Community leadership panel

Rosina is an environmental community engagement consultant, workshop facilitator, radio presenter, researcher and creative. Her career in environmentalism formally began as a Black & Green Ambassador. She specialises in intersectional climate justice, health and wellbeing through nature connection, and intergenerational and collective healing through creativity.

Melissa is the CEO of Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust in North Bristol, the local organisation supporting residents to create change for themselves and their community. She has a background in working in the third sector and the creative industries with a particular interest in creative climate action. Melissa is Co-Chair of Artspace who run Sparks in Broadmead.

Jah works as a Project Officer at ACH, a refugee integration service provider. She has a professional background in working with communities and conservation education and an educational background in International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response, as well as lived experience of migration.

Priyanca is a Design Researcher and Accessibility Specialist. Advocating for user needs, ethical and inclusive design. She has worked on large, complex projects for the Government Digital Service, Environment Agency, Defra, Cabinet Office and Companies House. She is experienced building bridges across and beyond organisational boundaries.

Emily co-produced Easton and Lawrence Hill’s climate action plan with residents in 2021 and now works on the Eastside People Power project to support local climate leadership and build resilience to more extreme weather and rising energy prices. She has experience working in community engagement and sustainable enterprise, and previously ran a small business with a focus on women’s empowerment. She lived and worked in the US and Peru before moving to the UK.

Emma is a Disabled woman and freelance climate activist with a specialism in disability climate justice. She coproduced the world’s first community climate action plan by and for Disabled people, and represented Disabled people on the 2022 US Embassy Climate Justice exchange. She sits on the Bristol One City Environment Board and is one of the four authors of Bristol’s Just Transition Declaration.

Natalie Hyacinth is an academic and sound artist, creating and thinking about music at the intersections of technology, climate justice and Black life. Natalie’s research is intersectional and interdisciplinary, incorporating themes from Cultural Geography, Philosophy and Afrofuturism. Experimenting with sounds and sonic technologies as a form of defiance and resistance, Natalie seeks to create new sound worlds as part of her activism and creative practice.

Ruth has worked in the disability sector for over 15 years, campaigning to remove the barriers that Disabled people experience in everyday life. Ruth is a former Black & Green Ambassador and is completing a PhD exploring ways to improve employment experience for Disabled people. As a Black Disabled mother she is interested in applying an intersectional and co-productive approach to reducing inequalities in our society.

Donna led the development and community engagement for Ambition Lawrence Weston’s community climate action plan. She is now leading their Grow, Cook and Eat project where they are working to increase local biodiversity and reduce food insecurity. Donna has previously worked in Public Health for both Bristol City Council and NHS Bristol.

Kirsty is the Climate Action Programme Manager at Heart of BS13, and a climate justice activist. She has co-produced their community climate action plan, collaborating with over 1,000 young people. Kirsty serves as a board member for Bristol Energy Network and is one of the four authors of Bristol’s Just Transition Declaration.

Ian joined Bristol Older People’s Forum in 2018, after taking early retirement from his role as Head of Community Development and Community Cohesion at Bristol City Council. He has extensive experience in community development, equalities, and grant management. Ian has also worked as part time lecturer at UWE, a youth worker factory shift- worker, dishwasher, Butlins Redcoat, and at various times was unemployed.