National Executive

The National Executive Committee is made up of a number of willing volunteers, all of whom are members of the Federation and who wish to be involved at a national level, often in addition to active membership of a local group.

The committee meets 4 times a year. If you wish to attend as an observer, please let us know by emailing the Chair at least two weeks in advance.

Chair and blog
Erin Hamilton (Ipswich CBG)

Vice Chair
Krista Greenwood (Lewes CBG)

National Secretary
Jenny Rock (Dudley CBG)

Treasurer
Jane Etheridge (NW London CBG)

Children’s Book Award Coordinator
Sarah Stuffins (Reading CBG)

Membership Secretary
Rosie Pike (Herts CBG)

Group Liaison Officer
Hilarie Medler (Plymouth CBG)

Minutes Secretary
Jane Aplin (Aldbourne CBG)

Schools Liaison Officer
Louisa Farrow (Birmingham CBG)

National Non-Fiction November and National Share a Story Month
Jasmine Brown (Individual Member)

Child Protection Officer
Jean Burke (Lewes CBG)

Chair

Erin Hamilton (Ipswich CBG)

Erin is a former primary school teacher, turned librarian and Reading Advocate. Erin spends inordinate amounts of time on her book blog and twitter, when she is not reading, of course.

Vice Chair

Krista Greenwood (Lewes CBG)

Treasurer

Jane Etheridge (NW London CBG)

Jane joined the Federation as an individual member in 2000 and joined the National Executive in 2010 as the conference representative. Since then she has occupied several roles, including Chair. As Treasurer she oversees the finances of the Federation, and liaises with outside agencies to ensure the Federation complies with Charities Commission regulations. She also manages the CBA voting database, the website, and helps to organise conference.

Jane started out as a mechanical engineer before becoming a maths teacher. She was a school governor at local primary and secondary schools for many years stepping down to concentrate on Federation work. At various times she was responsible for Literacy, Numeracy, SEND, MAGT and Pupil Premium students, as well as being Chair of the Local Governing Body and Director of the local Multi Academy Trust.

National Secretary

Jenny Rock (Dudley CBG)

Jenny joined the Dudley Children’s Book Group in 2023, where she helps organise author events. After attending the conference in 2026, she was inspired to join the National Executive as the National Secretary.

As an English teacher and Director of Reading at a secondary school, Jenny is deeply passionate about reading and its power to transform lives.

Children’s Book Award Coordinator

Sarah Stuffins (Reading CBG)

Sarah first joined the FCBG as a founder member of the Reading CBG, which was set up in 2005 by a group of parents interested in finding out more about books for their children. She has been on the National Executive since 2007, in which time she has filled a number of roles including Chair. As Children’s Book Award Coordinator, Sarah is responsible for all elements of the award, from encouraging voting through to organising the annual awards ceremony, working with local groups, publishers, and sponsors.

Sarah left the BBC in 2018 after working for them for over 30 years, first as a journalist and latterly in business development. She now works as a freelance cultural events manager, mainly working on large-scale outdoor events in Reading.

Group Liaison Officer

Hilarie Medler (Plymouth CBG)

Since retiring from full-time teaching, Hilarie has been able to involve herself in organising book events for children, in and out of school, and meeting others who are equally enthusiastic about books and the role they can play in people’s lives.

As Group Liaison Officer she engages with the groups around the country, offering ideas and support. If you are thinking of setting up a new group in your area, Hilarie will be your first port of call.

Membership Secretary

Rosie Pike (Herts CBG)

A former school librarian, Rosie deals with all the membership issues for FCBG and is responsible for maintaining the membership database and sending out renewals and invoices for this.

She is also responsible for sending out UpdaTED to groups and members.

Schools Liaison Officer

Louisa Farrow (Birmingham CBG)

Louisa is a member of the Birmingham Children’s Book Group. She joined the National Executive in 2024 to organise National Share-a-Story Month and took on the role of Schools Liaison Officer in 2026.

Fuelled by a love of books and stories, Louisa began her career in publishing before retraining as a teacher. She has taught in secondary and primary schools, run a school library, worked as a reading advisor for the local authority and as a teacher trainer.

Minutes Secretary

Jane Aplin (Aldbourne CBG)

Publicity

National Non-Fiction November and National Share-a-Story Month

Jasmine Brown (Individual Member)

Jasmine fell in love with the Federation after attending the 2024 conference. She officially joined the executive in 2025 and took on the NNFN Coordinator role. She added the role of National Share-a-Story Month Coordinator in 2026. She is passionate about learning and finding quality books to place into the hands of children.

Currently a secondary school librarian and blogger (with high aspirations on writing her own books someday), you will always find her reading several books at the same time.

Child Protection Officer

Jean Burke (Lewes CBG)

Jean set up Hastings CBG in 1995 before joining Lewes CBG, becoming their Chair during their 40^th anniversary year. Jean was a member of the National Executive in the 90s and rejoined in 2024 as the Child Protection Officer.

Jean worked for East Sussex libraries and retired in 2012. Since then she has continued her involvement with books and children through voluntary work in a local school