Emma Punchard Email and Phone Number

Experienced partnership and development manager in not-for-profit and corporate settings. Business owner and community worker. Passionate about Food, health and sustainability and wondering how we live sustainability in the countryside. Always looking for a positive contribution and getting things done. Founding director of the Food for Life at the Soil Association, where I designed, secured funding and led one of the UK's most successful health, education and food interventions for young people and communities for over 6 years. Food for Life focuses on making healthy, tasty and sustainable meals the norm for all to enjoy, reconnecting people with where their food comes from and developing growing and cooking skills. I developed strategy to secure ongoing funding - winning the prestigious BBC Dereck Cooper Food campaign Award in 2011.I lead the partnership of 4 national charities, overseeing a budget of over £17 million and led over 70 staff. In addition as policy manager at the Soil Association I lead on their work on sustainable procurement and food culture, overseeing the production of 4 major work areas over 2 years. A move to Norfolk gave me the opportunity to blend my young family with setting up a highly successful Eco holiday home business - securing Rural Development Funding to start the business and run it as a centre of excellence of sustainable tourism. Winner 2024 East of England Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Business of the Year! I was also a Board member of Broads Tourism 2015-2016 and Broads Local Action Group member from 2015 to 2020. Lift Skills Board Member for 2018-2019. Living rurally has allowed me to engage with local government. As an active member of the parish council where I:• Led community team that secured funding of over £35,000 for Children’s play area in the village (mixture of grant, trust and community fundraising).• Developed a multi-agency approach to better manage the impact of the growing number of visitors to the local seal colony • Secured funding on three occasions from Great Yarmouth Business Improvement BID to support tourism businesses in the village including development of a popular walking guide & fisherman’s trail • Developed a multi-agency group around impact and community resilience in to coastal erosion. I started my career at BAA plc as a sustainability manager, where I gained my Doctorate of professional studies working on the business response to aircraft emissions and climate change, as well as managing the wider corporate social responsibility agenda.