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North West Committee members

The Community Fund established the Regional Committees in 1995 when we first began to make grants. The Committees help us make sure the grants we award meet our policies and priorities and reflect the most urgent needs within each region.

Dr Maureen Williams
Maureen is currently Chief Executive of Merseyside Development Foundation, a Professor of Governance at Liverpool John Moores University where until April 2003, she was ProChancellor and Chair of the Board of Governors, and a member of the Board of the North West Development Agency. She has been working in the community and voluntary sector for the past 30 years, and has a strong commitment to the development of the sector in the NW region. She has considerable experience of equal opportunity issues. In addition to her duties at MDF and the University she is also involved with local businesses, and a number of other voluntary sector Committees and Boards.

Mr Vernon Schwarz
Vernon is Headteacher of St. George of England High School in Bootle. The school is described as being in “Challenging Circumstances” and is part of a small Education Action Zone. He is a former Chair of Sefton Compact and is currently Vice-Chair of Sefton Education Business Partnership. As a Rotarian he is involved in local, national and international charity work. Vernon was recruited via random selection.

Viveen Taylor
Viveen works as a Training & Development Officer with Progress Trust on the Community Engagement Programme. The programme offers support to black and minority ethnic groups by offering advice, customised training, seminars and workshops. Viveen is an effective communicator with a wealth of personal and practical experience both in the Voluntary & Statutory sector. Viveen has worked as a Manager for the local authority and was instrumental during the Hulme City Challenge Prog.

Toni Bennett
Toni has spent the majority of her professional life working in the voluntary and public sectors. She is particularly knowledgeable about funding the in voluntary sector and has secured funds for a range of causes both at home and overseas. She is currently a freelance consultant.

Ken Thompson
Ken lives in Cumbria and has been actively involved in the Voluntary Sector for 20 years. Ken is currently Chair of Workington District Scouts and has considerable experience in access issues for disabled people. Professionally until his retirement, last year, Ken was Development & Property Services Manager for Allerdale Borough Council and is a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. He joins the Committee with experience of applying for and making judgements on grant applications.

Ann Pomford
Ann lives in West Lancashire. Most of her professional life has been spent in the Health Service, Residential Care and Industrial Occupational Health. Ann has experience and knowledge of older people having held a research post at the Institute of Human Ageing. Ann currently sits on the Standing Committee for research, misconduct and is a lay member of Liverpool Research Ethics Committee. Ann has considerable knowledge, of the Voluntary Sector and works in her free time as a volunteer working for the Magistrates Court Witness Service, which is part of Victim Support.

Ingrid Singleton
Ingrid lives in West Lancs and currently works as Projects Administrator for the Lancashire Colleges Consortium. Ingrid has extensive experience as a European Funding Officer and is knowledgeable in funding and grant making. Her partnership work has brought her into contact with the Voluntary Sector and she understands the contribution made by community groups. Ingrid has considerable knowledge of project development and delivery.

Sangita Patel
Sangita Patel joined the Regional Committee in September 2003. She is employed by Tameside MBC as a Community Initiatives Officer and prior to this was a Development Officer at Tameside 3rd Sector Coalition. She was involved in setting up this organisation, which is similar to Council for Voluntary Organisations.

Sangita is very interested in community work, she set up on her own initiative a girls group and also started an Indian Dance project. She has considerable experience of working in urban multi-ethnic communities and her fluency in Gujarati enables her to access those groups who do no have English as a first language. Her knowledge of the voluntary sector is considerable and she also brings to the Committee her skills in management and administration.

Laura Lynch
Laura joined the NW Regional Committee in January 2004. She is employed by South Liverpool regeneration as a Youth Development worker. Laura has progressed from being a receiver of services to young people to being a creator of services for young people in South Liverpool but also as a representative member of the UK Youth Parliament. Her background in the Voluntary Sector, which is eligible for Community Fund grants, makes her eminently suitable to represent young people but also other sectors of the community.

Laura joins the North West Regional Committee at a time of great change and her local and UK wide experience will be a great asset.