 Denise Partington Denise was born in Middleton, Manchester, but moved to Blackpool at the age of seven. After leaving school, she took up work in a residential home for people with learning disabilities, later moving to a community school where she qualified as a Residential Child Care Officer. She undertook a career break to raise children, after which time she decided to go back to school in Preston, graduating with Honours in Applied Social Science in 1988. Denise discovered the voluntary sector whilst at University, agreeing to undertake work for Preston Women's Refuge. It was during this time that she became increasingly interested in the value of the third sector, not only as a service deliverer but also as its role in policy development. After a couple of years grounding as a Joint Planning Officer, she moved to Community Futures, where she progressed to the position of Chief Executive in 2003. A challenging but enjoyable role, Denise is firmly committed to lending her skills and experience to third sector development and cannot envisage a time that she would not be involved at some level. Denise's current role is varied and challenging but fundamentally consists of responsibility for strategic management and planning, regional and sub-regional representation for Community Futures . In her spare time, Denise is likely to be found walking her dog, gardening, cooking or playing badminton. |
