Spirit of Herefordshire

What Makes Us Proud

At Herefordshire Council, we’re proud of the people who make a real difference every day. These statements from colleagues across the Community Wellbeing team offer a genuine glimpse into the values, compassion, and teamwork that shape our services, and what you can expect when you join us. 

Zakia Loughead – Service Director, Adult Social Care and Housing

It makes me proud when I work with so many staff who are dedicated to working with our communities and partners for better outcomes for everyone. It makes me proud that our staff embody the values and principles of social work and social care. They work tirelessly every day and are always willing to support us in achieving the strategic vision and ambitions we have at a local and operational level.

Social Work England’s values are at the heart of everything we do. These values include respect for the inherent dignity and worth of all individuals, commitment to social justice, service to humanity, integrity, and competence. Our staff demonstrate these values through their actions, whether it’s advocating for vulnerable individuals, providing support and resources to those in need, or working collaboratively with other professionals to ensure the best outcomes for our communities.

I feel proud to lead my teams and be part of an organisation that has this kind of value base at its core and people who truly care about each other and the people we serve. This dedication and commitment are evident in the way our staff engage with the community, always striving to make a positive impact.

We should all be very proud of this. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved. The collaborative efforts and unwavering support from our staff ensure that we can achieve our goals and continue to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.

Amanda Moorcroft – Head of Adult Social Care Operations

I am proud of watching staff come into my teams as students and apprentices, growing in their knowledge and experience as Social Workers and moving on to become strong leaders and managers.

We are great at Growing our Own!!

I’m proud of the hard work the staff do daily and their commitment to our community and Herefordshire.

Damian Etheraads – Head of Culture, Museum, Libraries and Archives

I’m proud of the transformation across Herefordshire’s Museums, Libraries, Archives, and wider cultural development. We are on a journey towards four interconnected areas working together to support local people in deeper and more creative ways than ever before.

In Museums, I’m proud of how we’ve rebuilt a once-vulnerable service into an ambitious, inclusive, and future-facing offer. Just eight years ago, our museums were under serious threat. Today, we are delivering a £22 million programme of capital and service investment, including the full redevelopment of Hereford Museum & Art Gallery and the launch of “Museum on the Move,” our travelling museum van bringing collections to 120 locations across rural Herefordshire. We’ve embedded co-production and inclusive practice across the service. The Sensational Museum project has involved disabled people in shaping how we present collections in sensory, accessible ways, influencing national sector learning. Our volunteer programme and Work Experience has doubled in size, moving from reliance to flexibility, with clearer boundaries and support. We now have a strong, confident, and community-rooted museum service that is proud of its past but focused on a sustainable, inclusive future.

In Libraries, I’m proud of how deeply the team supports our communities, not just through books and digital access, but through warmth, welcome, and practical help. Our libraries have become lifelines for many, offering free warm spaces during winter, providing essential digital support for those without home internet, and running inclusive activities like conversation cafés, Lego clubs, baby bounce sessions, and job-seeking support. We reach people who might otherwise be excluded through our expanding Home Library Service to people who are housebound. Our libraries are some of the most trusted public spaces in Herefordshire: safe, supportive and rooted in community.

Emily Lowe – Head of Communities

I feel incredibly privileged to be part of a service that puts communities at the heart of change. I see residents, volunteers and local organisations stepping up with kindness, care and creativity. Making a real difference to people’s lives in Herefordshire by helping people find the support they need, when and where it works best for them.

I’m humbled by the way local people come together to create solutions, through everyday acts of kindness that ripple through families and neighbourhoods. I value that we have the space to be innovative and to work alongside communities, rather than doing things to them. And nothing makes me prouder than knowing people feel connected, valued, and not alone.

And I’m proud every day of my team, whose kindness, energy and care shine through in everything they do and make such a difference to the lives of others.

Emma Evans – Head of Delivery and Improvement

I am extremely proud of our unwavering commitment to improving lives across the county. Through the Community Wellbeing Directorate, we deliver meaningful change—from reducing rough sleeping and transforming adult social care, to empowering communities through Talk Community and revitalising cultural assets like the Hereford Museum and Art Gallery.

What makes this work truly special is the way we treat people with dignity, compassion, and respect—seeing them not as cases, but as individuals.

Being part of a team that values innovation, inclusion, and genuine care makes me proud every day to contribute to a brighter future for Herefordshire.

Zoe Clifford – Director of Public Health

I feel proud of how Public Health feel really integrated, valued and part of the Community Wellbeing directorate enabling a focus on population approaches, prevention and reducing health inequalities across adult social care. Examples include our work on:

• Taking an asset based approach through Talk Community
• Embedding the use of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
• Developing a Prevention in Adult Social Care Strategy
• Progressing our approaches to neighbourhood health delivery models
• Expanding our use of Population Health Management
• Developing our strategic approach to working with people with complex lives.

I feel particularly proud that I work with colleagues who share the value base, energy and commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of our population.