Meet the Team

Hello, and thank you for coming to meet us! We’re the Active Devon team and we’re committed, friendly professionals here to support you to enable people to move more.

Strategic Relationships Director at Active Devon

Active Devon's Business and Finance Officer Claire

Active Devon's Marketing and Campaigns Manager Kate

Lisa is one of Active Devon's Partnership Officer's

Photo of Sarah, Active Devon's Team Support Coordinator

Photo of Tom, one of Active Devon's Partnerships Manager

Active Devon's Marketing and Communications Manager Vicky Radcliffe.

Aaron Harverson

Partnerships Manager

With a background in partnership development, Aaron brings a wealth of knowledge and practical skills to his role as Partnerships Manager. Aaron’s work includes the management of workplace wellbeing and our environmental impact, as well being Active Devon’s Lead Safeguarding Officer. A Devon thoroughbred, Aaron absolutely loves living in his home county.

Joining Active Devon in June 2019, Aaron thrives on supporting organisations to develop their active workplace agenda in pursuit of greater morale, motivation and efficiency. He’s an avid traveller but finds nothing beats coming home to the Shire.

Active Devon

Claire Beney

Director (Strategic Relationships)

Claire is proud to be with Active Devon as a Director of Strategic Relationships, a co-produced role with Sport England integrating our local work with national strategy. As the strategic lead for the areas of Torbay and Plymouth she works closely with internal colleagues and external partners to make changes to systems to support more people to get active locally.

Claire really enjoys running and has taken part in many running events. She is also very passionate about living in Devon with her young family and believes wholeheartedly that everyone should have the opportunity to be active.

Active Devon

Dai Carpenter

Partnerships Officer

Dai joined us in 2021 following many years within The FA in football development. Dai’s work covers Plymouth, supporting a range of community projects that provide opportunities for people to be active. He is passionate about equality in sport, the quality of people’s experience and the benefits of great coaching.

Dai enjoys a variety of sports in his spare time from tennis to tag rugby to surfing. He is also an active dancer and musician, and can often be spotted watching or performing music locally.

Active Devon

Claire Colman

Business & Finance Officer

As the Business Support and Finance Officer, Claire is often the go-to lady at Active Devon. Studying Mathematical Statistics and Operational Research at Exeter University, the obvious career choice after Uni was accountancy and Claire went on to become a fully qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. After a move to a smaller local firm she decided that it was time for a complete career change and initially joined Active Devon as an Administrator.

Claire is a keen seamstress, often wowing the team with her latest creations in work wear. When not sewing, for herself or her daughter’s Cosplay outfits, she sings in La La Choirs.

Active Devon

Nick Cull

Partnerships Officer

Nick recently joined Active Devon as Partnerships Officer for the Torbay area after a career change from the public sector. In his previous career Nick worked alongside the community in a variety of roles that included working in partnership with other local organisations to help improve local communities and keep them safe. Due to this Nick brings his detailed experience of the Torbay community and local contacts to the role.

In his spare time Nick is often found swimming around the bays of Torbay or in the local pools when the temperature drops. Nick is also a keen triathlete and triathlon coach for his local club where he enjoys helping people start their journey into triathlon.

Active Devon

Emily van Vliet

Partnerships Manager

Emily leads on the Torbay area. Working on various projects at Active Devon she draws upon her previous experience of managing youth provisions and leading a local fundraising and communication teams within the charity sector. Emily is passionate about the outdoors, Devon’s natural heritage and the environment, as well as the health and wellbeing benefits of staying active.

A keen climber, Emily can be found dangling from a rope over Devon’s sea-cliffs. She also loves surfing and snowboarding, as well as long walks and cycle rides with her family.

Active Devon

Gareth Dix

Director (Strategic Relationships)

As Director (Strategic Relationships), working across Devon and closely with Sport England nationally, Gareth’s key fields of work include working in the health sector and with local authority leisure services through whole systems and collaborative approaches to increasing physical activity. Gareth brings considerable experience. He holds M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in Sport Science and Leisure Resource Management, is the Fellow of Clore Social Leadership and Fellow of Royal Society of Arts and has worked across South West and Wales in NHS Public Health, Local Authorities and in Social Enterprise. He is a Specialist Level 4 Practitioner in managing Diabetes and Obesity through Physical Activity and Advanced Practitioner in motivational interviewing for behaviour change, plus a Member of the Chartered Institute of Management of Sport and PA.

In his spare time Gareth is a very talented and published musician, plus a keen surfer, spending as much time as he can with his family at the beach, riding the waves.

Active Devon

Hannah Worth

Director

With a wealth of strategic and programme experience, Hannah leads our programmes team and has overall responsibility for the impact of our work tackling inactivity. Heading up the integration of behaviour change theory into our work, she is passionate that active lifestyles are accessible for everyone, and that local people help shape and influence what we deliver.

Previously at the UK-wide Sport for Development charity Sported, Hannah is an advocate for the power of sport and physical activity to change lives at both an individual and societal level. She has a BSc in Exercise & Health with Human Biology, and in her free time pursues her passion for helping people achieve their triathlon and running goals.

Active Devon

Jason Wood

Partnerships Manager

Jason is part of the Early Life team and leads on supporting primary schools in Devon to becoming ‘Active Schools’. Jason is also the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead for the organisation and as a qualified Learning and Development Consultant helps to deliver learning and development interventions for staff.

Jason has been working in community and sports development for over 15 years and started out as a community coach in Devon, delivering in schools and clubs, and is a qualified cricket and tennis coach. He still enjoys playing cricket for the local village team and volunteers as the welfare officer and part time groundsman. To keep active he spends most of his spare time taking the dog on long walks, particularly around the coast paths of East Devon.

Active Devon

Karen Jones

Partnerships Manager

Karen, who has been with Active Devon since 2002, is part of our South & West Communities Team, our Early Life team and currently leads the Plymouth Pathfinder work along with being the lead for our elective home education work. She brings a wealth of community development and relationship/project management experience to her role.

Karen is a huge advocate for inclusion and equality and passionate about supporting young people to reach their potential. In her spare time, she is the chair of the charity, Netball South West and a keen walker with Dartmoor on her doorstep.

Active Devon

Kate Came

Marketing & Communications Manager

Whilst Kate co-manages all Marketing and Communications functions and activities, she specialises in content strategy and content management. This includes content creation and writing for digital and print, and helping to produce marketing collateral. She also leads on and operationally manages the website. Kate has 16 years’ previous experience working in various marketing and communications roles covering all aspects, with the more recent role focusing on campaign delivery. She is also trained in social marketing and is a qualified NLP Practitioner, (Neuro Linguistic Programming).

Kate is local to Exeter and values Devon’s amazing natural environments. She enjoys walking, running and cycling with her friends, and entering the odd triathlon here and there. She is also dedicated to her children and supporting them to achieve their best.

Active Devon

Lisa Alford

Partnerships Officer

Our lead for South Hams and West Devon, Lisa also manages the hugely successful School Games and Ability Games. Based in Plymouth, she joined us in 2014 following 22 years as a Physical Training Instructor in the Royal Navy. With a BA in Coaching & Fitness Education, and experience in teaching, she brings a wealth of coaching and organisational experience to her role and is passionate about benefits of physical activity.

Despite having a taste for worldwide travel, she is happiest out walking her dog in Devon’s amazing countryside.

Louise Evans

Partnerships Manager

With a range of programme management experience, Louise heads up our work in Exeter and Teignbridge, as well as leading a portfolio of projects relating to the Local Delivery Pilot. Previously at Active Somerset, she has been working on the inactivity agenda for over 14 years, and brings a wealth of knowledge related to behaviour change and social marketing.

A swimmer, surfer and weightlifter, Louise is also a huge crossfit fan – as well as a coach – and truly lives what she preaches. Outside of work, she’s often training for the next big competition!

Matt Evans

Chief Executive

As Chief Executive, Matt works with the Board to set our strategic direction and is responsible for enacting that strategy operationally, working with the team and our partners to further enable the people of Devon to get and stay active for life.

Prior to becoming Chief Executive in 2011, Matt was our Head of Development and has altogether been with Active Devon for over 17 years. A governor at Plymouth Marjon University, he is a keen walker, cyclist and golfer and lives in East Devon with his wife and two teenage daughters.

Neil Blackburn

Partnerships Officer

Lead for North Devon & Torridge, Neil was previously Head of Central Operations at Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. With an MA in Business from Exeter University, and experience lecturing in Sport, he is hugely engaged in local communities having also been a school governor, secretary of a large youth football club and trustee of two charities.

Neil continues to coach and playing football as well as playing cricket and golf. In his spare time he can also be found walking with his family and dogs in local beauty spots in North Devon.

Perrin Fox

Business Support Assistant

Perrin is a newer member of the team and provides admin support for the Schools and Learning work we do. As an ex-teacher her passionate belief that all children deserve the best possible opportunities has found a natural home, working to encourage schools to complete the Active Lives Survey and keep their Primary PE and School Sport Premium documents up to date. The societal focus on health and well-being and taking care of our mental health has a particular resonance for Perrin and she is delighted to be able to support others in bringing this message across the sector.

Perrin is a dedicated crafter and is often feltmaking, sewing, knitting and doing embroidery. She also enjoys walking with her family, especially her grandchildren and has completed three sky-dives since reaching the big 60!

Rebecca Skinner

Partnerships Manager

As the lead for Active Devon’s Early Life strategy and team, Rebecca’s primary responsibility is to develop relationships with system partners to ensure that children and young people have access to positive movement experiences. Her leadership is focused on fostering greater understanding and commitment among system partners to increase, promote, and embed these positive experiences, which are essential to increasing the physical activity and wellbeing of children and young people throughout their lives.

Beyond her work at Active Devon, Rebecca is an active volunteer and a passionate advocate for youth development. She serves as a Trustee for VOYC Devon, an organisation that champions individuals and groups in the voluntary, community, and not-for-profit sector that work with and for children and young people. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys baking cakes, strength training, and spending time in nature.

Active Devon

Sarah Flint

Team Support Co-ordinator

Sarah is delighted to be part of Active Devon as Team Support Co-ordinator after working for the University of Exeter in business support and other various administrative roles. Looking towards the future, she believes it’s vital for communities to be supported through activities that improve sustainability, health, and wellbeing.

Sarah loves exploring Devon for its variety of outdoor spaces, from moors to riverside, to coast. She is training to be a yoga teacher and enjoys walks with her dog – plus a bit of sea swimming, paddle boarding and a good home workout.

Active Devon

Tamsin Phelvin

Partnerships Manager

Tamsin covers the East & Mid Devon regions, working within these communities to increase opportunities for residents to become active and stay active. She is also the Active Devon lead for pre and postnatal activity and Workforce.

With a professional background in procurement & supplier management, Tamsin has led procurement projects within the MoD, NHS and most recently within Local Authority Public Health and Children’s Services. She is also is a Level 4 qualified Personal Trainer, England Athletics Running Coach and a CIMSPA Senior Activity & Health Practitioner Member. Tamsin is passionate about removing barriers so all can enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of exercise. Plus, she is a keen endurance runner and loves running Devon’s many beautiful trails and footpaths.

Tim Howard

Partnerships Manager

Leading on our research, data analytics and insight work, including our efforts to monitor and evaluate our performance, Tim makes sure we are making the most of the data that is available to us, whether it is sourced internally or externally. This means new programmes are designed with their audience in mind, and existing programmes are continually improved. Prior to working for Active Devon, he worked as a Data Analyst for companies in and around the finance sector. He has also worked as a Business Strategy Consultant in New Zealand for a couple of years.

Outside of Active Devon he is passionate about continuing to develop and is currently learning to speak Japanese, and to play the violin. He also loves being active and regularly plays racket sports and runs whenever he gets the chance.

Active Devon

Tom Mack

Partnerships Manager

Tom leads our Active Ageing programme Connecting Actively to Nature (CAN), as well as various other projects supporting over 55’s to be more active. These include supporting Walking for Health in Devon, seated exercise and sheltered housing projects, and Naturally Healthy work including the successful Naturally Healthy May campaign.

Prior to Active Devon, Tom has worked extensively in the Youth and Community sector, with a focus on using outdoor adventure for personal development, spending time on expeditions in Africa, Asia and South America with charity Raleigh International. Tom is particularly passionate about the power of nature to improve our mental and physical wellbeing. On a Saturday morning you will find Tom at any one of Devon’s great parkrun events.

Active Devon

Vicky Radcliffe

Marketing & Communications Manager

Whilst Vicky co-manages all Marketing and Communications functions and activities, she specialises in PR, media and social media. This includes leading on corporate comms and managing Active Devon’s various social media channels. Vicky has 30 years’ experience in PR and publicity. She previously worked for Camelot for 13 years delivering winner national press conferences, creating and executing media publicity campaigns for new game launches and raising general awareness of lottery fund distribution. This also included managing the PR for The National Lottery Olympic Park Run – the first event to take place in the Olympic Park.

Vicky, who moved to Devon eight years ago, loves to take walks on the beach and explore the beautiful Devon countryside. She is also a yoga enthusiast. Plus, she actively supports her community and is a member of many local committee groups.