WHO WE ARE

Anna spends most of her time as a Leader of Church at Barking Riverside, which she co-founded a few years ago, and became community operator for the Rivergate Centre in summer 2024. Anna has lived in the borough for 6 years, and loves our vibrant community.

Before this, she was working in funding and prior to that, the NHS. Anna has children at school and has always been involved with various community activities and groups; there is amazing work going on! She is passionate to see our home in Barking & Dagenham be a place we can all thrive and a place our children are proud to come from.

Wunmi is a certified trauma-care specialist, certified image consultant, beauty author, and speaker. She’s also the visionary entrepreneur behind social enterprise Radiant Ambitions CIC, which empowers women to flourish through skills development, wellness, and purpose-led economic growth.

With a background in local government, she has blended her love for business with a deep commitment to community transformation, finding deep intersection between creativity, commerce, and community impact. Previously, Wunmi joined BD Giving’s Community Steering Group that shaped its first community-led endowment fund. She was also inducted into LBBD’s Hall of Fame in 2023, which celebrates exceptional achievements of individuals from African and Caribbean Heritage.

Liliana Hristova is a Dagenham-based mother, author, creative thinker, reuse matchmaker, healer, positive energy generator, thoughts creator and action taker for a better world. Over the last 7 years Liliana has built strong connections with individuals and organisations in Barking and Dagenham through actively seeking a way to contribute to the community and learn from different experiences, cultures, structures and points of view.

As an individual, Liliana has a powerful desire to contribute to an elevated life experience for everyone by continuously learning, exploring, researching, and implementing her learning in everything she does.

A founding member of BD Collective and CEO of local charity – Community Resources, Avril has been based in Barking and Dagenham for over 35 years. She is deeply committed to community-led change and brings extensive experience across the voluntary and faith sectors.

Originally trained as a social worker, she moved into grassroots roles, supporting people to shape their own futures and strengthen local networks. Her collaborative approach is grounded in walking alongside people to create practical, sustainable solutions that endure. 

Matt leads Care City, driving innovation, collaboration and system change across health, care and communities in Barking and Dagenham and beyond. With a background in local government and leadership roles at FutureGov and TPXimpact, Matt brings strong experience in service design, digital transformation and partnership building.

He is a recognised strategist, facilitator and speaker, committed to ethical, human-centred innovation. A champion of VCSE collaboration, Matt supports integrated approaches that unlock community potential and deliver shared impact. Through Care City, he helps shape scalable solutions that benefit residents and support a more connected, equitable system of care and support.

Amelie recently moved to Barking and took on the role of Development Lead for BD Collective in January 2025, having previously worked in the third sector tackling climate action. She also spent a decade in various hospitality industry roles early on in her career.

Having lived in several Commonwealth countries prior to her move to UK means she brings a fresh perspective to Barking & Dagenham’s potential and opportunities. She also hopes to support efforts to improve the quality of life for residents via building a stronger community across the VCFSE sector.