Cheryl Roach
Background
I began my career as a volunteer at Centre 63, working directly within the local community. During my time at the centre, I gained valuable experience supporting children and young people, which helped me recognise my passion for empowering young people to reach their potential, build confidence and develop essential life skills through informal and non-formal educational activities.
As my career progressed, I became a Project Manager, taking responsibility for managing a small team as well as supporting and developing volunteers and gap-year volunteers. The project was funded through Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council’s Supporting People Programme and was assessed through the Quality Assessment Framework (QAF). We achieved a Level B, demonstrating the quality of the service we provided and our commitment to maintaining strong standards of delivery.
I have now worked within Knowsley for over 22 years, gaining extensive knowledge and understanding of the borough, its communities and the challenges faced by local residents. Throughout my various roles, I have actively participated in forums, partnership meetings and strategic boards, enabling me to develop strong and lasting relationships with organisations and professionals across Knowsley.
These experiences have given me a strong foundation in community development, partnership working, service delivery and supporting vulnerable people, all of which continue to influence and strengthen the work I undertake today.
In my previous role as Business Development Manager, I had vast experience of applying and securing funding for youth and community projects and have been successful in sustaining services to meet the needs of our community for the past six years.
For many years, Cheryl and Ann shared a vision of establishing their own Community Interest Company to address the gaps they had identified in local support and advice services across Knowsley.
This vision led to the creation of Merseyside Housing and Debt Advice CIC (MHDA), an accessible, community-based service supporting disadvantaged and vulnerable people who are experiencing, or at risk of, poverty, homelessness, housing insecurity and financial hardship.
Over the past two years, MHDA has worked directly within the communities of Knowsley, listening to local people and developing a strong understanding of the challenges they face in relation to housing, welfare benefits and debt. The experiences and feedback of the people we support have been central to shaping and developing our services.
This community-led approach has strengthened our commitment to providing practical, accessible and person-centred support that responds to real need, removes barriers to accessing help, and enables people to achieve greater housing and financial stability.
Working within the community has strengthened my passion for helping others and making a positive contribution to the wellbeing of local people. Being able to support individuals through difficult circumstances and contribute to positive change gives me a strong sense of purpose and fulfilment within my career.
Throughout my career, I have had many opportunities to develop new skills, build on my existing knowledge and continually grow both personally and professionally. These experiences have increased my confidence, broadened my understanding of the needs of different communities and helped shape the way I work today.
For me, making a meaningful difference within the community is extremely rewarding. Seeing people become more confident, overcome barriers and achieve positive outcomes brings me a genuine sense of satisfaction and reinforces my commitment to continuing this work.