New Executive Director

Play for Progress Announces Bridget Banda as New Executive Director

Following an open recruitment process over the past few months, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Bridget Banda as our new Executive Director. Bridget is a warm, energetic and inspirational leader and we are looking forward to seeing her bring innovation, creativity and radical love to our community of unaccompanied young people seeking sanctuary. In equal measure, we know that she will bring tenacity to our fundraising efforts and provide leadership to our wonderful teams of musicians, therapists and caseworkers.

In modelling a compassionate and reciprocal approach to migration centred on wellbeing, cohesion and solidarity, we offer an alternative vision to the current system. Bridget’s determination to advocate for the rights of people stuck in the immigration system makes her the perfect appointment to Play for Progress.

As Vice Chair of Medical Justice, she works to eradicate the medical mistreatment of people in immigration detention. She’s had a rich and diverse career to date – from managing supported housing communities to serving as a Counsellor at Yarls Wood detention centre, from leadership roles in the marketing industry to a stint as a visitor/facilitator at a women’s prison.

Of the appointment, Trustee Naomi Webb says:

“We are beyond thrilled that Bridget will be joining our dedicated and innovative team as Play for Progress enters its tenth year. Bridget’s commitment to the organisation’s mission and ethos shines through and we’re excited to see her lead at this time of great opportunity whilst tackling the considerable challenges facing the sector. Her integrity and passion, alongside her professional and personal lived experience, are so strong and we’re delighted to welcome Bridget to the team.”

Bridget adds:

“I am delighted and honoured to be appointed Executive Director of Play for Progress. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Board of Trustees and Co Founders for entrusting me with this great privilege to lead such an amazing team doing such brilliant work in an incredibly hostile environment, to ensure unaccompanied young people have a safe place to heal, survive and thrive. The challenges our young people and the team face have never been so great, and so it is with a great sense of responsibility that I accept this post.”

As our Co-Founders Anna MacDonald and Alyson Frazier transition out of the organisation, and hand over the reins to Bridget, taking their own steps forward to new adventures and challenges, we also take the opportunity to thank them for the exceptional vision, dedication and love which has seen them, over the (nearly) past ten years, nurture and grow the organisation from a weekly music class for young people seeking asylum to the organisation that it is today: a trauma-informed community that taps into the healing power of music, the arts, play, and creative therapies to build healthy and resilient relationships that support and amplify the voices of unaccompanied young people seeking sanctuary.

Bridget takes up her role in January 2024.