Virginia Mallin: Consultant Psychotherapist
Psychodynamic Psychotherapist
Virginia trained at the Westminster Pastoral Foundation. She has extensive professional experience offering psychotherapy in private practice for adults and young people. She has also worked as Consultant Psychotherapist at The Priory’s Eating Disorders Unit, counselled within the NHS in Primary Care, worked as media liaison consultant for her graduate body (FPC), co-managed a young person’s counselling centre for the London Borough of Ealing, and provided a therapy service for a leading girls’ secondary school.
She is the consultant psychotherapist for a website specifically for teenage girls (www.agnesforgirls.com) where she wrote the Look After Your Mind section. She is passionate about young people’s welfare, mental health education, parenting issues and guidance, and mental health’s relationship to social issues and the built and natural environment.
Joanne Partis: Illustrator
Joanne was commissioned by Little Parachutes to produce the delightful illustrations of children that are featured on the website. She is a highly successful children’s book author and illustrator with a large portfolio of published works, including the popular titles ‘Stripe’, ‘My Cat Just Sleeps’ and the ‘Sparkle Street’ series. She has produced work for many publishers, including Oxford University Press, Egmont Press, Orchard Books, Macmillan and Campbell Books. Her book ‘Look At Me!’ was short-listed for the BookTrust Early Years Award, and her stories have been featured on the BBC’s ‘Tikkabilla’ and ‘Step Inside’ children’s programmes. Joanne lives in West Sussex with her husband and three children.
Veronica Peerless: Features Editor
Veronica is Little Parachute’s resident features writer and editor. She has 18 years’ experience in TV production and magazine publishing and is currently the features editor of a consumer magazine. She is the proud auntie of Max (8) and Joe (5), both of whom love to snuggle up with a book.
Rebecca Seymour: In-house Writer
Rebecca loves stories, and has even written a few herself. So it is no hardship to be here, reviewing all of these lovely books for Little Parachutes. With four children, Rebecca isn’t short of help when it comes to appraising new books -there’s always plenty of feedback to work with. In her spare time, Rebecca likes to draw horses and climb trees. She hasn’t really ever grown up, which means that reading children’s picture books is a most suitable past time. Rebecca is very proud to be involved with Little Parachutes.
Claire Ward-Dutton: Founder
Claire lives in West Sussex with her husband Neil, her son Oscar and daughter Alice. Claire began Little Parachutes in 2009 when she realised how difficult it can be to find suitable picture books to help young children in challenging situations.
Neil Ward-Dutton: Co-Developer
Neil began his career as a programmer, a skill which he has made use of by co-developing the Little Parachutes website with his wife, Claire. Which possibly makes him the most patient person in the world.
Review Team
Little Parachutes would like to thank the following people for writing reviews for the Little Parachutes library:
Claire Atkins, Debbie Brace, Carmen Ferreres, Dorne Fraser, Lucy Giffen, Rosemary Griffith, Rebecca Humm, Melissa Jacob, Kate Lavender, Daire McGovern, Sarah Mohammed-Coleman, Kate Proops, Amanda Spells, Sam Stanley, Jane Ward-Dutton.
If you are interested in becoming part of the review team, please contact us.