ABOUT ASSEMBLE

Assemble is a grassroots campaign that’s rewiring politics.

We have a simple aim - swap representative democracy for deliberative democracy. That will mean the billionaires and aristocrats who control politics are shown the door, and ordinary people can make the big decisions about their own lives.

We do this by funding, training, and helping organise Community Assemblies across the UK, where local people decide on what needs to change. Then, we help them build power to make those changes happen quick. At the same time, we are building the House of the People: an institution to represent these local Assemblies. This is what we think Government should look like.

Who's behind Assemble?

You!

Assemble is defined by the hundreds and thousands of people who organise and take part in grassroots democracy.

But there’s a core team who coordinate things across the board. They are:

Molly holds a First Class MA Hons from the University of Edinburgh, where she studied Public Participation in Democracy and Governance. She previously worked as a documentary filmmaker living in Glasgow, and currently lives in London - but is still managing to find the folk clubs and hills.

MOLLY MAY SHELTON

projects co-ordinator + networking

Yaz is a physicist-turned-organiser who has been working on the quiet art of getting strangers to trust each other. In the past he has helped mobilise large-scale climate protests, walked 500 miles to Glasgow for COP26 and once sprinkled glitter over a sparkling knight. These days, he designs assemblies and campaigns to help turn despair into hope.

YAZ EL ASHMAWI

assemblies
co-ordinator

Rosie has a background in psychology and political research. Before Assemble, she coordinated the political team in Extinction Rebellion and co-founded MP Watch. She has experience in operations management, web and graphic design. She lives in London and has no personality.

ROSIE MERRIFIELD

data coordinator,
website + finance

Bertie is a trustee for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants and lives in London. He pretends to read books but secretly prefers scrolling. He recently called the Houses of Parliament a corrupt sausage factory on LBC radio.

BERTIE COYLE

media + press
coordinator

Sam is an experienced social and ecological justice campaigner who has a reputation for making the impossible possible through actions not words. Sam has a MSc in Sustainability Entrepreneurship Design from Brunel University, London. She’s commonly found on Dartmoor and currently lives in Devon.

SAM SMITHSON

events + trainings
co-ordinator

Chris has worked on people’s assemblies for the last 3 years, working with Humanity Project before joining Assemble in 2024. Learning from the best, Chris knows the importance of data and microdesign when it comes to organising assembly campaigns. They previously lived in the Czech Republic and are now based in London. Chris loves foraging and growing vegetables at their allotment.

CHRIS CHUDLEY

mobilisation and volunteer
co-ordinator

Louise has 20+ years’ experience working for charities and not for profits. Her fundraising background is in digital marketing, major donors, grants, events and campaigns. She is a trustee for a food bank and community kitchen. Louise started as a volunteer facilitator at the House of the People and a new found passion for deliberative democracy was born.

LOUISE PUDNEY

fundraising
co-ordinator

When did assemble launch?

Assemble was founded in 2024, as part of the Umbrella network - which includes Take Back Power, Youth Demand and Just Stop Oil. It was co-founded by the members of the core team and Roger Hallam.

How are you funded?

We get our operational costs covered by a range of sources:

Part of funding comes from institutional grants, such as from Climate Emergency Fund and Red Panda Paw.
We also rely on funding from crowdfunding campaigns and monthly donation from our supporters.

We do not accept funding which has stipulations attached. We have never accepted funding from any Government body or political party.

We are not a registered charity, but we are represented by The Movements Trust, so we are able to accept charitable donations. We are a non profit organisation, structured as a company Limited by Guarantee.

For paid staff, there is a flat payment structure that matches the living wage for the region they live in, up to 40 hours a week. The rest of our income goes to campaigning work and disbursement to local groups which is always our priority.