Profile

I have worked in research and policy development for about 30 years.  I did a Geography degree and then later a Masters Degree in Urban Regeneration.  In my Masters I focused on deliberative democracy – that’s about how we involve local people in decisions that affect their local communities.   I started my career working in a transport and environmental consultancy and focused on engaging local people in transport plans or environmental projects in their local areas.

I then changed to work at a local authority in London and in the research team did reviews of the various services the local council delivered – such as housing, community support, children/early years services – to find out if they provided what local people needed and if they could be improved.

I then changed roles again and started working for the Civil Service – that’s working in government departments to help deliver government policies and services.  At the Home Office I lead a research team that helped consider how local Home Office funding should be spent in the south west, we looked at local crime patterns and community needs to see which areas needed most funding/support.
I then worked for the Cabinet Office, a different government department, my role was to support local authorities and local charities in the south west, and to ensure central government knew what issues and activities were taking place in local areas – this covered areas such as youth services, volunteering/social action, social investment and community support.

After 10 years working in the Civil Service I decided I wanted to work more locally and moved to my current job at Wiltshire Community Foundation (WCF).

At WCF, I work in a small team, we work with local philanthropists/donors wish wish to give money locally to support causes they care about and we use this money to give out as grant funding to local community groups and charities to support the work they do in local communities.  To ensure our grant funding is used well I undertake research – using local demographic data and by engaging with local communities and partners – such as the local authority, police, health partners, other charities, to understand local needs and priorities.  We try to understand local inequalities and where our funding can support local charities to make lives better for local people.