Skills Bank

Hi there! I'm Alice and I work in the third-sector, supporting community groups to deliver community projects in Badenoch and Strathspey. I'm the Chief Officer of Voluntary Action in Badenoch and Strathspey, and I also volunteer for a community woodland and a social enterprise.

I've volunteered in the third-sector for over 10 years. Outwith work, you can find me playing sport, swimming, walking, and volunteering!

I'm happy to volunteer to help groups with anything related to third-sector governance and support!

I have 40 years experience in the public and voluntary sectors as a senior officer and Board member, 30 years in Highland. My working life has focused on advice services, collective advocacy and community planning/community engagement. I can quickly get to grips with new/complex information, communicate effectively in a wide range of settings and provide constructive challenge to find solutions to knotty problems. Experience includes:
-managing teams and supporting Boards
-raising funds
-influencing policy and practice
-qualitative research and evaluation
-strategy and business planning
-good governance

I also have a long track record of volunteering in both public facing and board roles:
-as law student volunteer advice worker
-community transport driver
-dog therapet owner
-board member and chair of several voluntary sector organisations

I am a qualified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide with the ANFT and a Personal Performance Coach with The Coaching Academy. I offer guide nature therapy sessions to individuals and small groups, alongside personal development coaching to individuals.

Over the years I’ve sometimes struggled to get suitable help when life has got a bit out of hand, and I see the effects this has on me and those around me, I have also been in recovery from addiction since 2013. I believe in the benefits of ‘self-care’ and ‘self-soothing’; but I recognise that when you feel like you’re 'drowning in treacle' it's easier said than done! There are a handful of things in life that truly help me relax and ensure that I can ‘breathe’ again; spending time amongst trees is one and talking to the right people when outside in nature is another. Nature heals...sitting, sharing space with nature, admiring beauty or simply playing amongst it...nature is awesome.

I am based near Grantown on Spey in the Cairngorms.

I have a background in user centred design and have mainly worked in the Third Sector since graduating university in 2017. Currently, I am working for HTSI as a Digital and Communications Development Officer. Previously I have worked as a freelance designer and illustrator, so I love the chance to include illustrated elements in my work.

I know how tricky it can be to find a local designer, especially one who understands how the Third Sector operates. I would love to offer my design services to your organisation and work together to create some fun and functional designs.

I am happy to provide my services digitally across Highland but can meet organisations in-person who are based in Easter Ross or Mid Ross.

I graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 2023 in Gaelic Studies. I have since gone on to work as a Gaelic Officer for Fèis Rois. In this role, I had responsibility for creating a new Gaelic Language Plan and Policy for the organisation. I also have experiencing in running Gaelic conversation circles and tutoring Gaelic. I am now a Development Officer at Highland Third Sector Interface working on the Volunteer Academy.

I have 16 years experience of working with and supporting families with young children aged 0-5 through various community groups. I am trained in baby massage and I can lead singing sessions with an emphasis on early communication including baby sign language. I run an outdoor parent, baby and toddler group centred on nature-based play and outdoor learning, helping children and parents connect through exploration, curiosity and open ended experiences. I run craft workshops for both adults and children.

Residential childcare - Over fifteen years in public and private sector roles, from frontline work to management, equipped me with diverse skills including crisis de-escalation, case management, reporting, and multi-agency collaboration.

Management & Training - In leadership, I supervised staff across multiple homes with on-call responsibilities, benefited from extensive training, and later delivered specialised training to others.

Human Rights & Equalities - For the past three years, I’ve worked with HTSI and the THRE project, delivering training and resources to third sector organisations across Scotland on integrating human rights and equalities into their work.

I have a background in the Third Sector, where most of my roles have focused on engagement with health and / or social care related work, much of which around developing networks and ensuring people’s experiences were represented with management roles at local and national organisations. I volunteer as a mentor for new Third Sector managers through HTSI and currently serve as a board member of the Highland Print Studio.

My qualifications include BA in Integration of Health and Social Care and a Post Graduate certificate in Understanding a Resilience Landscape.

A solicitor by training, I have working in the charity legal advice sector for more than 30 years. At the same time, with my partner, I have set up and run several successful businesses in the hospitality sector.

My specialism is putting charities and businesses together to bid for funding to deliver services.

Within my current role as Community Partnership Officer with Highland Hospice have developed a specialism in working with rural and remote communities in capacity building.

I graduated with a Bsc (Hons) in Mathematics with statistics from Heriot-Watt University in 2018. I then spent some time volunteering as a Community Development Coordinator in rural Nepal, where we primarily supported communities to set up sustainable businesses.
I started working in social care in 2020 where I undertook varying support work roles during the COVID-19 pandemic, and graduated from the University of Manchester in 2021 with an Msc in International Disaster Management.

I started off my career working in front line mental health services both in Highland and Aberdeen city. I then went on to study Psychology MA Honours & COSCA Person Centred Counselling at the University of Aberdeen, graduating in 2010. After that I was involved in running a successful pilot employability project to determine the training and support needs of those furthest from the job market. This peeked my interest in Education and Training. I have since lectured in Health & Social Care before moving onto Training and Recruitment in both the commercial and funded sectors. Therefore I have a wealth of experience around assessment of needs for support and training. I currently work as Senior Volunteer Development Officer, as I am passionate about the benefits and value of volunteering, having done so most of my life. I have volunteered from a young age from stewarding at local agricultural shows to being a Trustee of a horse sanctuary. I am also enthusiastic about music & arts.

I am an experienced leader in the Third Sector and have been in a senior management position for twenty years and a leader of voluntary teams for multiple years previously. I currently sit as a non-executive member of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Board and have previously held the role of a Children's Panel Member. My MSc studies included focus on systems mapping, project management and development in conflict and the roles of mediation. With responsibilities for facilitation, engagement, HR and leadership in both paid and voluntary roles I have developed a particular interest in facilitating engaging and specifically, creative, approaches to team sessions.