Penny Halewood appointed Executive Director

We have appointed Penny Halewood as our new Executive Director, with interim CEO Gareth James stepping down.

We work across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, providing a range of services that promote wellbeing, employability, sustainability, the protection and improvement of local green spaces, and more.

Projects include Green Doctor, where energy efficiency experts visit communities and households to provide free advice, reducing energy consumption and saving money on energy bills.

Penny has worked for the voluntary sector for the whole of her professional career, spanning over 24 years. This has included working extensively in the ex-Coalfields communities across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, advocating on behalf of rural communities, and running her own consultancy, supporting organisations with strategic planning and bid writing.

Her wealth of knowledge has been vital to our success for the past decade when she initially joined the team to head up the innovative Building Better Opportunities Towards Work project, enabling those furthest removed from the labour market to overcome barriers and move towards employment. 

More recently, as Head of Communities and Impact, she has been instrumental in the growth of the Communities team in supporting individuals with the cost-of-living crisis, integration and wider community projects.

Penny says: “Groundwork Five Counties has been supporting local communities for over thirty years, and I am very excited to take the organisation forward and support more people across the East Midlands.

“Over my time with the Trust I’ve seen many changes to the sector and our work has expanded. I’m keen to continue this growth so that we can support more people to enjoy their local places whilst protecting the planet.  The cost-of-living crisis poses challenges for so many, and my job is to ensure Groundwork is here to support people through these difficult times.

“I look forward to working closely with local authorities, the business community, funders and third sector organisations to move towards a more sustainable future, where green jobs and good health and wellbeing are the standard for all. I’d love people to get in touch to discuss potential collaborations.

“We have a brilliant team, all dedicated to making a difference, and I’m thrilled to continue this work alongside them.”

Margot Madin, Chair of the Board, says: “We are very pleased to see Penny in this post, she has been a pillar of the organisation for almost ten years, and we couldn’t think of a better person to take up this role.

“I have no doubt that Penny’s insights, knowledge and experience on regional and national matters will see us providing our services to the people and communities that need us most. We encourage businesses to work with us to make a difference in their community, whether it’s through employee volunteering, grant management, sharing resources or other means.

“We see a bright future for Groundwork Five Counties with Penny at the helm, and we will be with her every step of the way.”

For more information about us, our services and how your organisation can get involved, visit: https://www.groundwork.org.uk/fivecounties