Meet the Team

I am Director of Be Active.

I have been privileged to work in sport for all of my career, including a variety of organisations ranging from Local Authorities, Governing Bodies as well as for a social enterprise, which supported and championed women working in the football industry.

A significant period of my career was spent working for the UK's largest sporting charity, the Football Foundation, and it is there that I developed skills such as managing large teams in the grant giving sector, driving internal performance and stakeholder management.

I joined the team in May 2007 having made a decision to change careers. Previously I worked for 24 years in a major worldwide bank. Much of that time was spent working in commercial banking with small and medium sized businesses.

I moved to Bedfordshire at the age of 18 and have spent 25 of the last 30 years living and working in the area where sport has played a big role in my life.

I joined the team in July 2011. Previously I worked for 5 years for Bedfordshire County Council as the County Officer for PE and Sport and prior to that for 12 years as a PE teacher at Vandyke Upper School. During my time there I carried out various leadership roles including Head of Girls PE, Assistant Head of House and Discrete Curriculum Leader.

I moved to Bedfordshire at the age of 18 to study for a BA (HONS) Sports Studies at University where I gained a 2:1 and then went on to undertake a PGCE Secondary Physical Education and have not left Bedford since!!

As Senior Relationship Manager - People, I have responsibility for overseeing a number of areas of work, including the development of our place-based work and people development within the sector.

I've had a broad range of experience within the sport and physical activity sector. Originally I trained as a secondary PE teacher before working in International education for 7 years. I then worked within leisure as an Active Communities Manager. Along side this I've had various roles within British Dodgeball including England and GB Dodgeball Manager, Coach Education Tutor and have sat on the Board of Directors.

I am Senior Relationships Manager for Health and Inequalities at Be Active.

Over the past ten years I have worked in various roles within the health and social care sector, where I have always had a passion for improving the health and wellbeing of others and incorporating movement and physical activity in order to tackle key health issues.

I want to create a more inclusive community that has a plethora of physical activity opportunities that anyone can participate in, regardless of their differences. I love working to create positive change and care about having a tangible impact on society with anything I work on.

I joined the Be Active team as their new Health and Inequalities Officer in 2023 having completed my degree in Sports and Exercise Science and then holding roles in sports development and coaching in Worcester, Gloucester and Cheltenham.

As a part of the Health and Inequalities team, I am responsible for ensuring the promotion and education of physical activity and its benefits, highlighting the importance of being active on wellbeing and both physical and mental health. Working collaboratively with partners, I am responsible for ensuring there is a fair and equitable service for Bedfordshire to move more, targeting those who are likely to be inactive.

I'm Hunter and I joined the team in 2024 having completed my undergraduate degree in Sport and Physical Activity before going on to complete my teaching qualification within further education. Throughout this time I worked for local community sport organisations in Bedford.

The role of Impact and Insight Officer enables me to bring my passion for working with those experiencing inequalities together with my love for being active and my interest in research. I have a unique support role that allows me to support and educate both our internal team and external partners. This involves bringing together both national and local data that can support the work we are carrying out across Bedfordshire.

I qualified as a Primary Teacher in 2003 after completing my Sport Study degree at Southampton University followed by a Primary PGCE at Bedford. After teaching in Central Bedfordshire for 3 years, I joined Be Active supporting schools with opening their facilities to their local communities. Once the project came to an end, I returned to teaching.

I rejoined our organisation in 2019 to work within the Children and Young People team supporting pupils, staff and families to become more active. I love teaching and being physically active and am passionate about our work and the impact it can have on young people.

Having spent part of my childhood growing up in Bedford, I was pleased to join the Be Active team in 2022 as Together Fund Administrator knowing that I would be helping those who need it most to be more active.

I have spent most of my career working in the field communications. Having completed my degree in Politics at Bristol University, I worked as a researcher at Sky News. It was a job that kept me on my toes and taught me how to prioritise tasks. Later, I moved to Switzerland, where my career went in the direction of corporate communications and I learnt to speak German. On return to the UK I took on Project Management roles within Communications.

I am a passionate and dedicated youth and community development professional, committed to empowering young people and developing meaningful community engagement through physical activity and well-being initiatives. With a First Class Honours degree in Youth Studies and currently studying for an MSc in Youth and Community Work with JNC Recognition, I have developed extensive experience in creating place-based, asset-based initiatives that address real community needs from the ground up.

As a Community Ambassador with Be Active Bedfordshire, I champion initiatives that promote physical activity as a means to healthier, more connected lives and I focus on fostering strategic partnerships that enhance well-being and create lasting, community-led change.

I'm Cal and I joined Be Active in 2023. Previously I was Enterprise Coordinator for SEMLEP supporting secondary schools and colleges in Bedford Borough with their careers strategy and connection with local businesses. My passion for community development and supporting others is reflected in my previous role as Regional Reporter on the NCS Youth Rising Podcast and work with Age UK. I also have a first-class degree and background in Marketing.

As lead of the Street Tag campaign in Bedford Borough my role promotes physical activity through a gamified, free app. I engage with local primary schools (families and young people) to utilise the Street Tag app to create friendly competition with other schools through a leaderboard; whilst also engaging with community organisations to promote fitness and well-being.

I joined the Be Active team in 2024 as Sport and Welfare Officer, a new role within the organisation. With a background as a qualified social worker since 2003, my career has been deeply rooted in safeguarding, where I've worked within various teams to support children, young people, and their families in implementing meaningful change.

In 2021, I transitioned from safeguarding within a local authority to become the Designated Safeguarding Officer for the Bedfordshire Football Association, a role which combined my passions for sport and safeguarding. I am committed to ensuring sport is a safe space for everyone and I remain dedicated to making sport environments safer, supportive and inclusive for all involved.