Our people

Stacy’s involvement with Eastside Community Trust extends back to 2005 when she joined Community at Heart as a Communications Officer. Through various communications roles and then as Director of Up Our Street, Stacy has developed strong relationships in the community and a deep understanding of the local area. She believes in the power of community and the central role of public spaces, play and connections between neighbours to make positive change.  

Tom has played and worked on adventure playgrounds in Bristol, Cardiff and London and has a rich insight into their unique cultural heritage. He joined the team as Felix Road Adventure Playground’s Business Coordinator in 2016. He is passionate about children’s play, family friendly neighbourhoods and community development.

Araceli first became involved with Eastside Community Trust in 2013 as an Invisible Youth volunteer art and circus skills facilitator at Felix Road. In 2017 she joined our team as a playworker and continues to brighten the playground with puppetry, dance, face painting and endless curiosity and love for the people who visit the playground

Becky has worked for Eastside Community Trust since 2020. She is a Barton Hill resident and passionate about her community and connecting people within it. Becky manages our communications, keeping residents up to date with all that’s happening in Easton and Lawrence Hill via Up Our Street magazine, social media, website, noticeboards, ebulletin and BCfm radio presence.

Nirmal began serving meals in the Felix Road Kitchen in 2012, and has filled various roles since then as a volunteer and later as a member of staff. Nirmal grew up just down the street from the playground, and her grandkids are now the third generation of her family to play at Felix Road. Whether she’s leading play sessions, or serving up delicious meals from the kitchen, Nirmal applies the same principles of hard work, dedication and care to all that she does. Nirmal is a fluent Hindi and Punjabi speaker.

Ollie has been working with the team at Felix Road Adventure Playground since 2018. He is responsible for ensuring the playground has a wide range of stimulating play opportunities, maintaining the equipment and resources, and helping children to feel welcome, safe and included. Ollie has been a playworker since the age of 18 and feels privileged to have settled into such an amazing adventure playground.

Stephen has been a member of the team since 2014, when he began working as a playworker at Felix Road. He brings a wide range of experience in youth and play work, and his consistency and deep commitment over the years has placed him very much at the heart of the playground community. He channels his love of sport, live music and drums into his play work, often setting up games of table tennis and badminton and helping to start music sessions at the playground.

Tracy joined the team in 2020. She has 19 years of experience working in Community Development as a volunteer and paid worker. She is passionate about people being involved in their local communities and having their voice heard. As the Place Maker for Newtown she supports local residents to develop projects and connect with other in the area

We work in partnership with a number of Freelance practitioners to deliver project work and specialist services. The expertise these individuals bring to the organisation are highly valued.

Manu has lived in Easton for almost 10 years and joined our Board in September 2020. He has worked as a teacher in Bristol for 10 years and runs a CIC called Nature Youth Connection and Education which aims to provide creative outdoor education and mentoring to young people from low income and ethnic minority backgrounds. He also sits on advisory boards for Bristol Green Capital Partnership, and National Trust South West. “All three organisations feel like they are part of my home, and part of the identity of the area. My daughter plays at Felix Road, I have danced at the community centre, and Up Our Street represents a genuine attempt at community cohesion. It is an honour to be Chair of the trustee board.”

Alice joined the Eastside Community Trust board in 2020, following four years as a trustee for Felix Road Adventure Playground. She began volunteering with Felix Road soon after moving to Easton with her family in 2015, excited to share her time with an organisation that needed people to take part and contribute during a time of growth and change. Alice has worked in education, coaching, facilitation and professional development and is the founder of a coaching business to support mothers, MAMA Coaching. She also volunteers with Forest School Camps, runs a children’s café and has experience producing music festivals and as a touring musician.

Mandy is a resident of Barton Hill and has been a trustee of Eastside Community Trust since 2020. She first became involved with Felix Road as a local parent in 2013 when the playground was threatened with closure, and served as volunteer Chair from 2014 to 2020. In this role, Mandy worked tirelessly to turn the playground back into a vibrant, diverse hub of activity for local families, helping to secure a 30–year lease from Bristol City Council, developing the Children’s Kitchen, acting as volunteer centre manager and building partnerships locally, nationally and internationally.  

Damon joined our board in 2020 after serving for five years as a trustee for Easton Community Centre. Damon is the co-founder of CEPRO (Clean Energy Prospector), a local energy company, and Owen Square Community Energy and brings a wealth of technical experience around renewable energy, data analytics, electronics and web development to our team. He has applied this expertise across our two sites and continues to help us work towards greater sustainability through projects like Easton Community Centre’s on-site renewable heating system and rooftop solar panels.