PR Feb 2024

Ric Ellis is the new Head of Development at Teamwork Trust, a Northamptonshire charity which supports autistic adults, people with learning disabilities and individuals with mental health needs. Here Ric talks about his passion for the Third Sector, his plans for Teamwork Trust and his passion for making a difference ..

 

From the army to the Third Sector

My career has been varied. I was in the army for 23 years and then worked in the third sector for 20 years, specialising in low carbon economy, social enterprises, social impact and business development. I have worked with people with learning disabilities, adults and youth offenders.

 

This is my ideal job

I wanted this job as soon as I saw the advert. Teamwork Trust puts their service users at the very heart of everything they do and I wanted to be a part of this.   

My job here is all about creating a bridge between our business community and those with autism and learning disabilities.

Teamwork Trust is the ideal enterprise partner. We deliver outsourcing work for business, provide volunteering opportunities, and play a key role in supporting organisation with their corporate social responsibility.

 

Coming up

My plan is to run a series of business enterprise breakfast events, introducing businesses to our service users and then developing a range of new partnership opportunities.

I also want to drive forward a number of service user led social enterprises and are looking for partners who can help us do this.

 

My green fingers

I run my own social enterprise, a wellbeing garden called ‘Uppingham Grows’. We run a host of activities and create a safe place for people to build their confidence, nurture their wellbeing, grow and share local produce.

In my spare time I also love to spend time with family and friends. As a cancer survivor I have raised money for many charities, including cycling from Land's End to John o'Groats and cycling around Rutland Water six times in a day.

Click Here to contact Ric