THROUGHOUT this year we are celebrating the work of the Tim Parry and Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation, to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Warrington bombing.

This week, we check out the work of programme development lead Harriet Vickers.

She joined the Great Sankey charity in 2015 after graduating from Lancaster University.

Here is her story

Harriet is dedicated to promoting the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation's work to schools, youth groups, communities, police and tackling conflict both in the UK and internationally.

Harriet leads on the development of educational curriculums, interventions, and training packages, designing input on topics such as the prevention of violent extremism and political polarisation, peace education, social and emotional learning, and leadership skills programmes.

Over the past eight and a half years, Harriet has worked with various groups and communities, including those with complex additional needs and trauma, young people in formal education settings and non-formal youth center-based facilities; with practitioners and professionals, as well as individuals affected by violence.

She has been involved in community engagement and dialogue interventions aimed at addressing escalating conflicts between polarised groups.

Harriet’s worked on a number of community engagement and dialogue interventions aimed at responding to the escalating conflict between polarised groups, including the charity's ‘Mediated Dialogue’ toolkit designed to assist professionals in delivering dialogue approaches with groups in conflict.

Harriet has led on the design of several of educational curriculums and training packages. For example, the foundation's partnership project 'Extreme Dialogue', is a free online suite of multimedia educational resources for young people exploring social isolation and extremism.

Additionally, she is currently working on a project funded by the Department for Foreign Affairs in Dublin, as part of their Reconciliation programme.

The Peace Foundation is a strategic partner in this initiative, which includes activities such as the Tim Parry Leadership Development Scholarship. The scholarship brings together young people from Warrington, North Ireland, and Southern Ireland, aiming to empower them with the knowledge and skills needed to contribute positively to peace and conflict resolution in their communities.

Harriet also manages other programmes, including the delivery of training as part of the RadEqual campaign in partnership with Manchester City Council. RadEqual is Manchester's community response to building resilience against prejudice, hate, and extremism. As part of this year’s project, Harriet led a two-day training course on managing difficult conversations around contentious and polarising topics. The training aims to help practitioners build confidence, manage sensitive conversations, and respond effectively to challenging subjects.

Harriet's professional interests revolve around peace education, community engagement, and dialogue as tools for social cohesion and reconciliation.

To find out how you can work with the Peace Foundation contact info@peace-foundation.org.uk or call them on 01925 581231.