While all the contributions in this book have been written by members of the Gender and Employment in Local Labour Markets (GELLM) research team, the studies undertaken as part of the GELLM research programme could not have been completed without the support of our research sponsors and partners, the other members of the GELLM team, or our colleagues, friends and families.

I would like to record my sincere thanks to the following organisations and individuals who variously provided the encouragement, inspiration, advice, support, suggestions and resources without which the GELLM research programme could not have been successfully completed.

Organisations providing sponsorship and support

The European Social Fund (main sponsor); the Equal Opportunities Commission; the Trade Union Congress (TUC); the local authorities in Birmingham, Camden, East Staffordshire, Leicester, Newcastle, Sandwell, Somerset, Southwark, Thurrock, Trafford, Wakefield and West Sussex; and our universities, Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Leeds.

Local authority partners

The following gave support to the team in their respective local authorities, often contributing well beyond their brief to ensure successful engagement and communication and to support project delivery: Mashuq Ally, Sue Bearder, Lisa-Marie Bowles, Melanie Chan, Ann Copsey,Vera Markos, Paul McGloin;, Harish Mehra, Christine Paley, Surinder Punn, Paul Redfern, Sue Reed, Celia Sweeney, Claire Tunley and Guy Wisbey.

GELLM Research Team

In addition to the contributors to this volume, members of the GELLM team, based at Sheffield Hallam University between 2003 and 2006, included: Ian Chesters (GELLM administrator), Pamela Fisher, Lorna Hewish, Gerard Poole, Christopher Price, Lucy Shipton, Bernadette Stiell and Anu Suokas (GELLM researchers) and Tim Strickland (financial adviser). Sincere thanks also to our external academic advisers for the Programme: Ed Fieldhouse, Damian Grimshaw and Irene Hardill.

Individuals

Many individuals helped, in many different ways, with ideas, encouragement and support. Thanks to: Rose Ardron, Kevin Bonnett, Christine Booth, Sue Botcherby, Marion Canavon, Sheila Coates, David Coats, Anna Coss, David Darton, Lee Egglestone, Mary Evans, Felicity Everiss, Richard Exell, Chris Gardner (who died in 2006), Rebecca Gill, Tony Gore, Carole Hassan, Sylvia Johnson, Helga Krüger (who died in 2008), Jo Morris, David Perfect, Ryan Powell, Samm Wharam, Rebecca Wilding and Sylvia Yates.