Staff
Poppy Brett - Chief Executive
Poppy started cycling as a student and has been an "everyday" cyclist ever since. She has 20 years' experience working for environment organisations including TCV and Friends of the Earth. She joined Life Cycle in 2003 as a part-time fundraiser, raising significant funds to develop our work, notably £300,000 for our bike recycling at HMP Prison. In 2011, Poppy took over as Chief Executive. She has two children and is Chair of Bristol Green Capital Partnership's Sustainable Transport Network.
Tamar Thompson - Development Manager
A utility cyclist for much of her life, Tamar took up cycle touring after moving to Japan. After cycling the length and breadth of the country during her three year stay, she returned to the UK in 2000 fired up with the joys of cycling. She joined Life Cycle UK in 2001 to set up our cycle training programme and was a member of the Reference Group that created the new National Standards for cycle training. Tamar manages our bike recycling project in Bristol.
Ed Norton - Development Manager
Ed grew up in Yorkshire, before moving to Bristol to attend University and develop a taste for cider. After graduating, he pursued an unrewarding spell in financial services before deciding to find a job worth doing. A keen cyclist ever since buying his first mountain bike aged 15, Ed first got involved with Life Cycle UK as a volunteer before joining the staff in 2011 as Fundraiser. After a successful period securing the funding to allow us to grow in uncertain times, he became Development Manager in 2016.
Jacqui Wilcox - Training Manager
Jacqui joined our Bike Minded project in 2009, re-discovering cycling after years commuting by car. Cycling reignited her love of the outdoors and offered the perfect antidote to the stress of juggling work-life balance. With a background in training, management and youth work, when a vacancy came up for a Cycling Instructor in 2010 she jumped at the chance. Jacqui become our Training Manager in 2012.
Becky Whitlock - Communications Officer
Becky moved to Bristol after graduating from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). She started cycling as a commuter in London, and was relieved to discover that biking around Bristol is far more enjoyable. She now cycles everywhere, laughing maniacally as she sails past queues of traffic and overcrowded buses. She was delighted to join the Life Cycle team in November 2016 – and hopes to help the charity reach even more people in her role as Fundraising and Marketing Assistant.
Jon Hughes - Bike Back Derby Project Manager
Jon originally hoped to follow in the footsteps of Patrick Moore, gaining a degree in Astrophysics, but quickly realised that life stargazing on top of an extinct Volcano was perhaps not suited to family life. Instead, Jon worked for Rolls Royce on jet engines before joining environmental charity Groundwork to manage bike recycling and cycle maintenance projects for disengaged young people. He joined Life Cycle UK in 2013.
David Lally - Bike Back Derby Project Assistant
In previous lives, David managed an alloy processing company and was a software trainer and consultant. He re-started cycling in his mid-fifties having hardly ridden since student days; prompted by congestion on his route to work. He soon became a regular utility cyclist and a keen advocate of the bicycle as the best form of urban transport. He has been known to resort to his second-hand ebike when it gets hilly or when carrying his sound system for social rides. David is now a qualified Cycle Instructor and joined us in August 2018.
Anthony Hopwood - Teacher Mechanic, Bike Back Derby
Anthony was a professional photographer for 10 years, before taking up cycle training to teach Bikeability in schools and for adults. A firm ambassador for all things cycling, he then spent 3 years working for another bike recycling workshop in Nottingham before joining Bike Back Derby in December 2017. In his spare time, Anthony enjoys cycle touring around Europe on a folding bike, stopping to visit plenty of museums. Patrick Tumilty - Bike Minded Co-ordinator
Patrick moved to Bristol in November 2017 after four years in sunny Ghana, where the potholes are twice as deep, and the car horns endless. In Ghana, he was finance director at the Right to Dream football academy and subsequently ran a photography studio in Accra. Before his West African adventure, Patrick worked in corporate finance. His latest project is to build a touring bike and travel from Bristol to Sicily using only pedal power! He enjoys running with GoodGym Bristol and TACH, bouldering and tinkering with bikes.
Frances McMillan - Cycle Training Co-ordinator
In 1992 Frances moved to 'sunny' Bristol from not so sunny West of Scotland. With a career in retail hospitality management, she moved into training and development in 1997. After a stint on the US west coast she returned to Bristol to start a family. Teaching her children to ride bikes made her realise that she couldn't herself - an issue she quickly resolved! Since then she hasn't looked back. Frances joined Life Cycle UK in May 2011.
Julie Hares - Over 55s Co-ordinator
Julie had an early entry into cycling: at age two, a misjudged descent on her trike took her into coalhole, resulting in two black eyes. She has since honed her cycling skills and whenever possible combines her passions for travel and cycling. Julie spent time in the corporate world, before gaining a degree in Environmental Management then many years in the charity sector. She joined Life Cycle UK in 2009.
Robin Lapworth - Two's Company Co-ordinator & Cycle Instructor
Robin worked at Sustrans in the early years of the National Cycle Network, mostly managing grant programmes, but these days prefers the practical approach. He is never happier then when teaching kids or adults to cycle and when not instructing will be planning or leading rides to local places of interest – usually with a pub involved somewhere along the line. Robin first became involved with Life Cycle as a volunteer front rider on our tandem project. He joined the staff team in July 2015.
tandemrides@lifecycleuk.org.uk
Fiona Lewis - Cycle Instructor and Administrator
Fi grew up in Northamptonshire, before studying Youth and Community Work at University and working as Learning Support in schools and for the Library Service, before moving to Bristol in 2010. Fi was inspired to start cycling by her step-father when she heard how good cycling could be for wellbeing and after buying a bike to commute to work has been cycling ever since. She joined the team in 2014.
John Russell - Workshop Instructor
From Artist to Art teacher John has had a varied career working with adults with learning difficulties, prisoners and juvenile offenders. An accomplished triathlete and Ironman finisher, he has raced since the early 90s and now competes as a Veteran in National and International events. He currently races for "Dymag-T-One-D" which aims to raise awareness of Type 1 Diabetes. John joined Life Cycle UK in 2013 to teach bike mechanics inside HMP Bristol.
john.russell@lifecycleuk.org.uk
Rich Edwards - Bike Back Volunteer Co-ordinator
Rich started his working life as an audiologist, then spent 10 years as a primary school teacher. In 2010, he decided to turn his lifelong love of bikes into a career and became a professional cycle mechanic. Rich started volunteering on our bike recycling project in 2012, before joining the Life Cycle team in 2013. He is City & Guilds accredited Tutor, Assessor and Quality Assurer in cycle mechanics. Rich spends most of his time drinking tea, fixing bikes or playing his guitar.
bikebackvols@lifecycleuk.org.uk
James Richardson - Bike Back Lead Mechanic
James started life as a rock climber, drifting into cycling as a way to keep fit in winter. His love of biking led to over 20 years in the bike trade, working in sales and as a mechanic. James has raced all over the country and is a seven time Cyclo-Cross Area Champion. He can normally be found either mechanic-ing or cycling up hills in the Alps to allow for an increasing consumption of cake. He joined Life Cycle in 2014.
Chrissie Decker - Youth Project Co-ordinator
Chrissie first became involved with Life Cycle as a volunteer, supporting the Bike Minded group rides. In 2015, she joined the team at HMP Bristol to help run the bike recycling scheme and six months on she took over the delivery of Life Cycle's Youth project. Chrissie gets a great deal of satisfaction working on two projects which bring benefits to so many people in the community.
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