Meet the team

“Helping children live ordinary lives in extraordinary circumstances”

The Leadership Team

Lucy Andrews
Clinical Director

BA(Hons) Community Specialist Practice. RGN RN Child(Dip)

Lucy trained as a General Nurse at Watford General Hospital in 1987. After qualifying she worked briefly in Adult Orthopaedic care before moving on to a children’s ward at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge. Lucy completed her Diploma in Children’s Nursing in 1995 before going on to work in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Addenbrookes.

Lucy next embarked on a career in Community Children’s Nursing where she worked for 11 years, looking after children and families in their own home and managing a team of nurses. Lucy was instrumental in setting up the Diana Community Children’s Nursing Team in Cambridge. Lucy’s last post before setting up Sunflowers was as the WellChild Nurse in Addenbrookes, ensuring the safe discharge home of Children with Complex Health Needs.

During this time Lucy has raised two boys, and a few chickens.

Karen Higgins
Clinical Director

RGN RN Child(Dip)

In 1988 Karen trained as an adult nurse at Addenbrookes Hospital before training as a Children’s nurse at Great Ormond Street in London. Since then Karen has worked at both hospitals as well as a school for children with profound learning needs. She worked in a Children’s Intensive Care Unit for three years and trained as a specialist PICU nurse. She then worked as a Sister on a general paediatric ward before becoming manager of a paediatric unit at a district general hospital.

Karen then set up a childrens unit in a busy Emergency Department before changing course and embarking on a career in the Community Children’s Nursing Team, where she managed the Continuing Care Team. Her final post before Sunflowers was as an Epilepsy Nurse Specialist in Addenbrookes,

Karen was also the 2010 winner of the WellChild Award in the ‘Nurse’ category and is also the Caldicott Guardian for Sunflowers.

During this time Karen has renovated four houses with her husband of 25 years.

Heather Forder
Service Manager

Heather is responsible for the day to day operational management at Sunflowers. She has over fifteen years’ experience in Social Care having worked with disabled children and adults as a support worker before moving to Cambridge to train as a Social Worker. Once qualified, Heather worked for the Family Link Team of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Fostering and Adoption Service before moving to Scope’s Fostering Service, first as a practitioner and then as Registered Manager.

Helen Rudd
Lead Nurse

BSc Nursing Practice (Child)

RN Child

Helen qualified as a Children’s Nurse in 2005, training at West Suffolk Hospital. Since then, she has worked at hospitals across the region including Ipswich, West Suffolk and Addenbrookes.

For the past 9 years Helen has worked for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, providing care to children and young people with life-limiting conditions. Her most recent role was Deputy Service Manager at The Treehouse Hospice in Ipswich.

Helen is the Safeguarding Lead at Sunflowers.

Clare Tassell

Lead Educator

Clare began her Nursing journey at Homerton College in Cambridge, training as a Children’s Nurse. After qualifying, she worked on the Paediatric Oncology ward and Day Unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Her time there was both rewarding and inspiring. A few years later, Clare joined the Cambridge Community Nursing team, where she progressed into a Junior Sister role. This experience deepened her passion for community care and teamwork.
In 2015, Clare became part of the Sunflowers Care Team as a Bank Nurse. It didn’t take long for her to realise how much she loved the work and the supportive team around her, and she soon joined full time.
Throughout her career, Clare has always been passionate about Practice Development. At Sunflowers, she embraced this by supporting both Health Care Support Workers and the Nursing Team with her Practice Development Role. Her dedication led to a promotion to Lead Educator at the start of 2025—a role she’s excited to grow and evolve in.

Natalie Bainbridge

Children’s Communication, Education and Well-being Lead

Natalie qualified as a secondary school teacher in 2003 with a PGCE from the University of Cambridge. She spent 10 years teaching History and was Head of House at Swavesey Village College before specialising in teaching children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

This journey began in 2013 at a Social, Emotional and Mental Health setting in Norfolk where Natalie taught humanities using therapeutic approaches. In 2014, she became a Department Lead for children with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities and a Lead Practitioner in SEND at Highfield Ely Academy.

Natalie is responsible for capturing the voice of the children and young people at Sunflowers Care.