Barry Neighbourhoods Board

David’s stellar career in the corporate world led to him co-founding Admiral Insurance, which employs over 18,0000 people globally, of whom 7,000 are based in South Wales. Admiral is the biggest personal lines insurer in the UK and has featured on the Best Places to Work employers list every year since its inception over 20 years ago. David and his wife, Heather, set up The Waterloo Foundation which provides funding to several charities in Wales. He also chairs Business in Focus and is a board member on the Cardiff Capital Region Investment Board.

I am confident that we can tap into the collective energy and imagination of the people of Barry to come up with some great ideas for how to spend the Barry Plan for Neighbourhoods £2 million a year budget.

What most excites me is the opportunity, provided by the government’s 10 year commitment, to spend the money in ways that make for long-term, sustained improvements in the prospects for the people of Barry.
David Stevens CBE

Fay was brought up and educated in Barry, returning to raise her own family after studying and working in London. Her impressive creative career has seen her provide branding and marketing advice to household names including National Trust, Greenpeace, Tate Gallery, Wales Millennium Centre, Lloyds Bank and RNLI (to name but a few!). She also established branding agency, Sweet Creative, and Homemade Wales, a local gift shop. Fay continues to provide consultancy services and supports her husband’s venture, the popular Small Space in Barry.

Matt is a seasoned events organiser and performer with a wealth of experience. Best known for co-founding GlastonBARRY, now a three-day tribute music festival at Romilly Park, drawing crowds 18,000 strong.  Driven by his experience in youth work and primary school teaching, Matt launched COMET (Community Organisation Mack Events Team) in 2022, dedicated to supporting local young musicians. Initiatives such as Barry Waterfront Music Festival and ‘Search for a Star’ competition provide important platforms for emerging talent and encourage the community to come together.

I am honoured to lead this action group. As a lifelong Barry resident with a background in youth work, teaching and events, I’m passionate about supporting young musicians, performers, and entrepreneurs, and committed to creating opportunities and promoting the town through this exciting initiative. Matt Blumberg

Chief Superintendent Marc Attwell is South Wales Police Commander for Cardiff and The Vale of Glamorgan, overseeing policing in the busiest and most diverse area of Wales. An accredited public order and firearms commander, he leads the policing response to some of the biggest incidents in South Wales. Marc believes that only by working with communities and partners can policing respond visibly to the concerns of local people. Outside of work, reading, hill walking, and ludology – the study of game theory – keep Marc busy!

Innes Robinson is the Executive Headteacher at Whitmore High School and Pencoedtre High School. Whitmore received an outstanding Estyn report in 2022 with a clear focus on teaching & learning and professional development of staff. The recent improvements at Pencoedtre have been built on these same principles. Having worked as an oil trader before entering the profession through the Teach First programme in London, Innes firmly believes that no child’s educational success should be limited by their socioeconomic background.

Following a career in the NHS, government, and the pharmaceutical industry, Joe was recently appointed Director of Strategy at Camlas, a political consultancy in Cardiff Bay. Joe graduated from the Open University with a BA (Hons) in Social Policy, before completing her master’s degree in the same subject at Cardiff University. Having lived in Barry her entire life, and being educated at both Bryn Hafren and Barry Boys Comprehensive Schools, she remains committed to the town. In her spare time, she is a volunteer organiser at the Baobab Bach CIC Barry Pantry and a member of the Bridgend College of Further Education governing body.

Shirley is a Barry Town Councillor with 21 years of service under her belt. Passionate about the town’s past, Shirley brings this to life for residents and visitors alike in a collection of walking tours she’s co-written, exploring topics such as Victorian Barry Dock, High Street heritage, and the 1919 Barry Race Riots. She contributes a regular column to ‘Buddy’, a local publication, and has written about Barry’s relationship with the temperance movement, missionary work, and the town’s more unusual and obscure history.

For over two decades I’ve been proud to serve Barry, not only as a councillor but as a storyteller of its rich and sometimes surprising past. Through walking tours, local history writing, and community work, my goal has always been to keep our town’s heritage alive and meaningful. Shirley Hodges

James Scorey is Deputy Principal of Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC) and leads on Curriculum and Business Development. James previously served almost five years as Vice Principal with responsibility for Funding, Planning and Business Development, providing strategic oversight of apprenticeships, employer facing provision, major projects and programme delivery, and commercial operations, alongside curriculum development and planning. He is a company director of several Cardiff and Vale College Group subsidiary companies and has extensive governance experience, currently chairing the Cardiff and Vale Adult Learning in the Community Partnership and a trustee of the Cardiff Blues Community Foundation.

A Business Economics graduate with an Executive MBA, James has worked at Cardiff and Vale College since 2014.

Lis’s involvement in community development is a personal and professional mission, and as Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council she has put her decades of experience to good use. During her career, Lis has worked in academia, as an adviser to Welsh Government on social enterprise and cooperatives, and worked for a global company. She’s worked on the ground, too, running her own business and delivering community aid projects in Uganda. Lis is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts.

The Barry Plan for Neighbourhoods is a chance for our community to come together and make changes in our neighbourhoods that make us feel proud of where we live, who we are, and what we do. We are going to build on the brilliance of Barry and make it even better!
Lis Burnett

Bronwen has a wealth of experience in the community and has been serving residents as a Councillor since 2008, working hard to make Court ward a safe and clean place to live. She is also Deputy Leader at the Vale of Glamorgan Council with responsibility for Sustainable Places, as well as being the Leader of Barry Town Council. In her work with local groups, she uses this influence to good effect to improve the lives and experiences of people living in Barry.

I’m determined that the Barry Plan for Neighbourhoods will bring about practical changes that make a meaningful difference to people in their everyday lives. This is great opportunity for Barry, and together we can make things better for ourselves, our neighbours and our communities.
Bronwen Brooks

Kanishka Narayan has been the Vale of Glamorgan’s MP since July 2024. Shortly after, he was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, where he works to shape UK Government policy on rural affairs and sustainability.  Before entering frontline politics, Kanishka gained extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. He advised cabinet ministers as a civil servant, and supported innovation in AI, fintech and climate change within the global tech industry.