Martin Field is a full-time Community-Led Housing Facilitator with East Midlands Community Led Housing, working to promote and enable community-led housing initiatives across the region. Previous career positions have included senior posts with housing and planning responsibilities in local and regional public authorities; managerial roles in the housing association sector, and other ‘enabling’ roles in the community sector.

Martin has had a long-term engagement in community-led projects, both as promoter, advocate and practitioner, living in an inner-city housing co-operative; helped to complete a small self-build scheme in Leicester; served as a Board member of various national bodies across the CLH-sector; and produced papers and books about the community-led housing sector. Before the current post he worked in academic roles, associated with Northampton, De Montfort and the Open University, and has a further book on the kinds of projects found in the CLH sector under commission.

Trish McCourtMcCourt is a part time Housing-Led Facilitator with East Midlands Community Led Housing, promoting the development of community led-housing initiatives across the East Midlands. She has been a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing since 1991 and has thirty years’ experience working in the field of housing. Starting out as a volunteer with Shelter in South Wales, Trish has since worked for local authorities, housing associations, the charity and non-profit making sector and as a self employed consultant, principally across the East Midlands area. Her roles have included senior positions within the local authority and housing association sector including operational management of housing projects, social housing and homelessness services, strategy and policy development and as a direct service provider. She has experience of working in housing development, housing strategy, private sector housing, housing management and homelessness and community led housing.

Trish is also undertaking an MSc in Public Sociology at the University of Northampton. The purpose of this course is to draw on research-driven insights to articulate new and emerging issues, enabling students to use traditional and novel collaborative processes to work with individuals and groups from business, the public sector and civil society to develop new ways of addressing social issues.

Julie Perkins is a part-time Business Support Assistant with East Midlands Community Led Housing, supporting two Facilitators working to promote and enable community led housing in the East Midlands region. Previously, Julie has  worked in the Business Travel Sector as Branch Manager and Account Manager,  responsible for  the  contract management of business travel for large companies based around the UK.