Honorary degree awarded to community leader
Trisha Bennett was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters in a ceremony on Friday, July 1, acknowledging her contribution to supporting underserved communities.
Ms Bennett has worked alongside the university in various capacities for almost 20 years, tackling issues surrounding well-being and social exclusion in South Reading.
“I am committed to genuinely community-led regeneration of left behind neighbourhoods using a community development approach underpinned by the building of trust with those who feel marginalised and forgotten,” she explained.
“The honour evidences the work the university can do within our local community. It’s about doing that joint work so that researchers, who can impact at a higher level, hear from people and are working with them and not talking or researching about them.
“That’s the absolute key, I think this is a two-way process and if we’re going to affect real change for people who are experiencing difficulties, then we need to be working jointly.”
Ms Bennett is part of the leadership team at the Whitley Community Development Association (WCDA), which runs numerous community-facing initiatives, most notably its food surplus.
WCDA won Charity of the Year at the 2021 Pride of Reading Awards for its continued work during the pandemic.
Her mantra is to ensure residents are spoken to, and not spoken about, in conversations affecting their futures.
Speaking at the ceremony, Prof Carol Fuller, Head of the Institute of Education, said: “Trisha Bennett is a clear example of the ‘unsung hero’ - the hero who devotes her life to the well-being of others, who strives hard to give voice to the voiceless and is unapologetic in reminding us all,
that there is no such thing as one group of people who are better than another.”
Ms Bennett said the individual accolade signified the success of a wider effort: “I do what I do because I love what I do. I don’t expect any awards for it.
“With me working with the university, and then them honouring me, it really evidences the fact that Reading University really believe in working directly with local communities and affecting change from the bottom up.
“Yes, I may have skills in this department, but they are no use if I keep them to myself.”
Ms Bennett has dedicated her life to community work, completing a diploma in the field at Dundee University after leaving school.
After moving to Reading, she worked at Berkshire Youth Community Service and family centres to support women’s groups.
She has also worked in local authorities, been a freelance community development consultant and trainer, and has volunteered in various roles across the district.