Trustees and Management Committee

Trustees and Management Committee

The North Cambridge Community Partnership’s (NCCP) ultimate objective is to act as an umbrella organisation, bringing together all community groups and agencies in North Cambridge. The mission is to improve the education and living standards of the local community by improving facilities, encourage self-help and involvement and Increase community spirit, which can act as campaigning voice for the whole area.

We support diversity and promote inclusion for everyone in our community.

Eileen Sheehy Skeffington -Trustee and Chair
She is a retired consultant in radiology, having served within the National Health Service (NHS). 

She and her husband relocated to Cambridge two decades ago, where they undertook a comprehensive renovation of their 1960s home to align with Passivhaus standards. This included the installation of advanced insulation, heat recovery systems, solar thermal panels for hot water, photovoltaic panels for electricity generation, battery storage solutions, and a rainwater harvesting system for restroom facilities.

With her home project nearly complete, Eileen has turned her attention to gardening and is actively engaged in cultivating fruits and vegetables at her allotment. While she is not yet fully self-sufficient, it is a goal she aspires to achieve. Eileen has a passion for food—enjoying the processes of growing, cooking, and sharing meals. Additionally, she pursues hobbies such as watercolor painting, life drawing, reupholstering furniture, and reading.

Eileen has volunteered with the Repair Café in Cambridge since its inception ten years ago, focusing on sewing-related repairs. In September 2024, she became a Trustee of the NCCP and subsequently assumed the role of Chair in October 2024.

 

Ricardo Arbelaez -Trustee and Ex-Chair

Ricardo is a secondary school teacher with 10 years of experience in the educational sector and with over 15 years’ experience in the private and commercial sector. Prior to his teaching career, Ricardo worked for Tribal Education & Technology as production director. He had the opportunity to be involved in the Inclusion in the Creative Industry (iCi) project run in conjunction with Slough Council and the Slough Youth Project, as part of the government regeneration project. The main objective of the project was to help young adults within the town’s ethnically diverse community to find jobs within the creative industry.

Ricardo has an MSC in Computer Science from Middlesex University and a Master in Education from Cambridge University. He has been living in the North Cambridge Community for more than 15 years and has been involved in community work for longer than 18 years, during this time he founded the ‘Apple Resident Association’ and acted as chair to help planning activities to improve the education and living conditions of the community in Laxton Way in Cambridge. A great achievement was the elimination of rubbish dumping and a reduction in vandalism and antisocial behaviour. Ricardo was also a member of the Harambee Centre as part of the management committee. The objective of this was to provide information, advice, education and training on global development and environmental issues.

Ricardo is the ex-chairperson of the NCCP and he hopes that with his skills and experience and as part as an experienced and well-qualified team, they will be able to contribute to the mission and objectives of the organisation and to make a difference in the community.

Golzar Zandi -Trustee and Treasurer

Golzar is MSc graduated in Urban and Regional Planning from Teheran where she ran her own urban planning company together with her husband. Their focus was on creating affordable housing and running projects of community benefit. Moving to Cambridge, she volunteered to join the NCCP management committee. Very quickly we found out that she was a very proactive and hard-working member of the group, and she effectively started building relationships with other community groups and creating new opportunities. Soon, she became our first paid Project Manager and has grown the NCCP on all fronts, finding grant funding, growing connections, and identifying and supporting local needs.

Because of her tireless efforts and passion for working in north Cambridge, the profile of the NCCP has been raised, with 7 times the social media following and a large, active management committee. The North Cambridge Community Partnership is now a fixture of the North Cambridge community.

Now, Golzar has moved into a planning role with the local council, but continues to be treasurer on the management committee.

Nancy Gerein – Trustee and Secretary

Nancy is a retired health consultant who obtained a nursing degree in Canada and a PhD from the London School of Health and Tropical Medicine in health care epidemiology.  After many years of working in maternal and child health services in Africa and Asia, she came to the UK to teach public health at the University of Leeds, as well as to support similar teaching programmes in the Netherlands and Belgium.  After deciding to wind down her consulting work, she moved to Cambridge in 2011, having heard that it was a vibrant community with many activities for retired people along with numerous active community groups – and so it has proved.  She has been able to pursue interests in music, history, language and gardening, and contribute to the north Cambridge community through acting as a secretary to the NCCP.

Tanya Jones – Trustee 

Tanya has lived in Cambridge all her life, attending local primary school, secondary school, and college. Her career began with roles at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and in care homes, and she is now a teaching assistant at a primary school. Alongside her teaching role, she manages medical responsibilities and coaches the school’s netball team.

Tanya is married with two children and enjoys spending her free time playing football, netball, running, and making memories with her family. As a long-standing member of the NCCP, she is deeply committed to supporting her community and contributing to initiatives that bring people together and improve local life.

Nita Bhaumik -Community Project Manager

Nita holds an MBA in Information Technology and has resided in Cambridge for over 14 years with her family. She possesses a sociable and approachable demeanor and has organized numerous international events in collaboration with schools and universities. Her academic qualifications include a Degree in Fine Arts, along with a diploma in Interior Design and Digital Marketing. Nita has a diverse range of interests, including cooking, gardening, upcycling, fitness, and travel.

She is known for her optimism, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit, along with a strong commitment to community engagement, amassed through years of experience in the fields of education, arts, and culture.

Prior to joining NCCP, Nita accumulated over 16 years of experience in various business development and management roles within the education and corporate sectors. Her expertise includes planning marketing operations, executing fundraising campaigns, managing events, overseeing content, and coordinating logistics, all while leveraging her background from various industries to meet deadlines effectively.

Nita is highly organized and dedicated to accomplishing all objectives and achieving client goals. She aims to advance her career in community project management and development, utilizing her passion to manage diverse projects. These include gardening clubs, arts and crafts classes, yoga sessions, cooking workshops, and upcycling fashion design projects, all aimed at fostering a happier society within local communities.

In her role as a Community Project Coordinator at NCCP, Nita collaborates with various charity groups, partners, the Local Council, and funders, successfully delivering multiple events and community projects with enthusiasm and a deep passion for her work.

Ben Greig – Trustee 

Born near Cambridge’s Abbey Stadium, Ben Greig now lives in Arbury with his wife and two grown-up children. Co-director of an academic publishing consultancy, his work often takes him to Scandinavia, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

A lifelong nature enthusiast and birdwatcher, Ben co-founded On the Verge Cambridge in 2019 to plant pollinator-friendly spaces across the city. He also co-runs Pesticide-Free Cambridge, leading efforts to reduce pesticide use, which successfully influenced Cambridge City Council to stop routine herbicide spraying in 2024.

Ben organises community events like bird walks, moth traps, and BioBlitzes with groups such as Friends of Logan’s Meadow and Friends of St Matthew’s Piece, championing biodiversity across Cambridge.

Mairead Tindall – Trustee 

Mairead has a strong background in marketing, client liaison, and project management, with recent experience in the care sector. Passionate about community engagement, she excels at bringing people together through creative and impactful projects.

In her free time, Mairead enjoys walking, gardening, dancing, painting, visiting art exhibitions, birdwatching, and photography. She loves getting involved in community projects that bring joy and make a positive difference.

Andrej Dethlefsen -Technical Support

Andrej is a professional marketer and video producer, with a passion for community. He is a digital marketing expert with hands on experience.

With a background in education and video, Andrej has built his own business Mediamerge together with his wife Isabelle, creating education resources used by thousands of schools, Ofsted, and leading universities to improve the standards of teaching and learning in the UK and beyond. He also works as a marketing consultant for large tech companies, running large scale marketing campaigns and devising strategy, with a particular focus on video.

He worked closely with Ricardo as a volunteer and committee member to establish the NCCP, creating the brand, mission, social channels, website and communications. He was fundamental in building awareness of the North Cambridge Community Partnership, representing the organisation in radio and newspaper interviews, and helping promote events and activities. Andrej is also a passionate cook, and established the much loved Cook Fresh workshops which demonstrate how to cook healthily, low cost meals. He was also instrumental in employing the NCCP’s first official employee, bringing consistency and a central point of contact for the organisation.

Andrej is now a consultant in Marketing and Fundraising, bringing a wealth of commercial experience to the organisation.

Janis Ford -Photographer

Janis has lived in Cambridge all her adult life, working for the County Council and a local Health Centre. She has raised her family here, her children attended local schools, thus she knows Cambridge very well. She has always been a private person, yet at the same time is a very creative person and it was through her love of photography that she joined the NCCP as photographer; a role which she cherishes and massively enjoys. She has met some very inspiring and interesting people through the NCCP and has recently become the ‘in-house’ editor for both the newsletter and webpage and has written a few articles herself.
 
She also writes and performs her poetry at the ‘open-mike’ nights, (Covid allowing), she also writes stories and articles. She has had a few poems and some books published too. She loves ‘the arts’ and has organised ‘spiritual’ groups in the past, facilitating rites and services to this very day. Her spiritual journey is that of ‘Craft’ and is a very important aspect of her life. Info on her path, her poetry and photography can all be found on her webpages, together with what she is up to these days.
 
She feels very lucky to have been given this wonderful opportunity by the NCCP, and to be an integral part of her local community where she hopes to be able to bring her creativity and writing skills to the organisation.

BRINGING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER

CONTACT US

To get in touch by email talk@nccp.org.uk

North Cambridge Community Partnership

A CIO registered charity: 1171138