Meet the Staff: Harry!

Hi all, I’m Harry Debenham, and I work for Northfield Community Partnership as part of the Northfield NNS team. I’ve been with NCP for nearly seven years now, during which time I’ve developed a wide range of new skills and gained a strong understanding of how the charity sector operates.

I’m a proud Brummie, born and bred, and have lived here all my life, apart from a few years spent studying for a Law degree at Brighton University, which I completed in 2016. After graduating, I realised that a career in law wasn’t the path I wanted to follow.

While I was still at school, I volunteered at the NCP beach, which first introduced me to the charity sector and the incredible work it involves. When the Neighbourhood Network Schemes were launched in Birmingham, I was fortunate that NCP was delivering the programme in Northfield and recruiting for a new role. I applied in 2019 and the rest is history.

My role for Northfield NNS is a Project Support Worker. My role includes all communications for Northfield NNS, including our Facebook (follow us on @ NNNScheme) Instagram & Linkedin pages. I also create a monthly newsletter which goes out to all the community organisations in Northfield to keep everyone updated on what Northfield NNS has to offer and any community updates in Northfield. On top of this, one of my roles includes keeping the online directory ‘Connect to Support’ up to date with community groups offering a service in Northfield. Check it out if you’re ever looking for something to do in your local area. https://birmingham.connecttosupport.org/

My role encapsulates a lot more around supporting team members and setting up events and training. One skill I have been able to learn and develop is translating documents into Easy Read. This makes sure that difficult to read documents are more accessible for people that struggle to read, people with learning difficulties or English is there second language. An invaluable skill which I will be mindful off for the rest of my working career.

Outside of work, I’m passionate about nature, the environment and my garden. To me there’s nothing better sitting in my garden on a hot day, with loved ones and my dog and hearing the bird song chorus as the day ends. I love a good walk so you may see walking around Birmingham with my dog, come say hello!