BPA President Community connections Supporting community group launches, raising funds for charity and celebrating people in parking: BPA President Jade Neville reflects on the things that really matter wo events really stand out for me from the end of last year: Women in Parking (WiP) and the Members Dinner. We got such great feedback from the WiP event and there were so many people there who I had not seen before. We also invited along the Veterans in Parking (ViP) community; it was good to get people whose paths may have not crossed before together in the same room. Our speaker, Mandy Hickson former Royal Air Force pilot and the second woman to fly the Tornado GR4 operationally did a brilliant job of getting everyone to find common ground. Afterwards, people who were not WiP members came up to me wanting to join, and WiP members were asking how they could do more to support veterans in the workplace. After the strange few years we have just been through, it was fantastic to see so many people enjoying the Members Dinner. British racing driver Jade Edwards spoke at the dinner about pushing boundaries in a maledominated industry and busting stereotypes, which was really refreshing and very inspirational. Afterwards, lots of people asked her for advice on support for young people in racing and for tips on driving fast cars! We raised loads of money for Macmillan Cancer Support that night too: doing a good deed to support a great cause was a lovely way to end a wonderful evening. T Big impact When I reflect on my first six months as President, it has really been about the parking community coming together and connecting on issues that we have not, historically, spoken about much, such as supporting veterans in parking and the wider campaign to end violence against women and girls. These are not the day-to-day issues that we deal with in 38 parking, but they have a big impact on the sector and, as a collective, we can play our part in improving things for the common good. I was interviewed on BBC Radio Oxford and ITV Meridian News about Conduent Transportation joining the Ask for Angela initiative and training its Oxfordshire County Council civil enforcement officers to support those who feel unsafe on the streets, which I am so proud of. The interviews were a little nerve-wracking because I didnt know what to expect, although I am finding that public speaking is getting easier! I still get really nervous beforehand, but I have more confidence in myself now and it comes more naturally, so thats a nice personal positive. Keeping on I really want to continue building on the work we started last year. In Women in Parking, we are looking at the impact of peoples gender on active travel decisions, while our work on tackling violence against women and girls in car parks through initiatives such as the Safer Parking Scheme is getting a lot of attention from the Department for Transport and the police. I am also keen to continue to support the ViP community to grow and develop. I will be wearing my presidential hat at some great BPA events in the next three months, including the People in Parking Awards in January and BPA Live in March. I was a member of the judging panel for the People in Parking Awards, and the volume and quality of the entries was so good. We really do have so much to be proud of and I cant wait to do more.