Natasha Munn-Sharpe

Club Leader

 My name is Natasha Munn-Sharpe and I am very happy to introduce myself to you as I am the new lead youth worker at Isleworth Explorers club. I am no stranger to the club as I was once a member myself and attended from the age of 7 until 12 and look back fondly on my time at the club and that is one of the reasons that I am very proud to be back at the club again. Let me give you some background knowledge about me. I have worked for Richmond council for the past 7 years and have worked with children's disability groups, children in care and the Richmond youth service as well as also working with the Youth Cafe Bus project and the Bridge communication group which are both independent youth groups for young people, and I have recently obtained my Post graduate Diploma in youth and community work from Brunel University. I really enjoy working with young people and especially enjoy watching them develop into well rounded adults. I would also like to reassure parents and carers that I will do my upmost to ensure that the safety of the children and young people that attend this group is one of my highest priorities. 

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 David Holmes

Junior Club Leader

While attending a youth leaders' course run by the London Borough of Hounslow in 1975, I accepted an invitation to become Treasurers of Isleworth Explorers Boys' Club: a position which I still hold today. Also on the same course, I agreed to help set up and run a mixed youth club for teenagers in Isleworth based at the All Souls Church: it was called "Soul Youth" and existed for 2 years.

At the end of that period, I was heavily involved in the Explorers and had become hockey coach for the Senior boys. A year or so later, I took over the leadership of the Junior Club, for boys and girls aged 8-12 years, which met on Tuesday evenings. For the next 20 years, I also organised a wide variety of sports sessions for the Senior boys club.

Looking back, I regard my best achievements as organising and running extensive outdoor programmes for both Seniors and Juniors, widening the scope of Junior Club activities and overseeing the Juniors expansion from 1 club to the present 3.

My outside interest includes sport, music, history and natural history.

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Steve Parker

Fundraising Co-ordinator

I first came to Explorers in 1988 as the full time Club Leader as was then called the Isleworth Explorers Boys Club. I had previously worked as a Club Leader in Birmingham having graduated from Ilkley College two years previous. There have been many changes at Explorers over the years as we have become a first rate Youth and Community Centre that provides many services to the local community. One of the major achievements during my time as Club Leader would be to secure funding for the new extension that was completed in 1999.

Lately I have concentrated on raising funds for the club so that it can continue to operate at its current level of service provision. We are all very proud of what we have achieved over the years which in part is down to the contributions made by the Management Committee of the Club.

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