Community Coordinator at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, part of Forestry England, in Gloucestershire.

My role is to coordinate and champion the development & delivery of activities that help enable people to live better. Working with partners to widen access to the therapeutic benefits of Westonbirt’s collection through led, self-guided, outreach and virtual programmes which deliver measurable positive outcomes for participants’ health & wellbeing, achieve positive social outcomes and reinforce Westonbirt’s reputation as welcoming and inclusive.

As a qualified Youth & Community Worker, I have over 30 years experience of working in a wide range of youth work settings, including health promotion, outdoor education, street based provision and open access youth clubs in both urban and rural locations. This experience has provided me with a strong understanding of barriers faced by harder to reach and non traditional audiences and a collaborative style of delivery that enables me to co-create projects tailored to meet audience need.

My three main areas of work focus are currently:
Targeted delivery specialising in work with teenagers; older adults and people living with dementia; young people and adults with autism, additional needs, or mental health conditions,.

Promotion and facilitation of visitor, staff and volunteer wellbeing.

Championing inclusion, access & diversity across the arboretum.