I am a Labour Councillor for De Beauvoir ward in the London Borough of Hackney. I'm also Director of Clapton Commons in Hackney. I have over twenty years experience working in the UK voluntary/third sector, international development sector and politics. I have spent a significant amount of time working in Hackney, East London in the voluntary and community sector. In my role leading the community work at the Round Chapel Old School Rooms in Clapton Hackney, the organisation won the Mayor of Hackney’s Civic Award in 2020/21 for our work during the Covid-19 pandemic..My work in the international development sector has largely focused on child rights and street children in Africa. I've worked for Oxfam, Amos Trust and also co-founded street children charity Street Action, supporting and partnering with street children movements and initiatives in South Africa, Burundi and Kenya. I also also worked on a range of policy issues relating to global education and child rights in his role as an advisor to former prime minister Gordon Brown.My work in the voluntary sector includes charity governance experience, having served as a trustee on a number of UK and international charities. I'm currently a trustee of Surfers Not Street Children and is also co-Chair of Millfields Community School in Hackney.