Our staff and volunteers create a welcoming environment where children and young people can play, explore and grow. Through adventurous play, creativity and supportive relationships, they help young people develop confidence, independence, new skills and positive connections with others.
Kirsty Collander-Brown (she/her) – CEO
Kirsty has been a youth and community worker for over 25 years, working across youth work, social research, community led service change and systems design in organisations including The Roundhouse, The Albany and adventure playgrounds and youth settings across London.
She is a registered mental health first aid trainer and Safeguarding Lead. Kirsty is well known for her unwavering belief in the power and imagination of young people.
Fun fact: Kirsty ran a venue at Glastonbury Festival for several years.
Coach La La (she/her) – Lead Youth Worker Coach
La La is an FA-qualified sports coach and certified youth worker whose passion lies in empowering people of all ages, with a particular focus on supporting young people. At Somerville, she is the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and Lead Youth Worker, playing a key role in ensuring that the playground remains a safe, supportive and welcoming space for everyone.
Giving back to the community sits at the heart of La La’s work. She has been working with young people since her school days, bringing her skills, experience and vibrant personality to create positive opportunities for others. Through sport and youth work, La La is committed to helping young people build confidence, set goals and overcome challenges. She is also passionate about strengthening community connections and creating environments where everyone feels encouraged and supported to thrive.
La La believes deeply in the power of kindness and the way it connects people across differences. This ethos shapes her work every day, and she takes great pride in being part of the Somerville community and supporting young people to realise their potential.
Tinai (she/her) – Youth Worker
Community sits at the heart of Tinai’s work, and she believes young people are the creative soul of any community.
A South East London native, Tinai is a musician, artist and storyteller who is passionate about nurturing young people’s imagination, self-discovery and self-expression through creativity. Somerville offers the perfect space for this — a place where young people can explore ideas, experiment and build confidence through creative play.
Alongside her work at Somerville, Tinai is an Employability Skills Trainer at Lewisham College, bringing valuable experience supporting young people to develop confidence, skills and pathways into employment.
Ondre (he/him) Youth Worker
Ondre first came to Somerville as a young person and describes it as a place that supported his development in many ways. Now, as a youth worker, he is passionate about creating the same opportunities for the next generation.
He is committed to creating a welcoming environment where every young person can discover their own interests, talents and confidence through play, creativity and positive relationships.
Ondre is an incredible roller-skater and also enjoys pool and table tennis — skills he loves sharing with young people at the playground.
He will begin studying to become a social worker this September and is passionate about supporting inclusive spaces where young people can express themselves and grow.
Romeo (he/him) – Youth Worker
Romeo first came to Somerville as a young person and participant, where he quickly stood out for the way he supported and encouraged his peers. He later volunteered with us and has since grown into a brilliant youth worker.
Romeo is a passionate and active person with a love for football, skating and music. He plays piano and drums and sings, bringing creativity and energy into everything he does. Young people are naturally drawn to Romeo’s charisma, warmth and encouragement.
At Somerville, Romeo supports young people to develop their musical skills, confidence and creativity, helping them explore their interests and build a strong sense of belonging within the playground community.
Molly (they/them) – Youth Worker
Molly is a South East London–based artist and youth worker who uses creative practice to help young people express themselves, build confidence and explore new ideas. Their work creates welcoming spaces where young people can experiment, make and share their voices through art.
Shaped by their experiences of chronic illness and disability, Molly’s practice centres accessibility, care and inclusion. They work with materials including glass, sculpture, textiles and writing, often sharing these skills through hands-on workshops that encourage play, craft and imagination.
Molly is passionate about supporting young people, particularly those who have faced barriers to creative opportunities, to explore their ideas, take creative risks and discover their own artistic voice.
Au Hoi Lam Helen (she/her) – Business Officer
Helen is our Business Officer, but job title does not capture all the many ways that Helen supports Somerville to run smoothly. Anyone who has the pleasure of meeting Helen will tell you she is knowledgeable, extraordinarily kind, and passionate about this work, and about this community.
Helen’s background is as a website developer from Hong Kong.
Helen says ‘I enjoy working with children and young people – they inspire me and teach me so much’.
On Sy Yuen (he/him) – Youth Worker
On first came to Somerville as a child in the 1980s and has remained deeply connected to the playground ever since.
Today he runs Somerville’s bicycle repair workshop, teaching young people how to fix and maintain their bikes while sharing practical skills, patience and problem-solving. Through this work, young people learn independence, responsibility and the joy of making and repairing things with their own hands. The workshop also helps ensure that young people who do not have bikes can still access one.
On is passionate about supporting positive change in the community and loves seeing young people discover new skills and confidence through practical learning and play.
Blakie – Ambassador
Blakie is an actor (Topboy, Small Axe, Eastenders) and a member of grime music crew The Square.
“Somerville is a place that I have been going to since I was small. I remember my mum leaving me there with my sister and going to work. Somerville is a place where you meet people. Loads of those people I still know today. It’s where I built my friendship groups.
It’s a place that gives you somewhere to go and explore, when there’s other influences in the area. Somerville is a place you can go and enjoy and you’re not on the roads committing no trouble. You’re playing King of the Slide! Somerville is a place where you can go and make friendships for life.”
Board of Trustees
Co-chair – Jacqui Shimidzu
Passionate about creating opportunities for young people, she co-founded New Cross + Deptford Free Film Festival, and helped build the Lower Park Skatepark with three other local mums. As the owner of the Hill Station Cafe, a grassroots community space, she has hosted a vibrant programme of events since 2013 – from pop-up suppers and club nights to music events, plays, and countless fundraisers for other organisations – with a focus on training and employment for young people and those with SEN.
Fun fact: For years, Jacqui had a recording studio at the bottom of her garden. It became an important space for young artists including Blakie, Novelist, Deema, and Elf Kid.
Co-chair – Laura Ononye
Laura has extensive experience helping organisations and leaders build positive, inclusive cultures across sectors including technology, professional services, and real estate.
An Associate Member of the CIPD and an EMCC accredited practitioner, she is passionate about helping people grow and reach their potential.
As co-chair at Somerville, Laura is proud to support the charity’s work empowering young people and families across South London to thrive.
Trustee – Shereener Browne
Shereener is a barrister, currently an associate tenant at Garden Court chambers. In 2017 she shifted her focus to a career in acting and theatre production. She founded Orísun Productions to provide a platform for underrepresented voices to be heard through theatre, with an emphasis on the African diaspora. Shereener has lived locally for the past 14 years raising her three children.
She has been trustee and chair of New Cross Gate Trust, trustee at the Albany Deptford, and sat on the steering committee for the Goldsmiths University Equity Awards. She also founded Friends of Eckington Gardens.
Fun fact – Alongside Dame Judi Dench and Sharon D Clarke, Shereener is one of only three women to have played Lady Bracknell onstage at the National Theatre.
Trustee – Shane Carey
Shane is a social impact leader and systems innovator specialising in youth, education, and mental health.
He founded Reprezent, a youth-led radio and training platform that has supported over 8,000 young people and pioneered award-winning mental health initiatives.
Over his 30-year career he has raised over £5 million and built partnerships with the BBC, NHS, British Council, and Tate Modern – all with a focus on empowering young people to thrive.
Trustee – Chris Callender
Chris is a specialist child and young person legal aid solicitor living in New Cross. He works for a children’s legal charity.
In his work and community activism he has witnessed the power of providing a safe and nurturing space for our most vulnerable children.
As a Somerville trustee, he contributes to providing just that. He boxes, runs, swims and rides. And hangs out with his fabulous daughter too!
Trustee – Phoenix Fry
Phoenix is a lecturer long-connected with Goldsmiths University of London, British Council and University of the Arts London.
He moved to the New Cross/Deptford area in 2009, setting up the much-loved Deptford Film Club, and co-founding New Cross + Deptford Free Film Festival. As an artist, he works with video, books, drawing, painting and participatory art, exploring the way humans connect with the natural world. He is currently working on projects about trees and playing.
Fun fact: He grew up on a free-range chicken farm, and he used to be a DJ at Poptastic, Manchester’s long-running indie LGBTQ+ nightclub.
Trustee – Siobán Whitney-Low
Siobán has spent over 30 years championing the arts for young people and for social change as an experienced arts fundraiser. She has worked at Unicorn Theatre for Children and Wac Arts, is an Associate of The Reading Agency, and chaired the Board of Theatre Peckham during the recruitment of their new AD/CEO.
She works as an accredited coach with groups and individuals. Siobán lives locally and brought her three sons to Somerville when they were at Edmund Waller school.
Fun fact – Siobán is co-writing a play with her youngest son exploring education, misogyny and their ancestral experience.