About Us
Ignite is a grass roots community organisation established to build individual and collective capacity for well-being, compassion, community cohesion and psychosocial growth.
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We provide evidence-based community wellbeing development services to communities, statutory and third-sector organisations. Our mission is to promote well-being and enable communities to flourish on their own terms through an integration of asset based approaches to community development and positive psychology, particularly the PERMA model of subjective wellbeing.
Our approach is to work directly with communities to educate and stimulate people and groups to take charge and work toward a true state of well-being. Well-being is more than just having good mental and physical health. It is about living life to the fullness of your ability, it is about caring and compassionate community, it is about giving and gratitude and understanding that we all share this planet.
Fundamentally it is about our right as human beings to flourish on our own terms, as individuals and collectively as communities and society.
Meet the Development Team
My name is Mel Jones and I started my career in sales on a commission only basis and was very successful. I enjoyed the cut and thrust of business, working to targets and being self-reliant. My priorities changed dramatically however, when I was diagnosed with a brain tumour. This event was challenging but also the single, most life-enhancing experience. It helped me realise what was important and precious in life and really enriched my relationships and outlook. It also marked a catalyst for me to make positive changes in my life and I decided that I wanted a vocation - one where I could really make a difference to people.
Ignoring the views of local friends (to stay on sickness benefit for as long as you can), I decided to retrain, doing an access course in Ystrad Mynach College and later completed a 3 year degree at UWIC gaining registration as a Social Worker as a mature student (I started the course in my late 30’s). I have been fortunate to work with many skilled and experienced Social Work practitioners since then in Cardiff, Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taf local authorities and I’ve gained valuable insight into ways of working to support people.
I really enjoy the direct work and group work and interweaving theories and strategies to make a positive impact. I developed a project with Service Users called Life4Living Pontypridd which is fully inclusive and promotes individual’s strengths and positive attitudes irrespective of what has happened to them in the past (depression, brain injury, strokes etc). The group was so successful it was duplicated in other areas of the county and I was proud to receive a commendation from the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) for creating the Life4Living format. I was presented with the award at The Senydd.
I’m Claire Bellavia and I’ve been passionate about business and enterprise since I was 15. One of my earliest role models was Anita Roddick of The Body Shop. Her story and passion really lit me up and led me on a career journey in public relations, sales, sales management, marketing, and international business development. My career has taken me all over the world and I have led successful sales teams in multiple countries in B2B, B2C and D2C.
I originally studied IT at university in Newport and love the way modern digital technology has led to so many advances in every area of life. I welcome the positive aspects of human connectivity and how empowered we can become regardless of our location, age or most other limiting factors. The internet offers so many options for career and work enhancement and I’m passionate about helping more people in this area. So many people have talents they’re possibly unware of and skills that could easily be developed if only they received the right support and encouragement.
During my career I have mentored many hundreds of people. I’ve helped people to navigate career change, return to work and also to set up new businesses both on and offline. I studied Business and Entrepreneurship at the University of South Wales, specialising in female entrepreneurs.
My name is Kevin Dawson and I am an experienced Applied Psychologist and Community Development specialist with twenty plus years of facilitating successful projects and initiatives in the community and working as a personal development coach, helping people to achieve their personal goals and aspirations.
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I am a twice graduate of Cardiff University, one of the UK’s leading Russell group universities and ranking amongst the world’s top 100 educational institutions. I possess an undergraduate honours degree in Psychology and a post graduate Masters degree in Occupational Psychology and I am a graduate member of the British Psychological Society and member of the Division of Occupational Psychology, with the basis for chartered registration. I am also a member of the BPS Division of Community Psychology and the International Association of Community Development.
I became an unsuspecting community activist way back in 1995 when a local tenants and residents group asked if I would conduct a community consultation so they would have evidence of the need for a community house and play ground for their housing estate. I worked with the group to convince the housing association to provide the facilities the community needed. It was a resounding success! Since then I have worked with diverse communities on many projects and initiatives including in ethnically diverse communities such as Pillgwenlly in Newport. I love to see communities achieve their aims and I am always inspired by their creativity and passion.
I'm Dr Alan Dowler and I have been working in the field of learning design and organisational psychology for almost 30 years and have a special interest in organisational transformation and workplace learning.
I have particular interest in cultural dynamics and cross-cultural motivation and integration in the context of improved workplace performance. In the UK and overseas I have led many interventions across a wide range of private and public-sector organisations, including; central and local government, manufacturing, food production, media, education and employment, the financial sector and the service sector.
As an innovator, I have enjoyed extensive experience of the design, delivery and evaluation of formal and informal cost-effective staff development interventions. I have found that the deployment of advanced psychological techniques in needs identification and design has provided the opportunity for accelerated learning and maximised the cost effectiveness of interventions.
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Whether its organisational development, people development, continuous improvement or cultural reformation, people are at the core, and so is psychology. In education and training, the psychology of learning applies at all ages of development.
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I'm Kyle Davies and I am a Chartered Psychologist, co-originator of the Energy-Flow Coaching system and published author. I spent ten years as a chartered psychologist in management consulting working in a variety of settings from executive coaching and management development, through to conducting research and evaluation studies. I then took a leap of faith and moved into healthcare. Working alongside a medical doctor, we pioneered a new mind-body approach for addressing chronic fatigue and pain syndromes, anxiety, depression, and other stress related symptoms and conditions.
My work is about developing people from the inside out. I don’t try to teach mental techniques that are quickly forgotten. Rather, I help people to gain a better and deeper understanding of themselves so they can tap into their own resilience, flow and potentials, helping them be more effective employees, managers and leaders.
I'm an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, author of the book, 'The Intelligent Body' (WW Norton & Co), and creator of Energy-Flow Coaching™. I have presented at workshops, seminars, and conferences in the UK, USA, New Zealand, The Netherlands, China, and The Philippines. I am a regular contributor to ITV Wales News, and am frequently heard on radio and podcasts