About Us

Lorraine established The Lines Between in 2012, and her commitment and passion have underpinned the growth of our research agency. She takes pleasure in building lasting relationships with clients, and enjoys using her communication skills to engage diverse audiences in our evaluation and research findings.

Lorraine leads our team of eleven researchers and has extensive experience of conducting research with seldom-heard groups in Scotland. Her previous research roles include positions at Blake Stevenson Ltd, Deutsche Bank, the House of Commons and the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research.

Interested in social change, Lorraine also holds several voluntary positions. This includes a role on the governing council of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of the Institute of Directors and was formerly chair of Willowbrae Community Council. Lorraine sits on the programme board of Napier University's MSc in Applied Social Research, and oversees our internship programme and delivery of guest lectures for students in the Masters programme.

Reflecting our commitment to flexible working, Lorraine holds a 0.8 Full-Time Equivalent role with The Lines Between.

Alastair joined the team in 2019 and leads our consultation analysis team. In this role he has managed numerous large scale consultation analysis projects. These have informed the development of guidance, strategy and Bills across diverse policy areas such as education, welfare, climate change and building standards. The analysis has involved drawing on responses submitted through Citizen Space and stakeholder feedback gathered at engagement events. Alastair is skilled at presenting the diverse range of views expressed in consultations in both clear, concise reports and engaging presentations to policy teams.

He likes to understand what makes people tick and enjoys designing research programmes and using a variety of methodologies to produce clear, actionable, evidence-based insights. He has managed projects for organisations in the public, private and third sectors, in Scotland and across the UK.

Much of Alastair's research has focussed on communications and its impact in changing behaviours and attitudes, particularly in relation to health policy. Alastair’s previous roles include ten years at Kantar TNS in Edinburgh, a secondment to Royal Bank of Scotland, and working at Energizer Australia and GfK NOP.

In a voluntary capacity, Alastair is a trustee of Scottish Adoption.

Mike joined the team in 2020 and brings a wealth of experience from a third sector career managing environmental and social care projects. He trained as a facilitator and consultant and has over fifteen years of experience of managing evaluation and research projects, both independently and through senior consultant and associate positions with Blake Stevenson and Animate Consulting. He has undertaken diverse process and impact-focused evaluation contracts and facilitated events for leadership teams and boards.

Mike brings a strong interest in creative approaches and has published 13 books. He has been commissioned to write for CBeebies, BBC Schools Radio and Edinburgh World Heritage amongst others. He engages diverse audiences through residencies and author events in schools and book festivals.

Mike has worked primarily on evaluations. He has project managed, interviewed, facilitated, written case studies and reports for a range of projects. This includes work for the National Trust for Scotland, Scottish Book Trust, Sacro, Independent Age, Glasgow Film Theatre and the Hub for SUCCESS.

Reflecting our commitment to flexible working, Mike holds a 0.4 Full-Time Equivalent role with The Lines Between.

Abi is a diligent, organised and creative researcher who enjoys applying sensitive, friendly and inclusive approaches to support participants in our research projects. She has worked in social research since graduating with an MA in Business Management from the University of Edinburgh in 2017. One of our senior researchers, she has been a valued team member at The Lines Between team since 2021.

A specialist in survey design and analysis, Abi can advise clients on how best to shape and design questionnaires to gather high-quality and insightful data. She enjoys facilitating focus groups and workshops and is a creative and engaging report writer.

With a broad spectrum of experience across various sectors and subjects, her key interests include social justice, climate change and public health. Abi led our research into housing affordability for the Scottish Government, which involved interviews and focus groups with private and social tenants exploring housing precarity, cost-to-income ratios and housing aspirations. She was also involved in our evaluation of National Trust Scotland’s Engaging Communities Project, which involved fieldwork visits to the Tenement House in Glasgow.

Abi leads our guest lecture programme with the MSc in Applied Social Research for Napier University, where she designs and delivers lectures on applied social research practices.

Ian has worked in social research since 2005 and enjoys providing evidence and analysis to inform service improvements for organisations that work with disadvantaged people. He has a friendly, gentle and inclusive approach to engaging with participants and advanced qualitative and quantitative skills.

His experience includes research and evaluation for public and third sector bodies across health, social care, employability, culture and sport, children and young people, and older people. Before joining The Lines Between in 2021, he worked as a Senior Consultant at Blake Stevenson.

Ian recently project managed two evaluations related to the devolution of disability benefits for the Scottish Government, as well as evaluations of services designed to tackle poverty.

Reflecting our commitment to flexible working, Ian holds a 0.8 Full-Time Equivalent role with The Lines Between.

Rachel joined the team in 2024 and works for both the consultation analysis and research and evaluation work streams.

Rachel’s previous experience includes work for the New Zealand Government as an Analyst in Research and Evaluation at the Ministry of Social Development, and as an Associate Advisor in Strategy and Evaluation at the Tertiary Education Commission. Before that, Rachel was an Assistant Research Fellow at the University of Otago and worked in a Virtual Mental Health Research Team and a Suicide and Mental Health Research Group. In this role, she published her first article on Why Staff Love Working in Acute Mental Health. Rachel’s key interests include mental health and violence prevention.  

Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts and Science from the University of Otago, with majors in Psychology and Music, and is also a freelance composer and singer.

In her time working at The Lines Between, Rachel has worked on a range of consultations analysis reports including the Passivhaus standard – determining the principles for a Scottish equivalent. Rachel has also been involved in multiple research and evaluation projects for public bodies in Scotland.

Molly has advanced analytical and report writing skills. She enjoys engaging with diverse stakeholders and evidencing why individuals or organisations may have different perspectives on important issues.

Her expertise in data analysis includes five years’ experience of research in the field of anthropology. Molly’s academic training provides a formal framework for listening to and articulating community voices in the consultation analysis process.

Molly spent years gaining valuable communication skills and editorial experience in the publishing industry, working for publishers and literary agents, before entering academia.

Prior to joining the team in 2022, Molly lectured in social anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, University of St Andrews and the Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communications.

Her work includes project management of research for Save the Children's on early learning and development in the home, managing Parenting across Scotland's evidence review on research undertaken with parents, and consultation analysis for the Scottish Government across various policy areas including climate change and the Just Transition, the care system, and social security.

Reflecting our commitment to flexible working, Molly holds a 0.8 Full-Time Equivalent role with The Lines Between.

Carole started her career over thirty years ago in social research with Scottish Government. Latterly, she moved into service development and management, in the statutory and voluntary sectors. A skilled quantitative and qualitative analyst, she has experience of leading a range of research projects, including case studies, action research, surveys and evaluations.

Her PhD utilised mixed method approaches to research relocation of older people into supported housing in Scotland, with a focus on the lived experience of older people. Carole also has extensive experience of working with marginalised people from various communities and those with additional support needs.

Carole has worked on a range of consultation analysis projects, including the Scottish Equivalent to the Passivhaus Standard, Crofting Law Reform, and the National Discussion on Education. She joined the team as a full-time consultation analyst in 2023.

Polly joined the team in 2024 after eight years working in the music industry and arts management. She has strong project management and communication skills, and valuable experience engaging with a variety of stakeholders, including delivering learning programmes in schools, and managing international classical artists.

Her academic background includes an MSc in Psychology from the University of Glasgow and a BA (Hons) in Music from the University of Oxford. Polly’s master's research focused on women’s views of the contraceptive pill, exploring new applications of qualitative methods to analysing TikTok videos, and bringing together her interests in women's health, gender, mental health, and digital culture. She also worked previously as a Research Assistant with global research firm ORB International.

In Polly brings a thoughtful and empathetic approach to fieldwork from her volunteering experience with Girl Guiding and Citizens Advice Services, as well as her COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills. She also enjoys producing engaging visuals for reports and presentations, to maximise the impact and accessibility of research findings.

Her recent and ongoing projects at The Lines Between include research for Public Health Scotland, developing a consensus approach to substance use harm prevention in children and young people; and evaluation work for Carnegie UK, the Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership, and Super Power Agency.

Reflecting our commitment to flexible working, Polly holds a 0.8 Full-Time Equivalent role with The Lines Between.

Laura joined The Lines Between in 2024 after four years at Citizens Advice Scotland where she managed projects including The Gambling Support Service. This role helped Laura develop her communication and report writing skills as she worked with project funders including GambleAware and the DWP.

Her educational background includes an MSc in Applied Social Research (Criminology) and an undergraduate BA in Criminology and Law. Laura has also previously volunteered with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS) as an Independent Prison Monitor which helped develop Laura’s observational and analytical skills.

In her previous volunteering and employment roles, Laura has worked with a range of individuals with different life circumstances, in both a direct support role as an Equality Engagement Officer with the Central Scotland Regional Equality Council and an indirect way through her time as a Graduate Housing Officer. Laura brings patience and empathy to her role at The Lines Between when interviewing clients about sensitive topic areas and difficult life experiences.

At The Lines Between, Laura has worked on various projects for clients including the University of Glasgow, Citizens Advice Scotland, Renfrewshire Councils, Scottish Government and Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

Reflecting our commitment to flexible working, Laura holds a 0.8 Full-Time Equivalent role with The Lines Between.

Hattie has a BSc Econ in Sociology from Cardiff University. Her previous experience in teaching, criminal justice and substance misuse recovery services bring her useful skills in engaging with diverse communities and implementing trauma-informed, sensitive approaches.

Hattie has been working for The Lines Between on a part-time basis to support with consultation analysis, coding, transcriptions, and tracking proposals and contract opportunities over the past two years. She joined the team in April 2025 on a full-time basis as a Research Analyst.

Alongside her work for The Lines Between, Hattie has spent the past two years using her TEFL training to teach English to a range of age groups, from primary school children to adults, in Bangkok and Prague.

She has also worked as a Young Adult Caseworker with Future 4, G4S, where she worked alongside South Wales Police to identify, engage, and assess Young Adults suitable for a Diversion scheme. In this role Hattie developed and delivered a structured programme of education, care, and support for Young Adults. She used psycho-social interventions, motivational interviewing, and active listening techniques to establish relationships with clients and created and delivered educational workshops on topics such as substance impact, mental health, knife crime, and hate crime.

Before this Hattie was a Substance Misuse Practitioner in Cardiff Prison, where she provided an in-depth assessment of people's needs related to substance use on arrival to prison. Hattie supported individuals by providing structured interventions, advice, and harm minimisation and wrote and submitted referrals to other specialist services.

Hattie has been involved in several evaluations for clients including Citizens Advice Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Public Health Scotland and the Scottish Government.