To help celebrate USVC day, Unloc have invited along some very special Guest Speakers.
After a student suggestion to invite the Mayor, we are privileged to have both the Mayor of
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth get involved.
We are also pleased to welcome a Mental Health expert to introduce us to a vital resource
that the students from Cambridgeshire and Portsmouth can access and utilise.
Read more about them below before meeting and celebrating with them on the day!
Dr Nik Johnson
Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Dr Johnson is originally from the North East of England. He trained at St. George’s Hospital Medical School, and was appointed as a Consultant Paediatrician at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in 2006. He believes passionately in the idea of public service; as a children’s doctor, he is privileged to work at the heart of the community, doing a job which allows him to meet, help and support people from all walks of life. Outside of work, he is proud to be the Patron of Eddie’s – a local charity supporting people with learning disabilities in Cambridgeshire.
Dr Johnson stood for Labour in two general elections – cutting the sitting MPs’ majority quite considerably; was elected as district councillor for St Neots East in 2018 – the first Labour councillor in the town for two decades – and sat on Huntingdonshire District council’s planning committee. On 10th May 2021, he was elected Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
Unloc are delighted to have Dr Johnson join USVC day live to speak
to the Cambridgeshire Student Forum students!
Councillor Frank Jonas
Lord Mayor of Portsmouth
Councillor Jonas was born in Milton. Educated in Portsmouth, he started his working life as an apprentice in the Portsmouth Dockyard, later becoming an engineer. Councillor Jonas used to have a hardware
shop in Hilsea, Portsmouth which he ran for 16 years.
Councillor Jonas was elected in May 2006 to represent Hilsea Ward.
He was elected as Lord Mayor of Portsmouth on 18th May 2021, the term of the office being one year. This is Councillor Jonas’ third term as Lord Mayor, having been elected to the role in 2012 and 2015.
Unloc are pleased to have Councillor Jonas pre-record a greeting
and message for the Council of Portsmouth Students!
Karen Dawber
Engagement Lead for Kooth; Kent, Medway & Portsmouth
Karen has been in her role at Kooth for 8 months, promoting
the service to a wide range of audiences, as well as delivering
workshops on specific topics covering mental health & wellbeing.
Having had a varied career, her focus has been on mental
health for several years now, and she’s currently training
to be a psychotherapist.
Kooth plc was first started in 2001 by Elaine Bousfield, who
wanted to explore how mental health services could be
delivered online & reduce the stigma around accessing
mental health support.
Unloc are thrilled to have Karen join USVC day live to give
the students a tour of the Kooth website!
To view the recordings of our Guest Speakers, please head to the Resources page!