Our Team - Innov8 Workshops, Bury St Edmunds

innov8 workshops

meet the team

Daniela Symons

Operations Director

Daniela Symons – Operations Director

Daniela is our Operations Director and is responsible for everything that happens in the workshops. She is passionate about supporting those young people who don’t fit into mainstream education. She has worked in education for over 17 years, including Primary and Secondary, and in Alternative Provision.

She studied behaviour and psychology and after studying SEMH, SEN and complex needs students in schools as part of studies, she developed a passion for supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people and in reestablishing safety and regulation. She continued her studies in Drug and Alcohol counselling, Education and Training, Asessing Vocational Achievement and went on to become a Thrive practitioner. Most recently she has trained in trauma and Psychologically Informed Practice.

Her main roles have been in behaviour and inclusion. She is qualified to deliver and assess vocational learning and functional skills, and has studied behaviour management and psychology.

lily maguire

Operations & Sustainability Manager

Lily Maguire - Operations Manager

Lily is our Operations & Sustainability Manager. She is a keen climate activist and has degrees in Politics and Social Policy. During her Masters in International Social Policy she specialised in Educational and Environmental policy. Lily completed a year-long internship in Secondary Education and is an active Governor at a local Primary School.

ross douglas

Functional Skills Maths & English

Ross Douglas – innov8 Functional Skills Maths & English

Over the last ten years Ross worked in supported housing; supporting young homeless individuals aged between 16 and 21 with a range of different needs from mental health to drug misuse issues. After seven years he became an employability Tutor where he taught young people who were over 18 and unemployed subjects such as CV writing, interview skills, self-confidence and self-awareness. At this time he completed courses such as a Level 3 Award in Education and Training, and he holds qualifications in a number of subjects, all completed through college and adult learning after leaving full-time education at the age of 14.

When he isn’t teaching, he could be found in the Wood workshop, going to art galleries, or reading Greek history and mythology. He very much enjoys learning new skills. When he visited innov8 Workshops for the first time he could see the passion and belief in all the staff, which is something he shares. He passionately believes that the work at innov8 which helps young people to understand themselves and progress is much needed.

rory mckenzie

innov8 Wood

Rory McKenzie – innov8 Wood

Rory started his working life as an apprentice cabinet maker near Diss. He then spent several years making bespoke timber gates as he continued with his passion for all things wood. This has continued, with his services in demand at home and with friends.

He started his mentoring journey whilst working at Realise Futures ‘Nowton Park’ as a coach to assist adults with learning or physical disabilities. He progressed to become a senior coach, where he worked more closely with the carers and families of his students, and where he found how much he loved helping students achieve what they didn’t think they could. The opportunity to combine these two passions brought him to innov8 Workshops.

Rory has completed a Training Accreditation in use of the specialist wood working equipment that we use and is constantly developing new ideas and initiatives to stimulate our students.

Jay Mills

innov8 Bikes

Jay Mills - innov8 Bikes

Bicycles have been a huge part of Jay’s life. He has competed at national level within both BMX Racing and Mountain Bike Four Cross disciplines. Professionally Jay spent some years as a cycle mechanic before setting up his own specialist BMX, Skateboard and Stunt Scooter shop called ‘Hardcore Hobbies’ in 1999, this shop traded for 20 years.

More recently Jay has undertaken various types of Youth Work and has been involved in a number of projects working with young people.

In his spare time Jay likes to make music and sonic art and promotes experimental music events locally.

Jay is proud to be part of the innov8 team, and is passionate about the work we do here and the positive outcomes that can come from working with individuals in a one to one setting.

nick may

innov8 Music

Nick May - innov8 Music

Nick’s educational background includes an A-Level in Music Technology and a degree in Creative Music Technology, graduating with first class honours.

After graduating he set up his own music composition and sound design business, where he has been commissioned to compose and produce audio for hundreds of projects, ranging from TV adverts to installation audio for some of the world's biggest attractions and museums.

He has over 10 years’ experience working in school music departments, teaching music to 11–16 year-olds and running an A-level Music Technology course. Music education has always been an important part of his life, but it can be seen as elitist. Working at innov8 gives the opportunity to introduce young people to Music Technology who might not otherwise have access to the equipment and expertise required to get started. He is a passionate believer in our one-to-one mentoring approach and its lasting and profound impact on the lives of our students.

scott broad

innov8 Cook

Scott Broad - innov8 Cook

Scott’s biggest passion is cooking, which led him to attend culinary school in Liverpool and Colchester. He has an NVQ Level 3 in Professional Cookery and a Level 2 Diploma in Professional Cookery. He has always had a passion for cooking and travelling, and has worked in Canada, America, New Zealand and Australia.

When he heard about innov8 he was excited to get involved, as helping children to achieve their full potential and being able to see them improve their culinary skills over time is a real joy for him. By teaching them about different cuisines from around the world he hopes to inspire them to travel and explore new foods, whilst taking them out of their comfort zone to build independence and autonomy.

Melanie Pettit

Innov8 Salon

Melanie Pettit - innov8 Salon

Mel started her career in hair and barbering in the 90's. She started teaching and then went on to teaching and assessing at West Suffolk College, City College Norwich and Cambridge Regional College. She was introduced to teaching at Highpoint Prison through her role at City College Norwich. She enjoyed that challenge so much that she returned to teach at Highpoint Prison. She then moved on to working in Pupil Referral Units and SEMH Specialist Provisions. As well as being qualified in hairdressing and barbering, Mel also holds qualifications in beauty therapy and is a qualified Internal Quality Assessor.

piers symons

innov8 Outreach

Piers Symons - innov8 Outreach

For 10 years before joining innov8 Workshops, Piers was a drug and alcohol rehabilitation worker in both residential settings and in the community.

He then moved to work in adult mental health. This experience gave him key transferable skills to work with young people. He has always had an interest in art and photography, and has seen how therapeutic and beneficial this can be to promote wellbeing and mental health.

When not being artistic, he likes to play pool, and is a qualified Pool Coach, as well as doing photography and spending time with his children. Piers tells us: “I can see firsthand the effect we can have on children who attend our provision. I cannot think of anything else I would rather be doing in my work life than this - every student I work with is amazing in their own way, and no day is ever the same.”

jane dow

innov8 Outdoors

Jane Dow - innov8 Outdoors

Jane has qualifications in horticulture and arboriculture and worked for several years as a Local Authority Tree Officer. She is also trained to teach clinical mindfulness, and as a youth worker. As Youth Engagement Manager with the British Red Cross she was inspired to develop a career working with young people outdoors, and in nature.

She also runs The Yard eco-project at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, offering a sanctuary for vulnerable young people to learn new skills and build links with the community. innov8 Outdoors allows the young people she supports to express themselves in a safe space, whilst spending time outdoors.

Jane believes from her experience that it is evident just how much this can benefit their emotional and mental wellbeing. Outside work, she teaches meditation and leads forest bathing sessions, spending as much of her time outdoors as possible. She is also renovating an old cottage and learning new skills like lime plastering.

Melissa Tyler

Innov8 Arts

Melissa Tyler - innov8 Arts

Melissa is a natural creative with experience within the television, film and theatre industry in London. After moving to Suffolk Melissa began working with young people with SEND and SEMH needs and realised her passion for using arts as an outlet for our feelings. Melissa has some big plans for this workshop and hopes to teach students some artistic skills including, painting, print making and digital art whilst instilling a sense of pride and achievement in the students and what they produce.

jake delaney

Innov8 Fitness

Jake Delaney - innov8 Fitness

Bio coming soon...

laura walton

Office Administrator

Laura Walton

Laura is our very capable administration support.

Christina Garza

Business Support Administrator

Christina Garza

Christina is our Business Support Administrator. She has a long and successful career in business support including administration and finance.

buddy

The Office Dog

Buddy

Buddy is a key member of the team. He is always very enthusiastic and happy to see anyone, and helps to create the relaxed and friendly environment at innov8. One of his core skills is helping finish food, and he is one of the greatest supporters of innov8 Cook. He can be found lying down on the job occasionally, but it’s a dogs life…

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