The new chair of Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland Paula Leathem is looking forward to using her skills and experience to help the third sector in a post-Covid world.

The Senior HR Business Partner for NIE Networks predicts the challenges for the Voluntary and Community Sector post Covid will be huge but will also present an opportunity to do things differently.

“Coming out of Covid will be challenging for the sector but it has made us look at new ways of thinking and doing things. We need to be positive as we look at how we best support the communities most in need,” she said.

The mum of four grown-up children is also on the board of Women in Business and believes in the importance of supporting voluntary and community groups.

Paula Leathem, who has been on the board of Halifax Foundation since 2013, explained that the organisation adapted quickly to the pandemic and made it easier for grassroots groups to access vital funding.

“Our amazing team could see early on what was happening and how the Foundation could provide an emergency response. As the pandemic hit, they quickly repurposed the Community Grants programme and awarded the first batch of grants on the day in which the first lockdown was announced,” she said.

Through this emergency Covid-19 fund they provided grants for 234 projects with a total of £893,225 benefitting 193,394 people. Funding supported food parcels to the most vulnerable, resource packs, digital support both for charities to set up online and for children to access remote learning as well as much needed core funding.

Executive Director Brenda McMullan said that she believes Paula Leathem’s skills and experience will help Halifax Foundation to meet the challenges of the future.

“We are so fortunate to be supported by such a strong board of trustees. As chair, Paula brings a depth of knowledge of the sector but also years of experience working closely with people, and that’s what the Foundation is all about,” Brenda McMullan said.