Lisa Dawson is the dynamic force behind The Pioneers Project CIC, ensuring the organisation operates smoothly and effectively. As CEO and Treasurer, she oversees administration and finance while leading our community initiatives, including the ambitious redevelopment of Bull Point Barracks.

With over 20 years of experience in community settings, Lisa has a proven track record in delivering impactful youth work and development opportunities. Her academic background, coupled with her extensive field experience, equips her with the skills needed to drive our mission forward.

Lisa’s leadership is characterised by her strategic vision and dedication to fostering community empowerment. She is committed to creating sustainable change and enhancing the well-being of those we serve.

April Howell plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone involved with The Pioneers Project CIC. As Safeguarding Director, she leads the development and implementation of our safeguarding policies, ensuring they align with legal requirements and best practices.

With 16 years of experience in teaching and working with young people on personal development courses, April brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role. Her background in community youth work projects further enhances her ability to support and guide our team.

April is responsible for overseeing the development of our organisational policies and ensuring accountability to our overall mission. As our Designated Safeguarding Officer, she provides strategic leadership on safeguarding issues, offering training and support to staff and volunteers.

Holding a diploma in teaching, April is dedicated to fostering a culture of safeguarding across the organisation, ensuring that all individuals feel safe and supported.

Tina brings over 30 years of experience in the voluntary sector, specialising in fundraising, strategy, and organisational development. As the founder of Change Q, she has supported charities such as Bath Mind, Jessie May, and Secret World Wildlife Rescue, raising over £40m and leading multi-million-pound capital appeals.

With an MSc in Strategy, Change, and Leadership, and qualifications in coaching, mentoring, and professional fundraising, Tina has a proven track record in innovation, including designing award-winning social change projects. She has also held senior roles in fundraising and communications for TREE AID, hospices, and Action for ME.

Key achievements have been:
– Raising over £40m for charities and social enterprises.
– Securing significant lottery funding and philanthropic support for major capital development projects.

Passionate about making a difference, Tina combines strategic expertise with a creative approach to drive impactful change for the organisations she supports.

Becky is the gentle soul of our team, going above and beyond to care for others. She works at Cafe Connect and the Forest School, providing a beautiful and nurturing attitude to helping those who attends our provisions. She quietly goes about her role and is a blessing to the rest of the team.

Cloe is the diligent, thorough, and organised member of the team, helping to ensure the Cafe Connect’s kitchen runs smoothly to meet the needs of the many people to turn up each week. She is passionate about supporting those in need and has recently been key to setting up the food larder.

Ella is also involved in Cafe Connect and the Food Larder, providing expert barista skills to make exceptional drinks for the people who come along. She’s a zany, quirky, arty soul who brings so much love to what she does. She continues to be a vital part of making both the cafe and larder such welcoming spaces.

Leigh joined the team in 2024 and has become so integral to the organisation functioning effectively. Working closely with Lisa, Leigh is embedding better practices into the organisation, creating systems that will enable us to grow effectively. Highly organised and caring, we simply love her being on our team!

Rose has been involved for some time and is an important part of our work at the cafe and food larder. She quietly goes about her work but is such a determined individual and we’re lucky to have her with us.

Sean has been with us for some time now and is so enthusiastic as we tackle big projects. Always happy to get stuck in, he’s often building something for us, working at the allotments or coming up with ideas for the Barracks.

After retiring from child minding, Sue joined us to stay active in the community and has been so dedicated to helping in our cafe. Known as Nanny Sue, she is so strong and ordered, and this brings such valuable structure to the cafe environment.

Cath originally came to the allotment but is now involved in many of our community events. She loves to serve others and can often be seen dishing out the food to those who come along. She brings fun and laughter as well as being a real grafter and a role model.

Rich is fiercely loyal and is involved in pretty much everything, particularly the allotments, events and men’s project. He is a determined man who loves to share his skills and has been really important for getting things off the ground.

Perhaps the most diligent member of the team, Maggie is not afraid of meeting the challenge of collecting food waste and delivering it to our cafe. She is fierce, strong and a real team player.

A local resident and parent, Catherine wished to give back to the community she calls home. She collects food waste for us too and goes out of her way to ensure others have what they need.

Dave works tirelessly behind the scenes to help us get up to speed and opportunities for the Barracks. He brings a wealth of connections to other businesses and has opened loads of doors for us. 

A young man and local resident, he is full of energy and ensures there is lots of laughter as a team. He he is actively involved in lots of what we do and we love his excitement when he’s there.

Wendy loves to open her home for our forum meetings and has been an influential figure is shaping community involvement in the Barracks. Her curries are banging and a real delight.

Teddy is an important member of the team, spending time at the Forest School every Friday, working with children to bring a sense of safety, fun and adventure to their session. He likes to explore, often taking himself for walks around the community! He’s been known to let himself into other people’s houses on his travels, all in the name of making friends and having a good time.