Odette Battarel has been a Central Croydon resident for 23 years, She studied at Croydon College and got married in the Town Hall. She is visually impaired and you might have occasionally seen her and her husband ridding their tandem around Croydon or down the Wandle trail,  She has worked in the voluntary sector for 16 years, mostly in Central and South West London and recently, since 2020, for Croydon Vision, forging partnerships with the local Voluntary and Business community.

Odette has strived to connect health, statutory services and voluntary organisations representing the voice of visually impaired people and  working together to provide joined up services and information for local residents.

She has been on the South London Eye Health Network, The London Mobility Forum, the Lambeth CCG, the Lambeth Patient Participation group. She has worked with Healthwatch groups across London to create engagement events for blind and partially sighted residents to find out their needs and gaps in services.

Odette is passionate about the local community, about people living  well  in their neighbourhoods, about connecting people with services and opportunities in their area. She hopes to bring her personal and  professional experience to develop a vibrant and well connected  Community in Croydon.

Alison Johnson has over twenty-five years experience of working and consulting in the educational and training landscape. As a seasoned trainer she has written numerous bespoke training packages and delivered high impact workshops in schools, colleges and was invited to lecture at Middlesex university (Social & Emotional aspects of teaching and learning). She held two high profile conferences in Croydon (Girls Matter & Boys Matter) founded and managed an alternative education centre and has delivered training to YOT’s; trained people in the community to become mentors and worked with Looked After Children to achieve positive post-16 destinations. Her expertise has also seen her invited to speak across the UK, in the Caribbean and in the USA.

Alison has written, delivered workshops and facilitated interactive small discussion groups in schools, PRU’s and for statutory and non-statutory organisations which address issues related to race and identity, diversity and inclusion. In addition to these areas of expertise Alison is able to speak to and address matters relating to parenting, social mobility and raising aspirations. Her knowledge and expertise in matters of diversity and inclusion have seen her deliver training across a diverse spectrum and for large & small voluntary organisations across London. Alison has developed community cohesion audits for schools and PRU’s which have assisted SLT in identifying and addressing gaps in their inclusion and diversity approaches.

Alison was recently appointed to sit on the management committee of Saffron Valley Collegiate in Croydon; sat for over 7 years as Chair of Governors at a primary school and was a governor at a top ranked sixth form college in the borough of Wandsworth.

She is a member of the IOEE (Institute of Enterprise & Entrepreneurs) and IOD (Institute of Directors). She has experience of working with Croydon Council, the Metropolitan Police New Scotland Yard, and a range of secondary school in London and the UK.