Groundwork North East & Cumbria is a registered charity governed by a board of trustees, all of whom have signed a declaration of interests, which is updated on an annual basis. 

Our Board of Trustees
We are governed by a Board of Trustees who, along with our Chief Executive and Executive Management Team, determine policy and the strategic direction of the charity. Our board work as an effective team, using the appropriate balance of skills, experience, backgrounds and knowledge to make informed decisions and through its leadership support Groundwork’s behaviour, culture and overall performance; all of which are critical to our success.

ALISON FELLOWS
(She/Her)

Alison Fellows is the chair for Groundwork North East and Cumbria. Alison trained in corporate and commercial law and worked for many years at Dickinson Dees law firm in Newcastle, before moving into senior executive roles at Local Authorities in the North East. Her commitment to community engagement goes back a long way with non-executive roles in housing, further and higher education and in health. All her skills and experience align with Groundwork’s mission to support people into employment, improve life chances for young people, create greener neighbourhoods, and continue to deliver innovative Nature-based Solutions that build healthier, more resilient communities.

JOHN PRITCHARD

(He/Him)

Director of Strategic Planning and Insight at Durham University. John’s work focuses on the development and review of institutional strategy, longer term performance planning, market insight and risk management. He has worked for a variety of universities and national higher education organisations, typically in strategy and organisational change related roles.
He is Chair of Groundwork’s Strategic Development Committee. His interests outside work include raptors, electronic music and walking

AMBER ANDERSON

(She/Her)

A chartered accountant with a career specialising in external audit. Amber currently works for an accounting and auditing software company in which she applies her expertise to help further product features and content.
Amber is a Trustee and Treasurer of Newcastle Carers, a local charity supporting unpaid carers in Newcastle. Amber is also a Non Executive Director of Castles and Coasts Housing Association. Amber therefore brings her financial management and accounting skills as well as her knowledge of charity governance.
Amber lives near Durham and enjoys Stand Up Paddle-boarding along the River Tees and in the Lake District with her dog.

DIANA PEARCE
(She/Her)

Diana had a long career in central government in the regions, directing diverse groups of staff to develop policies for housing, planning and regeneration and deliver strategic results in a
complex networking environment. She has been a local board member of Riverside Housing Association and has gained recent extensive experience of navigating the adult social care system. She also sits on the Board of Groundwork South and North Tyneside and is their current chair. She lives in County Durham where she gardens for wildlife, enjoys the natural environment, and is passionate about the interplay between humanity and the planet’s
eco-systems throughout our history.

MARION SCHOOLER

(She/Her)

Marion is an experienced non-executive and former consultant focusing on sustainable development. She co-founded the Land of Oak & Iron Trust, and has a professional background of working at the interface between the public, private and voluntary sectors to help improve the social and economic wellbeing of the north east
region

HELEN SIMMONS
(She/Her)

Helen is a Researcher in design innovation at Northumbria University with a particular interest in grassroots social innovation. She is passionate about inclusivity, accessibility, diversity and
authenticity. Helen loves working with others to find responses to society’s issues and opportunities. Helen brings to Groundwork her creative facilitation and strategic innovation skills.
Helen lives in Newcastle with her husband and three children and in her spare time enjoys volunteering, arts and crafts and time in nature.

ZAIN RICHARDSON
(He/Him)

An experienced board director, Zain is Chief Executive Officer at a global luxury travel and media business. He has deep expertise leading commercial, digital, and data transformations to drive customer and employee engagement.

Zain is passionate about supporting organisations in the North East and it was our mission to create better physical places and help individuals and communities achieve their full potential which first drew him to join the Groundwork board. 

STEVEN COLE
(He/Him)

Steven is a marketing strategist and business owner with over a decade of experience helping organisations grow their profile, partnerships and impact. He specialises in designing and delivering marketing strategies for charities, community organisations and businesses that want to create positive social and environmental change.

Steven runs Colehouse Communications, a consultancy supporting organisations to develop effective campaigns and tell their stories in ways that inspire action. As a board member with Groundwork North East & Cumbria, he brings his marketing and communications expertise to help strengthen the charity’s reach and connection with local communities, tenants and partners.

Steven is passionate about championing local places, supporting young people to thrive, and showing how good storytelling and partnership working can unlock new opportunities for communities. Outside work, he enjoys time with his family, exploring the North East coast, and getting out into nature.

RACHAEL CROOKS
(She/Her)

Rachael has over 15 years’ management experience in the public, private and voluntary sectors, focussing on the successful implementation and delivery of externally funded programmes. For most of this time she worked in employability support, managing Ministry of Justice, Department for Work and Pensions and European Social Funded contracts.

More recently Rachael successfully implemented and delivered the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for Gateshead Council and after almost 9 years at Gateshead Council has started a new role with Sunderland Council as a Partnership and Community Resilience Manager. Rachael’s passion lies in supporting the voluntary and community sector and developing local communities

JOEL ATHERTON
(He/Him)

Joel is an environmental economist and policy developer with experience in government and third sectors. Skilled in strategic leadership, influencing policy, and stakeholder management across multiple sectors (water, energy, climate, and forestry). Joel set up and leads the Environmental Outcomes Team at Ofwat and sits on the Forestry Commission’s Forestry and Woodland Advisory Committee for the North East. His work focuses on driving regulatory and governance reforms that deliver tangible environmental and societal benefits. In his spare time, he enjoys trail running, Roman history and tending to his allotment

MICHAEL ORDE
(He/Him)

After a career as a land agent, specialising in providing strategic oversight for rural estates together with advice on business structures, management & governance, Michael now mixes running Lord Crewe’s Charity, chairing the Soil Association Land Trust and various other board positions, including as a trustee to the Northumberland National Park Foundation and a consultant to Rankine Rural Ltd.

Additionally, Michael and his wife run a diversified upland grazing livestock farm in mid-Northumberland through a contract farming agreement.

Steve Roberts

Chief Executive

Chris Watson

Director of Land & Communities

Mary Blackwell

Youth Programme Manager

Lesley Gardner

Director of HR, Facilities & Compliance

Lisa Locke

Director of Business Development

Jacqui Hodgson

Director of Youth Employment & Skills

Stephen Armstrong

Communities Programme Manager

Craig Drummond

Employment Programme Manager