Meet Phoenix’s Future Safety Leaders Bursary Recipients
Selected from over 100 applications, Heather Yendle, Ffion Lloyd-Hughes and Carl Birkett will receive fully funded NEBOSH qualifications, mentoring and dedicated career support.
The Phoenix Future Safety Leaders Bursary was created around one belief: A person’s potential should not be limited by their ability to fund the next step.
Over 100 people applied for our inaugural bursary.
They included people beginning their careers, returning to the workplace, changing direction, joining from the Armed Forces community and already improving safety within demanding operational environments.
Each brought a different experience, ambition and vision of what the right opportunity could make possible.
Only three could receive a fully funded place.
After an extensive judging process, we are proud to introduce the inaugural recipients of the Phoenix Future Safety Leaders Bursary: Heather Yendle, Ffion Lloyd-Hughes and Carl Birkett.
Meet the Inaugural Recipients
Heather Yendle
Armed Forces bursary recipient
NEBOSH Level 6 National Diploma for Occupational Health and Safety Management Professionals
Heather served for 15 years in the Royal Navy, where leadership, personal responsibility and risk management were central to her working life.
Since leaving the Armed Forces, she has continued investing in her professional development, completing IOSH Managing Safely and the NEBOSH National General Certificate while establishing a clear plan for her future in health and safety.
The judging panel was particularly impressed by how deliberately Heather has carried the leadership and resilience developed during her service into the next stage of her career.
“I honestly cannot put into words how delighted I am to have been chosen, especially knowing that the panel reviewed so many applications.
This support will have a significant impact on my future development. I am excited to continue learning and building a career in health and safety.”
Ffion Lloyd-Hughes
NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety
After returning to employment, Ffion progressed into a leadership role as a catering manager and successfully navigated audits and inspections through practical judgement, personal responsibility and a strong instinct for people-centred safety.
She now wants to build the systematic knowledge required to move beyond a reactive approach and manage risk more proactively.
The panel recognised both the capability Ffion has already demonstrated and the potential for a professional qualification to open new possibilities for her future career.
“I’m absolutely over the moon. This bursary means so much to me. I’m looking at it as an opportunity to make a genuine career change into health and safety.”
Carl Birkett
NEBOSH Level 6 National Diploma for Occupational Health and Safety Management Professionals
Carl is already delivering meaningful health and safety improvements across fabrication, steelwork and construction.
His application demonstrated how he has strengthened safe systems of work, improved training and developed more effective site controls. It also showed his ability to combine technical credibility and commercial awareness with influence at every level—from directors to fabricators.
Having completed the NEBOSH National General Certificate, Carl now wants to deepen his knowledge, progress towards Chartered status, mentor others and strengthen standards across engineering and construction.
“I’m genuinely honoured, and I’m very grateful for the confidence you and the judging panel have placed in me. I’m looking forward to the next steps and to working with the Phoenix team again.”
Different Journeys. Shared Potential.
Each recipient will receive:
A fully funded Phoenix course place and learning materials
The associated assessment fees
Dedicated learner support throughout their studies
Mentor check-ins and career guidance; and
Recognition as a member of the inaugural Phoenix Future Safety Leaders cohort
Nick Higginson, CEO and Founder of Phoenix Health & Safety, said:
“Potential does not always arrive with the strongest CV or the most obvious route into the profession. Sometimes it needs someone to recognise it, invest in it and provide the opportunity for it to develop.
“Heather, Ffion and Carl have followed very different paths, but all three have already demonstrated what they can achieve with the opportunities available to them.
“Talent is everywhere. Opportunity isn’t. This bursary is our contribution towards changing that.”
More Than Three Yeses
The quality of the applications made choosing only three recipients extraordinarily difficult.
Nine further applicants have been recognised as Highly Commended and will receive enhanced development support, including complimentary short courses, career guidance and personalised recognition.
Every person who applied will also receive a Phoenix Future Safety Leaders Development Pack containing:
Complimentary access to three Phoenix short courses: Manual Handling, Fire Awareness and Introduction to Dynamic Risk Assessments,
The opportunity to book a Phoenix Career Review; and
Preferential rates on their desired qualification
Nick added:
“Over 100 people trusted us with their experiences, aspirations and the barriers standing between them and their next step.
“With only three fully funded places available, our response could not end with three yeses.
“This is not simply about funding qualifications. It is about investing in people, building capability and making the health and safety profession more visible and accessible.”
From Cleaning Electricity Meters to Founding Phoenix
The initiative also has personal significance for Nick, whose health and safety career began while cleaning electricity meters in a factory.
After volunteering as a trade union safety representative, he recognised that a professional qualification could change the direction of his career.
When his employer would not fund the NEBOSH National General Certificate or allow him time away from work to study, he found another route; attending a local college one evening a week for six months.
That qualification became the foundation for the career that followed and, ultimately, the creation of Phoenix Health & Safety.
The bursary exists because not everyone is in a position to fund that first, or next, professional step themselves.
Qualifications matter. But opportunity, support and belief matter too.
What Happens Next?
Heather, Ffion and Carl will now confirm their preferred study formats and course intakes before beginning their qualifications.
Throughout their studies, they will receive dedicated learner support, mentor check-ins and career guidance. With their permission, we will share their progress and achievements along the way.
Their journeys began in different places.
Their next chapter as the inaugural Phoenix Future Safety Leaders begins here.