Meet the Child's Play Team!

Neil Burden

Publisher/CEO

Neil has been publisher and CEO of Child's Play for more than 20 years. He is responsible for the day-to-day running of the entire company, and for the publishing programme itself. Having trained and worked initially as a teacher, his career in children's publishing spans over 40 years. 

Paul Gerrish

Sales Manager (Trade and Export)

Paul has been with Child's Play for as long as he can remember! He handles trade accounts and all export sales. He also deals with shipping requirements.

Nicola Gardner

Accounts and Order Processing Manager

Nicola has worked for Child's Play for 30 years and is responsible for the inputting of data for all aspects of the accounting and ordering system. 

Annie Kubler

Art Director

Annie started working for Child's Play in the 1980s as a freelance illustrator and gradually took on the role of art director. She still illustrates a number of books a year but is mainly responsible for all visual aspects of the Child's Play publications. This involves assigning illustrators, liaising with them, deciding on the visual look of the books and working closely with Sarah and Kayleigh on all projects from concept through to publication. 

Sarah Dellow

Designer

Sarah is a Graphic Design graduate and a member of the editorial team. She has a passion for illustration, typography, and promoting inclusivity, which she incorporates into her work in book production and project management. Sarah has illustrated a number of Child's Play books including the Now You See It! series.

Kayleigh Gough

Designer

Kayleigh has a degree in Graphic Design, also earned an MA in Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking where she specialised in screen and letterpress print. As part of the editorial team she works closely with Annie and Sarah with all areas of layout and book design, both inside and out. 

Kelsea Jefferies 

Marketing Co-ordinator  

Kelsea’s role ranges from managing our advertising and marketing campaigns, providing editorial support, the website and assisting with social media content creation. She works closely with organisations that share and support the Child’s Play ethos of inclusive practice, such as BookTrust, ITV Signed Stories, and the National Centre for Language and Literacy. She also has a degree in Creative Writing and Publishing.

Claire Matthews

Production Controller

Claire takes care of the day-to-day running of a busy production schedule, ensuring that books are manufactured on time and to the highest standards possible. 

Linda Mazzotta

Warehouse Operative

Linda has worked in the Child's Play warehouse for over 30 years. She carries out all aspects of warehouse work: picking, packing and dispatching orders as well as numerous other tasks. She has a forklift licence. 

David Tomes

Warehouse Operative

David is an established member of our warehouse team. He carries out all aspects of warehouse work: picking, packing and dispatching orders; organising stock; preparing and dispatching export orders and setting up exhibitions. He also has a forklift licence. 

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