About us

Black father holding his baby - Start Strong .webp

We are
Start Strong

Start Strong has been created to:

Change the story.
Shift how people think and talk about early childhood, build public support and inspire political action.
Mobilise a broad movement for change.
Bring people together to tell a strong shared story and drive progress towards our collective vision.
Support bold action.
Support politicians to redesign systems and take ambitious, long-term action to give all children a fair start.

Why we're here

Start Strong has been established to develop and drive a ten-year collaborative campaign to make early childhood a lasting national priority, so that every child can have a good early childhood.

Why we're here

Early Childhood Forum

The Start Strong Early Childhood Forum is a collective of 25 early childhood sector leaders in the UK, with expertise in policy, research and practice.

Together we ensure that Start Strong's work is informed by best practice evidence and lived experience, staying rigorous and rooted in the reality of families' lives.

Meet forum members

Meet our team

Richard Pennycook

Non-Executive Chair

Richard stepped down as CEO of the Co-op in 2017 after leading its turnaround, and now pursues a portfolio career. He's currently Chair of On the Beach PLC, Two Sisters Food Group and Boku Inc and Co-chair of the Retail Sector Council. For 7 years he was the lead non-executive Director at the Department for Education and recently established Skills England at the request of the new Government.

Sally Hogg

Start Strong Director

Sally is the Director of Start Strong and a leading voice for babies and young children in the UK. Her career spans senior roles across charities, academia, and national and local government, where she has led the development and delivery of services and driven system and policy change. Sally advises a number of organisations, including the Department for Education, and has received several awards for her leadership and campaigning for babies and young children.

Vanessa Blakeley

Admin support

Vanessa is a Virtual Personal Assistant (VPA) supporting with diary management, logistics and administration requirements. Vanessa has over 30 years' experience within various sectors, the latter 20 and currently working alongside Richard Pennycook CBE assisting him with his roles in retail, government and education.

Tess Agnew

Communications Manager

Tess is a social media and communications consultant with 15 years' experience, specialising in charity and non-profit digital comms and campaigns. Alongside communications work she leads outdoor sessions for children and young people as a Level 3 Forest School Leader, Mountain Bike Trail Leader and Cycle Coach; and is passionate about supporting youth and adult mental health and tackling inequalities for children.

Kateryna Tyzhuk

Research Intern

Kate is currently an intern at Start Strong, bringing over a decade of professional experience as an early years educator in the UK, Ukraine and Colombia. Alongside this, she is a third-year PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge, based jointly in IMS Epidemiology and the Faculty of Education (PEDAL), where her research explores risky play in UK early years settings.