Meet the team

Find out about the people behind the scenes that bring Up for Yorkshire to life.

Who we are

Our team are an amazing and diverse group of people, with a wealth of experience, skills, knowledge, and personality. This section introduces each team member, their role and some interesting (?!) facts about them.

The Up for Yorkshire team

Chris Hailey-Norris

Chief Executive

Chris has been working in the voluntary and community sector for over 30 years. He is passionate about making a difference. He believes a strong and diverse voluntary and community sector brings a richness and improved quality of life for everyone living and working across the District.

Chris has been working for Up for Yorkshire since 2009, on what was an initial 6-day piece of consultancy work – he never left!

During that time he has been keen to develop a series of community partnerships and collaborations. He is currently the Chair of Selby District Equality and Advice Network, Selby District Dementia Action Group, Selby District Anti – Poverty Partnership, and York & Selby District Police Independent Advisory Group.

Chris has a degree in Psychology, accompanied by 3 years training in business & life coaching and a teaching qualification. This combination of skills and experience enables him to support and strengthen the sector whilst still working directly with clients to help address their barriers, seek solutions, and grab opportunities.

Aside from that Chris never really let go of the 1980s – always to be relied on with an update on The Fizz, Abba reunion, TV trivia, and memories of his teenage years! – You have been warned!

Emily Havercroft

Deputy Chief Exec & Head of Operations

Emily has worked in the voluntary sector for over 20 years. After moving to Selby 10 years ago, she quickly fell in love with the District, taking an active role in the community – working and volunteering within a varied mix of innovative projects. Emily believes in people, community, and inclusivity, she is continually inspired by those she works with and for.

Emily’s main focus at Up for Yorkshire is to bring together; people, partnerships, and projects, within our accessible community spaces. She is our ‘home-maker’, ensuring internal functions maximise our external service delivery. She is particularly experienced in coordinating and managing people, resources, and events, with a diverse background in the creative arts, outreach work, and project delivery.

At university Emily specialised in community-based arts, autobiography and life telling, graduating with a masters degree. She also has qualifications in people management. Her creative attitude and love for the community help to make her approachable and adaptable. She is passionate about working at Up for Yorkshire, but also loves: bunting, second helpings at a good buffet, and hunting for up-cyclable treasures in charity or second-hand shops!

Bryony Boyle

Head of Strategy and Partnerships

Bryony has twenty years experience working in sustainability and community development and is passionate about supporting the voices of communities to be heard and valued. She has worked across the private, public and charity sectors and believes in the power of collaboration to deliver sustainable change and better outcomes for communities.

Bryony brings a long history of working in cross-sector partnerships, starting her career delivering local government support programmes for the Energy Saving Trust, to working for the Greater London Authority and the London Sustainable Development Commission. She has extensive experience in strategy development and project delivery, with particular focus on community engagement and behaviour change, developing community assets and neighbourhood strategy.

Bryony has a Masters degree in Environmental Sustainability and holds qualifications in Counselling. When she’s not at work, Bryony likes northing more than being outdoors, preferably walking in the mountains, as long as the kids aren’t complaining too loudly!

Jamie Cole

Service Delivery Manager

Jamie worked for many years in telecommunications, and his roles were always community-based, looking at ways to support and reach more vulnerable or isolated people. Moving on to work at Age UK Selby, Jamie took on the role of Project Manager, and for 6 years provided invaluable information and advice to older people, as well as dealing with Power of Attorneys. He has a particular interest and experience in supporting people to access technology.

Jamie is a fantastic mixed bag! A qualified personal trainer, he goes to the gym regularly and realises that this supports his emotional wellbeing, as well as being great for his physical health. Jamie has been through a range of obstacles in his own life, and coming through this he can now relate to many different people. He is approachable, loyal and passionate about community.

Jamie likes to watch films and box sets, especially about crime or action. He also loves music and has a wide range of tastes. He supports Leeds United and has 3 generations of family who have followed them through good times and bad. The team at the community house is where he feels at home, as it is welcoming, inclusive and non-judgmental…. and most importantly fun!

Alison Hartley

Advice and Support Officer

Alison joined the team in 2018 and tends to be the “hug in the building”.

Her background career had always been retail, managing stores in Yorkshire, Leicestershire and central London. She owned her own boutique for several years selling ladies occasion wear and millinery.

Just when she thought she would ease into retirement gracefully, she discovered Up For Yorkshire, or did they find her? Initially taking on a role as a receptionist and admin support, her retail skills quickly became obviously transferrable to her role as Support and Advice Coordinator. A people person and team player, she is a go-to person and mentor. An Action Towards Inclusion and DWP Youth Hub project coordinator, Social Prescriber and Equality Champion, Alison offers support to individuals as well as other partnerships within the Selby Area. She is passionate about working with people and supporting them within the community. To see people of all ages and backgrounds progress and succeed, achieving their goals, whatever that may be, for her is the greatest reward she could ever receive.

Always keen to stay up to date she embraces new challenges and training opportunities, most recently completing a level 2 in Mental Health Awareness.

For Alison, to be part of such an amazing team at Up For Yorkshire is a gift. No more anxious journeys to work wondering what the day might bring, she now sings along to the radio with anticipation as to what the team will achieve that day.

Jane Perkins

Finance Officer

Jane has 2 important roles in her life. 1 is working for Up for Yorkshire, which she had done for the past 3 years and the other being a mum of twins, which she has done for nearly 18 years.

Both roles in her life, bring an abundance of love, entertainment, fulfilment and satisfaction.

Jane compares her life to a Yorkshire Pudding recipe; without the right ingredients they would not be a success, therefore, without the lovely mix of family, friends and work colleagues in her life, she would not succeed.

Jade Huddlestone

Operations and Events Coordinator

Jade worked for many years as a carer within the health care sector, mainly supporting older people living with dementia. This was a hugely challenging role, particularly throughout Covid, but was also incredibly rewarding and meant that she learnt a huge amount about the needs of some of the most vulnerable people within the community. Jade also has a wonderful bubbly side and this leant itself well to her work in the past in local pubs. Jade decided that she wanted to branch out her career, and after taking part in a number of projects through our organisation, including ATI, she decided that a role within the voluntary sector was something she would love to do. She went on to volunteer with us and carve out a key role supporting our buildings and events.

Jade really enjoys reading, and particularly loves spending quality time with her family, especially her two children. As a teenage mum, Jade struggled at times but is so proud of how far she has come.

Carla Stringer

Reception and Admin

Carla describes working for Up for Yorkshire as somewhere where she gets to do what she truly loves; interacting and helping people, all with a smile, a laugh or three, and total job satisfaction – knowing that she is making a difference. She says she has never worked anywhere so dedicated to their staff, their clients and passionate about the wider community. As well as her job, Carla also loves nipping out for a saunter with her bestie in the car – 200 miles later she’s rallying down tiny country lanes in the middle of nowhere! She is happiest with a flask, pack-up, binoculars and proper road-trip music blaring out!

Lindsay Brown

Project Worker

Lindsay is one of our newest members of the team. As a qualified teacher, she supports clients to improve their literacy and numeracy skills via online sessions. Seeing people grow in confidence is one of the best parts of the job. Lindsay is great at putting people at ease and working with their strengths to help develop their skills. Sessions with her are always fun and clients are made to feel proud of their achievements. It’s quite a buzz for Mrs B 🐝 to see their progress! In her spare time, Lindsay enjoys walking the gorgeous coastal path in South Devon, where she lives. She is also keen to share her love of 80s music with anyone who will dance and sing along with her!

Matt Fisher

Community Development Lead

Matt’s passion is as a community organiser, encouraging people, especially young people, to help make their ideas happen, to benefit themselves and the community and whenever possible to live a more active and healthier lifestyle.

Matt has set up all kinds of activities, from online quizzes to bicycle maintenance, and will be using his skills and experience as part of the Up For Yorkshire Youth Hub and other community projects.

When he’s not working, he can be found in a swimming pool or out in the countryside on his mountain bike.

Claire Hetherington

Our Zero Selby Project Lead

Claire has worked in the voluntary and community sector for 12 years and has worked in project management, community development, marketing and communications, volunteering, and fundraising. Prior to this Claire worked in various jobs including venue finding and event management, sales and business administration. She has been volunteering for 25 years and is now fostering a sense of community and giving back by litter picking with her two children.

She is passionate about nature and the environment, and in particular teaching the next generation about climate change and developing a love for nature.

Claire enjoys reading, being outdoors, walking and playing with her family. She also has a love of music, dancing, and having fun with her friends. Her favourite thing to do is spending quality time with her family, particularly her two girls, especially if it involves a trip to the seaside and ice cream!

Alison Rodgers

Health and Safety Coordinator

The focus of Alison’s working life has always been customer facing and people focused, from leaving school and becoming a travel agent, onto property management and estate agency work, finally ending up specialising in construction health and safety. Alison was an instrumental part of the development team raising awareness of mental health issues in construction and developing an industry wide team of mental health first aiders, her skills and knowledge bring a wealth of value and benefit to the Up For Yorkshire team and clients.
A keen runner and swimmer and a not so keen cyclist, Alison very occasionally puts the three together to compete in triathlons!

Jodie Gosling

Reception and Admin

Jodie has been lucky enough to have always lived, worked and studied in North Yorkshire, and has experience in mainly education and health administration roles. She enjoys interacting with and helping people, as well as learning from them.

Jodie loves spending time with her family and friends, books, table top games and has recently started to learn how to knit and crochet She is looking forward to being part of the Up for Yorkshire team, and getting involved with the wider community.

Lynn Harrison

Gardening Lead

Lynn was a primary school teacher for nearly 30 years and retired in 2017 after being Head teacher of school in Cumbria, and moved to Selby to be near family. She has a wealth of experience in supporting people to learn new skills, to work and socialise as part of a team and to gain confidence, self esteem and a sense of belonging.

Lynn knows from experience the positive effect that working outdoors alongside others, tending to plants and experiencing the joy of growing food and flowers can have on a person and their physical and emotional well-being. Since 2019, Lynn has been leading our gardening projects, helping people to develop gardening skills, as well as providing the opportunity for socialising. Lynn has a passion for gardening, improving and developing green spaces and for helping to grow and nurture people, and plants.

Our Trustees

We have a charismatic and diverse range of phenomenal trustees supporting our charity. Bringing expertise, experience and knowledge from a huge variety of backgrounds and sectors, ensuring passionate and informed leadership throughout our work.

Kay Goodwin

Chair

Kay has been involved with Up for Yorkshire for an incredible 15 years, first as a trustee and then as the Chair, seeing the charity through many challenges, changes and developments.

Kay has had a dynamic and inspirational career. Initially working in London on Fleet Street, then moving to Nottingham to take on a variety of challenging posts. She went on to work in Libya for 4 years at the British Embassy, experiencing deportation in l980. After this Kay decided not to return to London, and in need of work took the job as a Clerk in a hospital. Kay worked her way up through different projects and roles, all whilst studying for a degree and then a masters part time.

In l991 Kay moved to North Yorkshire and Selby won her heart. She spent 16 years trying to get a new hospital for Selby, working with the local MP, and several Secretary of States for Health, eventually succeeding in 2008. This was hugely satisfying, as everyone said at the time she would never do it. Kay went on to project manage a joint build project, and Selby Hospital was completed in 2014.

As well as her regular planning meetings with Chris, Kay also loves planning overseas travel, gardening, a nice glass of red wine and is never without a good book to read.

Trustee Board

Chair – Kay Goodwin
Fiona Connor
Martin Wedgwood
Ann Rhodes
Kate Urwin

Trustee Representatives

Dave Bowgett – Tadcaster Town Council
Karl Arthur – North Yorkshire County Council
Wendy Nichols – Selby Town Council

Volunteers

We are supported by the most incredible team of generous and fantastic volunteers, working throughout our services and providing the invaluable gift of time for the benefit of our community.

A huge thank you to them all.