Our Community Ambassadors

Tara loves learning from different perspectives, the power of wonder and food to connect people and help us navigate our own identities. Passionate about representation and telling stories of unsung people doing amazing things in communities, she tries to document and process bits through photography and writing and share learnings along the way.

After working at KERB Food for 4 years (from Intern to Content Manager) and growing a strong network in the street food community, she took time to work in Hospitality and continues learning whilst supporting small businesses with freelance content. She currently runs Primrose Hill Food Market social media and volunteers with Age UK.

Riaz Phillips, from London is the founder of independent publisher, Tezeta Press. Its first book Belly Full: Caribbean Food in the UK aimed to illustrate Caribbean culture and history in the UK. In 2018 he was named on the Observer Food Monthly 50 ‘Things we Love’ annual list, winner of a Young British Foodie Award and is a feature writer for a number of publications. His current project, an e-book called Community Comfort gathered over 100 cooks, chefs and food industry personalities each sharing comfort food inspired by their own upbringings. The project seeks to raise funds for friends and families of Covid-19 victims from marginalised backgrounds.

Born in Kabul, raised in Mumbai and grown in Hackney. Mursal’s life has been a rollercoaster filled with wild journeys, adventures and lost memories. After becoming tangibly displaced fleeing her home in Kabul, she feels like she has spent the entirety of her youth trying to fit into spaces that were never intended for her. So Mursal decided to create her own space. Cue Point BBQ, founded by Mursal is an inclusive BBQ focused catering company, however, they are so much more. They are here for the people that don’t feel they belong. By partaking in charity events like Black Queer Christmas and teaching prisoners at Pentonville Prison how to cook, they choose to be a company that does more and wants more.

Zoe Thompson is a London and Brighton-based writer, zine-maker and daydreamer. She is the creator of sweet-thang zine, which celebrates work by Black women and non-binary Black folks around the world. She is a true lover of DIY culture and a fan of decolonising the art world through people-power and collaboration.

Leonie Mills has a master's degree in Security, Leadership and Society from King's College London, focusing on Africa and other emerging economies. Much of her work centres on race and gender which has led her to be published on various mediums.

She is passionate about politics and making it accessible for everyone which led her to create content that informs people about current affairs. Leonie has also founded a business called A Touch of Colour that aims to change the way in which inclusivity is approached by businesses, by centring the lived experiences of POC employees

Julie Baah is a Psychologist working within the NHS. She has recently finished her Doctoral training in Clinical Psychology and is currently submitting her thesis exploring the experiences of civil society during the 2018 Mental Health Act consultation process. Her thesis project also explores the extent to which racial disparities were addressed.

She currently works across various adult mental health teams providing long term psychological interventions and team consultation. She has previously worked in specialist mental health teams, including but not limited to, complex trauma, parent-infant and refugee pathways.

As the former Race and Culture lead for the British Psychological Society’s Minorities in Clinical Psychology Subcommittee, she has worked towards reducing the disparities people from Ethnic Minority backgrounds face within the profession.

She is interested in exploring how mental health difficulties arise in social adversity and the ways in which information can be co-produced and creatively disseminated.

Justin is a passionate public advocate for LGBTQ+ health equality and is currently the digital and social engagement officer at LGBT HERO, an LGBTQ+ wellbeing charity based in London.

After becoming involved in activism while studying English at Warwick University over a decade ago and experiencing his own challenges with mental illness, Justin became a passionate public advocate for LGBTQ+ health equality, with a special focus on mental health and the common struggles queer people face in achieving a healthy and balanced life.

For the past three years he has served as the digital and social engagement officer at LGBT HERO, an LGBTQ+ wellbeing charity based in London, where he often works directly with the community on issues like suicide prevention and access to service provision. Beyond work he's an avid gamer, devoted dog-dad, and digital artist."

Vanessa Boachie (BSc, PGCert), Founder and Creative Director of Inside Out UK is an Award-Winning Social Entrepreneur with a background as a Psychological Therapist and Wellness Coach.
Vanessa has been working in mental health for five years and is particularly interested in empowering others to manage and optimising their mental well-being.

As a creative and an advocate for mental health, she merged the two together to establish the organisation Inside Out UK, which combines psychoeducation with creativity to increase mental health awareness and aims to help people reduce their risk of developing severe mental health disorders.
She has worked with leading organisations such as Virgin Group Ltd, BBC, NHS, House of Commons and Crown Prosecution Service. She is on a mission to help others 'live their best lives' through supporting them to develop a deeper understanding of themselves.

Nikhwat Khan Marawat is the co founder of the award winning C.I.C The Delicate Mind, which critically examines mental health in disadvantaged communities in the 21st century. 

The Delicate Mind / نازک ذہن seeks to explore the intersection between faith, identity and masculinity and its impact on our mental health and wellbeing. 

Having over six years experience in campaigning, lobbying, community facilitation, media advocacy, human rights, law and mental health to name but a few has helped shape Nikhwat's approach to people and life.

Neelam Heera is the Founder of Cysters, a grassroots organisation dedicated to supporting individuals with reproductive and mental health issues. We work with the community to tackle cultural barriers, exclusion and ensure equal access to healthcare for all.

Khadija has worked in community campaigning for as long as she can remember. Through meeting community leaders across the country, Khadija has affirmed her belief that when communities are empowered, real change is inevitable.

After completing her degree in Digital Culture, Khadija is particularly interested in how to utilise digital tools and technologies to assist and empower communities, particularly in a COVID-affected media landscape. When she isn't working on a digital campaign, she'll be illustrating for them!

Ammaarah Zayna is a freelance writer and activist who works in the domestic violence sector.

She is a racial and gender justice educator who is passionate about intersectional feminism.

Read some of here work here. 

Deanna Bains is a designer and illustrator with a passion for all things curious and playful. She approaches her work as a communication tool, aiming to tell unique stories and amplify voices along the way. In her spare time she can be found with a camera or ice-cream in hand (sometimes even both).

Samantha Xia-Quan Symonds (she/her) is a location-independent writer, editor, educator and marketer. British Singaporean-Chinese she writes on taste to trauma; her prize-winning short stories, poetry & non-fiction features or is forthcoming in Financial Times, Alpinist Magazine, Well + Good, The Australian Multilingual Writing Project & Sentinel.

She is a Poetry Reader for Non.Plus Lit and a qualified Scuba Instructor, Yoga Teacher and avid rock-climber with mentorship and speaking experience for organisations including The Linnean Society, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Women’s Bouldering Festival.