This project exists thanks to the hard work and dedication of our many wonderful volunteers, small team of tireless staff, and one very well-worn rhyming dictionary.
Volunteers
Board of directors
Our patron
Staff team
Claire Addison, Strategic Director
Claire joined Otesha in May 2012, moving from bonnie Edinburgh to join the team. Previously Claire worked for Friends of the Earth Scotland, mental health charity Penumbra and Envision in a variety of development roles. She’s interested in environmental justice and finding ways to empower people to take positive action no matter where they’re from. Claire graduated from Oxford with a BA in English Language & Literature, and has an MPhil. from Glasgow University specialising in contemporary literature and social disadvantage. Claire has volunteered with lots of youth and environmental projects over the years, and is searching for something just right in her new community. Claire spends most of her pennies on second-hand books, theatre tickets and train fares.
Edd Bell, Change Projects Director
After spending the ’09 summer as an East Coast cycle tour liaison, Edd moved down to ‘The Big Smoke’ to find out what all the fuss is about, joined the Otesha team working part-time as a Facilitator on the Change Projects, and is now leading the programme. He is highly inspired by the notion of place-making via social design, interaction and reaction, exchange and development. Since he began studying Design for Sustainability his projects soon went beyond the conventional confines of design and explored ideas for moving towards a more sustainable future. He is currently developing his Bike Box project at the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE). Other involvements see him working as a freelance bike mechanic and ‘Dr Bike’ for Bike Works and coordinating the yearly village fete festival installation as a co-founder of the love garden collective!
Iona Padel Collins, Change Projects Director
Iona started off as a volunteer at The Otesha Project, she quickly moved on to become a Cycle Tour Coordinator and as of March 2012 has taken on the new role of leading on our Change Projects programme. She graduated with a degree in Earth Sciences (with Extra-Curricular Activities) from UCL in 2010 – it taught her that she’s more interested in people, the environment and theatre production than rocks. She spends a lot of time singing and playing music and has been involved in plenty of musical volunteering projects.
Luciana Edwards, Alumni and Membership Coordinator
After a whirlwind summer of whizzing around Scotland on a bike liaising the Otesha Tartan Trail tour, Luciana decided to settle down for a bit. Luckily Otesha was on hand to help and she ended up in London, happy to work with the lovely Otesha team. Luciana recently graduated in 2011 in International Development Studies (BSc) from the University of East Anglia, where she also became very interested in Permaculture and cooking up big community meals with foodcycle. In the past she has worked as a cycling instructor, a woodland pixie (teaching nature to kids with the Fairyland Trust), a peace project coordinator in Welsh schools and was the chair of Otesha East. When she’s not trying to save the world, Luciana can be found having fun dancing to some funky band, knitting a hat or attempting to grow/ cook/ eat some tasty grub.
Claire Lamont, Social Enterprise Project Leader
Claire is excited to be working for Otesha on a Social Enterprise Project, exploring how an Otesha business could be a force for environmental and social good. She found her environmental feet at a sustainable development publisher, before embarking on a freelance ‘portfolio’ (read mish-mash) career that has found her working on projects in sustainable design and fashion, food, and environmental justice. When not beavering away on a laptop she enjoys exploring new parts of London, trying to cook decent vegetarian food, and occasionally making a dash for some fresh countryside air. She is also a lapsed Classicist and still dabbles with books about Greek philosophy every now and then.
Calu Lema, Cycle Tour Coordinator
Calu is a half British half Colombian intrepid cycling enthusiast who came across Otesha after giving up her job in the mental health sector to try an alternative lifestyle. She returned to the UK in 2005 after graduating as a graphic designer. In Colombia she coordinated a youth club, delivered workshops on environmental education in secondary schools, designed murals, organised cultural events for young people and promoted social campaigns in deprived areas. She’s into sprouting, postmaterialism, service exchange and rescuing stuff that would otherwise go to the landfill. She is officially joined the team in December 2010 but has been supporting Otesha on and off since her involvement in the ’09 Wild West cycle tour.
Gavin McGregor, Communications & Fundraising Director
Gavin joined Otesha following five years as a journalist and then four years as a political researcher in south London, which is now indisputably home after a childhood spent ricocheting between Canada, Abu Dhabi and Scotland. Most recently, he returned to student life for a year, which this time around was less Countdown and beer and more a fascinating plunge into the world of food policy: how what we eat shapes and is shaped by commerce, culture, power, nature and health. Gavin can often be found drying foraged linden blossom for tea, creating crispy nettle ‘seaweed’ snacks or harvesting veg from his balcony ‘allotment’. If he’s not there, try the local park, where he may be watering the orchard he helped to create or planning next year’s wildflower meadow.
Liz McDowell, Project Director
Originally hailing from the rainy west coast of Canada, Liz has since left for the even rainier shores of London, where she moved to start up Otesha UK. Liz has worked in environmental education and advocacy for the past six years in a diversity of roles. Before starting up Otesha UK, she worked with community-based groups at the Post Carbon Institute in Vancouver and played with the bigwigs during a climate change fellowship at the UN Institute for Training and Research in Geneva. Prior to this, she studied management and international development at McGill University in Montreal, where she coordinated a student-driven sustainability assessment. A self-confessed climate action junkie, Liz helped to found the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, served on the executive committee of the Sierra Youth Coalition, a youth-led social and environmental justice organisation, and attended UN Climate Negotiations in Montreal, Bali, Poland and Copenhagen as a youth delegate. Most recently, she’s been involved with organising events with YTFN – the Youth Funding Network and has been named a Future 100 social entrepreneur. On cycle tours, you can most often find her searching for a lost water bottle, or torch, or bike gloves, or tupperware…
Bunmi Omowaiye, Social Enterprise Project Researcher
Bunmi is so excited to be a winner at the Vodafone World of Difference programme, since it gives her a great opportunity to be part of the Otesha and gain the worthwhile experience to kick start her new career in environmental management. Currently a MSc Environmental management student at the university of Hertfordshire and writing up her masters’ dissertation, her interest in the environment has continue to increase and has led her pick up an offer at the green college online to study science of climate change. She is helping Otesha to conduct in-depth research on a new business plan for a social enterprise that would generate income to support Otesha’s activities. Bunmi is really passionate about photography, dancing and hanging out with friends.
Tamsin Robertson, Roots of Success case worker
As a qualified ESOL Teacher, Tamsin has taught in many wonderful (and plain weird) places, returning from two years in Thailand this year to live in London for the first time. Having grown up in the Devonshire countryside, the big city lights have taken some getting used to but she is now happy to be here and gets her dose of the outdoors by taking her students on ‘excursions’ to Hampstead Heath and taking FREEZING dips in the ponds! As well as teaching in a language school, Tamsin teaches refugee and asylum-seeking women in an inspiring project at Hackney City Farm which combines yoga, language classes, delicious organic food and creative design. She is passionate about working with these women after working with detained asylum seekers with the Gatwick Detainee welfare group whilst studying for a BA in International Relations and Development Studies at Sussex University. Her enthusiasm for education, the environment and cycling led her to Otesha, where she is enjoying interning with Hanna, adapting environmental education materials to be used as part of the green jobs training programme in East London. When not battling the roads on her bike between jobs, she likes creating new delicious recipies with chilli, having a good dance and is at her happiest when swimming outside.
Hanna Thomas, Green Jobs Director
Hanna leads on Otesha’s green jobs work with the East London Green Jobs Alliance. She’s running a demonstration project designed to take young, unemployed people in East London through a “jobs pipeline” into green and decent employment. In the past, Hanna graduated from Cambridge with a BA in Classics, has an MSc in Climate Change & Policy from Sussex, was Programmes Manager for Otesha (coordinating no less than 5 cycle tours!), and was a Campaigner and Coordinator for the UK Youth Climate Coalition, delivering the first ever Youth Intervention speech to the UN Climate Change Conference plenary in Poznan in 2008 and going off to the UN again as part of the youth delegation to Copenhagen in 2009. Hanna is an experienced deliverer of anti-oppression workshops, being especially interested in the concepts of environmental racism and environmental justice, and loves exploring how the green jobs movement can address these issues. In her spare time, she likes to follow celebrity gossip, and has been named a budding eco-celeb herself. She also likes tea, cake, crafting, and incorporating her bicycle into dance routines.
Sam White, Cycle Tour Coordinator
Soon after reaching John O Groats on Otesha’s End to End tour in 2010, Sam spent some time volunteering for conservation projects. He cared for barn owls in Hungary before returning to Devon to learn about conservation as a yurt dwelling volunteer coordinator. Soon enough though he missed pulling bike trailers so much he started a project called the Pinhole Pedallers, which aimed to celebrate our wonderful landscapes with giant camera obscura that people could climb inside. This was placed on trailers and pulled around the South West by bicycle with the help of fellow Otesha folk Louise and Iona. The project very conveniently merged 3 passions of his life – photography, cycling and the outdoors world. When he’s not at Otesha Sam work as a photographer, with a particular interest in landscapes.
Our volunteers
We are incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful team of volunteers and advisors. Each and every one of them works in different ways to make sure that the Otesha dream comes to life in the UK in the most effective, impactful and fun way possible.
Jasmine Livingston, Otesha Handbook volunteer
Jasmine is currently studying for an MA in Environment, Politics and Globalisation at Kings College London. She is helping at Otesha to bring the handbook up to date. Previously she studied Geography at Bristol, worked as a researcher in sustainability for an engineering firm. In her spare time Jasmine likes to sing, dance, knit, and go to the theatre!
Diane Baker, Roots of Success intern
Diane is a full time student at King’s College London, studying for an MA in Environment, Politics and Globalisation. She’s volunteering with Otesha UK as part of the course, working alongside Tamsin on adapting the Roots of Success environmental jobs
Laura Kim, Green Jobs volunteer
Ever since finishing her tenure launching Otesha’s membership scheme, Laura just can’t stay away! She’s been helping with everything from fundraising to project coordination and we couldn’t be happier to have her around. After completing a degree at the University of Toronto in theatre, Laura started performing for a few years. That led to work at a children’s TV channel and continued into TV production. Throughout this time she was involved in promoting cycling in Toronto as a volunteer for the Community Bicycle Network. A move to London prompted a new role in events and advertising at which point she woke up and realised that this was not the life she wanted. These days, when not at Otesha HQ, she works on theatrical and creative adventures with her company The Pensive Federation. She is honoured to be working alongside Otesha colleagues and volunteers and looks forward to helping grow Otesha UK into a sustainable future.
Trustees
Alice Casey, chair
Alice currently works for the National Endowment for Science Technology and Arts designing and delivering projects that test new models for supporting and scaling social innovation. Previous work includes the Big Green Challenge – NESTA’s £1m prize fund to incentivise and support community-led innovation in response to climate change. She previously worked in the not-for-profit sector at the policy research charity Involve.org.uk looking at how people are engaged in the decisions that affect their lives and how better public involvement can improve society, policy making and public services. She has acted as an advisor to a variety of organisations including central and local government, NHS, Ofsted and the BBC. She specialises in mass engagement and culture change combining online and offline methods. She also writes about public participation at http://cased.wordpress.com .
Erica Crump, secretary
Erica has been involved with Otesha UK right from the beginning. She was instrumental in setting the organisation up as a charity and continues to be an invaluable legal beagle, making sure we stay above the law in everything we do! Erica works at the charity law firm Bates Wells & Braithwaite, sits on the board of a community opera trustee, and has an allotment in East London.
Tom Lafford, deputy chair & alumni representative
Tom did an Otesha internship in the summer of 2009 but couldn’t get enough of the Otesha office life, so he still stops by to help develop our upcoming 10-day tours and joined the board of trustees in November 2009. A few days after handing in his final piece of work for a degree in English Literature Tom set off on the Wild West tour, during which he changed his views on sustainability and gained some dodgy tan lines. Now he’s getting ready to dive into a year of charity work and an MA in ‘green’ politics. Tom wants to ride his bicycle! bicycle! bicycle!
Kat Caldwell, treasurer
Kat joined the board as Treasurer in January 2011 after rediscovering the joys of cycling and attracted to the youth-led work Otesha do. She qualified as a chartered accountant in 2008 and has spent several years working with accounting firms specialising in the not-for-profit sector. She recently moved to Bristol and started working for sustainable transport charity Sustrans, who manage the National Cycle Network and promote active travel. She is keen to join one of the new short cycle tours to learn more about sustainable living (and cooking!).
Matt Wicks, alumni representative
Since Matt gained an Environmental Science degree at UEA (and re-aquainted himself with the humble bicycle) he has been very keen to promote the ideals of a low carbon lifestyle. He currently works for the Energy Saving Trust advice centre Anglia, based in Norfolk, providing advice to householders and support to local authorities. Matt first’s taste of Otesha was when he joined the Wild West Tour in 2008. He enjoyed the bicycle goodness so much that he became a trustee!
Andy Cawdell
Andy Cawdell is a trustee of Otesha, having been involved in starting it up back in 2007. Andy is also the present Chair and founder member of the London Cycling Campaign, and has over 20 years’ experience in the charity sector. Andy makes his living as the Director of Dovetail Management Consultancy and cycles on his Brompton or his Roberts Hybrid to most client assignments.
Jo Clarke
Jo was on the staff team at The Otesha Project for 4 and a half years between 2007 – 2012, before moving on to become Volunteer Coordinator at Organic Lea, a workers’ cooperative growing food on London’s edge in the Lea Valley. She remains as an Otesha trustee and keeps herself busy acquiring skills for a post-oil world, such as: green woodwork, food growing, permaculture design, preserving, bread-making and knitting. Jo is a qualified Youth Worker with an NVQ Level 3 in Youth Work for Youth Work Managers.
Hannah Morphet
Hannah works as a paralegal in the charity and social enterprise department of the law firm Bates, Wells & Braithwaite. She is studying to be a fully-fledged lawyer. Previously she has worked with children and young people at the London-based educational charity IntoUniversity, and at a state school in her native Cornwall. She has a Masters from SOAS in Middle East Politics and a BA from Oxford in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. She also sits on the board of a theatre company, having done a lot of backstage theatre work over the years.
Shilpa Shah
Shilpa and Otesha folk became friends over their mutual interest in environmental justice and anti-oppression. She joined the board of trustees in 2011 and hopes to support the team as they embed and promote anti-oppression principles in all of Otesha’s work. She works at Friends of the Earth as a campaigner on the Rights and Justice team and also works as a consultant offering training to organisations working towards social and environmental justice. She previously co-founded the Akashi project, working with Black and Minority Ethnic communities on climate change. She leads uplifting group singing sessions and she loves running, cycling, dancing to cheesey Bollywood tunes and food (growing it, buying it, cooking it, eating it).
Our patron
Josie Long, comedian
Josie Long is our super cool patron. As well as enjoying knitting, making zines, recycling, turning off her computer and all those hundreds of small things that make a better world, she makes us laugh until our bellies ache. Other people agree – check out her accomplishments – she’s an If.Comedy Award Winner and BBC Comedy Award Winner. She’s been on BBC2’s Buzzcocks, C4’s Skins and Charlie Brooker’s You Have Been Watching, AND she’s been on Radio 4 with her own acclaimed series and Just A Minute. Blimey. She also loves our Otesha handbook and has her very own copy!