Our aims

Pamodzi Creatives is a community focused organisation, promoting equality, diversity and challenging discrimination. 

Our Tribe is a community of people, aligned in the ethos of promoting well-being across Portsmouth through the Inspirational Women of Portsmouth Awards, cross-cultural storytelling projects, and other creative and educational activities. We achieve this by maintaining a positive working relationship with various departments of Portsmouth City Council, Portsmouth schools, leading community and voluntary services, as well as community organisations, groups and professional individuals that are aligned with our mission and values. 

Additionally, we recognise the impact of social issues and change upon young people, therefore we strive to create space to communicate the key messages from our youth. We particularly invite marginalised members of our community, to participate in activities they may not have previously engaged with, to address real or perceived barriers. Participants are always supported by Mentors to identify/learn/improve upon their skills and document their experience. The final production of all works are shared across Portsmouth, surrounding areas, and accessible online, to challenge, affirm and inspire others.

OUR TRIBE

Roni Edwards

Founder & Director

A disturbing number of Roni’s friends have learnt to avoid eye contact with her whenever her trade-mark ‘I’ve just had a great idea for a project’ dance kicks in ; this normally means that you will end up being roped into an incredibly random creative community project. Roni is responsible for curating projects and produces the visuals and musical scores.

She is also a dance practitioner trained at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Dance and specializes in curriculum-led dance. Roni is founder of Dance-Africa.

Josh Breach

Director: Inclusion & Creative Community Engagement

Josh is a performance-based artist working within a variety of disciplines, focused on bringing community activism with colourful accessibility. Josh is the founder of DownTown Pompey.

Drawing inspiration from working class culture The Fabulous Josh explores LGBTQ+ identity through pop culture, using their own autobiography as the practice helping manoeuvre important and poignant questions about what It means to be an ‘artist’ and ‘activist’.

Anna Marie Gregory

Education and Community Engagement Director

​Anna Marie Gregory is a Community Support & Development Worker with over 20 years experience in Youth, Community and Health having worked in statutory, voluntary and charity sectors. She is passionate about inspiring potential, motivating confidence and leading change for an improved quality of life of all.

Anna Marie not only makes the most amazing Vegan chocolate cakes, she is qualified in Youth & Community Work, Health and Social Care (Adults), Dementia Care, Health & Nutrition, Advice & Guidance and a Mindfulness Practitioner. Following the successful start-up of a Community Interest Company in Bedfordshire she is now establishing equivalent services within Portsmouth and the surrounding areas. Anna Marie is seeking opportunities to work in partnership, to utilise her bespoke Training programmes and Life Coaching, as well as provide Consultancy on community based Mental Health & Well-being. ‘Lead for Portsmouth Dignity Network, a campaign aiming to Champion core values about having dignity in our hearts, minds and actions’.

Nathalie Millyard

Non-Executive Board Member; Inspirational Women of Portsmouth Awards

Nathalie trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts before completing a BA Honours Degree in Creative & Performing Arts at Portsmouth University and is a well-established face in the local arts scene, performing with People and Stories (as Associate Practitioner), Black Hat Theatrical, TADAA and New Apollo Theatre Company.
She works as a director, producer, stage manager and Theatre Creative and is Outreach Co-Ordinator for The Portsmouth Young Creatives,
Nathalie runs and is lead singer of popular function band – The Spoils and also regularly performs solo as an events singer specialising in vintage and musical theatre.
Nathalie has also worked as a singing and drama teacher, working with Portsmouth Music Service, The Alzheimer’s Society, TADAA, The Kings Youth Theatre and The Mayflower Musical Youth Theatre.

Hannah Roper

Non-executive Board Member ; Inspirational Women of Portsmouth Awards

Hannah Roper, entrepreneur, writer, speaker, podcast host and country music singer, founded The Female Creative to support women in finding a work life balance to suit their needs. Through running The Female Creative, Country on The Coast Festival and multiple passion projects, all whilst still working in the corporate world, Hannah shows women that by being strategic and building the right business foundations, it is possible to wear all the hats, have the right balance and still manage to watch the latest Netflix series!

Hannah was the recipient for the Pamodzi Inspirational Women of Portsmouth Awards 2022 in the Established Business Category and is honoured to now be able to contribute to the incredible work of Pamodzi through being part of the team.

Sarah Roads

Non-Executive Board Member ; Inspirational Women of Portsmouth Awards

Sarah Roads is the owner of three businesses based in Portsmouth specialising in Marine Recruitment and Payroll. She is best known for SLR Marine Recruitment which is her biggest passion recruiting for roles in the Marine sector. The Middle Group was a proud sponsor of the IWP [Awards] in 2021.

Sarah is a regional governor for TSAT and thrives on educating our younger generations on all the opportunities that are available to them, especially in the Marine Sector.

She is a Mum to wonderful football mad boys and is on the go all the time.

Jane Moody

Non Executive Board Member for School Engagement

Jane Moody has 15 years experience of supporting schools and in 2022 created her own CIC, Marvellous Fabulous Projects. She enthusiastically creates and delivers projects that continue to support schools and young people in Portsmouth. In addition to facilitating Pamodzi’s youth engagement projects, Jane has worked with and delivered projects alongside wonderful local Organisations such as Share (Portsmouth), Creatful, STEMunity and The Lark Network. 

linktr.ee/marvellousfabulousprojects

Laura Watford

Non-Executive Board Member ; Schools Engagement

Laura Watford is Chief Executive Officer of STEMunity ;  an innovative University and Industry led initiative brining together STEM subject academics, schools and communities. Laura plays a pivotal role in supporting the delivery of our education and community programmes.

Debbie Smith

Debbie Smith

Non-Executive Board Member ; Inspirational Women of Portsmouth Awards

Debbie works for Kings Church as a Circle of Support partner and supports people in crisis at Portsmouth Foodbank.

Debbie is a Community Award recipient from 2022 and quotes:

‘Besides giving birth and developing her faith, being a award recipient is up there with one of the best things I have ever been involved with!’

Debbie also believes ‘We are all weird and wonderful in our own way’.

Jiali

Non-Executive Board Member ; Inspirational Women of Portsmouth Awards

I’m a student in Portsmouth and I volunteer for the Portsmouth Youth Cabinet, working closely with other young people as well as members of the council to amplify youth voice and create positive change in our community. Recently, I helped launch the Save Our Solent – SOS campaign, which aimed to stop Southern Water from illegally dumping sewage into our coastal waters and am currently working on a campaign promoting sexual health education and services for young people.

I’m very passionate about equity in education and hope that school becomes a place where every child is given the same amount of time and care as the next, given access to equal opportunities and given hope. I really look forward to working with Pamodzi and hope to empower other young people along the way.