Hi! This is me!Meet Ray Duffill

Ray Duffill

Community Development for the YouTube Generation!

“I’m available for work!” rlduffill@gmx.com

Born in Hull – “Kingston upon Hull” 1963

Ray Duffill

Brought up in a strong but stigmatised community on the Orchard Park Estate

Went to the Danepark Primary and Junior High Schools and then to Sir Leo Schultz High School… of which more later!

At school took an interest in chess

and became school champion!

Also did Drama and appeared in the school plays…

which indirectly led to… Ray Duffill

…Work in Theatre Worked for most of the 1980s as a casual theatre technician. Started as a trainee at the Humberside

Theatre on Spring Street (it would eventually become Hull Truck Theatre). Also worked at the

Hull New Theatre and Hull City Hall.

Ray Duffill

A Community Activist 1990s!Community activists quite often had to struggle to be heard and

get things done. One such struggle was the campaign to prevent my former school and then community and leisure

centre from being bull-dozed!

Ray Duffill

Community DevelopmentCommunity activism leads to the need for

community development and strategy:

I was a Founder member of Hull’s first community development trust Unity in

Community in 1998

I had direct responsibility for the negotiations that led to the organisation

being granted its £1.45 million endowment and other asset gifts.

Ray Duffill

City of York Council 2000-04Following temporary work with Hull Community

Development I go to City of York Council for 4 years and get promoted to Community Development Manager

Clifton Pride: The Neighbourhood Agreement between service providers

and residents of Clifton in York. Negotiated over 30 months.

“A special mention must go to those residents who have taken part in the regular monthly

street inspections and doggedly ensured that problems in the area are identified and

tackled.” Ray Duffill from introduction

Ray Duffill

Hull, Hedon and Blackpool Following the ending of

Government funding in York I work with tenants group HURAT in Hull

as its Chief Officer and live in Hedon for the first time. Then in

January 2005 I start a 4 year stint in Blackpool as Network Manager of Blackpool SURF (Community

Empowerment Network).

Blackpool SURF was the first and only Community Empowerment

Network and Third Sector organisation in England to

independently review a Local Area Agreement.

Ray Duffill

I discover Social Media… In response to the

withdrawal of government funding Blackpool SURF reduced its costs by publishing information online instead. In particular it produced a free Blog website Blackpool Community News.

Following redundancy in Blackpool I returned to Hedon and “kept my hand in” by publishing the Hedon Blog and joining Hull Digital.

Ray Duffill

Community Development for the Facebook and YouTube generation!

I have honed my community development, engagement and

managerial abilities for use with the ‘YouTube and Facebook

generation’ and have become skilled in the use of FREE social-

media tools and their special use in improving client and customer engagement.

If you have the need for a community development professional with specific skills to engage with

communities via Social Media then please contact me at e-mail: rlduffill@gmx.com and I can send you a copy of

my C.V.

Ray Duffill