Empowering communities in Manchester through music
OMF Community Board
Meet our wonderful Community Board. Our parent board members will make sure OMF continues to create important opportunities for our families to give everyone in the OMF family a voice.
Nicola Powell
Community Board Chair
Nicola has been a youth worker for 17 years. She heard about OMF through a project at her work and then through a friend.
Her children, Isaac and Sophie, learn cello and violin respectively and they both also take part in the OMF choirs.
As chair of the community board, Nicola will attend OMF trustee meetings and lead the community board in activities and communicating with the OMF team.
Iqra Chowdhury
Community Board Secretary
Iqra is an experienced HR Officer based in Longsight. She and her family have been with OMF from the beginning of the Learn to Play project in October 2021.
Iqra sees OMF as a home away from home and has become part of the OMF family.
Her oldest daughter, Hiba learns the cello and her youngest daughter, Hooria learns the flute with OMF.
Shabnam Essa
Community Board Member
Shabnam is a software engineer based in Ardwick. She discovered OMF through social media and has been part of the family since October 2021.
Her daughter Madeeha plays the flute with Polly and is sounding absolutely brilliant.
Madeeha particularly enjoys OMF's tasty snacks!
Husamettin Erdamar
Community Board Member
Husamettin is from Ankara in Turkey and currently works at in a GP in Hulme.
He has been in the UK for 3 years and has recently passed his exams to qualify to be a medical doctor in the UK.
Husamettin has three children, Metin, Meryem and Nezih. Metin currently has violin lessons with Nadia and Meryem and Nezih hope to start their lessons soon.
Jenny Huang
Community Board Member
Hi, my name is Jenny Huang, a Chinese mother.
My son and I moved from Liverpool to Manchester in summer 2020 and joined OMF community in 2021.
I work with teachers and young people, and believe education helps us make new choices.
Alia Haider
Community Board Member
Hi, my name is Alia. I'm a very busy mum of 4 children and have been involved with the OMF since last year.
I am currently a magistrate and am also involved in a non teaching capacity at a leading high school within Manchester.
I have been involved in various community activities and firmly believe that working within communities leads to cohesion and provides an outlet for children to be able to express themselves in various ways.
Rosemary Eke-Akinpelu
Community Board Member
Rosemary is a teacher at various schools. She has been with the OMF family from the beginning in 2015.
Her children Adora, David, Denzel and Darrah all receive music lessons with OMF. Adora, Denzel and Darrah plays the Clarinet and David plays the violin.