We are all local people with a passion for bringing communities to life through kindness, compassion and mutual respect. As a group we bring experience from working in the health service, housing services, business, volunteering, social care and tech sector.
We know that with the help of all the people of Knutsford, we can make this initiative a huge success and a guiding light for other communities around the UK.
Since this is a new initiative, we really want to hear from you with ideas and feedback – anything which you think could make Knutsford Togther work better and smarter for you and for the community. Just get in touch with us at help@knutsfordtogether.org.uk and we will respond to you as soon as we can.
Our Team
Nicola Marshall – Chief Officer
Nicola has worked in the heart of the community for over 10 years and is passionate about supporting people and helping to make a difference.
Prior to joining Knutsford Together, Nicola was a Community Connector in Crewe. She worked with people in crisis and helped them find the right support to get to the root cause of the problem. She is thrilled to be part of Knutsford Together, working alongside residents in further strengthening the incredible community spirit that already exists.
Nicola is also passionate about voluntary work and is Run Director for her local Parkrun, which is where you’ll find her most Saturday mornings!
Piers McLeish – Trustee
Piers spent 25 years developing a career in management consulting and corporate IT culminating in a role as director of UK-based software firm The Access Group for a number of years before moving onto new challenges in 2018.
Piers now shares his time between running a fledgling internet music publishing business and supporting charities near his home in Cheshire. He was CEO of local children’s cancer charity, The Joshua Tree, between 2019 and 2021 and is the co-founder and trustee of The Access Foundation. Piers was delighted to be asked to join the board of trustees of Knutsford Together and is looking forward to supporting this great initiative.
Sarah Flannery – Trustee
Sarah is a parish councillor and a huge advocate of the value of community volunteering. Brought up in Ireland, she moved to Cheshire after graduation and has done much for the community life in Knutsford.
Locally, she is best known for her work with the Knutsford Hosts, having founded and chaired the scheme which has been running for almost ten years. The Hosts were honoured with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2019 and Sarah was awarded a Civic Award in 2021. Sarah also was the driving force behind the hugely popular Knutsford Promenades and its Knutsford Heritage Open Days events.
Dr Paddy Kearns – Trustee
Senior Partner, Knutsford Medical Partnership
Having been born and brought up in South Manchester, Paddy studied medicine in St Andrews and Manchester Universities, before working in Manchester, Glasgow and New Zealand prior to settling in Knutsford. In addition to being senior partner at KMP, he has also held several associated roles: GP trainer, Responsible Officer, and Chair of Vernova Healthcare CIC the local GP federation.
He feels privileged to live and work in a great place and is proud of the amazing work that people do for the town. He passionately believes that by working together across all boundaries we can achieve great things.
Rosie Longden – Trustee
Rosie is Head of Community Investment at Great Places Housing Group. As such, she is acutely aware of the challenges facing Knutsford’s social housing tenants. She is also a member of the Manchester Food Board. Rosie brings her wide experience and her commitment to community engagement to our team. The involvement of Great Places is integral to the success of Knutsford Together and Rosie is keen to work with us to build community resilience where it is most needed.
David Briggs CVO, MBE, KStJ – Trustee
David was Lord-Lieutenant of Cheshire until retirement in 2021. In this role David met people in poverty and discovered how difficult it is for those in real need to find the help they need. Very often the support needed does exist, but it is not easy to find. For those who need more than one sort of help there is sadly little or no existing connection between different helping organisations.
With the experience of setting up a successful Connection Service in West Cheshire, David had the idea of bringing this new charity to his hometown of Knutsford. He is very excited to see this develop and is determined to provide guidance for all those in any sort of need to find the support and services which will help them to live happy and fulfilled lives.