WHO WE ARE
Make a Difference community group brings together and fosters understanding amongst local people from the diverse communities across Greater Manchester. We facilitate promote, support and develop recreational activities, events, fundraising, and project planning support, catering, and trips out. We welcome and support people with special needs and disabilities from all backgrounds to all our activites and events.
Meet Our Team
Alison Howse
Volunteer – Arts and Crafts Facilitator
I am a proud mother to my daughter Soleil. I have been working with the Shine SEND group for the past 7 years as a volunteer, creating different arts and crafts activities for the young people to enjoy and learn.
Maida Saeed
Admin Support and Food Co-ordinator
I am the administrator officer, food co-ordinator, and a volunteer worker.
Being involved in the community work gave me more humble insights. Helping others and doing our best to make it best possible for everyone to join in our sessions and gain some extra incentives are what I love about being in Make a Difference, that is, mental health, physical health, food workshops, batch cooking and many more.
Sally McFerran
Projects Manager
Hello,
My name is Sally and I am the facilitator of Feel Good Fridays and manage projects on behalf of Make a Difference.
I am a wellness and nutrition coach and love being part of a dynamic and diverse community.
Rand Mohammed
Volunteer Support Worker & Food Co-ordinator
Hi
My name is Rand Mohammed. My role is Community Champion & Food Co-ordinator.
Things I love about my work is enjoying helping people and I love to introduce people about other diverse cultures through food.
Bernard Kivel
Committee Member- Treasurer
I am Bernard. I am a local resident of Stockport and have volunteered in my community for over 25 years. I am proud to work alongside the Make a Difference team as their Treasurer. I’ve been told I am a very passionate and caring person who goes out of my way to support people in need. I do know I am a people’s person and I love to spend time chatting and talking to people to get to know them.
R Kez
Community Café Head Chef
Hi I’m Kez.
My role is working at Allan’s Community Cafe, running Heald Green Friday Hub and supporting Jan and Nadia in their administration tasks.
I enjoy working with all my members and making our spaces a safe and enjoyable place for EVERYONE.
I enjoy playing darts and reading in my spare time.
Beth Jones
Senior Youth Worker
Hello! My name is Beth, and I am a youth worker with Make a Difference , specifically supporting the girls' youth group 'Young Women's Voices'. One thing I love about my role is empowering young women to discover their identity, and developing their sense of confidence. For the rest of my week I am a project manager at the mental health charity SPARC, supporting young adults to develop their holistic wellbeing.
Jan Bennett
AutiSk CEO
I’m Jan
I work AutiSk CEO and Nadia in my role as advisor from Autisk and trying to make our communities a better place for families. I also have 6 children and am married to Kevin who supports me with my aspirations. My specialism is working with children, young people and families who have SEND. I work in partnership with Make a Difference to deliver inclusive activities.
John Grundy
Delivery of the HNCC ESOL provision
My role is the delivery of the HNCC ESOL provision and adapting it to meet the needs of existing and new members of our community for who English is not their first language. It is particularly heartening to see how their increasing language skills have a positive impact on other areas of their lives. Away from HNCC I am a carer for my in laws as they battle dementia and I also provide further ESOL tuition in Longsight and Moss Side areas.
Ismail Akbar (Issy)
Sessional Multi Sports Worker
At the SHINE Well-Being Group I facilitate the darts, snooker, football and any physical movement or games that the young people want to participate in. I also work on the HAF progamme, playing football and having a laugh with the kids. I am 30 years old and have lived in Longsight all my life, so I have a good understanding of the issues in the area that young people face. I get to know the people in the group one to one, which I prefer. In my other spare time, I love to cook and am an avid Manchester United football fan.
Atefeh Sharif
Volunteer
I’m Ati from Iran and I volunteer with Make a Difference helping out with the youth activities and help cooking meals in the kitchen.
I enjoy playing with kids and teaching them because I believe that all talents can be recognized in childhood. I truly enjoy collaborating with people and am familiar with several cultures. My interests are swimming, dancing, painting, and cooking.
Regine Sadi
volunteer
Hello. I’m Regine from Cameroon and I worked in the hospitality industry.
I am a volunteer for Make a Difference and love being part of a community. What I do are supporting the ESOL Group, Feel Good Friday and the famous Alan’s Cafe. I love music, dancing and travelling.
Sandra Davenport
Youth Worker & Social Media Content Creator
My name is Sandra Davenport and I run Art Attack, every Thursday for Make a Difference. I bring creative projects to kids aged 7-11 years olds, encouraging them to make things, rather than scroll on screens. I also run the social channels to keep our community up to date with what we are up to. I like being a part of the community, and meeting my neighbours, and making new friends.
Talha Irfan
Website Developer / Manager
Talha plays a crucial role in developing and managing the organization's online presence. His expertise in web development, combined with his ability to effectively manage digital projects, ensures that the Make A Difference Community's website is both functional and engaging.
Talha is an integral part of the Make A Difference Community team, leveraging his skills to support the organization's goals and make a meaningful impact.
Tony Wright
Project Developer
I am a project developer with over forty years experiences who works in disadvantaged communities to engage them in innovative activities and opportunities. The activities empower them, enabling them to make positive changes in their lives and work towards setting personal goals. I like working with Make a Difference because they bring a lot of joy to the people who live in Stockport. They always go that extra mile to make a difference to ensure people's quality of life is improved. I support the Make a Difference projects and initiatives which work with children and young people in Stockport and Reddish.
Nicola Anderson
Marketing & Communications Officer
Hello, I’m Nicola, I support Make a Difference with their marketing and creative communications. The role is varied from creating content for the social media platforms, designing graphics and promoting events and producing all the collateral and presentations for the annual Community Awards for International Women's Day. As well as sharing useful information to the community, I’m always creatively communicating to engage with our audience.
Mabel Regis
Admin Support
My name is Mabel Regis. My role is Admin Support to Nadia Ali and one thing I love about the work is that it really uses my skills well. I am very passionate about valuing all communities which is what Make a Difference is all about. I am an online tutor of English as a Second Language and do proof-reading for a range of needs from letters to publishing books.
Naz Khan
Volunteer Support Worker
Hello. My name is Naz Khan. I have the pleasure of being Nadia's close friend for over 27 years.
I'm a qualified SEN teaching assistant, carer & beautician.
In Make a Difference I've been volunteering for the SHINE group over the years and the family programmes. Also, I help out when needed. I'm often known as Paparazzi Naz as I’m always taking photo's & videos which I enjoy doing. I love being around children & talking to people.
I also do a lot for charity. I'm a big fan of Bollywood music & I love to watch Pakistani dramas. I love to travel. I like to go for walks, gym & any Bollyfit Zumba classes in my spare time.
Sadia Akbar
Community Development Worker
My name is Sadia I currently teach A-Level Sociology and I’m a Youth Leader and Community Development Worker for Heaton Norris Community Centre and Make a Difference. I am passionate about supporting young people with their mental health and wellbeing and helping young people to reach their full potential both academically and professionally. I am also passionate about music and radio and host my own drive time radio show at ALLFM 96.9 every Thursday. I have a great deal of experience with working with people from all ages, backgrounds and experiences and I have spent three years in China teaching English as a foreign language. I am an examiner for AQA and WJEC curriculum so have ample knowledge about exam specifications and marking.
Ava
volunteer
Hi my name is Ava. I enjoy musicals, history and spending time with family and friends. I have been an active member of Young Women’s Voice for over 3 years and it has helped me to build my confidence in so many ways. I have been volunteering at Heaton Norris Community Centre for over a year supporting new members of the group as well as helping with planning and delivering sessions such as mental health wellbeing activities and team building exercises. I love my community and love being a part of it.
Zeinab
volunteer
Hi I’m Zainab and I have been volunteering at Heaton Norris community centre for the last 12 months. Helping to plan activities with young people and engage in various sports activities. I am also a member of Young Women’s Voice Group which I have been a part of for 5 years.