I am a community food activist, and have been living in the Redbricks community (a council housing estate in Hulme, central Manchester) since 1999. I have been interested in permaculture since 1994, and has been involved in a lot of interesting, challenging, creative and evolving projects. I earn a livelihood as a self-employed permaculture consultant, specialising in community engagement, and self-reliance, with a strong focus in local food, social enterprise, and community economic development. I have organised and taught on numerous permaculture introductory courses and design courses, based mainly in urban areas around Manchester and Liverpool. I have been on the Permaculture Association (Britain) Council of Management since Oct 2005, and support the organisation with a broad range of skills and experience in project management. I am also a volunteer for Manchester Permaculture Network. In addition, as a member of the Health Inequalities Pool, I have been representing the community and voluntary sector on the board of Manchester Food Futures, since it began. In 2007 I raised £180,000 and set up HELF - Healthy Eating Local Food, which is a partnership of mental health organisations, developing healthy local food services and activities for their service users. I currently sit on the steering group for HELF in a voluntary capacity.

• For more information about my professional services visit the Creative Local Solutions website.
• For more information about me as an person, I recommend you visit my new Facebook (and become my friend - I only have three!)