After starting his working life as a partner in a small manufacturing business, Nick embarked on a career in the voluntary sector in 2002. Having been a local community development officer in Llanidloes and with the Cambrian Mountains Initiative, Nick first encountered the Robert Owen Community Banking Fund when he took on a role as one of the managers of our Community Energy Fund in 2014. For the last five years Nick has worked for Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations, with the chief responsibility of advising voluntary organisations in Powys on all matters of governance.
In his personal life, Nick is a director of a local community development company and the Treasurer of his community centre in Llanidloes. He is also a keen local historian and has co-authored a number of publications about the experience of the Great War in the Llanidloes area.
On joining ROCBF, Nick said, ‘I have long recognised the need for the third sector to become smarter about how it finances its activities. Grant funding only goes so far and does not create a stable platform for building community enterprise. I would like to see ROCBF being able to expand on its loan offerings to the sector and become a new pillar of support for social enterprise and more sustainable community led development in general. We need to build access to capital and keep this recycling in our communities across Wales – whether in support of local small businesses or enabling community led investment in renewables and cooperatively run local services. I believe there are opportunities for a change in the way we fund things; I see my new role being to help ROCBF identify and develop those opportunities’