Meet the Team

Kerry Bates

Kerry started with Awel Aman Tawe at the start of 2024 and he says he has “finally landed his perfect role” working with the community and contributing to the fight against climate change! Kerry, by his own admission, has done a “few different things”, including accounts work in London (whilst playing drums in a band at night), pensions administration in Edinburgh and also road sales in the bridalwear industry travelling the UK, including the Highlands and Ireland. He has at last settled down and has been living in the Amman Valley for the past ten years, where you can still occasionally hear the distant sound of his drumkit! Kerry is really looking forward to working locally with our community members, where he says that growing up in a Llanelli pub in the 70s and 80s should give him the chatty tools he needs to get to know and help others (as well as practice speaking Welsh)…. And his Open University Diploma in Earth Sciences should finally come in handy too – where did he get time to do that?!!

Christine Burden

Christine is Transport Officer/Driver for Taith Co-op.

She’s a fiercely independent single mum to her wonderful pre-teen boy and her fur baby (Chihuahua). In her spare time she enjoys all sorts of crafts from knitting to stained glass and even some DIY – but don’t steal her screwdriver!

Jenny Carlisle

Jenny has over 10 years’ experience in supporting community organisations with the development of community-owned renewable energy systems though the Welsh Government support programme. Jenny is passionate about the contribution community energy can make to a more fair and equal society. Also the contribution community energy can make towards engaging and supporting local communities in a wider transition both around the wider impacts of energy use and its link to the ecological crisis.  Jenny previously work with AAT as Development Officer and assisted in the development of the Awel wind farm and the inception of Egni.  Jenny has a BEng in Mechanical Engineering and a MSc in Renewable Energy.

Fern Church

Fern Church is our Energy Manager, bringing a grounded, community‑focused perspective shaped by his upbringing in Tipi Valley, an off‑grid community centred on natural, minimalist living based in South Wales. With over ten years of experience in marketing and branding, Fern has more recently specialised in expanding renewable heating and retrofit technologies across the UK, including heat pumps, solar systems and borehole drilling. Working closely with social housing providers, manufacturers and developers to drive practical, people‑centred solutions that support the transition to Net Zero.

Angie Dickinson

Angie spent much of her working life managing Pontardawe Arts Centre, a multi-discipline arts venue.  This she felt was more a life choice than a career.  The most rewarding part of this life was making things happen; whether that was enabling a child to undertake a first dance step or first performance, creating opportunities for engagement with people from 3 to 93, from complete amateur to professional level,  presenting a lively film programme or bringing exhilarating performances to the stage.  Which is exactly why she is so excited by the prospect of Hwb y Gors. She says “this building has the potential, indeed already has become, significant in the community and will certainly develop into a fraternity of makers and creatives with a shared ethos to address climate change issues in a positive and life affirming way.  I feel blessed to play a small part in this process.”

Amanda Fitzwilliams

Amanda is an experienced communicator and project manager, working in the not-for-profit sector and creative industries. After studying Law with French at Birmingham University she fell into publicity and marketing where her enthusiasm for engaging people and “making stuff happen” found a natural home. Organisations she has been lucky enough to work for include Welsh National Opera, the Welsh College of Music & Drama, London Contemporary Dance Theatre, Warwick Arts Centre, Edinburgh Fringe, Cheltenham Festivals of Music & Literature, Herefordshire Art Week, the Sidney Nolan Trust. During a career break she helped a friend open a new bookshop in Hay-on-Wye, worked in the Hay Festival bookshop, assisted with PR for the Save The Wye river pollution campaign, volunteered at the Do Lectures and Pontardawe Film Club and took a small Welsh hill farm in hand. She initially joined Hwb y Gors to help set up the Wild About Film programme before taking on the wider communications remit for Awel Aman Tawe.

The Communications Manager post has been funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

Louise Griffiths

Louise is our Hwb y Gors Centre Manager and has been working with AAT since 2022. She says ‘In my job, I get to do my favourite thing and talk with people!’ But more than that, she works hard to ensure that Hwb y Gors is a thriving centre for our community.

She studied in Oxford, gaining a BEd before spending the next few years on the road visiting schools across Wales.  After her 2 sons were born, she switched to homeworking, running a creative cake business.  She was on the PTA of Ysgol Cwmgors before it was closed and has brought a profound love of the school into Hwb y Gors ensuring that the memories of all those who worked and studied there are not forgotten.

In her spare time she loves walking and playing board games!

Teilo Harrison

Teilo began his working life as a waiter, gaining four years of valuable experience in customer service, teamwork, and time management. He’s also worked as a lifeguard at Pontardawe Swimming pool, balancing life-saving responsibilities with a high level of focus and reliability. A qualified first aider, he brings a calm and capable presence to any environment. Teilo is from the local area and is a former student of Ysgol Dyffryn Aman. He has strong work ethic, is dependable, and always willing to take on new challenges.

Lucy Harrison

Lucy says “it feels so good to be doing something to help the environment & my community after such a varied journey to get here” – from retail management, running cafe-bars in London, researching for the BBC’s X-ray consumer programme, to teaching for Swansea university and coordinating and re invigorating GCG’s Community Library, Y Lolfa. Volunteering will always be important & she hopes to continue the work with her ‘reading/support’ dog’ (trained with Burns by your side) in local schools. And if there’s any free time, when she’s not exploring the UK in the family camper van, she’s cooking exotic dishes from all over the world & doubling down on her Welsh lessons.

Emily Hinshelwood

Emily is a social anthropologist and creative practitioner. She is co-founder and Creative Director of Awel Aman Tawe (AAT). She established AAT’s arts and climate change programme and has overseen the redevelopment of Ysgol Cwmgors into Hwb y Gors. Her passion is in engaging people in climate action and she has carried out many projects to that effect. Among these, her favourites are:  AAT’s Naked Renewable Energy calendar 2007 (encouraging over 70 people to take off their clothes – in the name of renewables); Sustainable Moon Mission in 2019 involving over 700 people in building a Lunar capsule where she lived as artist in residence for 2 weeks on the top floor of Pontardawe Arts Centre; and her walk across Wales (2012) during which she asked every person she met ‘3 questions about climate change’ and created verbatim poems from their answers which she has delivered at Welsh Government and other climate conferences in UK and Europe. 

Jen James

Jen manages our school’s education programme and has developed an exciting and innovative programme with our Egni schools called ‘We are Energy Warriors’.

Jen has been working in education for many, many years – first as a Librarian then as an English teacher before finally settling in roles in the third sector managing education programmes. She is passionate about teaching young people how living a sustainable life can be fun and encouraging curiosity, creativity and independent thinking skills. A lover of the fresh air, she is looking forward to getting outside more and developing exciting new education projects.

Lisa Jones

Lisa joined Awel Aman Tawe in 2022 as Finance Officer. Prior to this she worked at ‘The National Botanic Garden Of Wales for 5 years as a Finance and Payroll Officer. She has over 15 years’ experience of working in administration and finance positions, in the private, public and charity sector.

She’s currently studying to be ACCA qualified. When she’s not busy working or studying, you will find her in the garden, out running or walking, or travelling to new and interesting places.

Mike Lukes

Michael moved to Wales 20 years ago after a lifetime in corporate hospitality in London. “The best thing I ever did”. He now keeps chickens, bees and tries to grow all his own vegetables, with a spot of fishing when he can. 

“After a long time working for corporate giants, I really enjoy a role where I feel I am helping people.

Stacey Mangan

Stacey was born and raised in Gwaun Cae Gurwen and has been a longtime supporter of our Awel Wind Farm. Many years ago, following her GCSE’s, Stacey left mainstream education to pursue a career in Travel, she has worked in several industries since: Travel and Tourism, Hospitality, and Education to name a few. After investing time in her young family, she re-joined the workplace, becoming a staff member at Mess up the Mess, a third sector youth organisation. Stacey joined Awel Aman Tawe in February 2024 as Administration Officer and says “I’m excited to be a cog in the team, supporting and helping Awel Aman Tawe realise our future goals, creating positive long term change for the area, through education, investment in the community and sustainable practice. After a lifetime of decline it’s great to finally witness a positive change and it’s a privilege to be truly giving back and sustaining the community I grew up in”. In her spare time Stacey enjoys walking, socialising, swimming, and learning about the journeys people have been on and finding out where they would like to go next.

Dan McCallum

Dan was a co-founder of Awel Aman Tawe (AAT) in 1998 and has worked for the organisation ever since. He is a founding director of Community Energy Wales. Dan is a qualified energy efficiency surveyor and has degree in modern history from Oxford University. Dan has previously worked for Oxfam in Iraq and in Sudan. He has learnt fluent Welsh, French and reasonable Arabic. He was awarded an MBE for services to community energy in 2019. Email Dan: da*@**el.coop

Sachá Petrie

Sachá Petrie was born and raised in North London. She’s a qualified Interior Designer having studied Architectural Interior Design at Nottingham Trent University. She ran her own business for many years in London and moved to Wales in 2017. She is leading Taith, our Community Transport Scheme.

Carl Richards

Carl has been employed by Awel Aman Tawe since 2000 as Finance Officer. His relevant qualifications include the level III Diploma from the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers, Pitman’s SAGE accounts, The Institute of Exports Advanced Certificate in Overseas Trade and is currently studying for the ICAEW Certificate in Finance Accountancy and Business. He is a Welsh speaker.

Gerald Williams

Gerald’s career was firmly rooted in the clothing industry, a qualified tailor, with extensive experience as Production Manager & Factory Manager in manufacturing businesses across South Wales, and Guatemala.

With the decline in UK manufacturing, the need to diversify arose, taking the opportunity to work as Technical Assistant at the Coliseum Aberdare, this became a labour of love, with music and culture being personal passions.

More recently Gerald secured a position as Building & Operations Supervisor at Redhouse Cymru Merthyr Tydfil, a grade II listed building which had been repurposed as a multi use Arts & Culture venue, housing Merthyr Tydfil College Performing Arts Dept. Offices for private businesses and charities, room hire, events and a cafe space.

Throughout all of Gerald’s working life, positive engagement with people to produce positive outcomes that make a difference, has been the key driver and the main source of his job satisfaction. Gerald plays Saxophone and Backgammon, not always together at the same time.

Martin Jervis

Martin is a retired civil engineer who spent his working life in local council highways departments working mainly on the design of bridges and other highway structures. He developed an interest in environmental issues as a teenage angler. Talking to older fishermen, it became obvious that the rivers of mid Wales had deteriorated since their boyhood. This was the start of a more general interest in environmental issues. ‘It’s pleasing to see how a ‘pipe dream’ has since become a reality in my lifetime. I always thought the answer to objections to wind turbines was to bring the benefits more directly to the people who lived local to the turbines and so decided, when I retired in 2017, to put some money where my mouth was and invested a modest sum in Awel Co-op.’ 

Chris Johnes

 Chris has extensive experience in the not-for-profit sector, in Wales, across the UK and in southern Africa, with a commitment to social justice and promoting community voices in decision-making.   

Chris has been CEO of Building Communities Trust since it was set up in 2015, providing support and funding to communities across Wales to make their areas even better places to live. In this capacity, he co-chairs the Community Resourcefulness Partnership which promotes co-productive approaches to community empowerment between public and third sectors.  

He previously spent 5 years working for Oxfam running their UK Poverty Programme and their operations in Wales (including climate change campaigning).  

Prior to that he spent 6 years providing support to Communities First partnerships running the Communities First Support Network and has worked for youth and civic organisations in southern Africa.  

He is currently the outgoing chair of Hub Cymru Africa (a position he took on in 2015) and has held previous non-executive roles with Cadarn Housing and People and Work.  

Brian Jones

Brian moved to Alltwen in 1989 and taught mathematics at Neath Port Talbot College until he retired in August 2014. He was brought up in Bridgend and learnt Welsh as an adult. Brian went to Bath University to study Mathematics, during which he had a year’s placement working at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell. This experience led him to oppose nuclear power and he has been active in CND Cymru for many years. Brian was a Community Councillor for 8 years, and a school governor for 5 years.  

Alun Lloyd

Alun worked in NHS Wales for 35 years before retiring in 2019.  He is a qualified accountant who, during his career, was a Director of Finance in a number of NHS Wales organisations. Other than a period in 2003/04, working in the former Swansea LHB, Alun’s career has been based in and around Cardiff.  

A Welsh speaking North Walian from Llandudno, Alun studied at Cardiff University, then worked and lived in Cardiff for a number of years before moving to Bridgend 24 years ago.  

In a voluntary capacity Alun is a director of Tenovus Trading Limited, a trading arm of Tenovus Cancer Care charity.  

Catrin Maby OBE MEI FRSA

With a first degree in Engineering Science and a Masters in Energy Resources Management, Catrin started her working life in refrigeration engineering, but moved into energy efficiency in buildings because of fuel poverty. Catrin set up an energy advice service for London tenants in the 1980s, authoring handbooks on home heating advice, draught-proofing and recycling. She went on to work with numerous local authorities to develop energy efficiency aspects of housing renewal programmes, as well as affordable warmth and carbon emission reduction strategies.   

From 1999 to 2015, Catrin led the establishment and growth of the Severn Wye Energy Agency, a sustainability charity based in Gloucestershire, with a range of practical delivery and knowledge exchange projects and partnerships in Wales, South West England and the EU. Since 2015, Catrin has worked as an independent consultant on research and policy in the UK and EU, and completed a PhD focussing on the role of mainstream building trades in home energy retrofit  

Catrin is a member of the BSI Retrofit Standards Task Group, and the Energy Institute, a fellow of the RSA and an Associate Adviser with The Retrofit Academy and the Microgeneration Certification Scheme. Catrin was awarded an OBE in 2012 for services to the environment and social equity.  Catrin now lives near Monmouth. 

Katie Powis

Katie is a Director of a stakeholder and community engagement communications company based in Alltwen. She has over 10 years’ experience of working to gain planning permission on renewable energy projects in tidal, wind, solar and battery storage. She also has experience in rail and road infrastructure delivery, local development plans and large scale, mixed use, urban extensions. She passionate about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales and the UK.  

Helen Roach

Helen has over 20 years’ experience working in the Welsh voluntary and public sectors, half of which has been spent influencing policy and delivering projects to tackle fuel poverty in Wales.  She currently works as a Project Manager for Warm Wales, managing projects which raise awareness of energy saving messages and give householders support and advice to help them have warm homes and she previously worked for National Energy Action (NEA) Cymru.  Her roles outside the fuel poverty sector include supporter engagement for an international charity focused on the impact of climate change on the poorest communities globally, and managing member relations for Tai Pawb, a charity that promotes equality and diversity in the Welsh housing sector. Helen is an associate member of the Institute of Leadership and Management, has learned Welsh to near-fluency and is a member of four community energy co-operatives, including Egni Co-op.