Candidates for elections

There are 6 candidates for the 2 trustee positions, for election at the Brixton Green AGM on Saturday 17^th March 2012.

All members of Brixton Green can vote for one candidate, and the two with the most votes will be elected to the Board.

The candidates are:

• Ella Dorfman
• Ese Ihemadu
• Katie Styles
• Jean-Pierre Wack
• Polly Walker
• Will Walker

They have each sent in a statement, which are below, and will introduce themselves in person at the AGM.

Ella Dorfman

• Proposer: Lola Gamester
• Seconder: Helen Dorfman

Brixton Rec helped me learn how to swim, and Brixton Library helped me learn to read. A few years later Brixton market taught me to cook. and then Brixton Road taught me how to party. Now I want to help Brixton, and let Brixton teach me how to make a difference.

I would make a good trustee to the Brixton Green project because;

• I have lived in Brixton all my life.
• I am studying Product Design at a world leading Art University, learning how to communicate ideas effectively.
• I can offer a fresh, enthusiastic perspective, eager to listen and help.
• I have a flexible time schedule.
• My part-time work at a restaurant in town involves meeting the public regularly; solving problems and making lots of people feel happy and welcome.

Like most, I care about my local area and think it is really important that Brixton gets what Brixton wants.

Ese Ihemadu

• Proposer: Philippe Castaing
• Seconder: Fiona Brenner

I would like to be trustee with the Brixton Green Project, because I feel that Brixton needs community initiatives that is for community that helps everyone from the community and not excludes anyone. I have been a Parent Governor at Hill Mead Primary School for the past four years, and I have gained a lot of experience in working with families with young children in the Brixton area in which I live in. I organise the Parent Forum at Hill Mead, talk with parents about their concerns and recruit parents to the governing body.

I am currently a shareholder and Brixton Green Champion selling shares to local people, but would like to be more involved in the Brixton Green project. Which is promoting community initiatives such as improving local provision and bringing back the sense of community spirit.  As a Parent Governor, I gather the opinions and ideas of both children and parents, they feel comfortable to talk to me, which I feel is key to any kind governing body.   At the end of the school, parents often approach me with any concerns or ideas they wish me to pass on to the governing body. I am also the Chair of my local Labour ward and and have experience in working with a range of professionals from my local MP, Lambeth As Chair of my Local Labour ward, my key aim is to encourage a wide range of cultural views and races into my ward, because I feel it is key that everyone has a fair chance to get their voices heard. I understand the needs of inner city families as this is my own background.

Also as a young mother, I experienced the isolation of bringing up a young family. Lastly I think that some of the key barriers are lack of access to sources of information and support; confidence in seeking out external support; and weariness of official agencies.

Katie Styles

• Proposer: James Read
• Seconder: Fiona Brenner

I would be honoured to be a trustee of Brixton Green. I think it would be a great chance to get to know more of my fellow Brixton residents, be more involved in my local community, helping to make it more sustainable and offer my skills to an innovative new project I really believe in.

I have ten years experience in the charity sector, most of which has been fundraising from statutory sources, trusts and foundations. I have also volunteered in a variety of different settings, most recently at work days in Brockwell Park. I have a good working knowledge of management accounts, creating and monitoring budgets, fundraising for capital campaigns, working with volunteers and project planning and evaluation.

I have always worked for charities that empower communities and encourage partnerships with other organisations; from promoting sustainability, to supporting unemployed young people or those with physical or mental health needs. I enjoy getting to know new people and relish the opportunity to meet others with similar interests in my local area.

I have been living in Brixton for a year and in that time have built a strong attachment to the area.  Few places in London have such a diverse neighbourhood, with thriving independent businesses, plenty of green spaces and people as warm and welcoming as those found here. I look forward to contributing to this local community long into the future.

Jean-Pierre Wack

• Proposer: Pete Du Pon
• Seconder: Katie Keat

As Director of a small-medium enterprise delivering environmental consultancy for green building projects, I have experience in reviewing technical and financial information as well as responding to multiple stakeholders. As trustee, there will be review of documentation including management accounts and consultants’ technical reports. The important position of responsibility here is to combine a consistent understanding of the project’s fundamentals and engaging with community participants.

I have been living in Brixton for eighteen months and have experienced the vibrancy of the local retail area. There is a demand for local housing and appropriate community space. I see the opportunity in Brixton Green to create an exemplary mixed-use scheme and am looking forward to driving this forward-thinking community-led development. I will enjoy bringing my professional experience to a lively local project.

A relevant experience that I have had to being a trustee is participating in a neighbourhood consultation on a green building project. As part of a design team for the Whitehill Borden Eco-Terrace scheme, I co-presented a housing scheme to a neighbourhood group in Hampshire. We listened to the individuals’ different reactions to our proposals including aspects relating to maintenance, access to rooms and the environmental measures incorporated within our scheme. A key part was understanding the points made and making adjustments in response. For example, we found a measure to simplify the controls of the heating.

 

Polly Walker

• Proposer:  Tom Shakhli
• Seconder: Fiona Brenner

I want to be a trustee of Brixton Green because I believe in the ethos of Community Land Trusts and would love to be a part of something I think will inspire others.

There are three reasons I would make a good trustee. Firstly, I know what it takes to make a community project happen. I set up a community restaurant and cafe in partnership with volunteers, local food retailers, and community organisations using waste food and recycled bicycles in Bristol. As Brixton Green develops, this experience will help me support the organisation through the challenges it might face.

Secondly, I know what it takes to make a development work for a community. In my professional role as a socio-economist for a regeneration, affordable housing and planning consultancy I have worked on some of the biggest development schemes in the UK and Lambeth, looking specifically at how they can benefit a local community. I know how important it is that a community has ownership of their area, and I know how to deliver what a community wants in practice. This will help me work with your staff to build a strategy and deliver what your members want.

Thirdly, I live in and love Brixton. I grew up in South London, and have tried living north of the river, but there’s nowhere as good as here. I would love to work with people here and to contribute to something unique that Brixton can be proud of.

Will Walker

• Proposer: Guy Sheppard
• Seconder: Katherine Anstey

When it was announced last year, Brixton Green immediately caught my interest as a project that has the potential to deliver real social, environmental and economic benefits to the local community. I believe that the regeneration of public spaces through common ventures like this one are hugely important in creating a sense of shared prosperity within the local community. For me personally, the development of Brixton Green presents an opportunity to reduce levels of inequality, embed sustainability and build on an already strong, vibrant and progressive community in the area.

I am standing for election as a Trustee to the Board because I support the endeavour and overall vision of the initiative. Moreover, I believe I have some skills and experience that will allow me to make a meaningful contribution, and can offer my full commitment and enthusiasm to the organisation in helping to achieve it’s aims.

I am currently employed by the London Borough of Southwark in a managerial role tasked with reducing the environmental impact of their buildings through investment of public funds. I have over five years experience of working in the low-carbon and clean technology sector and will shortly begin writing my thesis for an MSc in Environmental Strategy. I believe that I would be particularly well placed to contribute to the Sustainability aspirations of the Brixton Green development if elected as a Trustee.