Our Governance

Tracy Fishwick (Chair)

Tracy had a 20 year career in local government leading the employment, skills and social inclusion agendas at both borough and sub-regional levels before founding Transform Lives Company, a social enterprise based in Liverpool. She is passionate about creating asset-based solutions to connect unemployed people with opportunities for greater economic and social inclusion. As co-founder of the People’s Powerhouse, Tracy’s wider work across the North seeks to amplify peoples’ voices to democratise decision-making and create new ways for people and power to connect. Tracy has been a Board Director and trustee for a range of social enterprises, charities and forums and was awarded an OBE for services to unemployed people in the North West in 2020.

Paul Roots

Paul works for the Environment Agency as a Senior Advisor on Environment and Business. Paul has advised government on designing sustainability into economic development programmes and has worked alongside northwest local decision makers on the allocation of European structural funds. He is experienced in and passionate about protecting the environment and supporting social enterprise. Whilst at the EA, he has developed environmental projects that provide young people with stepping stones into employment and created opportunities for social enterprises to deliver asset maintenance contracts. Paul joined the Groundwork CLM Board in 2015.

Philip Hargreaves

Philip has worked in the corporate finance arena for over 40 years. He has wide-ranging experience in dealing with SMEs and larger businesses supporting their business development and financing needs. Philip currently heads up the Growth Company’s Access to Finance team, which provides free to access support to SME’s based in Greater Manchester and Lancashire who are seeking debt and equity funding to grow their businesses. Philip has experience of developing and managing ERDF contracts and other public sector funds.

Philip says – “Fundraising in the current marketplace is often complex, requiring time and specialist understanding of all the available options. Putting the right finance in place, at the right time, can mean the difference between success and failure.”

Chris Wilkinson

Chris is Head of Research and Analysis at Homes England, an agency of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. An experienced economic development analyst, he provides research and insight to inform the organisation’s ongoing mission to deliver regeneration and new homes and communities for England, as well as leading the agency’s impact evaluation programme to better understand the effects of its interventions. He is also passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion and Chairs the agency’s LGBT+ and allies staff network. Before joining Homes England, Chris spent several years working as a consultant for local and central government clients, and organisations in the private and third sectors. His focus was on supporting clients to learn lessons from the delivery of their projects and programmes, as well as understanding their impact and making the case for new investments. Chris holds an MA in Urban Regeneration and Development, a BA in Geography, and is a Chartered Surveyor.

Raj Medtia

Raj Medtia is a Marketing Manager at Deloitte, Global Risk Advisory. Leading the Sustainability & Climate offering, she draws on her cross-industry leadership experience to make an impact.Raj is an innovative marketer who has honed her skills within the fast-changing digital landscape, across North America, Asia, and Europe. She specialises in digital and strategic marketing and emphasises the importance of continuous development. Her expertise is backed by academia, practice, and the Chartered Institute of Marketing, making her a driving force for responsible marketing practice.

Tolu Omideyi

Tolu has a 20-year career in Environmental Management and Sustainability and is a Chartered Environmentalist with the Society for the Environment and a full member of the Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment. She has a broad range of experience in the private, public and third sector and now supports and advises SMEs placing green technology and services on the market on their growth strategies at the GC Business Growth Hub. Tolu is passionate about the mission of the Trust and its social and environmental impact.

Paul Booth

Paul has had a 30 year career with senior roles in social housing and non-profit sectors, including with Riverside, Groundwork and Fusion21. He has run numerous programmes in employment and training, social action and environmental improvement across the UK. His experience also includes leadership of grant making foundations. Paul is currently a full-time carer with a passion for supporting charities which change the lives of others and make big environmental impacts.

Fiona Reynolds

Having initially set off for a career in journalism, Fiona was distracted fairly soon on this pathway and decided that working in health would be far more interesting. She has worked in Public Health for 20 years: 18 of them in them in the Northwest of England. After taking time out to travel in 2019, as sustainably as possible, but interrupted by the Covid pandemic in 2020; she is back in the Northwest working as a Programmes Director with the regional Office of Health Improvement and Disparities.

Her role is providing strategic support to the health and social care response to the pandemic and leading on sustainability.

Brendan Flanagan

Brendan retired from a position as Head of Rural and Cultural Economy at Cheshire East Council in 2023 after a long career in Local Government. He has a track record of achievement in visitor economy and attractions management, landscape management/green infrastructure, culture and heritage, rural issues and nature-based solutions for climate change. As well as the Groundwork board, he is on the World Heritage Site Steering Group for Jodrell Bank, and continues to provide support/advice on projects for selected culture/heritage and environmental organisations.

In June 2023 he received the High Sheriff’s Award for his contribution to the communities of Cheshire and was also highly commended by the Cheshire Agricultural Society Capesthorne Cup Committee in February 2024 for ‘exceptional endeavours in promoting the interests of agriculture and countryside-related activities in the County of Cheshire’.

Angela Connolly

Angela has recently retired.  Her career has spanned a variety of roles in finance, regulation and governance in the private, public and charity sector, notably in the fields of international development and housing. Angela previously worked for Groundwork’s North West office as Regional Finance Manager. In this role she was responsible for the Regional Office’s finances and for providing support to the finance functions of the North West trusts.
Angela is using her retirement to develop her interest in community activities, walking holidays and learning Spanish.

Andrew Darron, Executive Director

Working to the Board of Trustees, Andrew leads the development and implementation of the Trust’s long term strategic plan. An engineer by background he has worked for Groundwork for over 28 years, joining initially as an unemployed graduate volunteer.

He developed the Business Services Team at Groundwork in Oldham, before moving to our NW Regional Team as Head of Regional Development where we led on the development of the award winning £13m Target: Wellbeing programme, our long running United Utilities CSR partnership – United Futures, and the Newlands Derelict Land Programme. Following this he moved to Groundwork Manchester where he extended the work of the Trust into Stockport and established Blue Sky North – a social enterprise with the sole purpose of helping ex-offenders to find work.

He has been the Executive Director since 2010 and led the expansion of the Trust into Merseyside and creation of Groundwork Cheshire Lancashire & Merseyside following the merger of Groundwork Cheshire and Groundwork Lancashire West & Wigan. He has a specific interest in exploiting the role that local environments can play in improving wellbeing and tackling long term barriers to employment.

You can find Andy on Twitter: @ajdarron and on LinkedIn

Colin Greenhalgh, Programme Director for Employment and Skills

Colin Greenhalgh is Programme Director for Employment & Skills, having delivered the Trust’s first youth focused project in 1995. Colin now controls and develops a portfolio of projects and programmes that include Personal development programmes, Prince’s Trust Team programme, Employment programmes, Training programmes, alternative education, Information advice and guidance, vocational education, volunteering, traineeships, mentoring and apprenticeships.

Colin is also chair of the Voluntary and community sector assembly in Wigan and sits on many employment taskforces across the region.

You can find Colin on Twitter @colggwkand on LinkedIn

Jon Hutchinson, Programme Director – Communities

Jon Hutchinson is the Programme Director for Communities having worked at Groundwork since 2010.

Jon has strategic control of Groundwork’s Community Programme delivering projects under the core themes of Affordable Warmth, Blue Green Economy, Circular Economy, Connecting Communities with Greenspace, Health and Wellbeing and Heritage.Jon is passionate about supporting the development of sustainable communities where individuals and the environment are given opportunities to flourish.

You can find Jon on LinkedIn.

Greville Kelly, Director of Business

Greville Kelly is the lead Director for delivery of Groundwork’s businesses services in Cheshire, Lancashire & Merseyside. An IEMA registered Environmental Auditor, with 20 years’ experience of working with businesses on a range of sustainability challenges and opportunities, Greville specialises in environmental / carbon management and Business Improvement Districts.

Recent projects include managing the delivery of 55 low carbon business energy audits for companies in Cheshire & Warrington, the development and management of business improvement district projects in town centre and business park locations in the North West and delivery of pollution prevention projects for the Environment Agency.

Key achievements

• Development of the UK’s first non-retail Business Improvement District (BID) and subsequent development of 20 BIDs in retail and non-retail locations generating £18million+ of private sector investment into town / city centre and business park locations.
• Delivery of the ENWORKS low carbon resource efficiency programme delivering £7.6million of business cost savings, generating 38,700 tons of carbon savings through assisting 1400 companies.
• Development and delivery of multi-annual pollution prevention programmes for the Environment Agency resulting in reduced pollution risks to rivers and water bodies.
• Delivery of low carbon energy cost reduction programmes for a network of businesses across Cheshire & Warrington.

Greville has led the development of 20 Business Improvement District projects that have now been approved at vote and has secured £18million of private sector investment for town / city centre retail locations and various business parks. Greville’s BIDs team actively manage 6 established BIDs in North West England, whilst supporting a range of partners to develop new BIDs across the UK. Groundwork’s business support services have helped 1000s of organisations to lower costs, carbon emissions and improve their management of risks around environment, health, safety and quality. So get in touch with Greville on 0771 432 2023 or email greville.kelly@groundwork.org.uk to start the conversation.