Becoming a trustee at the Bridport Youth and Community Centre brings together two passions that have been central to my working life i.e. encouraging and enabling young people to have the opportunity to grow and develop themselves outside the constraints of mainstream education, and community engagement and enabling and encouraging participation in all forms for all ages. BYCC has the potential to play a key role in enabling people of all ages from Bridport and the surrounding area to
grow creatively and emotionally, relax, find support and develop friendships. It is a wonderful space that I am looking forward to doing whatever I can to deliver its full potential as the heart and soul of Bridport.

Based in West Dorset I am experienced in working remotely and as part of virtual teams. I am
disciplined and goal focused. I am experienced as a London and Europewide Project Manager within
the Criminal Justice and Charity sectors. I have extensive experience of designing, commissioning, and implementing social change research to underpin consequent complex programs of action. I have been a trustee of several charities. Part of my expertise has been in developing effective coordination between community groups and statutory organizations.  I have been a visiting lecturer from 1989-2012 at Middx. University on Youth Justice and Forensic Psychology courses. For many years I was also a long arm practice assessor / supervisor for social work students. Currently I am a trustee and Vice Chair of the BYCC trust and a trustee of Bridport Refugee Support Campaign. I am a committee member of the Burton Bradstock Festival of Music and Art and the Burton Bradstock Village Society, both registered charities.

When I retired from Education, I wanted to continue to support our local young people and BYCC seemed an excellent way of doing this. It not only supports through the Youth Club but also provision for pre-school children and those that attend many of the clubs like boxing that run every week. I hope that the skills I bring to the Trust Board will be useful in ensuring that we are still here supporting our
young people and community for many years to come.

As an actor and graphic designer, I put my skills to use at a local primary school for many years as a volunteer running dance and drama workshops, writing and directing plays, and assisting in a variety of art projects. I was also a Governor at the school for 12 years. This involvement afforded me the opportunity of contributing to the development of many young children. BYCC fills a massively important role in  the Bridport community, providing a safe space for young people to socialise and learn new skills. I am very keen as a new board member to help wherever I can in keeping the centre thriving and offer support in whatever capacity I can.

A former youth worker, worker in a family centre and volunteer in a mental health project, I am intent on bringing the Centre into a community led rather than local government led status, made necessary when County pulled out of funding youth work in 2016. I joined as a Trustee shortly after that and have been active in improving the building - an ongoing and expensive process! The aim is to get a wider use by the whole community and the introduction of better acoustics, a disabled lift and making the building more attractive will help.

I joined the trust on its inception in 2016 and have been treasurer for my entire
tenure.As someone who grew up in Bridport, I know how valuable a thriving youth and
community centre is for the town and its residents, of all ages, which is the reason I
agreed to take on the role in the beginning.Having a young family means that we have used the centre over the years for many events, ranging from Bingo and quiz nights to kids parties and football courses.When old enough, I suspect my kids will also attend the youth club, which has gone
from strength to strength over the last few years. Outside of the trust, I am a chartered Accountant and my interests include Football, where I coach a youth team, and Running where I am currently chair of Bridport runners. The centre means a lot to so many people in the town and it is a pleasure to be part
of such a wonderful organisation.

I am an artist and art worker; I make big fun art events happen so that people can make art together (oops wow messy art). I also have a background in mental health work and in Occupational Therapy. I have a passion for making things happen, for helping people work out what brings them joy or a sense of worth and supporting them to do that. The youth and community centre is a vital place where this work can happen. I worked as a youth worker here for 4 years, and still come in once a month or so to run art activities. As a trustee I want to support the future growth and development of the youth clubs and community centre, I am especially interested in increasing the links with other organisations and events that take place in the town.BYCC is an amazing resource and I am proud to be part of the team here.