Our People

Hi, I’m Alcia Loach the founder of the Pocket Angel initiative. I am the Chairperson and one of the Directors of Pocket Angel CIC. Thanks for wanting to know more about our Pocket Angel Team. Professionally I have worked in IT for the past 25 years and currently work as an Assistant Vice President for Infrastructure Collaboration Tools Support at a major financial organisation. My main focus is on enterprise collaboration platforms specifically SharePoint and Microsoft 365 and helping my employer to leverage their investment in technology. In laymans terms it means I work on projects for large companies and give them specialised advice on how to use technology.

In my spare time I love to exercise and walk my two small dogs. Pocket Angel has been designed by me to provide a solution to giving people experiencing homelessness choice without having to give cash.

Hi, I’m Andy Ginn one of the Directors of Pocket Angel CIC. As someone who travels a lot for work, I see the challenge of homelessness and disadvantage around the country. It can seem overwhelming at times, but every journey must start with a single step! I have worked in IT since the early 1980’s and have seen many changes in the way technology is used, sometimes for the betterment of society. I am the Information Management & Collaboration lead for Hewlett Packard Enterprise Consulting in the UK and Ireland. This means that I work with our clients to help them take control of their information and the way that they use it.

I don’t have a lot of spare time, but I do love to cook, stay as fit as I can, knit, and to travel.

Hi, I’m Hannah.
I’ve been a Sussex Uni student living in Brighton over the last couple of years and have been saddened by the homelessness crisis the community is facing. Having started a professional placement year interning for the organisation Alcia and Andy work for (HPE), I was able to learn about the wonderful start up that they had created. I reached out to Alcia to see how I could help and before I knew it, I was getting stuck in and helping to spread awareness of the great work they had begun.

I have a natural desire to help others and have always wanted to use my skillset to help make a positive difference, so sharing my creativity on the Pocket Angel Team is amazing.

In my spare time you can find me playing volleyball, out on a run, or enjoying some time in the kitchen baking!

Hi, I’m Pilar.

I came from Portugal to study (and hopefully work) in the UK. I’m a Marketing and Consumer Psychology student at Sussex. I first learned about Pocket Angel through an email from our Business School that told us about the opportunity to do volunteer work with the Pocket Angel team. After checking their website and mission I was immediately interested! I’ve always been passionate about social causes, and being able to apply my knowledge of Psychology and Marketing to such a meaningful non-lucrative business felt like the perfect opportunity to do good while also learning from others and growing as a professional and as a person.

Apart from these areas of interest, I’m also into writing, drawing and painting, rollerblading and going for walks in nature, and gaming (yes, girls can be gamers too!).

Hi, my name is Helena and I’m grateful to have joined the Pocket Angel team! I’ve always been passionate about helping people experiencing homelessness and helping them feel more loved, equal and cared for – especially when they could often feel the opposing. As well as this, I feel it’s important to help everyone believe in themselves as individuals as well as feeling a safe sense of community amongst others. Additionally I want to help as much as possible for anyone struggling, whether that’s not being able to get enough food for themselves or their children, or struggling mentally. I want to help. I’m a loving creative who loves to connect with other humans, and look forward to using these people skills going forwards with Pocket Angel. I will be specialising in socials for the charity and getting the word of the events / help etc. out there. I truly believe it’s charities like these – coming ultimately from a place of love, that can make a huge difference and I can’t wait to do just that.