Tom Wardle

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT TOM WARDLE

I work as the New Forest Partnership Campaigns Manager, leading campaigns and efforts to tackle the drivers of deprivation. Through community organising, I empower people in the community affected by issues to take matters into their own hands. I also work with food banks and community organisations in the district to help them in their lobbying and influencing efforts. My work is funded by Trussell as part of their objective and ending the need for food banks. Following a series of Community Conversations with members of the community, I set up two campaigns:\'Better Buses for the Waterside\' and the \'New Forest Uniform Campaign\'. I set up the \'Better Buses for the Waterside\' campaign to improve the unreliable, infrequent bus service, which our survey showed was causing people to become socially isolated, to have to turn down employment, to miss medical appointments, and to struggle to get to education. Since beginning the campaign, the local bus company has boosted the frequency for most of the line in the area. Recently, we delivered a powerful petition and deputation to decision-makers, lobbying them to reverse cuts to the already-isolated village of Calshot. I have also led the \'New Forest Uniform Campaign\', lobbying schools to make their uniform more affordable. We ran a survey that showed that two thirds of parents are making financial cutbacks just to be able to afford school uniform. Prior to that, I set up the Southampton Coronavirus Mutual Aid Group, which fielded thousands of calls for assistance during the pandemic. I studied French and Spanish at the University of Southampton. I began a PhD in Spanish, looking at the memory movement who campaign for justice for the victims of repression during the Spanish Civil War and Francoist dictatorship.