Our Patrons

Anna Home OBE, Chief Executive, Children’s Film & Television Foundation, UK. Anna joined BBC radio as Studio Manager in 1960 and made the move to BBC TV in 1965 as part of the original Play School Production Team. From there she went on to help set up the ‘Jackanory’ series where she had the opportunity to work with many famous actors from the theatre and television. Director, Producer and Executive Producer for BBC TV’s Children’s programmes for over two decades, she specialised in children’s dramas, being responsible for starting ‘Grange Hill’ as well as bringing ‘The Narnia Chronicles’, ‘The Borrowers’ and many other classic children’s books to the television screen. After 20 years in the BBC she became a member of the winning consortium that set up TVS, the ITV licensee for the south and south east of England. There she became the Controller of Programmes (SE) in 1981, responsible for setting up a completely new production centre in Maidstone. She was also responsible for children’s and young people’s programmes and started the ground breaking and popular Saturday morning show ‘No. 73’. In 1986 she was invited to return to the BBC as Head of Children’s Television, where she was responsible for more than 1,000 hours of programming, for children of all ages. Her final commission for the BBC was ‘Teletubbies’.

She has been a member of the Councils of BAFTA and the RTS and chaired the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) Children’s Group for many years. She is a Board member of Telemagination, the Polka Theatre for Children and is the Chair of Cinemagic. She also works as a freelance consultant in children’s television. Currently chairing the Board of Eurokidnet, an organisation aiming to set up a Pan European Public Service Children’s network. She was awarded the OBE in 1993 and has received numerous awards and accolades for her contribution to Children and Young People’s Television. She is the author of a book about the history of children’s television ‘Into the Box of Delights’.

Board Of Trustees

Paul is a founder member of Prescience Film Finance one of the leading providers of money and financial expertise to the UK and international film industries. Paul’s credits as Executive Producer include The Edge of Love starring Keira Knightley, How About You… with Vanessa Redgrave and Terry Gilliam’s Tideland. Previously Paul was Head of Cinema Services for the British Film Institute, where he devised and implemented the UK Distribution and Exhibition Strategy. Paul is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and a member of the European Film Academy (EFA).

Paul also lectures throughout Europe and beyond on international film marketing and distribution with bodies funded by the European Media Programme including ARISTA and EAVE, as well as AVEA in Africa and the British Council throughout the rest of the world.

Philip Harding is a journalist and media consultant. he spent most of his career at the BBC where he held a variety of jobs. From 2001-07 he was Director of English Networks and News at the World Service where he was responsible for all the BBC´s international radio programmes in English to its 42 million listeners. From 1987-1993 he was Editor of the influential Today programme. During that time, the programme received four Sony Gold Awards and a Broadcast Press Guild award. He left the project to found a news and sport network for the BBC which became Radio Five Live. The network received six Sony Awards and won Station of the Year. In 1996 he became Chief Political Adviser for the BBC, then in 1997 Controller, Editorial Policy with responsibility for the editorial and ethical standards of all its output: television, radio and online.

Philip Harding is married with one daughter. He enjoys watching football (though "enjoys" is not always the phrase when supporting QPR)- loves walking and listening to 1960´s American Rhythm and Blues and current Cuban and African music.

Vera has been a founding member from Connections inception. She is an active member of the local community in which she supports other local voluntary organisations including women, minority and local community groups.

Gideon Okungu, ACCA: "I joined the Charity sector in 1999 as an accountant. I have worked with different Organisations including NCH Action for children, Prisoners Abroad and the Public Trust Office; currently I am an accountant at CAFOD. I am a financial consultant for different ethnic organisations within UK through City Accountancy Services. I joined the CCC Board in 2003 and was elected as a Treasurer."

Tim Wilson is a consultant in public affairs and communications, particularly within the media sector. Until March 2005 he was Director of policy at TV and film production trade association Pact, among other things leading on issues around diversity in the production sector.
Prior to this he was a senior consultant at top consultancy Westminster Strategy, with clients including blue-chip companies, local government and non-governmental organisations. As well as his work with Connections Tim regularly advises small charities via the Media Trust.
He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
A fan of music and cinema, he is a member of the Institute for Contemporary Arts. He can also regularly be spotted watching Queens Park Rangers Football Club.

Pippa is currently Digital Publishing Director at IPC Media, one of the UK's leading consumer magazine publishers. She first joined IPC in 2001 and was responsible for their market-leading TV and Entertainment publishing business.

Prior to taking up her current role in 2007, she spent two years on secondment in New York in the Strategic Planning department of Time Inc., IPC's parent company and a division of Time Warner.

Prior to joining IPC Media., Pippa worked at Procter & Gamble in brand management and at the BBC in corporate strategy. Pippa holds a BA in Modern Languages from the University of Durham and an MBA from Manchester Business School.

Our Team

Jacqueline has over 20 years experience of working within the moving image independent training sector as trainer, producer, executive producer and CEO. She graduated from the University of Essex with a 2:1 honours degree in Sociology. She then went onto achieve a post-graduate diploma in Management and a City & Guilds in TV & Video production. . She is a member of the Institute of Directors, Association of Chief Executives Voluntary Organisations and a company director of the Moving Image Training Alliance. She has an Institute of Directors certificate in company direction and is working towards chartered director status. She is a Licensed Master Hypnotic Practitioner of Neurolinguistic Programming and a trained executive/business coach. Jacqueline has led Connections since 1991, taking the organisation from a turnover of £30k to £1.3 million. She has credits as executive producer on seven short films that have premiered in a West End Cinema, one at the New Zealand Film Festival and eight animated films screened to an audience of three million people and as producer on many social documentaries and promos.

Trevor has 20 years experience of developing innovative training and practice in creative and media industries, contract managing numerous publicly funded programmes. Originally trained as a gallery curator, he set up and chaired the Warehouse Artists Studios in Norwich for 7 years. He manages his own creative business as an internationally exhibiting artist, and is a SFEDI accredited business adviser. Trevor led the Feasibility Study and Business Plan for the recently opened Media Industries Training Centre at 56 Southwark Bridge Road and has contributed to a number of reports and evaluations in the field of culture and regeneration.

Vanda graduated from the University of Belo Horizonte (Brazil) in Publicity and Advertising and has a post-graduate qualification in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Before moving to London, in 2004, Vanda had over 5 years experience in marketing, including devising, pitching, creating and managing advertising and marketing campaigns, events promotion and merchandising. Vanda joined Connections in 2004 and has since overseen a number of LDA, ESF and LSC funded workforce development and youth education initiatives. She has recently managed the ground-breaking Innovation for Success programme for small creative enterprises and freelancers in London.

Peter has been volunteering for Connections for over ten years. He is a former BBC technician who donates his spare time to supporting new entrants into the media through Connections training and facilities.

Ruhel has a Diploma in Business Management, and has been working in the charity sector for 8 years. He has worked with some of the most successful and recognised charities in the UK. He joined Connections in Feb 2006, his duties involve the monitoring and evidencing of participant recruitment, delivery, outputs and outcomes for European and government funded programmes, as well as compiling monitoring reports for internal evaluation and preparing claims and reports for funders. Ruhel aims to develop his skills to become an expert in contractual compliances and management.

Gnanes qualified as Chartered Management Accountant in 1985. She has led the Connections Finance Team for two years. In her spare times she enjoys photography and her two children.

Amos has a BEng in Electronic and Broadcast Engineering. After completing a six month course in Video production and web design at Connections, he started working as a volunteer. He is now working full time as an ICT officer. Amos enjoys films, music and traveling.

Lewis Simmons has worked at Connections Communications Centre since 2002. Lewis started working as a volunteer and worked his way up to Finance and Office Manager. He is responsible for the financial monitoring of ESF, ERDF, London Development Agency, Home Office Change Up, Big Lottery Fund, Equal and local authority funding to budgets of up to £ 1,000,000. Lewis also supports the implementation of sales strategy for Ravenscourt Media. He is currently studying for his Association of Accounting Technicians having already achieved diplomas in information technology, computerised accounts and payroll. He is a qualified appointed person first aider. In his spare time Lewis enjoys socialising with friends.