About us

Becky Harford is Director and Co-founder of Benthyg Cymru. Becky has previously worked in Community Development, activism, campaigning and communications. Most recently at Friends of the Earth Cymru growing and supporting the network of groups in Wales.  

She is an instigator and loves it when communities take their power. She  co-founded Rumney Forum – a hyper-local charity tackling poverty in Cardiff and is also Co-founder of The Ladies of Rage collective that supports women and non-binary people in music. 

When she’s not working at Benthyg she loves a cheeky little skank to Drum and Bass, is a poet and MC and loves a stroll with her dog Dot.

Fran Williams joined the Benthyg team in 2022 after working with Benthyg Cymru and Repair Café Wales as a project manager on the RE:MAKE repair and reuse WCVA-funded project delivering flagship repair and reuse hubs across Wales.

As part of the senior leadership team at Benthyg Cymru, she supports the delivery of both our strategic and day-to-day operational goals.

Fran has dedicated the majority of her career to developing more ethical and sustainable supply chains within the retail industry. Delivering long-term systemic behavioural change working at multi-channel retailers including House of Fraser, Marks and Spencer, and Boden.

Fran moved to Wales with her Welsh-born husband in 2021 and has fallen in love with life in Wales!

In her spare time, Fran likes to try out different crafts and learn new skills. You will also find her dancing in her kitchen, enjoying a good book, or hanging out with her bonkers Sprocker spaniel, Sammy.

Aneka Rao is Benthyg’s part-time Data Communications and Research Analyst. Originally from Canada, she has worked all over the world mostly in communications. She moved to Wales five years ago and spends her time organising community events, scouring charity shops for treasures, and travelling with her fellow globetrotters – her toddler son and aging dog, Kelly.

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Lisa is our South Wales Community Development Officer helping to develop & support new & existing libraries of things across the region. Lisa’s background before joining the Benthyg team was with children & adults with learning difficulties in various roles, working for a charity. 

Outside of work, Lisa likes to run (slowly!) & has entered several 10K events. She also loves spending time with her friends & family & trying to keep her 2 young children out of trouble. 

Before joining Benthyg Cymru, Charlotte worked for 13 years in the charity sector helping to deliver Government initiatives such as New Deal for Musicians and Reach The Heights. More recently she has spent the past 10 years in retail, running her own card and gift shop business.

Outside of work, Charlotte likes to draw every day and get to her allotment when she can. When she’s not tending to her large collection of succulent plants, she designs Buzz Magazine once a month and loves listening to repetitive beats to relax.

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Russell’s background is in Community Development in a range of roles: neighbourhood worker, manager, workforce development, trustee, lecturer and writer. He published his first book in 2024 on Policy Press, co-written with Alan Twelvetrees: Community Development, Social Action and Social Planning. Russell also founded the first podcast dedicated to Community Development, and the first podcast on the Wales football team. He also produces podcasts for a range of non-profit organisations.

Other ventures he’s founded include Valleys Ale Trails and Grow Social Capital CIC, and he’s active in own community as founder of the CF14 Philosophy In Pubs group, as a committee member of Friends of Hailey Park and running a Benthyg library of things in Gabalfa. A Welsh speaker, his weekends tend to be spent on the sidelines of his children’s sports matches or at music gigs.

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Bethan Davies is the founder of ‘Cause,  (like because!) – an impact agency for comms and content that works with purpose-led clients who want to change the world. Their collective of self-employed specialists bring unique, diverse expertise to every cause.
Bethan is 2025’s Great British Businesswoman Awards’ Role Model of the Year, a former Welsh Government press officer and UK Government strategic comms advisor and a has worked in some of London’s leading agencies before setting up on her own.
Bethan has extensive experience in sustainability, health, retail, property, circularity, corporate comms, social value and Government communications, leading multi-award-winning campaigns for clients.
Bethan has ADHD, and is a proud neurodivergent advocate, and regularly writes or speaks about burnout and sustainable business behaviours.
Bethan lives in Cardiff with her partner and her cat. She has a passion for fitness, film and is newly in her gardening era!

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Melin is the founder of Seedable Studio and a creative problem solver who leads sustainable, human-centred design solutions. With over two decades of experience, she has helped people bring ideas to life from inclusive digital products and bold brands to side projects she's deeply passionate about.

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