Meet the team
Our dedicated team of staff supports our volunteers to provide emergency food and practical support to people who have been left without enough money to live on.
Growing up in a low-income household on the edge of the Cotswold District, with a disabled parent, I saw firsthand the financial and emotional pressures families face. That experience inspired me to volunteer in the community and in youth work before moving into charity roles across our rural communities - from Sapperton and Kemble to Cirencester - where I’ve worked to support and empower people to create positive change locally. I was enthusiastic to join the foodbank because I strongly believe in its mission: to be more than a sticking plaster. By offering practical support, emergency help, and access to advice, we address the root causes behind the hardship households face. When I get a moment to unwind, I love spending time with my family, tending my allotment, and hiking through the local countryside.
Every day is so different – recruiting new volunteers, building stronger teams, updating rotas, keeping training records up to date, ensuring the operations, including delivery rounds and Centre sessions, run smoothly and effectively, organising food collections with corporate teams, volunteer gatherings I have a strong belief that we need to reframe the idea of a food bank user and how every aspect of our support is tailored to meet the unique needs of each person. I find a day-to-day purpose in helping volunteers to pull together, giving our users the opportunity to lift themselves out of hunger and poverty. After working for a national charity as a Children’s Centre Manager leading a team of support workers to support families with children up to the age of 11, in areas such as play, housing, financial and relationships, I was keen to work for a smaller local charity that could still make a difference to people’s lives. Best start to my day is a gentle, slow yoga session, patio doors wide open onto the garden and hearing the birds singing their praise for my attempts at a wobbly Tree pose. I also enjoy kayaking on local lakes, rivers and canals and have recently enjoyed kayaking on some of the lakes in mid Wales.
I have responsibility for generating income, ensuring we have enough funding to keep everything running, from purchasing food, to keeping the delivery van fuelled up, the building rental costs and staff wages, through to keeping the lights on, and all of the other things that are easily forgotten about that are needed to run a successful charity. I’m also responsible for community relationships and partnerships to help raise awareness and ensure people who need support know about us and to garner support in the form of food, financial, practical and physical donations. Having worked in the charity sector for the past 18 years I hope I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience with me that can be put to good use. I’m a firm believer in equity, opportunity and communities supporting each other. Working previously as a Business Development Director for a charity in London, the foodbank is a perfect fit for my experience. Doing the groundwork and forming meaningful relationships with people has been my professional life for the past 18years. I’m a keen trail ultra marathon runner (anything further than a marathon), and I’ve lived doing volunteer work in the amazon and the rainforests of Belize and can honestly say I’m at my happiest living wild
Having volunteered for a neighbouring food bank, I joined the Cirencester staff team in early 2022. Since then, I have overseen the smooth running of our warehouse operations, supported by an amazing volunteer team who receive, sort, store and pack generously donated food and other items. I’m focussed on delivering an efficient and quality service and bring experience from a variety of past positions, including many years at IBM before moving to Gloucestershire to raise a family.
I started in my role with the Foodbank in September 2023, working with schools and other community projects throughout the South Cotswolds, I have worked within the social sector for over 20 years and so I like to think I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the charity, hopefully proving valuable in being able to support the families I work with. When I’m not working, I enjoy my garden, spending time with family and looking after the family dogs and rabbit.
I have been working here for nearly 3 yrs, and I truly love my job. I am usually the first port of call for clients and referrers, and I help make sure our parcels get to who they need to get to. I worked in the telecoms sector for 25 yrs before finding this job and I just really wanted to do something that helped people who really needed help. When I am not working, I love travelling, restaurants, theatre and my cats.