North Lancashire & Preston Place Co-ordinator
“Everyone deserves the chance to reach their potential and live their best life. VCFSE organisations are filled with committed, innovative individuals helping to facilitate that. For me, LOCAL is a great opportunity to work within and for our communities to improve connectivity and access to resources for groups in all areas of Lancashire, ensuring they have the capacity and resilience to continue creating those chances.”
Rachel Coupe, Place Co-ordinator North Lancashire & Preston
Contact: rachel.coupe@lacvs.org.uk
Photo credit: Steve Dixon, Lancaster District CVS
Rachel is LOCAL Place Coordinator for North Lancashire and Preston, leading on priority themes of “a Safer Lancashire” and “Employment and skills”. She also leads on networking and sector engagement, mapping and data recording. Since July 2025 she has facilitated the Wyre VCFSE Network and the Fylde VCFSE Network.
Rachel is an enthusiastic people-connector who joined LOCAL for the opportunity to use her community knowledge, networking and communication skills to bring about positive change for the organisations providing vital services in Lancashire.
She came to LOCAL from Selnet, where, for 2 years, she was Engagement Lead on a funded county-wide employability project and subsequently undertook research to co-produce a report into Fylde’s VCFSE sector, commissioned by Fylde Council. Alongside this, she was part-time Community Outreach Manager for inclusive Lancashire-based charity DanceSyndrome, until March 2025. She continues to network across Lancashire as Partnerships Lead for non-profit home energy advice organisation Green Rose, part-time, alongside her LOCAL role.
Rachel understands the county well, having grown up in Blackpool and raised her family in Preston, where she still lives with her partner. A qualified teacher, she worked in primary education for 11 years, including 6 as a supply teacher, covering every one of the Lancashire 14 districts.
She has supported people with a variety of backgrounds, needs and abilities so is passionate about equality of access and opportunity, especially in education, training and employment. This experience informs her drive for empowering those facing disadvantage and led to her setting up the first Read Easy group in Lancashire, when she discovered a gap in provision for adult literacy during the pandemic.
After volunteer Trustee, Team Leader and Publicity roles, Rachel continues to promote the work of Read Easy Preston who train volunteers to teach adults to read. She is on the Preston Wellfest Steering Group and enjoys performing with Preston People’s Choir which she also chairs.