Home Office Crime prevention advice
Valuable crime prevention advice and Neighbourhood Watch information from the Home Office.
NHWN Members' Biographies
The new national body of volunteers which represents all Home Watch & Neighbourhood Watch has been given the title of the NEIGHBOURHOOD & HOME WATCH NETWORK (England & Wales) and is the official body which will engage with the Home Office, ACPO and the APA at the strategic level.
Should you require any further information please contact your regional representative. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information if you are unsure as to who represents the NHWNetwork in your region.
Chair NHWNetwork (England & Wales) - Marion Lewis
Marion Ann LEWIS, Chair
All
Married in 1975, I moved from Portsmouth to the Market Harborough area of Leicestershire in 1977 with my husband. We have two daughters and have run our own Architectural Illustration business since 1984 working for clients across the globe.
My involvement with Neighbourhood Watch began as a scheme co-ordinator in 1986 and in 1998 I was elected Chair of my local NHW. We have raised over £50 000 to fund various projects including launching Countryside Watch, School Watch, the ‘Chill Out Zone’ website for young people and the Harborough Be Safe scheme to help the elderly and vulnerable in our district.
Following the launch of the first County NHW association representing all members in Leicestershire & Rutland in 2006 I have held the office of Secretary and represent NHW on the committee of Leicestershire & Rutland CrimeStoppers. In March 2007 I was elected Chair of the East Midlands NHW Forum and was honoured to be elected as the inaugural Chair of the Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network (NHWN) for England and Wales in July 2007.
Chair NHWNetwork (England & Wales) - Marion Lewis
East Midlands
I joined Neighbourhood Watch 23 years ago and have been active in promoting ‘No Cold Calling’ zones and Canal Watch in my home town of Long Eaton.
I am currently Chair of Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch Association Trust and I have been elected vice chair of East Midlands region for the last 2 years, recently taking the role of acting Chair.
I am married with two sons and one grandson.
East of England
Born 1936 Islington London . From school in 1952 I enlisted with the RAF for a three year apprenticeship as a Ground Wireless Fitter, then served a further 22 years and in 1976 retired as a Chief Technician.
My next lasting job was as a Customer Service Engineer supporting military computer hardware within europe and the near east until 2001.
Member of Neighbourhood Watch since it came to my area as a co-ordinator for part of my village. I represent Mildenhall Network at Suffolk Neighbourhood Watch Association of which I am chair and I am also chair of the Eastern Region Neighbourhood Watch Partnership.
Member of local Crime Prevention Panel and received Caring in the Community award from Forest Heath District Council in 2008.
Interests include DIY, electronics, dog obediance training and agility.
London
I’ve lived in London all my life and spent most of my working career with Imperial Chemical Industries until retirement in 2005. As Global Banking Solutions Manager, I gained a taste for travel whilst being responsible for implementing and managing a global cash management system and integrated banking platform across 4 Continents.
I became a Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator in 1998 and was a founder member of the Bromley Neighbourhood Watch Association where I am Vice Chairman and Treasurer. I was invited to join the London Neighbourhood Watch Association immediately after its launch in 2003 and have been its Treasurer ever since.
North East
I joined a local NHW some years ago which unfortunately just faded away.
While talking with neighbours about how things appeared to be deteriorating on our estate
we decided in late 2006 to start again,which we did and from then on I took a greater interest on a wider scale.
I joined the Stockton District Central Committee and became more committed to the aims and spread of NHW.
I am married with three children and so far three grand children. A lot of my working life has been in sales and some working in childcare, I am currently employed in an administrative role.
Ron.
North West
I was appointed the Chair of the Cumbria Neighbourhood Watch Association at our AGM at the beginning of October 2008 and am the NHW Coordinator for the villages of Gamblesby and Unthank in Cumbria’s Eden Valley. I retired in 2001 as Chief Executive of The National Computing Centre after a career in Research, Marketing and Business Development with Pilkington Glass and BT. Since that time I have worked as an independent consultant, been involved as a Mentor and Area Co-ordinator with the Princes Trust in Cumbria, played a part as a Trustee in an award winning sustainable refurbishment of the Gamblesby Community Centre, developed my allotment and garden and played a lot of bowls. Apart from gardening and bowls my main interests are my family, snooker and Mozart. I am honoured to represent the North West on the National Neighbourhood Watch Network.
South East
Biography will be posted shortly.
South West
After moving to Cornwall in 1976, I became interested in local issues, especially the conservation and protection of Bodmin Moor. Several years ago, I became secretary to the Bodmin Moor Landowners and Cornwall Commoners Associations whose aims are to preserve and protect the moors and maintain traditional upland farming.
My involvement with the Neighbourhood Watch began twelve years ago both as a co-ordinator for my local rural community and as the District representative for North Cornwall. Three years ago, I was elected Chair of the Devon and Cornwall Community Watch Association and I represent Devon and Cornwall on the South West Regional Forum.
I am a member of the Devon and Cornwall CrimeStoppers Board, an Independent Custody Visitor, and I chair the North Cornwall Youth Offending Panel.
Community participation in preventing crime is the key to an effective partnership between the police, local communities, and NHW.
Wales
I moved to Abergavenny, Monmouthshire in 1997 from the North East of England and run a small business with my husband. I have 3 children, a very large Bernese Mountain dog and three cats as well. I am also currently in my final year of an MSc at Cardiff University in ‘Lean Operations - Service’.
I worked for many years in the NHS in SE Wales, in the Local Health Board as Primary Care & Clinical Governance Facilitator supporting GP’s, Dentists, Pharmacists and Optometrists in Monmouthshire and then in Secondary Care in North Glamorgan NHS Trust, Merthyr Tydfil in Project Management.
I got involved in NHW when one of my neighbours started a watch when we moved into what was then our newly built estate as a way to meet other new residents. I have been Chair of the Abergavenny & District Partnership Against Crime for 2 years and also now Secretary of the Gwent Association.
West Midlands
My name is Mirabelle Queenie Smith (because Mirabelle is such a mouthful I became Queenie - easier to remember). I was born in coventry 73 years ago and have lived here all my life, married for almost 54 yrs we have 2 sons 7 grand children. I am a florist by trade but can turn my hand to almost any thing. I am proud to be the longest serving NHW co ordinator in Coventry and a founder member of our association and have been chairman for 8 years – I love my work. It is with pride that I Chair my local street and area (Coundon) of Coventry and started ‘Allotment Watch’ as the allotment secretary and run the site. In my position I link into the Neighbourhood Watch officers. In 2007 I received a lifetime achievers award from the Constabulary and i am very proud of my blue lamp award.
Yorkshire and Humberside
Neighbourhood Watch has played an active part in my life for the past twenty eight years and continues to do so. I am involved at all levels and represent Neighbourhood Watch at a divisional/county level, regional and national. A lifetime ago I was instrumental in developing a force wide association, HANWaG (Humberside Association of Neighbourhood Watch Groups) and with the support and guidance of many along the way it is still going strong. This is of course with the ongoing hard work of our grassroots Neighbourhood Watch who have taken ownership of their communities and done something positive about them.
The Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Neighbourhood Watch group was formed some years ago and I have been privileged to have been its Chair since its beginning. Earlier this year with funding from the Home Office we organised a regional Football Conference with all of our four police forces and our Neighbourhood Watch groups for young people aged between 8 and 10 years, and this was a huge success.
In May of this year, I retired as Chair of Humberside Police Authority. I had been on the Authority as an independent member for eight years and it gave me a huge opportunity to understand, work with and appreciate the hard work and dedication that all who work within the forces do.
In the Queens Birthday Honours in 2006 I was awarded the MBE for services to the community of Humberside – what an honour and a privilege!
I fully support and embrace Neighbourhood Watch in all of its guises, remembering at all times that Neighbourhood Watch is different things for different people and also watching how communities can change when they take ownership and want to do something positive for their communities.
