The Team
Please meet the small but dedicated team of staff who are key to us achieving our vision.
Paula Gascoigne
Chief Executive
Former investment manager Paula became the first Chief Executive of the charity in 2008. She is responsible for the day-to-day running of the charity, which she does with passion and professionalism. Her role as CEO requires many skills, including providing leadership in administration and financial management, strategic development and compliance and of course being the public face of the charity.
Kate Riley
Executive Head Chef
The wonderfully creative and talented Kate is our first ever head chef and what a difference she has made. Having gained experience in some of Newcastle’s finest eating establishments, she has created a menu packed with variety and flavour, making the café a must-visit for local food and drink lovers. And we can’t forget Kate’s dachshund Cooper – our office dog who is good as gold.
Lydia Chadwick
Volunteer Co-ordinator
Our fantastic new volunteer co-ordinator Lydia, a friendly face and support for all of our lovely volunteers.
Julie Bell
Charity Administrator
Julie recently joined our team to manage the administration at Café Beam, Ouseburn Farm. Julie has enjoyed a long and successful career in office management, administration and finance, and, as a passionate supporter of our charity, was delighted to take the huge step from the corporate world into the charity sector and is looking forward to enjoying this rewarding phase of her career.
Fran Clarkson
Head Chef at Ouseburn
Cool, calm & collected, with years of proffesional cooking experience and the perfect temperemant. Fran is an exceptional member of our team here at Café Beam.
Kris O'Neill
Sous Chef
We are delighted to welcome Kris to the Kitchen team at Ouseburn farm, supporting Head Chef Fran. Kris brings fresh ideas and a wealth of experience to our new Café Beam and is really looking forward to ‘giving something back’ to the community through the young people he’ll be working with.
Georgina Chalcraft
Café Co-Ordinator
Our wonderful new Café Co-ordinator George is an expert in the hospitality industry and is well prepared to keep our Café running efficiently and effectively. George understands perfectly, not just how to maintain our Cafés, but also how to develop them to provide the best service we possibly can to our young people and our lovely customers.
Josh Hardie
Café Supervisor
Former Café Beam barista Josh worked his way up to become the first young person employed by the charity. Josh oversees our students and hosts, and helps create the fantastic, happy atmosphere always present in the café.
James Middleton
Apprentice Chef
James is 21 years old and is thriving in his Apprentice Chef role within Café Beam. Following a successful front of house work placement in Café Beam Gosforth, James showed a great flair and passion for cooking which was soon noticed by our Head Chef Kate. The rest is history – he’s now well on his way to achieving Level 3 Hospitality Management to add to his Professional Cookery level 3 qualification. James loves keeping fit, socialising and travelling!
Contact Us
Get in touch with the team at Smile For Life