I am Director and business owner of several small businesses and a business advice consultant specialising in quality management, environmental management, occupational health & safety management and fire safety management.

I worked for 38 years in the Finance Industry taking early retirement in 2022.

I have volunteered on a number of community groups including Scouting, Local Area Committees, Community Councils, Charity Organisations and a local community centre.

I also served with Police Scotland as a Special Constable retiring in June 2023.

Local Authority member of the new GRI LAG since 2023 with 15 plus years’ experience and background in Community Development, NHS GG&C Health Improvement and Early Years Collaborative. 

I’m the Funding and Development Officer based within the Invest in Renfrewshire, Communities (IiRC) / Economic Development team at Renfrewshire Council.

My role involves providing external funding support to constituted community groups and third sector organisations based in Renfrewshire and assist them to secure additional external funding (for example National Lottery Community Fund, Robertson Trust etc) and investment into the area. I’m excited to add community representation to the LAG and contribute where relevant.

East Renfrewshire Council – Business Growth Advisor

Local Authority member of the new GRI LAG since 2022 with 25 plus years’ experience of Community and Economic Development practices, working with remote and rural communities in Highland Region and Ayrshire and businesses and communities located in East Renfrewshire. 

Previous rural experience has included being a LAG member within the LEADER funded programmes as well as a LEADER grant recipient through work within Ayrshire and also advising and assisting groups and businesses to develop projects and applications for many different funding sources.  I also have extensive experience in Grant management, due diligence and claim requirements across many grant funding programmes.  

I have recently joined GRI LAG and have also been a GRI LAG grant recipient over the past two years.

In my current post at Inverkip Community Hub and previous management role at Branchton Community Centre I’ve managed the day to day running of the facility and services they provide for the local community, carrying out listening surveys and then delivering a program of activities that would address and impact on the community’s priorities, needs and aspirations.

Before Inverkip and Branchton my role was mainly in youth services across Inverclyde running facilities, detached programs, youth events and street work programs.

I completed a work-based degree in Community Education/Community Development in 2001 and moved from youth services to facility management at Branchton Community Centre which I ran for 14yrs.  After Branchton I spent 18 months working in secure units with young people in Bishopton before moving back into local youth services at ‘Greenock iYouth Zone’ with Inverclyde Council and now at Inverkip Community Hub delivering a wide range of community activities and programs for Inverkip and its surrounding areas.

Chief Executive of CVS Inverclyde, leading the region’s third sector interface.

I have extensive experience in national charities including Kibble, Cornerstone, and Beatson Cancer Charity and have strong strategic leadership skills. I am also Vice Chair of Inverclyde’s Community Planning Partnership and a member of Inverclyde’s Integrated Joint Board.

Furthermore, as a trustee of Inverclyde Community Fund, I am committed to strengthening local partnerships and empowering the voluntary sector.  Born and based in Inverclyde, living in Inverkip with my husband and two daughters.

I have recently joined the GRI LAG as a member of the senior management team at Voluntary Action East Renfrewshire, the Third Sector Interface for East Renfrewshire. Before this, I spent 20 years in banking administration; 10 years as a Civil Servant and 10 years in the private sector.

I have been a member of the VAER team for 11 years now, during which time I have held various roles. These include Community Research; Capacity Building Supports and Evaluation & Impact Management. For the past 6 years I have fulfilled the role of Deputy Chief Officer for the organisation.

Apart from supporting the delivery of the strategic vision of our own organisation, the most important part of my role is to develop/promote volunteering and wider collaborative approaches to the work our entire 3rd sector and its partners undertake to bring positive changes throughout our communities.

Furthermore, in the past 8 years I have assessed and administered several East Renfrewshire-wide grant funds.

Community and Partnership Manager, Engage Renfrewshire

I work as the Community and Partnership Manager for Engage Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire’s Third Sector Interface (TSI), leading the Community and Voluntary Action team for the area.

My team cover a broad range of community development, with a focus on third sector funding, volunteering, social enterprise development and good governance guidance and training.

As TSI we are connected to multiple community planning structures across the area that cover a range of agendas, from health to environmental, and I hope to bring this knowledge to support the outcomes of the LAG.