Stephen Singer | Director
Stephen is the founder and Director of Community Links Scotland. Stephen has a background in housing and has supported community groups for more than twenty five years. Stephen combines managing the organisation while working for a range of community led organisations, assisting them with their governance and supporting them in the journey from project inspiration to implementation including the preparation of business plans, community action plans, options studies and funding procurement.
Stephen is a dad to two teenage boys whom he relaxes from by gardening. An ex-geographer he has a fascination for urban forms and maps. He is also a lifelong fan of Queen of the South Football Club, frequently going to watch them on weekends, even though they rarely win, fingers crossed for next season.
Louise Bacon | Operations Director
Louise joined Community Links Scotland as a Project Manager in 2005. She has a background in Landscape Architecture and Urban Regeneration and has worked within the community sector for over 25 years supporting and enhancing community driven regeneration across the physical, social and economic environment. Louise has worked on a variety of large scale employment training, financial inclusion and community capacity building projects and supports RSLs and voluntary sector organisations to access funding, develop and implement new projects. In particular, she has worked extensively within Inverclyde building long term relationships with a variety of clients to take forward large partnership projects.
Outside of work, Louise is on the Board of a local Community Controlled Housing Association, Treasurer of her local Community Development Trust and Treasurer of a Junior Curling Club. She also provides a taxi and cheerleading service to her kids for their various sporting activities – which leaves very little time for anything else!
Suzannah Roberts | Project Lead
Suzannah originally joined Community Links Scotland in 2005 and following a career break to raise her young family she returned to the organisation in 2019. She has over 20 years experience working in both Scotland and Australia in strategic planning, grant funding, business planning, community engagement and community capacity building initiatives.
Suzannah fills her spare time chasing after her children, getting together with friends, enjoying the great outdoors and volunteering. Whilst on her career break she spent time living in Australia and volunteered as both Treasurer and Centre Coordinator for a military base community centre, providing support to military families and here in Scotland she has recently joined the Parent Council for her son’s school.
Lisa Lees | Energy & Wellbeing Officer
Lisa has been involved with Community Links Scotland since 2011, firstly as a volunteer, student, sessional worker and now full time team member. She graduated from the University of Glasgow with a BA in Community Development, is a qualified SQA Verifier and Assessor and recently gained her Reach Advocacy Practice Award. Lisa has a vast amount of experience in youth work, community engagement, group work, facilitation as well as creating and delivering training.
Lisa has 3 children and 2 grandchildren, and loves to read in her spare time. Lisa has found that she has a strong affinity with Harry Potter and is a very proud Hufflepuff. Lisa has a vast collection of Harry Potter merchandise including replica wands and like a true Hufflepuff she loves animals. Lisa has an array of pets that include, a dog, 2 cats, an African Grey Parrot and 3 Ball Pythons.
Jim Percival | Energy Lead
Jim is supporting our West Dunbartonshire Energy Advice Service.
Jim has over 46 years of experience supporting households who have been impacted by energy-related issues. He started work with the South of Scotland Electricity Board (SSEB) in 1976 and was employed with them for 27 years. He has since worked with Solas Scotland for 11 years and latterly with the Wise Group Energy Advice and Advocacy services for the past 9 years up until retirement in 2022.
Jim resides in Greenock and is a big football fan. He is married with two children and five grandchildren.
Marija Arbeitere | Energy Advisor
Info coming soon
Laureen Walker | Healthy Pathways Project Officer
Laureen joined Community Links Scotland in 2026. She has a background in community development and has worked for over a decade, supporting children, young people and their families in the UK and abroad. More recently, Laureen has been working for a charity supporting asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in Scotland.
In her free time, Laureen enjoys travelling, learning languages, dancing and spending time with friends.
Alison Shaw | Finance Consultant
Alison is our Finance Consultant. She worked for us for 20 years and in 2022 she decided to semi-retire. However, she couldn’t leave us completely, and now works one day a week on all things finance.
In her spare time, when not busy with childcare for her several grandchildren, Alison is either in competition bowling Scotland wide, organising bowling events or caring for the family’s horses and dogs; she enjoys gardening and is also addicted to house hunting and interior decor TV programmes!
Our Team
CLS has a staff team of eleven as well as two interns, who together have a varied and diverse background of skills that include: funding procurement, community development, economic development, community capacity building, participation and consultation techniques, project management, urban/rural regeneration, landscape architecture, welfare rights and energy advice.
All our project staff have an established base of experience within the social, voluntary, community or housing sectors.