Michelle Charlesworth

Can you tell us about you and your background?

I worked in the domestic abuse sector for over 10 years, and latterly in the homelessness sector. In April 2019, I saw the Extinction Rebellion unfold in London, calling on the government to address the climate emergency with appropriate attention and urgency.

I had no idea that there was a climate emergency - I did my recycling, and thought that was all I needed to do to play my part for our environment - but an emergency? So I did my homework - and I was shocked when I realised how sick our beautiful earth is. Why wasn't this state of affairs on the daily news? Why didn't we all know about it -- and why weren't the government doing more to spread the message and make the changes needed to avert temperatures rising above 1.5C?

My purpose now is to do all I can to avert the climate catastrophe, share my knowledge with my community and try to make a difference in this emergency. As Greta Thunberg says - 'we need everyone to show up'. I can be found on Twitter and Instagram, where I try to share my knowledge and raise awareness!

What drew you to work with Aspire?

I've been aware of Aspire's work since 2008, when I was working in the domestic abuse support services. Here, we would make use of the clothing donations and workshop opportunities for our clients - the Aspire welcome was always warm, and I remember thinking how about how dedicated the Aspire staff were.

This was confirmed in 2018-19 when I started working in the homelessness sector, leading a project that directly benefitted from the services offered at Aspire. I was amazed at the variety of support offerings available - from mindfulness walks and buddying up, to courses ranging from Parenting to basic IT.

When a friend shared news of Aspire's new One Planet Living 'Community Champion' role, I immediately applied knowing that it was a perfect fit for me! I can now do my bit for our planet whilst earning - imagine if we could all work this way? A better future IS possible!