Ria is a Community Engagement and Projects Officer at Healthwatch Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, where she actively engages with diverse communities and delivers impactful research projects that inform changes in health and care services. She has a background in project management, fundraising, campaigning and youth advocacy.
At age 14, Ria led a successful campaign to prevent the closure of the Children’s Cardiac Unit at Leicester’s Glenfield Hospital, garnering over 100,000 petition signatures and ensuring its survival. Driven by her passion for youth representation, Ria also served as a former twice-elected member of the UK Youth Parliament and Leicester’s Young People’s Council, where she represented young people on both local and national levels. Her experiences serve as a testament to her belief that young people can bring about meaningful change and have sparked her passion for ensuring that young people are not excluded in decision-making processes.