Roger Diamond

Cllr. Roger Diamond founded various charities during the last four decades. The first was "18th Brocade Performing Arts Workshop" in 1979 in the borough of Haringey where he lived. The second was the popular education charity "Real Action" based in Westminster, founded over 28 years ago. Roger and (education campaigner) Katie Ivens founded the charity primarily to deliver the Butterfly Literacy programme. The programme was conceived and developed by (prep school headmistress and educator) Irina Tyk. This method has been found to on average increase disadvantaged 4-12 year olds' reading ages by over one year in less than 18 hours of whole-class Butterfly teaching.

Roger has over 44 years' experience in youth & community work service in Haringey and West London. Taught to read classical music as a child, with a background of playing keyboards in successful British reggae bands (one of which reached number two in the UK charts), he still plays the piano, developing jazz skills that enable him to perform occasionally as a solo artist and in Jazz bands.

In Haringey Roger used to live next to the Broadwater Farm Council Estate and witnessed first-hand the horrific infamous riot there on 6th October 1985 - that sparked off other large riots throughout the UK. The social issues that fuelled that riot had been a concern of his for some time. Roger is writing a (theatre/screen) play with those and other social issues as the backdrop. 

Roger is a musician and has also been a playwright and freelance performing arts journalist. Roger enjoys working with others who seek to find and/or promote effective educational solutions for reducing the causes of youth criminality and anti-social behaviour that is abundant in some areas of London and the UK.

Roger has served as a school governor for about six years (as Deputy Chair and Chair of Finance) and Interim Chair of Governors at a Westminster City Council Primary School. In May 2022 Roger was elected as a Parish Councillor for Queens Park Community Council (QPCC) in the Queens Park ward of Westminster.