In my capacity as Service Lead for Community Development I have been responsible for supporting the management and operational delivery of EVOC's work in supporting the Community and Voluntary Sector in Edinburgh. I am responsible for our Community Development portfolio and have oversight over 4 sector supporting programmes within EVOC including Community Planning, Children & Families, Community Centres, and Organisational Support Services. I also share the management of EVOC's Community Health Programme supporting strategic engagements with Edinburghs Integrated Joint Board. I have been involved in facilitating and shaping EVOC's new Strategy 2025-2030.As a Service Lead, I work closely with partners and stakeholders across Edinburgh and focus on strategic relationship managent. I have also been working with partners to develop Edinburgh's new Community and Voluntary Sector Community Planning offer in collaberation with our Local Authority and partner organisations developing new local Place Based Networks in the city.

As EVOC's Senior Community Planning Officer, I was responsible for EVOC's Place Based Networks and Voluntary Sector Forum's. My role supported improvement of connections and collaborations between anchor institutions in Edinburgh and the Community and Voluntary Sector. I was responsible for reforming Community Planning offer within EVOC with Place Based Networks and worked on the following:• Working with statutory partners to develop ways of collaborating with community and voluntary sector in Edinburgh.• Developing a collective approach to Local Place Planning with community organisations in Edinburgh. • Supported development of EVOC organisational Strategy and leadership• Facilitating EVOC Programs Team and line managed Climate Program• Lead Community Wealth Building activities related to land, buildings & assets.• Facilitated Citywide Community and Voluntary Sector Strategic Forum• Developed Community and Voluntary Sector Buildings and Land Co-operative

In this role I was Responsible for the project management and delivery of Edinburgh Climate Forum. I Developed Edinburgh Net Zero Just Transition 2030 Co-Lab as a way to to drive innovative community-led collaberative projects in Edinburgh forward.I worked alongside Council partners in City of Edinburgh Council to co-create the Edinburgh Community Climate Fund, a participatory budgeting grant giving program..Co-led the Retrofit Collective and associated programs (Retrofixers, retrofit roadshow).Facilitated Scottish Third Sector Interface Network Climate Forum workshops and supported citywide climate events.

I have been a Senior Associate for ASF-UK for over 5 years and have primarily focused on activities in Sierra Leone using the Change by Design Methodology. Our long term partnership with the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre has taught me how to run participatory workshops and to work with international partners. We have produced two Community Action Area Plans, two Informal Settlement Profiles, a Settlement Profiling Toolkit and we are now working on a final Settlement profile, Community Action Area Plan and a Community Action Area Planning toolkit. I have also worked with ASF-UK to revive our Resilience by Design program with a project in Edinburgh which looks at Participatory Climate Action Planning and Local Place Plans.

In Freetown, Sierra Leone I coordinated ASF-UK's fieldwork aimed at empowering residents of informal settlements with the tools to shape their own development through participatory workshops inclusive approaches to urban planning and design. My role within this project was to coordinate and facilitate workshops in communities using the Change by Design methodology- a set of approaches to participatory design. Working with colleagues in the UK, I created the final Community Action Area Plans for two community settlements. My team's final output were two comprehensive Community Action Area Plans for two very different informal communities complete with design layouts, reports and settlement profiles.From this experience learned how to facilitate creative, deep public engagements, as well as, to collect urban data and to effectively coordinate public engagements, dealing with complexity and conflict. I also learned how to adapt my expertise to work in an under resourced country with very little access to conventional digital tools and spatial data.See plans linked: 1. Cockle Bay Community Action Area Plan: https://www.slurc.org/uploads/1/0/9/7/109761391/cockle_bay_caap_document.pdf2. Dworzark Community Action Area Plan: https://www.slurc.org/uploads/1/0/9/7/109761391/dworzark_caap_document.pdf

In my capacity as Our Future's Engagement Coordinator, I played a key role in building the organisation’s infrastructure, including creating a website, developing resources, establishing a clear structure, and leading outreach activities. I was responsible for the design and implementation of our strategic approach to community engagement, fostering relationships with anchor institutions across Edinburgh to enhance collaboration on climate policy and action.I successfully influenced the local authority and key partners to increase funding for climate engagement initiatives, supporting Edinburgh’s communities in responding to the declared Climate Emergency.A major part of my role was to coordinate a series of COP26 events in partnership with EVOC, culminating in the creation of the Edinburgh Community Climate Forum, which I subsequently developed into an important platform for community-led climate action in Edinburgh.

As an Urban Research Communications Consultant for the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (SLURC), I was responsible for developing sustainable communication tools to share SLURC’s urban research findings with diverse audiences, ranging from international professionals to local communities.I produced a variety of audio-visual outputs, including podcasts, micro-documentaries, magazines, soundbites, posters, and pamphlets, all designed to improve accessibility and engagement with key stakeholders. I also planned and executed public awareness-raising initiatives, such as mobilisation campaigns, community discussions, and public events, to foster participation and dialogue around urban challenges facing informal settlements in Freetown.A core aspect of my work involved creating an online urban resources portal, making SLURC’s outputs more accessible to communities, professionals, and municipalities. I also collaborated with community partners to build their capacity in digital communication tools, ensuring the sustainability and long-term effectiveness of the centre’s outreach efforts.This short-term role provided me with valuable experience in creating effective communication pathways and using a variety of tools to tailor messaging for different audiences. Links to my outputs can be found here: https://www.slurc.org/urban-resources.html

As a Program Officer for Participation & Sustainable Urban Development at PlanBørnefonden in Copenhagen, Denmark, I supported the coordination of international programmes with a focus on climate change adaptation, resilience building in informal settlements, and creating safer cities for young people.In this role, I conducted monitoring, evaluation, and reporting on a climate change adaptation and resilience project in Bangladesh funded by the Nordic Development Fund. I also gathered insights from a pioneering partnership with Arup to produce a practitioner’s guide on climate change adaptation in the Global South.Additionally, I collaborated on the development of new projects centred on urban resilience, safer cities, and climate change adaptation, as well as emerging initiatives in the circular economy. During my time at PlanBørnefonden, I also picked up some Danish and enjoyed learning about Danish culture at home and in the workplace.

As an Assistant Urban Designer at Turley’s Reading office, I contributed to a range of ambitious planning and urban design projects across the South of England. My responsibilities included assisting with the production of Design and Access Statements, masterplans, and design vision documents, which supported the delivery of high-quality planning and design solutions.This role allowed me to develop technical expertise in AutoCAD for masterplanning and further enhance my skills in GIS, SketchUp, and the Adobe Creative Suite. Working at Turley was an invaluable experience, providing insight into the fast-paced environment of a leading planning consultancy and enabling me to contribute to innovative and impactful projects.

As a Research Intern at PAS (Planning Aid Scotland) I helped process Place Standard public engagement data from Dumfries and Galloway consultations for PAS to help advise the Local Council's Strategic Development Plan.I also contributed to PAS's communications administration, assisting the charity in creating a more comprehensive support network for the general public to access planning advice in Scotland.I have also reviewed the layout and design of a recent Charrette report published in December 2016.

While completing my Masters at the University of Manchester I worked as an intern for a small planning and urban design consultancy based in Macclesffield, Cheshire. From this fantastic opportunity I gained valuable skills in professional document creation, assisting with neighborhood plan creation. I was asked to review transport planning documents, draft local plan documents and planning applications. During this experience I was also expected to process data from community consultations and assess public opinion. One of the elements which I most enjoyed from this experience was being given the opportunity to create a vernacular and townscaping assessment for one of Urban Imprint's clients, which allowed me to showcase many of the skills I had gained from studying urban design over the past year, a link to which can be found here: http://www.elfordparish.co.uk/files/neighbourhoodplan/Elford%20Vernacular%20Study%20010616.pdf