Our People

Amy Kington

Amy is a well-respected business leader who has demonstrable success in using sport and education for social change since 1998.  She has worked in health, local authority, policing and held senior executive roles in third sector and professional sport settings.

Amy has an Executive MBA from the University of the West of England and is an active advisory board member for the school of business and law. She is also a member of the women in business commission and a regular contributor on BBC Radio Bristol.

Joe Kington

Joe, having undertaken work experience at Horse World, was spotted by a Queens Guard and chosen to join a unique group at the British racing school. At 16, Joe left Bristol for Newmarket and has had an incredible career working for the likes of Richard Hannon and Marcus Tregoning. Joe has travelled the world with some of the most expensive horses on the planet.  He understands first-hand the importance of encouraging young people to follow their dreams and reach for the stars!

Jon Evans

I have been working for Arthur David, Food with Service for the past 24 years. Originally starting out life as a delivery driver eventually moving to Managing Director of this family business in 2015.

Now Director of People & Culture, I spend my time working with our teams developing the amazing culture we have through our vision, values and purpose.

My why is to inspire people to lead happy purposeful lives and fulfil their dreams.

I have been married to Kay for 35 years, we have one son and have recently been blessed with the most amazing grandson, Ruben.

I have a passion for rugby, being a Bristol bears supporter since the age of 7 and a love of the great outdoors.

Fran Ripley

Fran Ripley is a senior education leader and Deputy Head at Bristol Grammar School, where she leads safeguarding and pastoral care. She has extensive experience supporting young people and developing inclusive, supportive environments that prioritise wellbeing and long-term outcomes. Fran is known for her compassionate approach, championing a belief that behaviour is communication and embedding practices that ensure young people feel safe and understood.

Fran brings a strong commitment to safeguarding across education and community settings and is passionate about improving outcomes for young people through care, trust and consistent support.

Martin Vincent

Martin qualified as an accountant over 30 years ago, he has held senior posts in both industry and commerce. His areas of expertise include: New business start-ups, business structure and development, personal and corporate tax planning.

Boss Boy Monty

Monty is Amy’s very curious son. Curiosity is the mercurial quality, that starts with the itch to explore! It rises and falls throughout our life, depending on what we are doing and who we’re with.

Monty helps to keep us all curious.

Amy is going to do her best to avoid being appallingly under-prepared for all those questions that Monty asks.  She doesn’t know what stars are made of, she’s not even sure why the sky is blue.  What she does have is a powerful motivation for staying curious and relevant, so she doesn’t disappoint Monty or other young people

Gemma Box

Gemma has worked in the event and hospitality industry for over 15 years, spanning several industries including entertainment, education, retail and health. She has an eye for detail and a vision to produce events that are memorable and exceed expectations. During her time in the event industry Gemma has organised over 150 Christmas parties entertaining over 100,000 guests and worked on over 500 theatrical shows in 40+ cities and towns across the UK.

Grace Kington

Grace is the Purposeful Projects & Impact Manager at Community of Purpose, where she leads the delivery of impactful projects and helps ensure programmes create meaningful, positive outcomes for young people and communities.

Grace brings 17 years of experience from the airline industry, where she developed strong skills in time management, communication, customer service and resourcefulness, thriving in fast-paced, people-focused environments.

Previously a registered foster carer, Grace is passionate about supporting children and is excited to bring her experience and care into her role at Community of Purpose.

Outside of work, Grace loves spending time with her dog Rolo and going on holiday whenever she gets the chance.

Emily Cleaves

Meet Emily. Emily is the Purpose & Impact Coordinator at Community of Purpose, where she supports the delivery and measurement of programmes that create meaningful opportunities for young people and communities across Bristol.

Before joining Community of Purpose, Emily spent 10 years at Ashton Gate Stadium, working across a variety of roles and gaining extensive experience in coordination, stakeholder engagement and delivering large-scale activity in fast-paced environments.

Outside of work, Emily enjoys going to gigs, heading to Glastonbury Festival, and following Bristol City home and away.

Josh Kington

Meet Josh, who is our Operations Manager here at Community of Purpose.

Prior to joining the team, Josh worked in Financial Services for a wealth management platform known for quality financial planning. Prior to that Josh worked for a well known charity in a business operations role and so his skills and experience in both roles lends itself to helping Community of Purpose supercharge our activities and programmes.

Outside of work you’ll find Josh enjoys spending time with his dog (Shelby) as well as gardening and going to the gym.

Josh gets great fulfilment in helping young people, which can be seen when he is in action during Break Free. Josh feels privileged to be part of an incredible organisation that is making a difference to lots of lives in the City.

Cameron Gifford

Cameron is our youngest employee who helps to bridge the gap between the young people we work with and the experienced staff in our team. He is professional, friendly, and interested in supporting young people achieve their full potential. He is a high performing, high aspiration young person and an excellent role model to the young people he supports. He’s has himself a full scholarship at
Bristol Grammar School’s Sixth Form.

James Durie

James is recognised as one of the most influential and well-respected people in Bristol and the SW region. He has very extensive experience of how business and places work and understands the critical role that responsible business and enterprise plays in building strong, healthy communities by aligning profit with their higher purpose.

Over the last 25 years James has been at the centre of building Business West to become the largest Chambers of Commerce in the UK through actively promoting and leading the sustainable economic, cultural and community development of the city region.

With his wealth of experience of working with organisations of all types he is driven by the need and responsibility we all share to tackle inequality that exists across our communities.

As a proud Bristolian he is passionate about using his energy and skills in his role as Ambassador for Community of Purpose. He is working to rally the business community to help further transform more of the lives of young Bristolians who need this support. So expect to hear from him!

Jason Menhinnitt

Jason was a Bristol Young Hero finalist in 2021 having been nominated by St John’s Ambulance for his volunteering with the cadets. Since then, Jason has attended the purposeful pathways programme which has helped him to build his confidence, raise his aspirations and helped him create new and long-lasting friendships. Jason travelled to Bordeaux in 2022 and is an active member of our break free team. Jason continues to attend the Bristol Young Heroes Awards to ensure that new nominees feel supported.

Maddie Nichols

Maddie was a Bristol Young Hero finalist in 2021 having been recognised by St John’s Ambulance for running the Bristol, Avon and Somerset District Youth Forum and representing them on a national scale. Since then, Maddie has attended the purposeful pathways programme which she describes as empowering, insightful, and fun! Maddie has devoted her time to give back to the Bristol Young Heroes Awards as a motivational guest speaker and award presenter, inspiring the next generation of incredible young people.

Tallan Purnell

Tallan is a Volunteer Youth Leader at Community of Purpose, having first joined as a Young Leader on the Break Free programme after his sister took part. His personal connection to the programme has shaped his passion for giving back and supporting other young people to grow in confidence.

Tallan has taken part in Community of Purpose’s self development programme, Purposeful Pathways, and has since graduated. As part of his continued development, he has been paired with a mentor and regularly attends networking events to build his confidence, skills and professional experience.

In recognition of his commitment to the community, Tallan was nominated for Community Hero at the Bristol Young Hero Awards 2025.

Tallan achieved strong GCSE results and is currently studying at college to become a Teaching Assistant, with ambitions to progress into a teaching career in the future.