Who We Are

Our Patrons

Patron - Kate Ashbrook Ramblers Association

Vice-president and chair of the Ramblers Association, general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, Britain’s oldest national conservation body, founded in 1865

Dame Joanna-Lumley

Patron – Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley

Dame, OBE, FRGS is a British actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer and activist

Patron – Clive Myrie

Mr Myrie has over 20 years experience as a broadcast Journalist and television presenter.

Myrie was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, to Jamaican immigrant parents, who came to the United Kingdom in the 1960s. He graduated from the University of Sussex with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1985. Clive then joined the BBC in 1987 as a trainee local radio reporter.

In 1996, he became a BBC foreign correspondent and has since reported from more than 80 countries - in 2022 he began reporting from Kyiv during the invasion of Ukraine by russian forces.

In 2019, Myrie began presenting the BBC News. On 22 March 2021, it was announced that Myrie would become the new host of the flagship BBC Two quiz show Mastermind and its BBC One spin-off show, Celebrity Mastermind, following John Humphrys' decision to leave after 18 years.

In 2021 at the RTS Television Journalism Awards 2021, Clive Myrie was awarded ‘Television Journalist of the Year’ and ‘Network Presenter of the Year’ awards.

As a Sheffield Environmental Movement patron, Clive can help raise awareness of our work across both nationally and internationally.

Trustee Board Members

SEM Trustee - Mahmood Hussain

Mahmood Hussain

Mahmood came to Sheffield in 1968 and has been a pillar in the Fir Vale Community and a respected member of the community.

Mahmood has also worked tirelessly over the years to put Sheffield College on the map of educational attainment and excellence, supporting and enabling especially ESOL students mostly refugees and other immigrants to achieve their goals in this country.

Mahmood is passionate about the environment and has over the years worked hard to promote access to and participation in the natural environment for the Muslim community in Sheffield.
I am a very active individual in the local community, and I have worked for the Sheffield College and am currently still working for the local youth service since 1993. I retired from the college on 31st July 2022, but I am still working part-time for Sheffield City Council’s Youth Service at Osgathorpe Park Pavilion and All Saints Youth Club. Here we organise centre-based recreational and educational programmes for the local youths aged between 13 – 18 years old. The young people are from Somali, Yemeni, Somaliland, Kashmiri, Pakistani, Slovakian/Roma backgrounds etc.

Despite retiring from the college, I still have regular contact with college and meet up with ex-work colleagues/students. To stay actively engaged with the local community I joined Jamia Ghausia Masjid’s management committee in August 2022. Here they, arrange religious, recreational and educational programmes for the local Muslim community members and this starts from young school age children to 90 plus years. At the Masjid there are 130 approx children aged between 5 – 18 years old attending after school classes. Also, during the day at least once a week they have a drop-in tea/chat session for senior citizens.
I also have regular contact with Pakistan Muslim Centre based at Woodburn Road, Sheffield. In fact, I served 3 years as the general secretary in 1998.

By being a board member on Sheffield Environmental Movement, I would like to engage with all local individuals in providing them with opportunities which allow them to lead change in their local communities through youth-led social action:

- develop their personal, social, emotional, mental and educational capabilities.
- build/improve their self-esteem and self-confidence in accessing the local countryside and open spaces.
- create positive learning and social experiences for skills development and inspiring social commitment and cohesion so they can play an active environmental role in the local area.
- develop better understanding of mental health and wellbeing, amongst young women and girls in the local area.
- create opportunities so that they can use their voices and become confident to lead change, making their own impact on society for the great good.

Johanne Gilroy SEM Charity Trustee

Johanne Gilroy

I have over 25 years of experience in supporting adults and young people across various sectors, with particular expertise in improving access and opportunities for African, Asian and Minoritised Groups (AAMG). This experience strongly aligns with SEM's mission of widening participation in the natural environment.
As Co-Director of a Community Interest Company based in South Yorkshire, I lead initiatives that bring about progressive, organic and sustainable change for people from AAMG backgrounds. This work involves developing leadership potential within AAMG communities and engaging organisations in transformative action - experience that I believe will be valuable in supporting SEM's efforts to address AAMG exclusion in environmental debates.

I am particularly drawn to SEM's commitment to amplifying 'louder' calls to action on AAMG exclusion in the environmental sector, recognising that those most likely to be impacted by climate change are often the most underrepresented. This commitment aligns closely with my work as an Employability Adviser in Higher Education, where I have focused on creating pathways and opportunities for AAMG students across various sectors, including environmental careers.

My experience in project management and partnership development includes managing a £1m ESF funded contract and coordinating networks of over 240 organisations. I have also worked as a New Deal Business Manager, developing environmental projects with Third Sector organisations. These experiences have equipped me with strong skills in strategic planning, budget oversight, and partnership building - all crucial for supporting SEM's growth and impact.

In my most recent role at Sheffield Hallam University, I led on engagement and support for students from AAMG backgrounds as part of the Service's Equality and Diversity project. This work has been recognised through two nominations for the Outstanding Student Support Award.

I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to SEM's mission of improving the quality of life, health and wellbeing of AAMG communities through engagement with the natural environment. I believe my combination of EDI expertise, project management experience, and commitment to community engagement will enable me to make a meaningful contribution as a Trustee.

Dr Marcella Daye SEM Charity Trustee

Dr Marcella Daye

Dr Marcella Daye is an academic researcher at the University of Northampton with research interests in place branding, leisure, heritage, and wellbeing. A scholar activist for Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Marcella is Co/Chair for the race equality network at the University of Northampton known as the Global Ethnic Majority (GEM).) Marcella sits the Board of the EDI Committee of the Chartered Institute of Business Schools (CABS). She also serves on the Advisory Board as the EDI lead for Healthwatch Northamptonshire as well as on the county’s Integrated Care Board’s Race Health Inequalities Working Group. In 2024, Marcella was elected to serve on the Council of Governors for the Northamptonshire Health Foundation Trust.

Horum Dean SEM Charity Trustee

Horum Dean

Horum Dean is a qualified accountant. He was born in Sheffield and a very keen outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hill walking.

Our Team

Dr Maxwell A. Ayamba BEM, Founder/CEO

Dr Maxwell A. Ayamba BEM, Founder/CEO

Maxwell holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the Department of American & Canadian Studies, School of Languages and Cultural Studies, University of Nottingham conferred to him at a graduation ceremony on 28th July 2025.

He was awarded the Midlands4 Cities/Arts & Humanities Research Council Scholarship which enabled him to complete his PhD research studies successfully. His research explores the lived experience of people of Black African ancestry's perceptions of the English Landscape through the lens of the Peak District National Park, the first English National Park created in 1951.

Maxwell, who was born in Ghana, was awarded a Commonwealth Media Development Scholarshp to study Journalism at the Thompson Foundation affiliated to the University of Cardiff. He also holds a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Management and Conservation from Sheffield Hallam University (SHU). Maxwell was also once a former Associate Lecturer/Research Associate at (SHU) and co-Founder of 100 Black Men Walking Group in 2004, which inspired the national play, "Black Men Walking" in 2018/19  which was a co-production between  Eclipse Theatre & The Royal Court Theatre.

In 2013, Maxwell contributed to the publication of the Imperial College's Open Air Laboratory  (OPAL) Nature Community Environment Report - 'Exploring Nature Together', launched at the House of Lords. He was also a former Porfolio Advisory Member of OPAL in 2007.

He is the first Black person of colour to serve on the Board of the Ramblers Association UK (2005 - 2007). Maxwell was named in 2021 as one of the 70 most remarkable people in the history of the Peak District National Park since its creation in 1951. In 2021, he received the National Lottery Award in the Heritage category.

He's authored papers and chapters in books in relation to minoritised communities and the UK environment and was recognised in the 2023 King's New Year Honours with an Order of British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to the environment.

Maxwell was also awarded the University of Nottingham Vice-Chancellor's Medal in 2022 for outstanding work in grassroots communities in relation to the University's Research Excellence Framework (REF). In 2022 he co-designed and delivered "Engaging diverse communities training" for Natural England Inclusion and Diversity Officers. In 2020, he contributed to a national document titled, "Enhancing Access Opportunities ELM Test and Trial Literature and Evidence Review and Recommendations", for Kent Downs Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs).

In 2009 he produced a working manual, "Engaging Black & Ethnic Minority Communities" - Vols. 1 & 2 (unpublished) for the Environment Agency of the North- East Region. In 2003, Maxwell was commissioned to undertake a piece of research titled, An initial overview of key issues relating to employment and ethnic minorities for the Peak District National Park Authority.

Maxine Greaves MBE

Activities & Operations Manager - Maxine Greaves MBE

Maxine Greaves MBE is responsible for the delivery of activities and the business operational aspects of SEM. Through her work as a practitioner and researcher with a number of agencies she has developed projects to improve the educational experience of vulnerable and socially excluded young people in South Yorkshire.

Her expertise and skills focus on the alignment of equality, inclusion and diversity agendas into sustainable knowledge development strategies, which has resulted in her presenting a number of research papers at national and international conferences.

2016 – 2020: Lead for the Higher Education Race Advisory Group (HERAG) The lead for Yorkshire and Humber BAMEed practitioner network with a focus on intersectionality through the lens of RACE in CPD teacher training and development

2019 - 2020: Development and delivery of EDI in Practice Professional Development module for Postgraduate Mental Health Practice and more recently (2021) for the Department of Law and Criminology at Sheffield Hallam University

2016: Key member of the award -winning team involved in the “supporting the transition from primary to secondary action research project (Sheffield)

2015: Founder of Men up North and STORM forums dedicated to the exploration of the creation of patriarchy, emotional, cultural narratives past and present relating to the societal positioning of masculinity

 

Volunteers

Mille

Activities & Operations Volunteer - Mille

I have been volunteering with Sheffield Environmental Movement (SEM) for almost five years, and it has been a truly enriching journey. SEM has given me the opportunity to reconnect with nature and the great outdoors — something I had missed without even realising it.

Spending time in nature, breathing in fresh air, and appreciating open spaces has been not only beneficial for my physical health, but also a huge boost for my mental wellbeing. It brings a sense of calm, clarity, and positivity that's hard to find elsewhere. Read More Here