Nick Ellis – Ideas2Action Chairman

I’ve been involved in many different voluntary activities including editor and/or publisher of numerous newsletters, secretary and chair of committees at local and national level.

My most recent role was Director and chair of committee meetings of Bournemouth Festival of Words, a non-profit company limited by guarantee which aimed to promote access to books, words and literature for communities across the conurbation. I am currently a volunteer supporting ESOL learners in Poole.

I am committed to a more sustainable lifestyle, preferring to cycle and walk rather than jump in the car.  I also try and support local independent shops whenever I can.

I’m keen to fulfil my role as chair of Ideas2Action, to promote the organisation and help to deliver our aims.

Solveig Warren – Ideas2Action Secretary

I am currently involved in various research projects at King’s College, London, in the Health Services and Population Research. Bristol University at School of Social and Community Medicine and the McPin Foundation. The theme of the research is Stigma and Discrimination within Mental Health. This research feeds into other projects eg. the Time to Change Campaign.

I am passionate about empowering people to improve their lives and in order to do that, research is essential to validate views and experiences.

I am chair of a local Friendly Society and also act as Welfare Officer. I am the local representative for a national self-help group and for four years held the position of treasurer.

I have over 20 years’ experience of developing needs-based community projects, both in the UK and Canada.

Another passion I have is story telling.  I do this using various media; words and pictures through short films, plays and documentaries. I also support fellow colleagues with film production, in script writing etc.

Chris Beale – Ideas2Action Treasurer

I have worked in the voluntary sector since 1990, working with a variety of people including: disabled people, homeless people and ex-offenders. For the past 20 years I have worked in a management role, as a result I have developed skills and experience in managing people, supporting volunteers, partnership work, financial management, governance issues and organisational and community development.

In my current role I manage Poole Council for Voluntary Service (CVS), a registered charity which supports other charities and voluntary groups in their work.

I am very excited about being a trustee for Ideas2Action; the community needs catalysts to help develop projects and this is what we aim to do. An organisation which helps people develop solutions to local needs is at the heart of what the voluntary sector should be about.

In addition to working at Poole CVS since 1999, I am also a trustee of the Poole CAB and the Dorset Community Foundation and a board member of the Bournemouth and Poole College.

Monique Munroe – Ideas2Action Coordinator

I have many years’ experience of volunteering and paid work in the voluntary sector in the UK and New Zealand.

I am a former director of The Arts Poole and director and main organiser of Bournemouth Festival of Words.  I organise and run my own creative writing workshops in Poole and have been successfully published in various publications.  I have recently taken on the voluntary role of newsletter editor for our local neighbourhood watch.

I worked for Poole CVS for 13 years and this brought me into contact with many organisations and people offering themselves as volunteers.

It is from this background that I hope my role as Co-ordinator will help Ideas2Action to achieve what it sets out to do.  To action ideas we have and help to improve the environment or the lives of people living in Dorset.