Wales Climate Week - Meet the people behind the projects

Project Zero

Helen Moses, Strategy and Partnership Manager

Helen and the Strategy and Partnership team worked closely with colleagues across the Council to develop the Climate Challenge Plan in 2021 and bring a range of work together as part of Project Zero. Helen has been keen to ensure that connections to Project Zero are made at every opportunity and that the need to respond to the climate emergency is highlighted through council activities and our work through the Public Services Board.  

In 2021 a new Project Zero Board was established, chaired by the Chief Executive and bringing together senior officers with responsibility for the 18 challenges within the Climate Challenge Plan. Helen has supported the work of the Board including regular progress reports to Cabinet and Scrutiny and also worked closely with the Communications team and Youth Service to engage with our residents. 

Helen is pleased to welcome Susannah McWilliam to the Strategy and Partnership team who, as the new Programme Manager for Project Zero, will now pick up the baton to work with the Project Zero Board and Council colleagues to deliver Project Zero. 

Susannah McWilliam – Project Zero Officer

Susannah recently joined the Council in the role of Project Zero Programme Manager. She is looking forward to working with the Project Zero Board and with teams across the council whose work plans contribute to meeting the commitments in the Climate Change Challenge Plan. 

Susannah brings years of UK-wide sustainable project management experience from the charity sector. She is also a Trustee of a local environmental organisation in Penarth, and chairs the Plastic Free Penarth group.

Food Vale

Joanna Beynon, Policy Officer 

Jo supports the Food Vale project on behalf of the Council, sitting on its Steering Group. Jo ensures links are made between the Council and Public Service Boards’ work on Food Vale, to maximise the impact of our efforts and avoid duplication. This includes ensuring Welsh Government food poverty grants are well spent on projects that will benefit as many Vale residents as possible. 

Jo works closely with Louise Denham as one of the Council’s key representatives on the Llantwit Food Project, which is a multi-partner and cross sector project led by Food Vale to help improve access to food in Llantwit Major. The Llantwit Food Project have recently launched the ‘More Than Food Hub’ to help people access support on wider issues often related to food poverty. There are plenty of other actions on the list for the project but maybe most relevant for climate week is that it will be supporting local community gardens in Llantwit Major to help encourage people to grow their own.  Hopefully this work will help more people to access good food, reduce food waste, shop local and encourage people to grow their own. 

Sustainable transport

Lisa Elliott, Active Travel Officer

Lisa has  worked for the Vale of Glamorgan Council for 7 years, having worked for the Reserve Forces for 20 years in Finance and HR, she felt she needed a change of direction and a vacancy within Greenlinks Community Transport team was the opportunity for change she was looking for. Lisa was appointed Active Travel Officer in August 2020.There are several ways her role supports becoming carbon neutral, such as:

• Developing and constructing infrastructure projects to provide cycling/walking routes to key destinations
• Working with schools on their active travel plans and providing resources to allow them to walk, scoot or cycle to school
• Promoting the Vale Healthy Travel Charter to get staff actively travelling to their workplace 

Lisa said, "It’s all about behaviour change and getting the message to our residents that by choosing to walk or take the bus to school, work or shopping will will make a difference to our environment.

"During the (Covid-19) pandemic so many people enjoyed cycling around their towns because there were no cars – it would be great if we could replicate that now!"

Green Infrastructure 

Marcus Bayona-Martinez, Senior Planner

Marcus started his role as a senior planner in January this year and took over the work on the GI Plan that his team had begun. Over the next couple of months he will be collating the information gathered to complete the audit section of the plan. Marcus hopes to run a public engagement exercise to further enhance the information gathered on green spaces and begin conversations about ideas for the future. 

The GI plan is integral to the Council’s response to the climate emergency and provides a real opportunity to display how our attitude is changing. Directly, in terms of assisting in meeting net zero emissions, but also indirectly by promoting the importance of the natural environment and how we interact with it.