Our Story

Noise Solution was founded in 2009 in Suffolk.

What started as an idea formed around a kitchen table has grown to cover Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, parts of London and even Dorset!

It has been quite a journey, and we aren’t finished yet. We know (and can prove) our work often has transformational impacts, and we want to take those impacts to as many young people as we can.

Where we came from

Similar to many of our participants, Simon (our CEO and Founding Director) left school at 16 with no qualifications. It was music which changed his trajectory into a successful career which saw multiple record contracts, international touring and major festival appearances. The combination of those experiences, whilst also working for 15 years as a youth worker for local authorities, resulted in the formation of Noise Solution in July 2009.

Over years of working with the Local Authority helping at risk youth, Simon saw that interventions worked best when the young people felt like they had a say in the programme, when they felt included in the creation of the interventions rather than a subject of them, and when the focus was taken away from ‘what was wrong’ in their lives and instead showcased what they were doing well. This experience, in addition to his extensive experience as a professional musician with a specialism in music tech, led to the creation of Noise Solutions face-to-face programmes which remain at the core of our delivery.

Due to the innovative approach around digital tools and the successful outcomes of our work, Simon was invited to do a Research Masters at Cambridge University. He completed his Masters at the Education Faculty in 2018 without having done a first degree. Simon’s research was understanding the latest educational theory and evidence around motivation and well-being, and it’s impacts on young people that are on the margins of education or other services. You can read Simons thesis here.

Where we are heading

We are delighted that our work has begun to be recognised with awards from PwC and the Royal Society for Public Health, along with shortlists and finalists in a number of others. But what is more important to us is the ability to use our work to create often life-changing impacts, and our understanding of how to make that happen time and again.

We have significant growth plans, and are actively looking to scale. We know (and can prove) that our work makes a measureable difference, and we want to take these proven impacts to as many young people as we can.

Alongside growing our delivery work we are actively working on impact innovation projects using digital tools to measure, manage and report on both quantitative and qualitative impact data. We want to keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible because we know that, if we do, we demonstrate to the sector and beyond ‘the art of the possible’ which can only result in better impacts for more people.

Our team

We have a pretty small (but perfectly formed) central team. Our use of digital tools means we can be efficient in our use of resources and maintain the organisation with a relatively small central team.

We all come from a variety of backgrounds, and all have skills and specialisms to share and contribute to the team.

As a social enterprise, our people are really important to us. We employ people as much based on who they are as well as what they can do. And our team is ace!

Meet the team here

Our Board

We have a Board of Non-Executive Directors from a variety of backgrounds who give their time freely to provide strategic oversight and scrutiny to our work.

Each member of our Board brings their own skillset, from finance to academia to insurance and healthcare.

Meet the Board here