About the Centre
The Highlife Centre is dedicated to addressing social, economic, and cultural challenges, creating pathways for individuals to overcome barriers and thrive in all aspects of their lives. Through our diverse services, we empower individuals and communities by providing tailored support, access to resources, and holistic programmes that develop personal and professional growth.
People from disadvantaged and minority communities continue to face persistent and overlapping inequalities that limit access to opportunity, wellbeing and economic security.
The West Midlands remains one of the most deprived regions in England, with over 30% of neighbourhoods falling within the most deprived national deciles. Black and minority ethnic residents are twice as likely to live in these areas, and the region has some of the country’s widest gaps in employment, skills, income and health. Coventry alone contains multiple LSOAs ranked in the bottom 10% nationally, disproportionately affecting African, Caribbean, South Asian and newly arrived communities.
These inequalities, driven by structural barriers, digital exclusion and limited culturally competent support, become cyclical if left unaddressed, reducing confidence, economic participation and long‑term life chances across generations.
This is why we do what we do. The Highlife Centre exists to challenge inequality, strengthen community power and create fair, accessible pathways so people can thrive and lead their own futures.
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Enable our beneficiaries to become confident and productive in their communities so that they can have a sense of purpose, access resources and skills that could turn their aspirations into reality and make positive changes to their lives, aspire and achieve their full potential.
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Create a welcoming environment that removes life-improving barriers for people from disadvantaged and marginalised groups to improve their productivity and self-worth.
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As an organisation, we have four values we aspire to:
Understanding our service users and their needs, ensuring that we put them first and at the centre of developing and delivering our work.
Integrity, we operate on honesty and having strong moral principles to gain respect from those we serve, our partners, supporters and funders.
Ambitious, we are innovative and we are not afraid to take a stand, speak up and push for change.
Accountable, we are accountable to the community we serve ensuring transparency at all times.
Who We Are
Our Board Members
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![Portrait of a woman with short curly hair, wearing a patterned blouse and a light scarf, against a solid teal background.]()
Daisy Oppon
With over 20 years in the food retail sector, Daisy has operated Daisy's Fine Foods in Coventry Market for 15 years, becoming the first African woman to do so; she is passionate about inspiring disadvantaged children and young people to reach their full potential.
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![Portrait of a young man with short hair, wearing a checkered shirt, against a solid teal background.]()
Tobi Labeodan
Tobi holds Fellowship status with The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and has over 20 years of experience in both private and public sectors, specialising in charity accounting, financial management, and business development.
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![A grayscale portrait of a young woman with long, wavy hair, looking slightly to the side, with a serious expression, against a plain background.]()
Angela Babane
Angela joined the Highlife Centre as a trustee in 2025. She holds a bachelor's degree in Law.
With her legal experience, she is equipped with valuable transferable skills, which include enhanced critical thinking and communication abilities. -
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Parithba Reddy
Prathiba brings to the Highlife Centre over 13 years of experience across a variety of skillsets including software development, configuration, testing, and implementation, with an excellent track record of managing successful projects.
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Odehye Nana Kwasi
A business graduate with a master’s degree in business administration, Kwasi has 30 years of experience in the voluntary sector, focusing on strengthening governance structures and ensuring compliance.
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![Portrait of a man with a serious expression, wearing a suit jacket and dress shirt, set against a teal background.]()
Kyei Nketia
A former junior non-commissioned officer in the UK Armed Forces, Kyei focuses on business strategy and environmental sustainability, ensuring the organisation’s operations align with emerging ESG guidelines.
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