Michael Romyn Project Coordinator (Kent) Expand I coordinate the Heritage Lottery-funded "Kent's Sporting Memories" project. Email [email protected] Telephone 07423 284045
Nikki Foster Project Coordinator (Wales) Expand I work alongside my colleague Julie Williams to develop new Clubs across Wales funded by the Health and Active Fund. I establish new partnerships and recruit volunteers to set up new Clubs and provide ongoing support. Email [email protected] Telephone 07515 916305
Matt Pennington Project Coordinator (North of England) Expand I help coordinate the delivery of our three-year Sport England project. Email [email protected] Telephone 07715 000411
Kate Budd Project Manager Expand I manage our Sport England-funded programme, working with 28 of our Clubs across England. In addition to this I am the lead for the London region and our London Together programme funded by Comic Relief and the GLA. Email [email protected] Telephone 07506 836083
Kelly Hart Funding Manager Expand My main role at Sporting Memories is funding and fundraising. I apply for grants and look at various ways to generate income to enable Sporting Memories across the UK to set up new Clubs, deliver new projects and help to sustain existing Clubs. Email [email protected] Telephone 07592 639056
John Dyer Commercial and Operations Director Expand As a little boy, I lived in Leeds. Apparently the first time I managed to sit still for a whole day was at my first ever cricket match. I had persuaded my dad to take me to a “Roses” game at Headingley. We sat together on the Western Terrace and my father and I watched Clive Lloyd bat all day, whilst I asked incessant questions about the laws of the game. Informed by him and “weathered” by the Yorkshire sun, I have loved and followed the game ever since. I am also a non-executive director at a book publishing company, with an expertise in digital sales, rights management and communications. Email [email protected]
Chris Wilkins Co-Founder and Director Expand Motor racing is my passion and especially historic motor racing. For me it all started watching Rally Cross in black and white on Saturday afternoons on the BBC with the unmistakable voice of Murray Walker. Since then I've been lucky enough to enjoy some wonderful trips to a number of Grand Prix and have great memories such as watching Nigel Mansell slicing through the field in torrential rain in his Ferrari and the whole stand rising to their feet each time he lapped and had passed another car. I remember seeing all the top drivers running along the sea front at Monaco after a mass shunt at Lowes hairpin had brought the race to a premature halt. But the older I get the more interested I have become in motor racing from earlier years. Fortunately the Goodwood Revival has allowed me to enjoy seeing first-hand the likes of Stirling Moss setting a lap record for the day in more torrential rain at the wheel of a Maserati 250f with spray shooting twenty feet into the air. Like Murray Walker, my career began in advertising, but in recent years I have been involved in developing therapeutic memory products including the KnowMeWell Memory Books through my company Caring Memories. It was when I was approached to develop a version of these personalised photo books that I began to realise the scope and amazing opportunity to develop other exciting products to support sporting reminiscence, and as a result helped to set up the Sporting Memories Network.
Darshan Sanghrajka Non Executive Director Expand When I was younger, slimmer, in shape, and just generally 'better' at sport, I'd spend an evening a week at a football coaching club hosted in a local high school. I think you paid like £2.50 a month and you'd get to learn from some great footballers. The coaches were the likes of Nigel Winterburn, Lee Dixon and we even had Ian Wright. I've been an Arsenal fan since, so as you can imagine, the last how-many years have been a blur – and my favourite memory is probably dribbling past Nigel Winterburn (NO, he did not let me just because I was 9). Outside of football, it has to be Senna at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1991 – when he won despite being stuck in 6th gear. I was a kid totally in awe of everything he did and even though I didn't know how hard that must have been to do, I knew it was special by the roar on the TV. As I grew up, I realised I just wasn't made to play any sort of sport. My attention focused on anything creative and here I am. I have 12 years' experience in the creative and digital industries. My passion is using design, creative, and tech to tackle social challenges. I do this through Super Being Labs, which I set up to create social innovation that improves lives. Outside of work, I'm a Chair for a charity in Kings Cross called STCA, and on the Ventures Advisory Board at UnLtd – the Foundation for social entrepreneurs. I'm deeply moved by what Sporting Memories does and I feel so lucky to be on board an organisation with such an incredible team, purpose and vision. Upwards and upwards!
Tony Jameson-Allen Co-Founder and Director Expand Ford Escorts and Lancia Stratos (what is the plural, strati?!) fill my early sporting memories. Growing up close to Dalby Forest in North Yorkshire, my parents took me to see the Lombard R.A.C and Mintex rallies fly through the gravel and forest tracks, with the likes of Roger Clark, Stig Blomqvist and Ari Vatenen throwing their rear wheel drive Escorts about with astounding accuracy and speed. Later came the amazing looks and sound of the Lancia Stratos, the first sight of which remains etched in my memory. I don't think there has been a more beautiful rally car produced. Whilst the WRC had to change, my interest in rallying remains & I can occasionally be found trying to keep a little yellow retro rally car generally pointing in the right direction on local tarmac stage rallies. Being a lifelong QPR supporter, I naturally chose a non footballing memory to recount here! I have a passion for improving mental health care and systems through collaborative working and the effective management of information and communication. With clinical and managerial experience of working with older people in their mental health and social care, I believe that effective and sustainable developments can only be achieved if these are carried out in collaboration, ensuring service users and carers are actively engaged in planning, implementation and evaluation. As a qualified RMN, my work roles included being clinical lead and manager of long term dementia care facilities, including care homes and working in primary and secondary NHS care settings.