ABOUT US

OUR
HISTORY

Our Parklife Community Interest Company (CIC) is a social enterprise on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park designed to help deliver the legacy of the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Our Parklife was founded in 2014 when Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park reopened. Its purpose is to connect local people to the Park through employment, training and volunteering. It’s a Community Interest Company (CIC) that was set up as part of the Estates and Facilities Management (EFM) contract on the Park with the specific task of involving local people in the Park through the management of the parklands and venues. As a CIC Our Parklife is a not for profit company – any surpluses generated will be reinvested into our social purpose.

Our Parklife CIC has four founding members – EQUANS, idverde, Renaisi and Groundwork London. Together these organisations have created a range of opportunities for local people to become involved in the Park through volunteering and employment programmes. 

To find out more about CICs click here

To download the 2021 Our Parklife Impact Report, please click here

Our Team

Adele Lefebvre

General Manager

Originally studying design in France, Adele moved to London in 2012 and has been caught up in the excitement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games ever since. Following on 6 years managing the Park Champion programme and developing volunteer led services on the Park, Adele is now excited to step up and engage with local people in new and different ways, helping them shape the communities they live in. She loves photography, discovering new places and cycling.

Gabriela Goncalves

Volunteer Manager

Park Champion and Loughborough London University Alumni, Gabriela is already very familiar with the Park. Originally trained as a physiotherapist, Gabriela has worked with sport sciences in Brazil over the last 8 years. As a sport fanatic, she had the opportunity of participating in the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, where she was in charge of all Team GB and Paralympics GB preparation camps. This included offering the best training environment for the athletes and staff as well as the coordination of the volunteer program. This has all contributed to her development of both theoretical and practical skills in customer services and volunteering coordination. 

Ian Monteath

Customer Services
& Volunteer Duty Manager

Ian was born in Chile, grew up in Brazil, and has a Swiss Mother and British father. For over 35 years Ian worked in Aviation, arranging chartered flights for a range of customers and clients. This included helicopters, executive jets and up to Boeing 747s. The Olympic and Paralympic Games saw Ian join the Team London Ambassadors which marked the beginning of a career change working at the Green Park Pod. Like many others he was inspired by the volunteer movement and when the opportunity arose to become a Park Champion volunteer, he signed up and became a Team Leader. He has been an avid volunteer ever since which led to him joining the team as a Duty Manager. He continues to spend much of his spare time volunteering including within the Lee Valley, and on match days you’ll often see him at Saracens Rugby matches.

Kathryn Skeldon

Customer Services
& Volunteer Duty Manager

Kat is originally from Cornwall and moved to London in 1997. She has worked in retail, security and IT Support and has now transitioned from Park Champion volunteer to Duty Manager in 2021. Kat was inspired by the Games Makers of London 2012 but wasn’t sure where to begin her volunteering career until the opportunity came up in 2017 when the World Athletics Championships were held at the London Stadium and she was accepted on the Venue Transport team. It was also during 2017 that she became a Park Champion and joined the team. Kat’s volunteer career highlights include buying a birthday cake for cyclist Jason Kenny in 2019 and measuring a world record long jump distance in Berlin for the Para Athletics European championships in 2018. As well as volunteering for events and at the Olympic Park, Kat enjoys walking, photography and going to the cinema.

Simeon Earnshaw

Customer Services
& Volunteer Duty Manager

Simeon has over 20 years professional experience in Youth Work, both in management and direct work with children and young people. Having always been an active volunteer, Simeon took up the exciting opportunities to become both a London Ambassador and a London 2012 Gamesmaker, where he was a driver for both the Olympics and Paralympics. He then went onto become a Park Champion, where he enjoys volunteering in wide variety of roles including Community Guide, Team Leader and Buggy Driver. All these experiences enabled him to successfully gain employment in his current role as a Customer Services and Volunteer Duty Manager. Simeon enjoys cycling, baking and volunteering as a guide for the annual Open House Weekend.

Neal Glucksmann-Smith

Customer Services
& Volunteer Duty Manager

Having retired in 2016 as a teacher Neal began volunteering at the Park. He was a 2012 Gamesmaker and was sure that he wanted to carry on volunteering once he retired. Neal had already volunteered at his local hockey club as coach and youth development officer. He was a school governor for nearly 20 years! Having been volunteering on the Park for 3 years, an opportunity came up to join the Duty Manager Team. He felt that he could bring additional skills to the team and thoroughly enjoy working with the Park Champions. He considers himself a bit of a “Geek” and enjoys researching the history of the park and keeping up with the developments. He really enjoys sharing this knowledge with visitors and other volunteers.

Alison Richmond

Customer Services
& Volunteer Duty Manager

Alison originally trained in hotel and catering management at Westminster College London and Oxford Polytechnic and more recently spent 5 years on the frontline as a GP receptionist. Having started volunteering at sporting events as a London 2012 Gamesmaker, she has continued to volunteer as a Park Champion and also as a London Ambassador for Team London. She is also a core volunteer at her local parkrun which encouraged her to start running. This has all contributed to her experience in customer service and has led to her joining the team as a Customer Services and Volunteer Duty Manager at the Park. In 2016 she went to Rio as a volunteer and she now also works for West Ham United Football Club as a Supporter Liaison Officer Area Supervisor on match days.