Mike Koefman - Treasurer and lead Trustee on Health & Safety

Mike Koefman, born in Dublin in 1939, became a teacher of English in England and Zambia , but hankered all along for a science background - especially since witnessing the lack of interest in solar energy when working in Africa.

His growing alarm at reports of global warming, and awareness since 1990 of the logic of renewable energy and hydrogen as a remedy for this dangerous climate change, propelled him - at last - into a science course, leading to a BSc in physics and chemistry, and then into the founding of the Campaign for a Hydrogen Economy ("CHEC") in 2001, based at Bridge- 5 Mill.

He is at the moment the sole fulltime worker at CHEC, but hopes to acquire funding to expand its work, which is focussed on drawing the attention of the public to the climate issue and to hydrogen as the most effective of the possible responses to it.

Neil Corney - Company Secretary and Trustee

Neil is a human rights researcher. Previously he worked for a development organisation which supported artisans mainly in Africa and Central America . He was involved in running and developing the One World Centre, a forerunner of MERCi, and became involved with MERCi from its inception in 1996.

Cath Miller - Trustee and Co-founder

Involved with MERCi from the early days, Cath brought to the project a background in education and in sustainable development. She spent 8 years working for MERCi and did a wide range of tasks that include project managing the New Deal first refurbishment phase, development of equal opportunities and recruitment policy, capital and revenue fundraising, setting up and management of education projects, strategic planning and tending the garden. On leaving MERCi in 2004 Cath worked for Manchester Environmental Education Network on a pioneering education for sustainable development project, also based in East Manchester . She is now living in London and running the UK constituency office of Green Party MEP, Caroline Lucas.

Anna Masey

Anna had been involved with MERCi for five years as a volunteer. For two years she was a tenant in Bridge-5 Mill, running a small ecological interior design company – 'The Wholespace' – specialising in eco-paints and textiles, which she now runs from home.

Anna also teaches adults about interior design and crafts through the Stockport Continuing Education Service.

Anna is constantly aiming to expand her knowledge of traditional and ecologically sound crafts and has studies embroidery, felt making, wood graining and marbling paint techniques developing her own recipes with natural pigments.

Anna has been on the board since 2005, and “hopes to give MERCi something back after all the support and help they have given me over the years”.