GET TO KNOW YOUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Sheila Jones​ - Chair

Sheila was born and brought up in Wallasey and trained as a journalist with the Birkenhead News group. She worked as a freelance reporter in Germany for several years and IRN and LBC radio in London. 

Sheila worked for the Financial Times for 20 years, in London and New York, and quit to study acting in 2006.  Sheila trained full time for two years at the New Actor's Workshop in New York with Mike Nichols, the film director, among others. She has worked primarily in theatre since then, with some TV and film. Highlights include playing Shirley Valentine in Willy Russell's one-woman show, Queen Margaret in Shakespeare's Richard III, and Gertrude in Hamlet. 

She returned to the UK 12 years ago and moved into The Colonnades in 2016. 

Sheila joined the ADRA committee primarily because she was concerned about the way the service charge has spiralled ever higher while services show little signs of improvement. She also wanted to see more information on how things are run in the Colonnades, and felt that it was her turn to do a bit of the work.

Dave Thompson 

Dave was born and raised in the Wirral and spent 30 years living and working in Wigan. In 2020, he moved to the Colonnades. He began his career as an apprentice heating engineer in 1980, working on both domestic and commercial buildings.  

In 1988, he relocated to Wigan and became the Installation Manager for a Bolton-based company. He eventually rose to the position of Director and identified a niche market for ground and water source heat pumps in the early 2000s. 

In 2006, he formed his own company specializing in ground and water source heat pumps and renewable technologies. His team grew to 20-25 employees until the company was acquired by a multinational corporation. During this time, he pioneered several innovative technologies, integrating heat pumps into high-rise buildings and tower blocks, and worked with solar PV and battery storage systems.

Dave took early retirement in 2022, but recently began working part-time, three days a week, for a large private country estate in Yorkshire. In this role, he is responsible for energy procurement, renewables, heat and hot water, and battery storage systems for over 200 buildings, guiding them on their journey to net zero.

He decided to get involved with ADRA because of the tremendous potential to contribute to the Colonnades by reducing energy costs and carbon emissions across all areas.

Rosa Johnson ​- Secretary

Rosa began her career in London focusing on Human Resource (HR) management and recruitment.  Her skills included, strengthening communication, onboarding, training and development, strategic planning, managing employee relations, compliance, relationship building, compliance and risk assessment. 

Thereafter moving to the United States with her family becoming a licensed Realtor, residential sector for over 15 years. Responsibilities included negotiating contracts, organising appraisals, research property values and market conditions, mortgage options, advertising, legal requirements, and other related matters.

Recently Rosa spent 5 years in the Middle East, where she successfully led HR initiatives in the private sector.   Since returning to Liverpool in 2020, she has been dedicating her time as a volunteer at the Citizens Advice Bureau. In this role, she supports a team of advisers and provides valuable information and advice to clients, a pursuit she finds extremely rewarding.

Rosa joined ADRA with the belief that open communication and transparency are crucial for a thriving tenant association. She saw an opportunity to make a real difference by ensuring everyone's voice is heard.

Marjorie Hewlett-Clarke 

Marjorie is an experienced educator, having taught a wide range of educational subjects, including Dance and Drama, to young people of all ages worldwide. Upon returning to the UK, she took on the role of Headteacher at a special needs school, where she worked with young people with behavioural and emotional needs who often faced challenges in their academic progress.

In addition to her educational experience, Marjorie has served as a Recruitment Officer, collaborating with agencies to recruit staff effectively. She also dedicates her time to volunteering with elderly individuals in care settings when needed.

Marjorie has completed over fifty courses, encompassing areas such as Safeguarding, Law, Psychology, and Counseling. Her commitment to fostering a sense of community led her to join ADRA, where she contributes to achieving shared goals that are clear and transparent, ultimately building trusting and meaningful relationships.

Carl Hughes - Treasurer

Carl has lived in the Colonnades for 4 years.  He’s originally from Anfield and has 2 grown up daughters.  He is a Cardiac Physiologist by profession but has spent the majority of his career, and still does, working for Cardiac Devices corporations. Mainly in the U.K. dealing with Pacemakers and implantable Defibrillators and I’ve also worked across EMEA managing other Cardiac businesses.

Like most people on the ADRA committee he is here to help provide more information to the residents and hopefully develop a more rounded sense of community within the building.

Brian Jones

Brian was raised in the Scotland Road area and has worked in various roles within the construction industry since leaving school.  Additionally, he served as an Independent Custody Visitor for the Merseyside Police Authority for 20 years and was appointed to the Independent Monitoring Boards for prisons for 18 years, working with facilities such as HMP Liverpool and HMP Thorn Cross.  

He was also part of the first board established outside London to monitor short-term immigration holding centres. He was also a director of the Scottie press, one of the oldest community newspapers in Great Britain. He remains an active member of Our Lady's and St. Anthony's Church on Scotland Road, where he has been involved in child protection for several years. 

The decision to join ADRA stems from his commitment to transparency, a value he has upheld throughout his various roles, and desire to understand how our contributions are used.