Meet the Board
Gaynor Wood
Gaynor teaches university students and writes about enterprise, starting your own business, and business for sport scientists. She worked with Enterprise Educators UK in the development of enterprise education training for university and college staff in institutions across Nigeria and China.
Her main interest is cooperative enterprises including worker and housing cooperatives. Currently she is working Climate Action Preston to develop green cooperative enterprises.
Gareth Nash
Gareth is part of a small cooperative business saving local services like shops and pubs from closure. He has helped raise several million pounds so that communities can create energy from wind and water turbines. He is also active in the Cooperative Party, where he finds new ways for local people to own the services they value.
Gareth is also working with Climate Action Preston to develop a social solar power enterprise and to develop a Climate Emergency Centre.
Mark Porter
Mark is currently a Senior Lecturer in Web Design & Coding – School of Digital Arts (SODA) MMU. y skillset as a Web Developer and Creative Technologist includes full-stack web development, Web AR/XR, photography, videography, 3D printing and IOT digital / physical hybrid systems. I am also involved in distributed design and manufacturing as part of the FabLab / Maker movement in the Creative Digital Media space,
I am also the founder and a director of The PDF , a digital cooperative operating in Preston.
Ann Vanner
Ann lives in Preston and is currently the founder and director of Healing Buildings Ltd. She brings an unconventional and unwavering passion for the built environment and detailed construction knowledge, as well as project management and problem-solving abilities.
She is passionate about homes that are suited to the people who want to live in them. her interests include community housing and cooperative housing.
Aysha Patel
Aysha is an experienced Business Consultant and founding Director of Kind Communities CIC. She has a passion for people and communities, with a particular emphasis on promoting equality, diversity and inclusion within community-based organisations.
Aysha is focused on developing practical and inclusive approaches to social enterprise.
Matthew Brown
Councillor Matthew Brown
Leader of the City Council (Plungington Ward) Labour
Matthew Brown is a leader of the local city council and labour councillor for Plungington Ward. He is also the author of ‘Paint your town red’ a book on the success and practicalities of cooperative business in Preston.
Jonny Cosmo
Cosmo is a local creative and social entrepreneur. He has worked with local organisations in the third and creative sector for almost a decade and is now expanding this into economic development through cooperatives. Led by 5 C’s Cooperative, Cultural, Creative, Conscious, Community.
Debra Whiteside
Debra Whiteside born and bred in Preston, currently lives in Longridge. Previously ran the Climate Emergency Centre and currently works as a support worker for adults with physical and learning disabilities. Debra has a keen interest in trying to get people to think about the environment and biodiversity crisis and is wanting to help people work together cooperatively.
Debra has been volunteering with PCDN for the past 12 months and is keen to continue to volunteer wherever and however she can.