Spirit of Manchester Awards 2015 Judges

She has lived and worked in Manchester for over 20 years and is an active member of the local community. Over the last 25 years she has and continues to give much of her time to voluntary and community activity.

Through her voluntary roles she has been on a number of local committees and at a national level she is a member of the DWP Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force. She has served on several other organisations over the years at local, regional and national level and helped set up local community groups.

Alex Fairweather, Greater Manchester Youth Network
Alex Fairweather is the Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Youth Network (GMYN) a youth charity based in Central Manchester. Alex has nearly 20 years of diverse experience in the voluntary/education youth sector as a Director, Manager, Consultant, Grant-maker, Trainer, Fundraiser, Volunteer, Staff member and Trustee.

Alex setup GMYN in 2007 as he wanted to create an organisation that would deliver innovative youth projects, promote volunteering and help support other youth organisations. Alex prides himself on the fact that GMYN is youth led, partnership driven and an ever changing charity. Alex enjoys working with others on dynamic and innovative projects that encourage participation, delivers real social change and provides development opportunities for young people.

Alex is really proud to be a judge for the Spirit of Manchester awards. He sees it as a fantastic opportunity for everyone to come together and celebrate the great work that the Manchester community has produced over the last twelve months and beyond. Alongside his CEO role, Alex is also a trustee for GMCVO and Staffordshire University Students Union.

Lisa Govey, University of Manchester
Lisa is an experienced communications and marketing professional with over 22 years’ experience in the education sector. She worked for the British Council for 18 years in various roles, including international student recruitment strategy development, brand development and student communications and marketing. She also delivered numerous marketing and brand training courses for colleagues around the world.

At the University of Manchester, Lisa has worked in marketing and communications roles in the Faculty of Life Sciences and in the Central Student Communications and Marketing Team.

Currently Lisa is the Social Responsibility Communications and Engagement Manager at the University of Manchester. She is responsible for communicating the University’s ambitious social responsibility strategy and engaging with staff, students and alumni to take forward the strategy. From this vantage point she has broad and expert knowledge of how the University behaves responsibility in all that it does both within Greater Manchester and around the world.

Jackie McNeish, Sheroes and heroes
Jackie has worked in Moss Side and Hulme for the last 30 years working as a Youth and Community Worker in youth clubs and schools and has a Masters in education and set up several projects that look at the education of the black child. This includes the 3As Parent Support Group a project that supports those at risk of exclusion.

Jackie has run several summer schemes for local children and is a founder member and presenter on Peace FM Radio, and also a founder member of Heroes and Sheroes an awards ceremony that encourages and recognises the work of volunteers in Manchester.
Jackie is also a founder member of Sickle Cell Care Manchester a group set up to raise awareness and support those living with the condition of Sickle Cell.

Jackie’s very active in the community and enjoys weight training in her spare time.

Jez Myers, Individual/activist
Having spent nearly a decade working within the social housing and homelessness sector, Jeremy accidentally found himself thrust into the wider public’s consciousness when, following the riots of August 2011, he organised a community clean up.

In little over 12 hours and harnessing the power of social media, 1,000 volunteers armed with brushes, bin bags and gloves took to the city’s streets. Jeremy went on to be described as ‘a true Manchester hero’ by Manchester City Council and ‘a great Briton’ by Prime Minister David Cameron before winning the prestigious Pride of Manchester award.

Hazel Rock, Reducing Social Isolation Programme Board
Hazel Rock is 71 years old and was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire and came to live in Manchester when her husband taught at Abraham Moss High School in 1976.

Whilst living in Manchester when her eldest of three children started Moston Lane Primary School she took on the role of parent governor, a role which she enjoyed thoroughly. Three years later Hazel became the Chair of Governors and has held this position ever since.Hazel is an executive member of the Manchester Governors Association, where she is currently Deputy Chair Person. This role requires commitment and dedication and is very rewarding.

Away from education, for three years, Hazel was an active member and Chairperson of Manchester Trade Union Pensioners Committee and rallied for the rights of pensioners.In 2014 Hazel was chosen by Macc to assist on the Reducing Social Isolation grants panel. These grants were to fund activities that supported and encouraged the elderly to be socially involved in their communities.

Hayley Speed, The Men's Room
Hayley has spent all her working life, working for charities that support people to make positive changes to their lives. Her current role is, Director of The Men's Room a small specialist charity that work with men in Manchester that are involved in sex work, homelessness and offending.

Alongside this she is currently on the board of UKNSWP a national umbrella organisation that supports agencies that work with sex workers. Previous to her current role she worked with rough sleepers for six years providing case work to homeless people under 25. Hayley was also a dedicated volunteer for MASH Manchester Action on Street Health for nine years.

Claire Tomkinson, Southway Housing
Claire has been working in the voluntary sector since graduating with a degree in Health Sciences and Counselling Studies in 2002. Claire spent many years delivering a variety of environmental regeneration projects in partnership with local people with environmental charity Groundwork in Manchester and Salford before facilitating workshops and delivering participatory training courses as part of the National Community Space Challenge Programme with Keep Britain Tidy.

Claire moved to Southway Housing Trust to establish Ladybarn Community Timebank in 2012 and is passionate about volunteering and using creative ways to enable individuals and local communities to recognise and use the skills, talents and assets that are already available but often overlooked and undervalued. Claire is an Associate for Timebanking UK and has a keen interest in health, wellbeing and the role of communities and the voluntary sector in improving health outcomes and enabling people to have an active role in their local area.