Cllr. Joanna Midgley - Chairperson

I have been a local councilor for Chorlton Park ward for nearly nine years and built up many links and relationships within the community and surrounding area. I am Mental Health Champion for the city council and chair the Manchester Suicide Prevention Partnership. I am also an assistant executive on the council. 

As chair of BMCA my focus is to ensure that the organisation has good governance and to work with other board members to promote BMCA’s best interests. Positive relationships between the organisation and community, stakeholders and partners are already in place and it is essential that we maintain and build on these in order to make sure that BMCA continues to thrive and provide relevant and high quality services for the local community. 

I am a retired School teacher, with experience and interest in teacher trade unionism and have an interest in employment law and industrial relations and I am a Methodist Lay Preacher.  I have been involved with Trustees for several years; for two years as Treasurer.  I continued as a Trustee and took on the responsibility for negotiation with Legal Representatives and, with the support of the Board; we eventually became a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee In October 2011. Since then I have led a recruitment drive to recruit members to the Association as it is a legal requirement that a Company like ours must be run by its members, just as a normal Limited Company is run by its Shareholders.  

As Company Secretary it is my job to organise meetings, to ensure minutes are completed and to be involved in the general administration of the centre.  I am also the nominated member of the Board who deals with OFSTED. 

I worked as a Primary School Teacher for 38 years. I engaged in voluntary work as a Guider for approximately 25 years, leading Brownies and Rainbows. In retirement, I am involved in a range of voluntary work. I have served on the BMCA board of directors for several years, encouraging the development of work undertaken alongside financial aspects of the Association.

Although I have no qualifications in accountancy, I have experience of charitable finances through the Guide Association, as a Church Treasurer and as a member of the Manchester Methodist Circuit Financial Committee. I bring these experiences to my role as director and treasurer at BMCA.

I am a local resident and run my own Plumbing business; my family have lived on the estate for over 20 years. I have, on a voluntary basis offered practical support in the maintenance of the Community centre before joining the Board in order to give my support to my Community in October 2012.

I have been a Board Member since 2021, having worked in Social Housing since 1996, I am Head of Communities at Southway Housing Trust, the registered provider of the housing estate where BMCA are based. I am passionate about the communities we serve and am always looking for new and innovative ways that we can serve our Communities better. My role at Southway sees me leading on Community Investment, Customer Involvement, Communications, Income Collection and Advice Services giving me a breadth of experience that brings value to the Board. The partnership work between Southway and BMCA is certainly an area I am keen to explore and develop further to maximise the opportunities we can provide for the communities we both serve. I also have 28 years of management experience so can bring advice and support to BMCA in that area too.