Supporting people affected by incurable illnesses
Sarah’s Star supports people living with incurable and palliative illnesses, as well as their families and NHS health professionals in the North East.
“My biggest fear right now is feeling completely useless and that’s why I’m doing this, it’s an awful feeling! This disease can take so much away but at Sarah’s Star I want everyone to feel they are of some use. There are days we may feel we have nothing to give but even sharing that detail with someone could help them to realise that they are not alone in that thought and together we can keep shining through the dark times”
Sarah Harrison, Founder and CEO
Sarah’s Star provides a wide range of holistic therapies including meditation, massage, reiki, art, music and beauty therapy, counselling, and yoga. We also host death cafes and talks to normalise the conversation around palliative and end of life care. We work with local hospitals, schools and universities to reframe these topics and try and alleviate some of the fear that can be associated when facing an incurable or palliative diagnosis.
Sarah’s Star was founded by Sarah Harrison, a beautiful mum of two gorgeous children who was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer in 2019. A message from Sarah; “I am hoping to make life a little easier for people who have been given an incurable or palliative diagnosis.
I was initially diagnosed with Breast Cancer at the age of 35 in 2016. I went through 7 months of pretty gruelling treatment, and thankfully, I went into remission. This lasted until the beginning of 2019 when I found out that the cancer had returned, as secondary breast cancer which is incurable. Although this was a devastating blow I tell myself that palliative doesn’t always mean your life is immediately over.
No two days are the same as on a good day, I am upbeat, I feel energised and full of hope for a life where I can make a difference. Sometimes I feel unstoppable with great passion for positivity. I feel so grateful for what I have in that moment, and I just want to help people like me to feel that they’re not alone. On a bad day I have feelings of uncertainty.
Through talking to other people in similar situations I’ve learnt that we are all unique in dealing with our illnesses, there is no right or wrong way but having support and being able to support others can make it more manageable.
My biggest fear right now is feeling completely useless and that’s why I’m doing this, it’s an awful feeling! This disease can take so much away but at Sarah’s Star I want everyone to feel they are of some use. There are days we may feel we have nothing to give but even sharing that detail with someone could help them to realise that they are not alone in that thought and together we can keep shining through the dark times.”
We want people to feel purposeful and not let their illness dictate their happiness. We would love to welcome you to our community space at the Linskill centre and really appreciate your support.
The Team
Sarah Harrison
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Formerly a Marketing Executive for Siemens, Sarah is the founder of Sarah’s Star and now works towards helping people to cope with their illness. Since being diagnosed with incurable breast cancer in 2019, Sarah recognised the need to support people in a more holistic way and empower them to feel purposeful despite their diagnosis.
As a palliative care service user, Sarah feels passionately about educating people around palliative and end of life care, removing some of the social stigma and finding acceptance.
Clare Crossling
Volunteer: Volunteer Team Leader
Clare is an ACII qualified Claims Executive with 17 years’ corporate insurance experience but in her free time, volunteers with various local charities, having also been a trustee at Cedarwood Trust and Sarah’s Star. Clare is the founder of a Facebook community group encouraging charitable giving and volunteering. In 2022 this group provided over 50 separate collections donating clothing, money and food to local charities.
Trustee Board
Liam Milligan
Chair
Liam works as Mission Director with North West Methodist Mission, a homeless charity providing support services in Derry / Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
Liam has worked as a senior manager in the commercial retail and statutory sectors and has over twenty-five years’ experience working in the charity sector. He has experience in delivery of services to adults in a community setting, cross border development work, community-based capacity building, reconciliation, training and rural development. He has also been involved in trans-European co-operation programmes and international exchange programmes. Liam has been an Associate Lecturer with the North-West Regional College on their HND, Chartered Institute of Management, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Programmes and bespoke programmes to industry.
Joanne Dunn
Secretary
Joanne is a Senior Project Manager in the Civil Service, with PRINCE2, Benefits and Change Management qualifications.
Joanne is responsible for ensuring successful delivery of business change and compliance projects to agreed timescales and quality to customers.
Joanne’s career in the Civil Service spans over 20 years, starting out as a caseworker before progressing into people management where she built high performing teams, helping people develop and aspire to reach their full potential.
Joanne holds Chartered Management Institution Level 5 qualification.
Joanne enjoys managing relationships with varied groups of stakeholders & business partners and interacting with people on a personal level.
Sarah Trevena
Treasurer
Sarah has taught maths in secondary schools across the Northeast for 18 years and currently teaches in Tynemouth.
Sarah has worked as a department lead and has experience managing teams of people. Sarah is an educational author and has a lot of experience advising on and writing mathematical resources for online education companies.
Sarah is a confident presenter and has experience in training groups of people when launching new resource packages and holding talks regarding teaching pedagogy.
Brian Morrison
Trustee
Brian works as Service Delivery Platform Head of Technology Operations for Civica, a global leader in public sector software. Brian has worked as a senior manager in information technology for the past five years and has over twenty years’ experience working in the computing services sector.
Brian has experience in delivery of IT services to UK public sector organisations, including several registered charities.
Sharon Ellis
Trustee
Sharon works for Siemens Energy as a Commercial Sales Manager. She is a qualified CIMA Accountant with over 20 years of experience within Finance and Accounting roles as well as more recently within commercial and contracts management. She has also held the position of the Treasurer of a Sports and Social Club.
Sharon has experience of ensuring compliance with financial regulations and maintaining the integrity and transparency of financial data as well as liaising with internal and external auditors and tax authorities.
Sarah's Star 