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 and School Liaison
Krista Greenwood (Lewes CBG)
National Secretary
Becky Grace (Reading 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)
National Share-a-Story Month
Louisa Farrow (Birmingham CBG)
National Non-Fiction November
Jasmine Brown (Individual Member)
Publicity
Jess Stockwell (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.
National Secretary
Becky Grace (Reading CBG)
Becky joined the Federation to attend the conference in Rugby in 2023 and was so inspired that she joined the National Executive in 2024. She is a member of Reading CBG. She was the Treasurer prior to becoming the National Secretary.
Becky was a teacher for 15 years working in secondary schools as a Literacy Coordinator. She left teaching to set up an editorial business and a literary festival.
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.
National Share-A-Story Month
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.
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
Jess Stockwell (Individual Member)
Jess joined the Federation to attend the 2023 conference in Rugby. She joined the National Executive in 2024 as the Publicity Manager.
Jess worked for several years as a primary school teacher and Literacy Coordinator before leaving to set up an editorial business and literacy festival.
National Non-Fiction November
Jasmine Brown (Individual Member)
Child Protection Officer
Jean Burke (Lewes CBG)
Jean set up Hastings CBG in 1995 before joining Lewes CBG, becoming their Chair during their 40th 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