starting his teaching career in 2000, as an ex-Headteacher he is now CEO of Lighting up Learning and has worked in over 20 countries around the world, many post conflict. He is distils gin for The Clevedon Distillery.

FUNDRAISING AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Eloise studied Outdoor Education at College in Bristol, where she developed a passion for imparting knowledge and fostering a love for outdoor sports. For several years, she dedicated herself to coaching children in various outdoor activities across the UK and Europe. A lifelong enthusiast of sports, Eloise's path led her back to her family's rugby club, Chew Valley RFC, at the age of 24. Despite having just one season of rugby under her belt, she quickly embraced the close-knit rugby community, wholeheartedly committing herself to volunteering. As a valuable member of the committee, Eloise now holds the positions of Sponsorship and Social Media Manager, while also contributing to the management of the ladies' team. Currently, Eloise channels her passion into her role at Star* Scheme, where she plays a crucial part in fundraising efforts and strives to amplify the organisation's impact by spreading awareness far and wide.

ADVISOR

Having been a Headmaster of special schools for 20 years, Rich continues to be actively involved in rugby as a coach, centre manager & education lead for the Bristol Bears Rugby Academy. He is President of Old Bristolians RFC, where he is also the Safeguarding lead, and he is the Mental Health & Wellbeing Ambassador for the Gloucestershire RFU. Rich puts at the centre of all his consultancy work the importance of the approach taken by teachers, parents, sports coaches and youth workers to enable young people to learn and develop resilience.

FUNDRAISING & EVENTS MANAGER

With a Marketing & Events background over many years, Rosie’s experience includes working for a number of national companies in both retail and leisure / food & beverage markets.

Rosie will be channelling her energy & experience into her star* role by organising key events throughout the year to maximise fundraising opportunities and raise awareness of star* Scheme.

Rosie is a keen rugby spectator who has supported her 2 boys over many years, whilst playing both school and club rugby.

EAST MIDLANDS REGIONAL MANAGER

Sam's career has spanned 22 years in Community Sports Development and has included local authority sport development, England Rugby and Loughborough University. He has recently moved to Star after 6 years in Operations with the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Sam has grown up in and around rugby as a player, coach and referee and saw the opportunity to combine his love and passion for the game and passion for supporting young people who would benefit from being involved in the game. 

Sam also has a passion for all things water and is a RNLI water safety advisor and regularly delivers water safety sessions in primary schools in Leicestershire. When he is not working for star or volunteering for the RNLI he is busy being a husband to Jen and to his two daughters who are 9 and 13 who are both involved in Sport.