Harry’s HAT is delighted to announce the appointment of Caroline Coates as the charity’s first Chief Executive Officer. The National Lottery Community Fund has awarded Harry’s HAT three years of funding for this vital role. 

Caroline and her husband Matt founded the charity in 2017 after their son, Harry, was born with hydrocephalus. Since then, Caroline has been instrumental in the significant growth of the charity and the vital services  delivered to families and Health Care Professionals.  

Caroline holds over 20 years of experience within the charity sector. During this time, she has worked for a number of local and national charities.  Caroline was recently awarded the prestigious ‘National Fundraiser of the year’ in recognition of her work and contribution to the sector. 

Caroline will use her wealth of knowledge and experience to lead Harry’s HAT as it continues to develop. With her as our CEO, we aim to support even more families affected by hydrocephalus whilst, at the same time, ensuring strong governance best practice is adhered to and maintained. 

Caroline Coates said: 

I am delighted to take up the role of CEO of Harry’s HAT which, of course, is very close to my heart. I have run the charity as a volunteer for four years now and this appointment gives me the opportunity to take the charity to the next level. I do my job to help improve the lives of children with hydrocephalus, just like my own son Harry, as well as the lives of the families who love and care for them. I hope my lived experience will help others, but I recognise that it is vital that the charity works with a diverse range of parents and families, to ensure that we represent more than just one voice.  

My aim this year is for the charity to meet the first phase of our objectives, as outlined in our business plan. This means:  

• Securing an additional £70,000 to deliver our work,  
• Growing the get-a-head campaign to ensure that babies showing signs hydrocephalus can benefit from early diagnosis. 
• Launching our new project to develop a set of standards, to help ensure the consistency of the patient pathway for children with suspected shunt failure. 

Kicking off the production of our second book. Although I am the CEO, I couldn’t do my job without the dedication, support, care and commitment of our team who all give their time to make a difference, and all share the vision of working to make life better for children with hydrocephalus.  I am also proud to support our Families Together Co-Ordinator Vicki, as she develops her work to support families by connecting those in similar circumstances.  

Teri Kearsey, Chair of Trustees, said: 

“We are very fortunate to have Caroline lead Harry’s HAT, as we continue to expand. Caroline is deeply committed to the delivery of our services and to making a real difference to everyone the charity supports. We have full confidence in her exceptional, inspirational, and experience-led leadership and look forward to going from strength to strength in her capable hands. We are extremely grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund for making this vital role possible.” 

About Harry’s HAT 

Harry’s HAT was founded in 2018 to help children and their families who are affected by hydrocephalus (water on the brain). 

The aim of the charity is three-fold: Awareness, Research & Support: 

• Raising awareness of paediatric hydrocephalus. 
• Funding research and training for nurses and front-line workers, to improve the outcome for children with the condition. 

• Signposting families affected by hydrocephalus in children for further support.