Meet the team

Alistair Macpherson

Since 2013 Alistair has led PEC’s development from a council initiative, into a big-thinking multifaceted venture delivering targeted support to the fuel poor, and community-owned alternatives to fossil fuels.

With a degree in Geography from Plymouth University, Alistair has a background in biodiversity and sustainable development projects for local authorities and third sector organisations in the UK and overseas.

Originally hailing from Essex, Alistair has raised his family in Devon and enjoys cycling, climbing, sailing and adventure.

He was named ‘Community Energy Champion’ at the 2016 Community Energy England Awards and ‘South West Sustainable Energy Champion’ at the 2017 Green Energy Awards. In 2017, he attended the Queen’s Garden Party in recognition of his contributions to the sector. Alistair sees Plymouth leading the way in the community energy revolution and is proud to be part of it.

Clare Mains

Clare is the Advice Lead at PEC, managing major projects to tackle fuel poverty alongside residents and partner frontline organisations. She is immensely proud of the team, their work and its services, which include community drop-ins, crisis support, income maximisation, and supplier mediation.

Clare has lived in Plymouth since 2011 and came to the area from Norfolk, where she led campaigns for biodiversity organisations, local authorities and charities. She is one of PEC’s experts on funding bids and partnerships, and also develops creative climate action programs in the city.

When it comes to work, she is passionate about joining up local services to reach the people in need of them. Outside of work, she’s a little green fingered and handy with a paint brush.

“I’m lucky enough to go out each day and meet people who want to make life better for themselves and for those around them. What more could I ask?“

Justin Bear

Justin joined the PEC team in September 2017. He coordinates PEC’s energy team to install simple energy efficient measures and provide advice. He also works behind the scenes to develop new opportunities.

With a Natural Sciences degree from the University of Bath, he enjoys communicating technical information in an uncomplicated and engaging way. He has used these skills delivering fuel poverty projects at the Centre for Sustainable Energy in Bristol between 2013 and 2017 and before this worked briefly for Good Energy.

After a 9 year stint of dabbling with living on the fringes of the South West, in Bristol, Justin has returned to Devon where he was born and grew up. Living in Dawlish, he is enjoying being able to live and work right next to the sea.

Jon Selman

Jon has been with PEC since the beginning and was involved in the preparatory work leading to the establishment of PEC and PEC Renewables, including the development of initial business plans, governance and delivery of various project programmes. He has provided mentoring support to other community energy groups and is a licensed practitioner for the Community Shares ‘Standard Mark’. He oversees the contractual requirements and installation of the renewables projects delivered by PEC Renewables.

He has previous (and on-going) experience of dealing with energy related issues in a planning capacity, from policy through to negotiations including with district heating, onsite renewables and solar master-planning. He also has social enterprise experience, including governance, business planning, project delivery and community engagement.

His background is in urban design, planning, including preparation of site guidance and area-based policy, as well as attendance as expert witness for planning inquiries. He is a chartered landscape architect, with over 20 years’ experience of design, negotiation and project delivery of environmental projects.

Dan Godfrey

Dan joined the PEC team in 2022 and currently supports the Plymouth Net Zero Partnership amongst other responsibilities. The Partnership is a collaboration between some of the city’s largest organisations with the aim of meeting Plymouth’s 2030 net zero carbon target. Previously Dan worked at the University of Plymouth where he led the research pre-award team; prior to that he worked for the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council on a variety of research funding schemes centred on agricultural sustainability.

Dan grew up in Devon and has a love for the natural world born from years spent messing about in the woods, fields and beaches of the South Hams. He has always been passionate about caring for the environment and tackling climate change and is thrilled to be working with the PEC team to help take forward the city’s net zero agenda and to support local residents.

Dan’s spare time is mostly spent with his wife and three young kids; they enjoy lighting fires on the beach, playing games and exploring new places. He also loves going for an early morning surf and is an amateur goldsmith.

Paul Elliot

Paul has been working in, on, and with PEC since its creation in 2013. Having spent the last 15 years fighting fuel poverty and bringing net zero solutions to the city for the Council, he joined PEC full-time as their Renewables Development Manager.

Paul moved to Plymouth in 2001 after completing a geography degree at Cheltenham College and has embraced the City’s offerings ever since. He lives in the city with his wife and 3 girls and is kept busy by the dynamism of family life – if he does sneak in some time for himself you might find him on a run, playing the guitar, or attempting to fix the campervan.

James Ellwood

James joined PEC as Communications and Engagement Coordinator in 2022, having previously worked as a filmmaker since 2008. He previously worked for Plymouth-based social enterprise Fotonow CIC and lead their film production services, becoming a Company Director in 2015. James has led an extensive portfolio of projects that use creative media to engage Plymouth citizens in important issues and enable them to tell their personal stories. He was also a Director of the Plymouth Social Enterprise Network between 2016 and 2021 and has strong connections with many influential community and social enterprise organisations across the city.

Liz Wells

Liz joined the team as Technical and Business Support Officer in 2017, a vital role that involves answering the telephone, submitting details of expenditure on projects, assisting with the ongoing income streams for PEC Renewables and generally being there to support everyone as much as she can. Liz is really excited and honoured to work for PEC and to be able to play a small part in the great work that the organisation does.

Liz counts herself very lucky to work in Plymouth. When not in the office, she loves to get out walking, off-road running and swimming off the Hoe.

Rae Porter

Rae has been working with vulnerable people with multiple and complex needs for many years. She has worked in residential, custodial and community settings and is dedicated to ensuring that those who are isolated, marginalised and / or living in poverty are fairly represented and supported to enhance their quality of life, take accountability for their actions and become integrated members of their community.

Despite being a qualified and experienced manager, counsellor and therapeutic supervisor, Rae has chosen to return to casework as she particularly enjoys the challenges of working within a team on the front line. This combined with a passion for environmental issues makes Plymouth Energy Community a brilliant place to work.

In her personal time, Rae enjoys being in nature, cooking (and eating), travelling, listening to music, writing, embroidery and learning to play the guitar. She also enjoys comedy and laughs – a lot!

Kathy Valentine

Kathy joined PEC as an Energy Team Advisor after many years of working as a Benefits and Debt Caseworker at the Citizens Advice and Improving Lives, Plymouth.

From up north with a degree in Business Studies, she joined the Sainsbury’s graduate training scheme but quickly realised that her passion lay in understanding the causes of social problems and promoting the welfare of citizens. This lead to 10 years working at Citizens Advice, enabling her to find discover why inequality exists in the local community and what more can be done to support people to assert their rights and to not suffer through lack of knowledge of their rights and the services available to them.

She loves helping people to save money on their energy bills and to make their homes more cosy and energy efficient.

Didier Cavrot

After completing the PEC Pals programme in 2017, Didier joined the team in May 2019 as PEC Assistant Advisor. He has a degree in Ocean Sciences from the University of Plymouth and more recently obtained a Masters in Marine Renewable Energy. After a brief spell working at the University, he has spent more than 17 years working in the language industry.

Recently Didier decided to work in the energy sector in a bid to contribute to a fairer low carbon world and in the belief that he can “make a difference” however small it is.

In his spare time, Didier enjoys cycling, running and walking his dog. He has also set himself the task of building an “eco-pod” which is well under way as well as a small electric boat powered solely by renewable energy… although there is no word on a launch date!

Jason Hargreaves

Jason was excited to get the opportunity to join PEC and work within a team that shares a strong ethos built around helping people and fighting the climate crisis. The Project Coordinator role combines his experience gained in property renovation with his previous role as a science teacher.

In the four years between teaching and joining PEC, Jason was fortunate to have been the main carer for his boy and girl twins, until they started school.

With an Environmental Studies degree and an HND in Agriculture, Jason has always been drawn to the outdoors and worked in biological pest control before it was trendy.

He grew up in the South East with Lancastrian parents and continued to move around, settling in Plymouth in 2011, after spending a year teaching English in the Northern Spanish region of Asturias.

Christine Watchman

Christine is originally from Cranwell, and spent her formative years moving around the UK before settling in Plymouth at the age of 11. She was delighted to join PEC in October 2020, after gaining considerable experience supporting those most vulnerable in society in her previous roles.

Having always felt passionate about the impact of government policies on families and individuals lives, she completed a degree in Social Policy, gaining a First Class Honours with the Open University. She then went on to work in numerous roles, including in a Women's Refuge, volunteering at Plymouth Mind, working as a Life Enhancement Advisor at Twelve's Company, working for the Alzheimer's Society and has spent the last 4 years working within the management team of a domiciliary care agency.

In her spare time Christine likes to play music, is in a band playing saxophone, and has several guitars and ukuleles that she plays, without an audience! She also endeavours to keep fit by swimming, being a gym member, and loves waling in nature with her much loved pug!

Katie Storr

Katie was born in Essex, but raised in Cornwall and has made Plymouth her home for the past 6 years. She joined PEC in October 2020 after completing a customer services apprenticeship with Plymouth City Council. She is now an Energy Advisor on the FutureFit team and loves how she is able to make a difference, helping people to get out of fuel poverty and feel more confident dealing with their energy needs.

As a massive bookworm, her head is usually in either a fiction book or a textbook as she is also studying a part-time Psychology and Counselling degree with the Open University alongside working with PEC. In her spare time she loves to go to the theatre with her undefeated favourite musical being Hamilton – with Les Mis in a close second!

Tasmin Schofield

Tasmin was born and bred in Devon, and after a few years away to gain a First Class Honours BSc in Geography at the University of Sussex she was keen to get back to the shire. Before attending university Tasmin had worked as a domiciliary carer and dental nurse, and during her summers at university was fortunate enough to work for Brighton & Hove Food Partnership and Citizens Advice in West Sussex. These roles highlighted the huge impacts that organisations can make on the lives of members of the community. Tasmin is keen to combine her experience of working with people and her passion for the environment, which sits her well at PEC.

When she’s not at work you will find Tasmin outside: on wheels; in or on the water; or running off the beaten track.

Kate McEvoy

Kate is from Plymouth and loves the City and is fortunate to live within walking distance of the Hoe.

She has had a varied career which includes administrative roles in different Civil Service departments, mental health support work with the NHS and spent many years in a management role for a private domiciliary care company. More recently she has enjoyed working for Plymouth City Council in Central Library as a Customer Advisor.

Having gained a degree in Community Studies, Kate is keen to work in a job that makes a positive difference to people and their lives. Kate also feels strongly that work should give you a warm glow and a sense of purpose. Her administrative role at PEC ticks all the boxes!

Kate cares about the environment and is a keen recycler and is trying to reduce her carbon footprint. She litter picks when walking with her dog and in her spare time enjoys reading, roller skating and spending time with her family and friends.

Libby

Libby is a university of Plymouth graduate that fell in love with the feel of the city and the people who live in it. Her previous experiences include working offshore, running computer programming events for teens and helping out with the universities knit fast die warm society (for crocheting).

When not working for PEC Libby enjoys crocheting and crafting, as well as walking with her 2 springer spaniels.

Libby's love of the environment started with watching Sir David Attenborough as a toddler and her mother had labelled her as an eco-warrior by the time she started school and has grown ever since so working to help Plymouth reach net zero was the next logical step.

Katie Hughes

Katie has lived in several places around the UK and New Zealand, but spent most of her childhood in Surrey. After many happy childhood holidays in South Devon, she moved to Plymouth to study Psychology in 2011. She immediately knew she wanted to make the city her home, and has lived here for most of the last decade. Katie has worked in the dementia care sector, and while studying she took a variety of summer jobs including the London Olympics and (her favourite) Tinside Lido. Katie joined PEC from Citizens Advice, which is where her desire to help people manage their energy use was born. Katie loves to find ways to save money or bring more money in, hunting out the best deals in order to help people change their lives for the better.

Outside of work, Katie enjoys computer games, wild swimming, going to gigs and spending quality time with her cats.

Tom Brown

Tom has lived in the Midlands most of his life, studied chemistry at the University of Leicester and worked in labs for a couple of years before travelling South East Asia. He came back due to the pandemic and decided he wanted to live by the sea and so moved to Plymouth to study Applied Marine Science. He has always had a passion for the environment and wanted to make a difference in the world but never knew how, so is hoping PEC will be the perfect avenue.

Tom's hobbies include playing the piano, reading, and rock climbing.

Marcella Finazzi

With a background in Applied Theatre, Marcella moved to the UK from Italy in 2013 to volunteer with Plymouth-based social enterprise, Fotonow, learning about community engagement through film and photography. She moved to London where she worked for the charity Made In Hackney and helped run community cookery classes.

She has worked in customer service roles and both in formal and informal education roles for various organisations in Plymouth, including teaching Italian language to adult learners. She has worked for different organisations supporting senior citizens by arranging social activities. That's where her interest towards dementia started.

Marcella is really excited to combine her background in arts and community engagement with PEC's retrofit project, Future Fit, bringing communities together, creating connections and helping people.

In her spare time, she is interested in illustration, socially engaged art and food. She also loves practicing Tai Chi and discovering beautiful walking paths in Devon and Cornwall.

Ben Moloney

Ben's background is in sustainable food. He worked on an organic farm for 4 years and then co-founded Falmouth Food Co-op, a social enterprise that has built a community focusing on the production and consumption of agroecological food. This experience made him realise the enormous potential for communities to drive positive change. Ben joined the PEC team so that he could contribute to an equitable energy and retrofit revolution that is owned and directed by the local community.

Ben has been fascinated by renewable energy since he installed his own off-grid PV system to power his hand-built cabin in Cornwall where he lives a simple rural existence tending to a forest garden.

Maggie Innes

Maggie joined the PEC team as Project Support in 2022 and mainly works in the Energy Team. Born and bred in London, after travelling she achieved a 1st Class BSc in Human Geography at Cardiff University. She moved to Plymouth to be by the sea and loves paddle boarding, reading and playing guitar. Maggie is particularly passionate about harnessing a community-based approach to climate related issues.