Experience

ACRE

• United Kingdom
• Non-profit Organization Management
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Public Affairs and Communications Manager

  • Apr 2020 - Present

  Providing a voice for rural community projects across England ■ Building ACRE’s online presence; publishing content on an ongoing basis, including press releases, blogs, and social media, as well as developing a completely new website launched in 2022 ■ Responding to policy developments significant to rural communities; working with network colleagues and stakeholders to identify issues and gather evidence, producing reports and public policy briefings and sharing outputs with media contacts ■ Demonstrating how ACRE members’ work contributes to thriving, inclusive and economically active rural communities through the delivery of campaigns such as Village Halls Week and producing video case studies ■ Researching and developing digital solutions enabling ACRE Network members to migrate support for community groups online. I have secured £60k grant funding to sustain this work to date



Plunkett Foundation

• United Kingdom
• Civic and Social Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Programme Manager

  • Apr 2019 - Mar 2020

  Leadership of a UK-wide programme which aimed to inspire people to set up community businesses in rural areas as a means of sustaining services and improving opportunities for everyone locally ■ Coordinated stakeholder engagement activities which raised an awareness of rural community business, including delivery of Plunkett’s 2019 Community Business Awards, a reception in the House of Lords announcing research into community shops and pubs, and networking events for interested community groups ■ Spearheaded the development of a campaign which aimed to increase the number of community businesses trading in places of worship, securing buy-in from key national stakeholders and £100k grant funding ■ Produced publicity and communications materials demonstrating the contribution of community businesses to the improvement of rural places ■ Represented Plunkett in national stakeholder forums, including the delivery of workshops at conferences ■ Ensured accountability of programme spend for 2019 in excess of £100k ■ Oversaw delivery of the final programme evaluation, placing an emphasis on securing a legacy post 2019



Oxford City Council

• United Kingdom
• Government Administration
• 500 - 600 Employee

• Locality Officer (Barton Healthy New Town Programme Lead)

  • Nov 2018 - Mar 2019

  Coordination of community development and regeneration projects in a deprived urban neighbourhood ■ Reviewed the council’s strategic priorities for Barton and developed a work programme setting out how these would be delivered ■ Coordinated local partnerships; working with colleagues, external agencies and local groups to deliver community development and regeneration projects across the neighbourhood ■ Acted as the programme lead for Barton Healthy New Town in its closing stages; ensuring the delivery of outstanding projects, commissioning an in-depth independent study to evaluate impact, disseminating outcomes and reconciling financial accounts



Unison

• Non-profit Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Casework and Campaigns Officer

  • Aug 2018 - Oct 2018

  Part-time, paid casework and campaigns cover for Oxfordshire County UNISON branch ■ Coordinated a campaign helping 40+ members organise and respond to proposals by their employer to dramatically curtail their terms and conditions of employment resulting in a negotiated compromise ■ Supported and represented members experiencing difficulties at work across private and charitable organisations contracted by the county council Part-time, paid casework and campaigns cover for Oxfordshire County UNISON branch ■ Coordinated a campaign helping 40+ members organise and respond to proposals by their employer to dramatically curtail their terms and conditions of employment resulting in a negotiated compromise ■ Supported and represented members experiencing difficulties at work across private and charitable organisations contracted by the county council



South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils

• United Kingdom
• Government Administration
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Public Engagement Lead Officer

  • Oct 2013 - Oct 2018

  Management of public engagement and market research activities across two local authorities ■ Introduced a ‘Public Engagement Charter' establishing policy commitments for both councils ■ Reconfigured corporate support for public engagement and market research activity, streamlining administrative processes and working with officers across all teams to design outcomes focused projects ■ Managed the delivery of major projects including, sampled surveys tracking residents attitudes towards the councils, formal consultations on policy changes and community involvement in local regeneration schemes ■ Communicated evidence from public engagement and market research activities to inform policy decisions and improve service delivery



ACRE

• United Kingdom
• Non-profit Organization Management
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Policy & Research Team Leader

  • Mar 2011 - Mar 2013

  Line management of policy & research team supporting and promoting community-led initiatives in rural areas■ Researched community-led initiatives supported by ACRE member organisations, including Community Led Plans, community-run services, rural enterprises and solutions for meeting local housing need■ Prepared research reports, briefings and made contributions to national and regional policy events demonstrating the contributions community-led initiatives can make towards rural development■ Influenced the early development of neighbourhood planning; contributing to a government-run steering group that offered scrutiny of emerging policy and linking with other national stakeholders to develop support and guidance available to communities■ Trained and advised practitioners supporting rural community-led projects about policy and funding changes relevant to their work■ Contributed to ACRE’s business development and income generation and helped prepare grant applications

• Community Engagement Officer

  • Jun 2008 - Mar 2011

  Advocacy and support for Community Led Planning; a place-based approach to community empowerment used predominantly in rural areas■ Developed a professional support network for approximately 90 practitioners working with Community Led Plan groups across England ■ Researched the extent and impact of Community Led Planning activity nationally■ Authored national publications including the Community Led Planning Toolkit and a best practice guide for local authorities■ Helped organise ACRE’s annual conference and delivered training and workshops



Leitrim Development Company

• Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim, Ireland

• Refugee Support Worker

  • Jun 2007 - Dec 2007

  Support for resettled refugees in Carrick on Shannon; assisting with their integration into the local community ■ Brokered the needs of refugees with service providers and community groups ■ Helped refugees to participate in local training courses, community activities and sports ■ Participated in the Irish steering group for MOST; an EU funded research project which sought to investigate models of refugee reception and resettlement being used by participating member states Support for resettled refugees in Carrick on Shannon; assisting with their integration into the local community ■ Brokered the needs of refugees with service providers and community groups ■ Helped refugees to participate in local training courses, community activities and sports ■ Participated in the Irish steering group for MOST; an EU funded research project which sought to investigate models of refugee reception and resettlement being used by participating member states