About us

Carol became involved in working with children when her daughter attended a local playgroup in 1998, she was a parent volunteer initially and then gained her Level 3 Qualification in Childcare. She continued to work in Salford working her way up to Deputy Manager and then set up another setting in Salford as Manager. That setting unfortunately closed in August 2019 as financially it was no longer viable.

 Carol did some agency supply work for a few months before starting with a nursery in Oldham as Deputy/SENDCO in February 2020.

 In August 2021, Carol was advised about a post with Inspiring Communities Together and was excited to come back to Salford where she has spent most of her career. Carol is now Children & Families Programme Manager supporting the delivery of childcare and IAG.

 Carol likes spending time with her family and has 3 grandchildren.

Guy has lived in and around Salford for most of his life and has always been an active part of the local community.  He enjoys helping people and started volunteering in his children’s school and then served as a parent governor.

 He joined Inspiring Communities Together in 2021 as a Community Connector for the Wellbeing Matter programme working in the Swinton locality to support GP surgeries with non-clinical referrals.

Outside of work, Guy enjoys taking part in running events across the world and is an active member of a local hockey team.

From leaving school, Joanne had always been in the catering industry until the arrival of her first child in 2009 and her second in 2010. This led to a brief period away from work, during which she came across Inspiring Communities Together and volunteered in the Food Matters program in Salford.

After this time, she returned to work at a hotel until an opportunity arose through Inspiring Communities Together for a food development worker role, helping people get back into employment. She stayed in this role until the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she transitioned to working with the Age Well team, delivering Tech and Tea online and then in the community.

 In April 2023, Joanne had the opportunity to apply for the job of a trainee program manager which included the opportunity to complete a Level 5 in Operational Management. Over the years, she has enjoyed the various types of work she has been involved in and hopes to continue doing so.

Mike has been a Trustee and Chair of Inspiring Communities Together since 2016. He has experience of running a financial services business and takes an active interest in the financial planning for the organisation. He is passionate about working in partnership.

As someone who has lived in the neighbourhood all his life and has given over 40 years of activity community engagement, he is fully committed to the principles of Inspiring Communities Together.

Janine started volunteering at the Lower Kersal Centre in 2004 supporting the summer playscheme. She was asked if she would like to volunteer all year round and help with childcare and the café provision she took up.

During her volunteering, an opportunity became available to complete her level 2 and 3 in childcare at Yogurt Pots and a level 3 play worker qualification. 

In 2005 she took up paid employment in Yogurt Pots. In 2017 she transferred to Inspiring Communities Together and Yogurt Pots relocated to its current home at Sports Village.

 Janine enjoys learning and has taken up opportunities to further develop herself including completing wellcomm training to support children’s speech & language and SENDCO training. In 2024 Janine secured a temporary position as Room leader for Yogurt Pots.

Janine is a mother of five children and loves spending time with her children and her two grandsons.

Antonia joined Inspiring Communities Together in 2016 as Operations Manager. Before that she worked for the British Red Cross for 11 years as Senior Services Manager with responsibility for developing and delivering the refugee and international tracing and messaging services across Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.  Antonia has an MA in Social Work.

For the last two years Antonia has been the programme manager for the Age Friendly Salford programme as well as leading other Age Well projects for Inspiring Communities Together.   Antonia is passionate about supporting people in mid and later life to age well.

 She enjoys swimming, reading and cooking (and eating) Mediterranean food.

Tori has lived and worked in Salford all their life and has six years’ experience organising community events as a volunteer in the Pendleton and Seedley area.

Since graduating from Salford University with a Business and Management degree in 2018, Tori has had a variety of supervisory roles gaining management experience to complement their community work experience.

 Joining Inspiring Communities Together in 2023 Tori is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day deliver of Inspiring Communities Together Age Friendly Salford Team and can also be found out in the community supporting the delivery of activities particularly our Tech and Tea courses.

 When not working Tori loves reading and gaming.

Andrea began working at Inspiring Communities Together in 2015 as a Development Worker on projects like Ambition for Ageing and Age Friendly Salford, aimed at supporting and empowering older people in Salford. She delivered various initiatives, including “6 Steps to Preventing Falls,” “Nutrition and Hydration: Live Well, Eat Well,” “Lunch and Learn,” and “Green and Grow,” and participated in numerous community events.

 Currently, Andrea is the Ageing in Place Pathfinder (AIIP) Development Worker, focusing on helping older people in Pendleton and Charlestown stay safe in their homes. She enjoys connecting with the community and has built strong relationships with partners and stakeholders.

Andrea also enjoys attending Zumba classes twice a week with her friend Helen, which she finds beneficial for her health and well-being.

Julie has always lived in Salford. Her first job was as a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) worker at a florist. She then did some temporary clerical work for an agency, worked at the Tax Office for six weeks, and began a career with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Julie spent 13 years at the Salford Jobcentre and 17 years in Cheetham Hill, working in front-facing roles for 30 years. She then worked on reception at a managed services building for the University of Salford for 3.5 years and covered all reception sites on the main campus for a year.

Julies extensive experience in helping and advising people led to her current role with Inspiring Communities Together as an Information, Advice, and Guidance (IAG) worker.

Julie volunteers as a tour guide at the Working-Class Movement Library (WCML) and participates in a local history group. She enjoys socialising, visiting new places, and going on holidays. Recently, she joined a gym, finding it both fun and challenging.

Tonicha initially became involved with Inspiring Communities Together when she stared attending Age Friendly Salford activities with her grandmother.  She quickly became a Wellbeing Volunteer and learnt more about how Age Friendly Salford provides support to older residents of Salford.

 In 2023 a Development Worker role was advertised by Inspiring Communities Together within the Age Friendly Salford Team, Tonicha applied and was successful starting work in January 2023. She leads the Brew and Chat and Walk and Talk programs within the Salford community, aiming to enhance quality of life, improve wellbeing, and encourage active participation. Additionally, she runs the Check and Chat program, which addresses social isolation and loneliness by providing wellbeing calls to those in need. This initiative helps connect people and encourages them to become more socially active, ultimately improving their wellbeing.

 Tonicha enjoys engaging with the community through these programs and has built strong relationships with a variety of organisations and participants in Salford.

 In her free time, Tonicha likes socialising with friends and family, playing board games on game nights, and relaxing with long baths and colouring therapy books.

John started working for Inspiring Communities Together in December 2022. His main role is the delivery of the Tech and Tea programme – supporting older people to use tablet technology to improve their health and wellbeing. John enjoys seeing the benefits first hand that teaching the course brings to the wellbeing of others.

He is an avid Bolton Wanderers supporter, has a keen interest in travelling and nature, enjoys watching live music, and has a degree in Fine Art.

David moved back North at the end of 2022 after spending some time in North Devon, where he worked at a small zoo and with the National Trust. David Joined Inspiring Communities Together in May 2023 on a temporary contract assisting with a photography project for Age Friendly Salford one day a week. Later, his contract was extended and his hours increased to three days a week, still with the Age Friendly Salford Team. Once this project finished David transitioned to Inspiring Communities Together People and Place Team where he is now supporting the learning for Work, Learning for Life programme of work

 In his spare time David is a keen photographer and is passionate about the environment.

Rosie studied at the University of Salford obtaining BA Geography and MSc Sustainability. Once she graduated, she worked as a Graduate Sustainability Consultant before she decided to pursue a more social role within the environment sector and joined Inspiring Communities Together in 2023, delivering environmental sessions across our local communities.

In her spare time Rosie likes to run, go the gym and go out with her friends.

Daniela is passionate about early years childcare, especially how young children develop and learn. Her first work placement involved working with children, an experience she loved and wanted to pursue further. After her placement ended, she transitioned into an apprenticeship when a position became available, and she has now started her Level 2 Childcare Apprenticeship with Yogurt Pots. In her free time, Daniela enjoys staying active with her dog, Dexter, and participates in 5k runs every Saturday.

Naomi, a local resident of Lower Kersal  joined Inspiring Communities Together in 2023 initially as part of Salford City Council Job Match scheme. Securing a one-year Apprenticeship later that year Naomi starting her journey to complete a Level 2 Early Years Practitioner Qualification which she achieved in July 2024.

Naomi has remained at Inspiring Communities Together and is now working on achieving a Level 3 qualification in Early Years. “I absolutely enjoy working at Yogurt Pots, where I get the opportunity to make a real difference every day. It’s so rewarding to contribute to the development and well-being of the children in our care!

Bernadette started working in Salford in 2002 to lead the development and delivery of the social programme for the award-winning New Deal for Communities Regeneration Programme in Charlestown and Lower Kersal

Bernadette remained in Salford to support the community implement the succession strategy for the neighbourhood in 2011. Following extensive engagement and testing of ideas in 2014 the Charity Inspiring Communities Together was established.

Now the CEO of the Charity focuses on employing local people and delivering a programme of work across the life course of start well, live well and age well. 

Bernadette is now a grandparent and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren.

John joined Inspiring Communities Together in July 2023. He brought valuable experience from his digital marketing apprenticeship with Salford City Council, where he learned digital marketing and coding. He completed this apprenticeship with a Distinction in 2024 while at Inspiring Communities Together.

John works closely with the CEO to plan and carry out the Communications Strategy. His tasks include managing social media, developing the website, and making sure all marketing and communications are on brand across different programs.

John enjoys the content creation part of his job the most. He also loves photography and film and enjoys spending time with his young son.

I served on the SALT board for 16 years and following SALT amalgamation with ICT I was delighted to be co-opted to the board.  This opportunity has given me an insight into the work carried out by ICT and I admire the breath of what has been achieved. 

I have worked in the social housing sector for nearly 30 years, latterly working to secure contracts with Local Authorities or other commissioners to provide accommodation for homeless individuals or prevent homelessness in community-based settings.  

I am really interested in the work of ICT around building community capacity and resilience and believe I can add value in this area. 

I currently also serve as a school governor sitting on the resources committee covering health and safety finance and staffing.

I have been a member of an ICT since 2014 and before that as a member of the management group. I have helped to develop the organisation from a small community group to a mid- size charity providing local services for and by local people.

 As a Trustee for Inspiring Communities Together I am a member of the appointment and remuneration subgroup responsible for ensuring the organisation complies with all its legal duties regarding HR.

 In my previous employment role, I have experience of managing staff, financial budgets, business planning, marketing and supporting a partnership approach to addressing a variety of community priorities.

Ruth works for Salford University providing the link between the University and the wider community. She is a Programme Leader for Work Based Learning at the university and has used her knowledge and experience to support the development of community learning within Salford supporting people on their journey back into work or learning.

James is a graduate of Salford University studying habitat restoration where he supported the community to create green spaces within their own housing estate by encouraging them to plant vegetation which would encourage and support the local wildlife. James is a former ICT volunteer and helped develop a programme to raise awareness of the wildlife on the wetland to encourage more people to take an interest in their physical environment and raise awareness of opportunities for employment in the sciences. Through his connections overseas he supports people from a variety of countries to come to Salford to learn about how communities manage their lives in areas of regeneration.

During my time as Chair of the NDC Regeneration Programme I had a role in ensuring the programme delivered against the priorities set by the local community

I have been involved with Inspiring Communities Together since the beginning helping to develop the organisation and have also filled the role of Chair for a period.

Over the years I have been actively involved within my community including working at both strategic and local level. I have served as a board member with Salix Homes, Board Member of Lower Kersal Centre and Chair of East Salford Community Committee 2010 -15 (elected by the local community)

 Through-out my many and varied roles within the community I have always maintained a sense of humour. I feel it is important to ensure that all those who wish to speak have an opportunity to do so.