Management & administration
Having started out as a policy analyst for the Institute of European Environmental Policy, she worked in the public sector for a while. This included stints at Natural England and its precursor English Nature in various roles including agriculture policy, corporate governance, campaigning for marine conservation and stakeholder relationship management.
She then moved into charity management as Director of a charity promoting responsible tourism in the Lake District followed by some time in the far north of Scotland heading up fundraising and marketing for Trees for Life before returning to Cumbria.
Karen has developed and run courses on communication and campaigning for pro-environmental behaviour change and is a guest lecturer at the University of Surrey.
As a professional administrator, Kushti worked previously in the retail and education sectors. Her responsibilities have spanned a range of disciplines, from facilities management to training coordination and reception. In her London days, she was operations supervisor responsible for stock control at a fashion brand’s flagship Oxford Street store.
Kushti and her husband also run the superb Country Coffee Shop in Penrith.
Caroline was previously the climate change officer for South Lakeland District Council, and developed their carbon management programme, driving a 5% annual reduction in CO2 emissions and overseeing the council’s first renewable installation.
She is passionate about protecting our environment and is a founding director of Community Energy Cumbria, as well as a keen cyclist, runner and wanabee mountaineer.
As well as his background in finance, Tim has an MSc in Environmental Policy and Management and has also spent time working in conservation as a ranger on the Farne Islands nature reserve and for Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
A relative newcomer to Cumbria, Tim enjoys running on the fells with his dog and nature watching.
Project management & development
Roe joined CAfS in June 2015 and specialises in community engagement, project development and management. She has experience of leading sustainable, environmental and built-heritage community projects, including urban and rural regeneration schemes.
Roe works closely with communities to facilitate, develop and finance projects that will have a lasting beneficial impact on day-to-day lives. She’s led an impressive range of projects, from community transport and community-owned renewable energy schemes, to community land and food-growing plots, green business and green waste projects.
Her previous role at CAfS was leading the Alston Moor Greenprint, an exciting three-year programme funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, which concluded in spring 2020.
She also oversees our Climate & Carbon Literacy programme.
Hazel has wide knowledge of sustainability issues. She served as a housing association board member and environmental champion for six years, and holds an MSc in Environmental Sustainability.
Her past experience includes leading behaviour-change projects, developing energy-efficiency training programmes and working as a consultant to improve the financial viability of charities. She is also part of the local transition movement in Carlisle.
Since joining CAfS, she has lead the four-year Rebuilding Together programme in response to the floods caused by Storm Desmond in 2015, to build the resilience of people, organisations and communities across Cumbria.
Emma’s overseeing our initiatives to help people adapt their homes to cope better with extreme weather, while also improving their energy efficiency. Recently, she has also been delivering our online Climate & Carbon Literacy training courses.
Emma and her husband run their own business The Fellside Flower Company growing cut flowers near Appleby.
Molly qualified as an architect, then moved into project management in the construction industry. Since then she has focused on sustainability, working for a spell in a smart cities consultancy as well as supporting St Chad’s College, Durham University, to understand and reduce its environmental impact. She recently qualified as an IEMA Environmental Management Practitioner.
Outside of work, Molly is a governor at her local primary school. She is also an Eco Schools adviser, passionate about harnessing the enthusiasm of children to accelerate the transition to sustainable living. For fun, she loves walking, yoga and quirky off-beat films.
Following 24 years in education, she then worked in museums in Cumbria, where she developed and delivered carbon literacy training to a wide variety of groups in the community. The impact of this training was that individuals and organisations made changes to their practices and therefore reduced their carbon footprint.
Being a carbon literacy trainer changed her approach to reducing her own carbon footprint and she believes that if we all develop our own carbon instinct we could have an enormous impact on climate change.
Bernadette and her partner run a herbal soap and shampoo business just outside of Kendal. They grow bee friendly flowers naturally and use them to create soaps and shampoos. She also enjoys foraging, baking, knitting and generally creating in a sustainable way.
Electric vehicles project team
Phil has been recognised by the EU Commission for his success in delivering an ERDF-supported programme of energy-efficient refurbishment, whilst managing a £1.6 million ESF programme of training in the low-carbon economy.
In his spare time, Phil is chair of Community Energy Cumbria and was a driving force behind its Killington Reservoir hydro scheme and solar arrays at the Lake District National Park Authority headquarters. He’s also a volunteer with Burneside Community Energy.
He’d previously organised and evaluated our 2019 Cumbria Green Build & Sustainable Living Festival.
Nigel has been connected with CAfS for a decade, supporting our work as a volunteer and as a founder member of Penrith Action for Community Transition. He’s also produced some of our films over the years, through his role as a film-maker at Eden Lighthouse.
Nigel brings a diverse range of skills, with a professional background that includes event management, project management, training and engineering.
He has hands-on experience of low-energy building, having renovated an old farmhouse recently, which equips him well to plan a diverse range of events during our festival. He’s also a dab hand at upcycling with pallets.
Energy team
Andrew also established and trained teams of energy-saving advisors. He developed our professional training programme, leading with our successful series of courses on retrofitting for energy efficiency since 2016. He has produced videos for householders and housing associations targeting energy saving and damp and condensation.
He also conducts comprehensive energy audits and thermal-imaging surveys for CAfS and delivers a series of workshops on energy saving, draught-proofing techniques and thermal-imaging assessments.
Andrew joined us from LESS in Lancaster, where he completed numerous thermal surveys for clients throughout Lancashire, assessing heat loss and providing comprehensive energy-saving advice. He also has a wealth of experience providing draughtproofing and efficient LED lighting solutions. He is qualified in a City and Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Green Deal Domestic Advice and is a certified level 1 thermographer. Andrew previously worked in central government where he delivered many training projects throughout the UK.
Her experience in energy efficiency includes leading behavioural change programmes, creating a project to support and inspire retrofit in her local community, home energy consultancy, working for a Green Deal Provider and editing and running the AECB’s CarbonLite Retrofit online course.
She also has hands-on experience of deep retrofit through coordinating building work on a previous home in Nottingham. This became one of the first homes in the UK to achieve the space heating target of EnerPHit (the Passive House retrofit standard).
Previously, Tina has worked as a consultant and project manager implementing business systems across private, public and third sector organisations. Originally she trained as an earth scientist with a PhD on coastal response to sea-level rise driven by climate change.
Tina is a volunteer with Sustainable Keswick and likes to rock climb in her spare time.
Kim has come from a charity background, working in community engagement, volunteer and events management and fundraising. She has managed projects in Cumbria for the NSPCC and Leonard Cheshire Disability, and worked as a consultant for an environmental and ecology business.
Kim is passionate about Conservation, Regenerative Futures and Dormice and is a holistic therapist and reiki master. She lives on the west Cumbrian coast and loves being close to the sea and walking the fells on her days off.
Rick’s background is in logistics – and he has moved to us from the corporate sector where he has spent the last 25 years planning and running events all over the world.
He has a wealth of experience of eco-renovating old properties and is currently planning his own zero-carbon self-build as part of a small ecological co-housing project in South Cumbria.
Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership
John was delighted to join the team at CAfS in late 2020. He is really impressed by the ambition, community involvement and strength of the Zero Carbon Cumbria partnership and is very much looking forward to working with the community and all the partners in the project.
Alongside his passion for the environment, John enjoys hill walking, cycling, music and woodworking.
Angie’s background is in the public sector and finance. She also provides financial and admin support to the Mountain Heritage Trust in Threlkeld.
Angie moved to Cumbria from Newcastle in March 2017 to live closer to the Lake District. In her spare time, she enjoys fell walking, yoga and dressmaking.
Over the years, she has worked in communications for a range of organisations including University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, GSK Ulverston, the Environment Agency, the Forestry Commission in the North West, Booths, English Lakes Hotels and the arts festivals Lakes Alive and Abandon Normal Devices.
Before working in communications, Karen was a solicitor.
Karen enjoys fell walking, theatre, art and watching wildlife.
Central support
She has previously been internal communications manager with the City of London Police, Metropolitan Police Service and Lancashire County Council before moving to Cumbria. Since coming to the county, she has been running her own communications consultancy, mainly supporting charities and civic organisations.
She’s a volunteer with Penrith Action for Community Transition and the Penrith and Eden District Freegle group.
He has previously been a regular face on Cumbria’s screens as the lead presenter for That’s TV Cumbria. During his time there he travelled the length and breadth of the county to uncover stories and interview the people making things happen throughout the region.
His experience is in media production including recording video and audio, scripting and post-production as well as presenting, public speaking and customer services.
During his spare time, he enjoys peak bagging, reading and visiting his local cinema.
She supports all our project managers with delivering their wide range of activities – from liaising with customers, to reporting and analysis and everything in between.
Gemma also helps to organise CAfS events across the county. She joined CAfS in November 2017, initially to provide maternity cover for Kushti as our administration officer and she continues to support with our business and financial management.
Gemma moved to Cumbria from Scotland in August 2017. Her background is in the public sector, having previously worked for the Procurator Fiscal’s Office in Kilmarnock.
She has previously worked as a Volunteer Coordinator and has a background in the outdoor charity sector, specifically working on programmes supporting marginalised young people. Her roles have ranged from coordinating remote overseas expeditions to helping administer European Social Fund grants.
Having moved to Cumbria in 2017 to live closer to the fells, Jo enjoys walking, rock climbing and cooking up vegan feasts. She also volunteers with ‘Waste into Wellbeing’ in Kendal, helping to redistribute to the community food that would have otherwise gone to waste.