Gordon L. Gibson

M.A., Dip. (Urban Design), B.A. (Hons), M.R.I.C.S.

Director, Urban Designer and Chartered Surveyor

Gordon joined the founding group of Sylfaen Cynefin in 2004 having been lead Urban Designer and then Director on the staff of the former Community Design Service since 1995. He has extensive experience in the community sector and in urban design, including “revival strategies” for villages, towns and housing estates across Wales and England.

International experience includes the Inner City strategy for Johannesburg (with Stephen Thorne, 1994; Steve is now with Design Urban in Australia); its proposed Nelson Mandela Bridge was completed at the turn of the millennium. Gordon was also an award winner, with Steve, in the Prague Urban Design Competition of 1993/4.

Gordon lectures and writes on community development themes and serves (or has served) on various committees of the National Assembly for Wales, including the Wales Road Safety Forum and the Voluntary Sector Partnership Council. He is an invited member of the UK Sustainable Development Commission's panel.

Gordon is one of Wales ’ foremost advocates of ‘Home Zones’ (safe residential streets) and has been a prominent practitioner on these and other community consultation and regeneration themes for many years.

Prior to 1995, Gordon had a long career as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and then as a lecturer in Building Management and Urban Renewal

Jonathan Bevan

B.Sc. (Building Surveying)

Director, Urban Landscape Designer

Jonathan has 20 years of broad community sector experience including consultation, design, feasibility and implementation work in urban and rural communities, environmental and recreational projects and housing associations and local authority clients.

Completed projects include town and village regeneration strategies, housing schemes, traffic calming, Home Zones, community recreation facilities, environment and arts projects, including schools and community schemes. His experience includes study tours of innovative traffic schemes in Germany , France and The Netherlands. His first major experience of Urban Design was the pioneering Llwynypia Terraces Home Zone project in the early 1990's (see images)

Jonathan is a founding director of the company.

Wendy Smith

Third Year Student in Architecture at Kent University

Part Time Architecture Assistant

Wendy is in the Third Year of her B.Arch. course in the Department of Architecture at the University of Kent. She is experienced in CAD usage, building surveys, technical drawing and studio administration. Wendy provides supervised architectural assistaince to the practice.

Volunteer Board

In addition to Gordon Gibson and Jonathan Bevan (c.v.s above), the company board includes:

Dr Ben Reynolds

PhD, B.A.(Hons)

Director, Researcher and Manager

Ben Reynolds has a Doctorate (Department of Geography, U.C. Swansea, 2002) in urban regeneration, and in depth training in research techniques. He has undertaken a wide range of research and project management contracts, including research and project management for the City and County of Swansea , the voluntary sector, Youth Arts, the All Wales Ethnic Minority Association (AWEMA) and ongoing work with the Forestry Commission for Wales . 

Ben is a Director of Sylfaen Cynefin and also runs his own consultancy, undertaking feasibility studies, research/consultation, fundraising, and project management.

Deborah Checkland

B.A.(Hons), CQSW

Director, Planning Officer & Social Worker

Deborah is a registered Social worker, with extensive experience in the statutory and voluntary sectors. She has experience of work in a wide range of partnerships in a professional and voluntary capacity. Deborah has been instrumental in the Swansea Open House scheme, and is Chair of Women in Jazz.

Assoc iates

Sylfaen Cynefin works closely with our ‘namesake’ in Caernarfon, Sylfaen Cymunedol, with whom we have sustained mutually supportive if not formal relations.

Sylfaen Cymunedol provides Community Development and Training

Their staff includes

Val Williams/Brian Thirsk

Community Development Workers/ Trainers

Both Val and Brian are graduates in the Social Sciences and have post graduate qualifications in Community Development from the University College Wales.

They established Sylfaen Cymunedol Cyf in March 2001 to maintain direct support work and training for young people and communities in the most disadvantaged areas in North West Wales, following the closure of the Children’s Society Project.

Val has been responsible for the production of a large body of work around Community Development and accredited training through the North Wales Open College Network and sits on the Community Development Assessment Panel.

Brian is the current Chair of Community Development Cymru and sits on the Communities First Support Network Board.

On a National Level both Val and Brian have been advisors and feed into Wales National Assembly Committees, publish pamphlets on Community Development Work and work with young people in disadvantaged communities.

They can be contacted directly on 01286 67 71 17 or by email at sylfaen@ukonline.co.uk., or though us.