Meet the team that drives us

Mike Jackson

Mike is the Headteacher of Cleaswell Hill School, a large all-age special school operating across two sites in Guidepost, Northumberland.

Alongside this role, he supports other special schools through both advisory work and governance. Mike brings extensive experience in working with children and young people with special educational needs, as well as in leading a complex organisation in a challenging educational landscape. He is committed to contributing this expertise to support the ongoing success of Blyth Star Enterprises.

Tony Railton

Formerly a Registered Nurse, Tony held various mental health practitioner, manager and senior project director roles for the NHS in North East England for over forty-seven years.

Returning to university and training as a leadership and performance coach, he practiced for several years as a confidential coach with health professionals and managers. More recently, he concluded a long-term project consultancy role, assisting with the delivery of new state-of-art facilities at Northgate Hospital, St Nicholas Hospital and Ferndene Children’s Hospital.

Tony has served as a Governor at Mowbray Primary School for many years, is a charity Trustee at Choysez – an educational provider for children excluded from mainstream school, and has been a volunteer youth leader with Stakeford Scout Group for about thirty-five years. Tony joined the Board of Trustees at Blyth Star in January 2025.

Sharon Herron

Trustee

Sharon is a prominent and successful local business woman and licensed publican of the award winning Keel Row country pub and restaurant in Seaton Delaval. Sharon is a recipient of a Northumberland Local Heroes accolade in recognition of her services to the community and for her fundraising efforts on behalf of a number of local and national charities including Blyth Star Enterprises, of which Sharon has been a major supporter both financially and in raising awareness of mental health issues.

Stephen Gibson

Trustee

Stephen is a Partner in a Firm of Solicitors based in Blyth and is one of the Founders of Blyth Star Enterprises. Stephen seeks to bring to the charity the benefit of his local knowledge and business experience and regularly advises on legal matters.

Tim Chrisp JP

Finance Director and Executive Chairman

With 30 years’ experience working within the NHS in various senior positions spanning finance, facilities, information management and technology and latterly, commissioning and performance and assurance – almost exclusively with providers of mental health and learning disability services, Tim became involved with Blyth Star Enterprises in a voluntary capacity in 1989. Tim now holds a dual role as Executive Chairman on our Board of Directors and Finance Director.

Tim is also a serving magistrate, a school governor with a specific interest in special educational needs, a volunteer youth leader with the Scout Association and was also until recently a member of the Local Research Ethics Committee.

Gordon Moore MBE

Consultant

Gordon has over 40 years’ experience working with people with mental health and learning disabilities and is one of the founding directors of Blyth Star Enterprises. He has worked as a cognitive behavioural psychotherapist, managed psychological therapy services and held a number of senior management positions throughout his career.

In 1990, Gordon became involved with the Greek mental health services in an advisory capacity and for 3 years was the President of the Asklepios Foundation, a European mental health organisation aimed at improving conditions for service users in Greece.

Having served as CEO at Blyth Star for 14 years, Gordon took a step back from front line operations in April 2022 to assume a consultancy role within the organisation. In 2020, Gordon was awarded an MBE for Services to Mental Health and Learning Disabilities in Northumberland. Gordon was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2025.