Break-out session speakers biographies

Transcription

1 Funded by Big Lottery Fund in association with Power to Change Break-out session speakers biographies Session 1 Colin Davies, Chief Executive, Threeways Centre Colin has worked in the third sector for over 15 years. After a number of years within the Business Link movement Colin left in 2000 to help spearhead the development of The Megacentre in Sheffield, a successful social enterprise delivering a range of services to local people. In 2007 he started C21 Group a Management Consultancy and Payroll Bureau with the later addition of a Creative Marketing Agency supporting SMEs and Social Enterprises in all areas of Business and People Development. In February 2012 Colin was invited to assist in the development of plans for Centre at Threeways, a large scale and ambitious community asset transfer based in Halifax, West Yorkshire. After the successful acquisition of a 125 year lease on the site in June 2013, Colin was appointed as Chief Executive. Since the launch, the award winning Threeways Centre has developed and grown a number of enterprises including a sports centre, local community magazine, conferencing centre and workspace letting as well as launching an innovative volunteering programme which is providing training and employment opportunities for local people. Helen Seymour, Founder, Headingley Development Trust Helen Seymour was one of the founder directors of Headingley Development Trust and helped to set up Headingley Farmers Market (now in its eighth year) and the Headingley Fowl Co-op, a community supported agriculture scheme in partnership with Swillington Organic Farm. She is chair of The Natural Food Store Limited, a shop bought by the community from its former private owners using a community share issue. She is a board member of the Plunkett Foundation. She was formerly Head of Projects and Development at Co-operatives UK.

2 Howard Bradley, Strategic Business Development Manager, LS14 Trust Howard Bradley, 35, is a flat cap wearing, west-country boy with Yorkshire roots. After graduating from Leeds University with BA Honours in Media, Culture and Communication in 2000, Howard joined the children s charity Barnardos. There he trained in community development, helping community projects across Yorkshire with capacity building / evaluation and research. During this time Howard developed his interest in using arts and film as tools to help young people and the wider community both explore and share their stories and hopes for the future. In 2004 Howard moved to West Leeds and established the award-winning Farsley Youth Development Project with local people, faith groups and community organisations. The project aimed to support young people and the wider community in their social, emotional and spiritual development. Creative initiatives during that time included converting a double-decker to a youth club on wheels, starting community festivals, setting up a community radio station, community cafe and a community growing project. Alongside this Howard has a passion for creative community events and as a freelancer has worked across Leeds. Howard was the Community Director for the I Love West Leeds Arts Festival which saw him running events including bicycle rides in movies and floating orchestras in swimming pools. In June this year Howard joined the LS14 Trust as the Strategic Business Development Manager and looks forward to working with an amazing team of local people working together to make their community a better place. Ibrar Ali, Volunteer Development Manager, Bradford Moor PASS Ibrar is currently a Volunteer Development Manager at Bradford Moor Play and Support Services (PASS). Ibrar s background is as a qualified youth and community worker with a passion for supporting and creating change. Ibrar and PASS have been recognised and nominated for a number of awards including Community Stars Award for volunteering services as well as recognition from the Cabinet Office. Ibrar has set up and run a number of ventures over the last 20 years, both social businesses and private enterprises. As a qualified youth worker Ibrar has worked for the voluntary sector including Bradford Youth Service and the Youth Offending Team s Matching Chances programme prior to moving to UnLtd in At UnLtd, Ibrar was responsible for UnLtd s support offer for young social entrepreneurs in addition to managing UnLtd s support delivery in the North of England and Northern Ireland. Ibrar is currently working for Sakhara Ltd as Operations Manager and has set his own company Green Deal World Ltd which is aimed at delivering home improvement products that save energy and reduce carbon emissions. Ibrar has vast experience of community development and local regeneration as well as skills and knowledge of both private and third sectors.

3 Session 2 Peter Couchman, Chief Executive, Plunkett Foundation Peter is Chief Executive of the Plunkett Foundation, which supports rural communities to take control of the issues that matter to them, such as saving their shop, pub or supporting local food. He came there in 2009 having spent his career in the consumer Co-operative Movement, where he was best known for helping to make Oxford, Swindon & Gloucester Co-op an internationally recognised example for engaging members and marketing its co-operative identity. He is a director of Co-operatives UK and a Governor of the Co-operative College. He also serves on the Department of Communities & Local Government Communities Partnership Board. He Phil Tulba, Head of Trading, Locality Phil has been working with community and social enterprises for over 13 years. He started his career with a homeless charity in Leicester and then moved to become Sports Social Enterprise Development Manager for Social Enterprise East Midlands. He has also previously worked for The Young Foundation and Enterprise UK and more recently was self-employed supporting the development of community and social enterprises in the Philippines, South Korea, Croatia and Lithuania. He has been working for Locality since May 2014 as Head of Trading and continues to be a trustee director of a social enterprise based in Northamptonshire. Sue Williamson, Founder and Director, Tang Hall SMART Ltd Sue Williamson (MA, MPHIL, PGCE) - one of the two Directors, has been teaching at Burnholme Community College for over 20 years, and is well known in the community as someone who is committed to the welfare and achievement of pupils of all abilities and backgrounds. Sue has also been nominated for The Press, 'Spirit of the Community' Teacher of the Year award. As well as being an established and successful teacher of English and Music, Sue s role as SENCO at Burnholme CC has given her extensive experience in supporting young people with learning disabilities and/or other vulnerabilities - and enabling them to succeed. Sue is passionately committed to 'equalities' and was the equalities officer for over a decade at Burnholme CC. I am the Founder and Director of Tang Hall SMART Ltd which is a social enterprise based in York offering clubs, courses and activities in: sound, music, art, recreation and technology. Additionally I deliver the music strand of our provision, called Tang Hall Rock School which involves: planning and delivering Rockschool courses at level 1 and 2, to vulnerable young people, and at night, to the community as well as organising gigs and other events. Prior to this I was a music/english teacher and SENCO for 20+ years, and further back, managed a record shop that specialized in jazz, blues, 60s/70s vinyl.

4 Hugh Rolo, Director of Business Development, Locality Hugh Rolo is the Director of Business Development at Locality. A former banker, he leads Locality s consultancy business and is an experienced business coach, financial analyst and investment readiness specialist. One of the most widely respected social finance experts in the country, Hugh is an adviser to Big Society Capital and sits on the Board of the Adventure Capital Fund (parent of the Social Investment Business Group) and on the Investment Committee of Communitybuilders. He is a founder partner and Chair of Key Fund Yorkshire and also chairs its Investment Panel. Hugh leads for Locality in developing the market for Community Shares (through the Community Shares Unit) and other approaches to raising social equity finance such as crowd-funding and community bonds. #PowertoChange and use #PowertoChangeLeeds to tweet about this event

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