Our Family

Development Manager

Keely Burch

My name is Keely, and I am the Development Manager of Millfields Inspired. I have been working in the Health and Care/Childcare sector for 33 years now. During this time, I have been lucky enough to serve in various roles across the sector such as HE/FE teacher, early years nursery manager, parenting worker, early intervention worker, health and care specialist, managed teams of staff in children’s centres, and worked in social care alongside families on child protection and child in need plans. I am passionate about children’s outcomes and firmly believe that ALL children should have equal access to services that can provide them with the support they need to thrive and develop. With this in mind, after completing my masters degree in Social Policy with a focus on the impact of parenting interventions on children with SEN, I am now currently studying for my doctorate in Education, and my research area focuses on the lived experience of marginalised children.

Project Coordinator

Michele Fox

I’ve worked in the education sector for almost 30 years, from primary school teaching to postgraduate lecturing. During this time, I’ve also written a range of teaching resources for the BBC and British Council, as well as spending an amazing 18 months as an education advisor in Rwanda. It’s a real joy to now work alongside our partners and schools in Stonehouse and Devonport, developing real life contexts for children’s learning and their aspirations for the future.

Trustee

Professor Stephen Felmingham

Stephen Felmingham is an artist and educator and has lectured extensively in drawing, painting, print and contemporary art practice on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across the UK, including Falmouth University, Norwich University of the Arts and Leeds Arts University. He studied at Middlesex University and the University of Arts London (Wimbledon) where he completed an MA in Drawing in 1999. He gained his doctorate from the university of Leeds in 2014 reading drawing, place and the contemporary sublime.

Trustee

Janet Ellard

I am a HLTA at the Cathedral School of St Mary and have worked there for 25 years. I work across all year groups but my ‘home’ is in years 5 and 6. I am also a Governor for Montpelier Primary School and have been for 40 years. I think that the specialty that I bring to Millfields Inspired is my knowledge of primary education, both with the working of our school, within Stonehouse, and of the pupils. The children that I work with daily come from some of the most deprived areas of the country and I feel that I have some understanding of their issues and problems.

Trustee

Nina Sarlarka

An Accredited Fellow of Chartered Management institute, post graduate qualified in Management Studies, an Associate of the chartered institute of Bankers and a NLP Masters Practitioner, Nina has a wealth of management expertise over 30 years covering private and public sectors, operational management and strategic leadership. She has set up and successfully run her own management consultancy over several years before her current role leading Enterprise and Inward Investment for Plymouth City Council. Nina has held a vice Principal level position in a large further education college in the South West, had sole executive responsibility for one of the UK’s fastest growing Science Parks, managed enterprise support services over Devon, Cornwall and Somerset delivering products such as start-up and early years’ service. Prior to that Nina progressed through a global retail bank on a fast-track management programme experiencing most of the positions within traditional banking with in-depth exposure to high net worth banking and the national sales function. Nina has previously held a wide range of non-executive board positions and other interest, such as Director of United Kingdom Science Park Association, Expert Panel Member on national grant schemes, South West Science Park and Incubator Leaders network, Director of Plymouth Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chair Plymouth Commercial Premises Group, Director Plymouth Access To Housing, Civilians Committee Member for Devonport 197 RAF Cadet Squadron, Judge on various regional business competitions. Outside of work Nina enjoys long moor and coastal hikes, sea swimming, huge batch cooking sessions, is an avid reader and simply spending time relaxing with her family and friends.

Trustee

Peter Barlow

Peter Barlow has lived in Plymouth since 2004. He is the Managing Director of Outersight (UK) Ltd which is based in Stonehouse and specialises in remote wildlife monitoring. He also runs Plymstages which provides mobile stages for live events, an area that he has been involved in for nearly 40 years. Having spent some time as Chair of Governors at St Georges Primary Academy he gained an insight into the pressing needs that many of our young people face and how small interventions at an early age can produce dramatic improvements in a child’s achievements and happiness later in life.

Trustee

Sam Roberts

I am a Nuclear Safety Engineer working for Babcock at Devonport Dockyard. I grew up in Plymouth and completed a degree in Physical Geography and Geology (rocks and volcanoes!) whilst working in a local bakery. Since joining Babcock in 2020, I have been an active STEM Ambassador and joined the Devonport STEM Coordination Team in early 2021 as the STEM Primary Lead. Any requests, events or activities that come in from primary schools or involve KS1 or KS2 I coordinate, plan, and ensure are delivered to a high level by our ambassadors (E.g., Widening Horizons, #InspireMe, Book Reads). I also actively support and steer the delivery of wider Babcock STEM and support site visits, work experiences and city events / initiatives (e.g., STEM Sail GP). I organised and ran Babcock’s presence at Armed Forces Day in June 2022, where we were the main sponsor. Being able to inspire people face to face again was great! I was also a Scout leader for 10+ years with the 1st Plympton Scout Group. This enabled me to gain a good insight into what works well with young people, how to successfully plan and deliver an engaging programme and acknowledge how times are changing and the challenges faced by young people. I stood back from Scouts to actively pursue some personal goals, but the valuable experience has enabled me to support STEM at Babcock. Our engagements have increased significantly over the last few years and continue to do so. I have developed strong relationships with teams within Babcock to support STEM and also with our external partners (such as Millfields Inspired, City College Plymouth). In November 2022, the DRDL STEM Coordination Team won both the Regional and National Awards for ‘Inspirational STEM Employer’ which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Team and our ambassadors. Outreach is only as strong as the people involved – which is why I strive to establish and cement links with our local community, especially schools. I was supported massively by some great teachers and STEM ambassadors growing up which highlighted opportunities which I didn’t think were possible for me. I hope to be one of those catalysts for young people today. It is values like these which I believe I share with Millfields and look forward to working more closely together in the near future.

Andy Botterill

My name is Andrew Botterill, and I’m now happily retired after owning and managing an Electrical and Mechanical Contracting business in Plymouth for 33 years. After leaving school in 1982, I had no clear idea of what I wanted to do, so I enrolled in a property maintenance training course. That’s when I had the opportunity to apply for an electrical installation apprenticeship, which I had never considered before. I ended up loving the work and had a fantastic apprenticeship. I started my own company in 1989, at the age of 22, and when I sold the business in 2021, it employed 50 people and had a turnover of £10 million. I became a Trustee of Millfields Inspired over 10 years ago when my business was based in Stonehouse. I was inspired by the work MI does to help develop aspirations among local primary school children. Growing up in St Budeaux, I know how important it is to have access to opportunities and a career you enjoy, and that’s why MI’s mission resonated with me. As Chair of the Board of Trustees, I’m actively involved in all aspects of our work within the local community. I’ve learned so much from our dedicated team, who are passionate about delivering impactful programmes. I’ve had the privilege of attending Widening Horizons visits, where I’ve seen first-hand the positive responses from children when they’re introduced to the wide range of careers available to them.