About Me

Having studied architecture at degree level, with a subsequent post graduate certificate in urban design a common thread running through my career has been a focus on architecture, public realm, urban design and the built environment. I started my career with a community development trust, which gave me an excellent grounding in community engagement at a grass roots level, responding to local needs. This was also my first involvement in the restoration of a historic building, with heritage another thread that has run through my career. This has included the restoration of a single building in that case, through to managing a Townscape Heritage Initiative in Sheffield (focusing on the regeneration of the Cultural Industries Quarter), or the Dearne Valley Landscape Partnership (DVLP).

I was the first arts officer at Charnwood Borough Council, based in Loughborough, where my role was to encourage the development of the arts across the Borough. This included setting up an arts grants scheme, managing the council’s art collection and establishing a rural touring scheme (taking professional performances to village halls) that was then adopted across the whole of Leicestershire. As a result of this I was also commissioned to produce a toolkit on how to set up a rural touring scheme by the National Rural Touring Forum. I was fortunate to work with Charnwood Arts, a long established community arts organisation who now have an international profile.

My time at Charnwood shaped my understanding and appreciation of how the arts are capable of engaging people in innovative, creative and accessible ways. It was also my first experience of public art commissioning, resulting in national headlines for what some considered a controversial statue, but one that has now become a visual symbol of Loughborough. It made me realise how the arts can be used to open up debate and bring issues out into the open. It is as result of these experiences that the arts featured so heavily in the DVLP, unusual in many ways for a landscape partnership funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. This proved one of the reasons for the success of the DVLP as we were able to take a creative approach to the delivery of the programme – whether it was shining a laser eight miles across the valley, producing a play or creating a massive piece of land art.

The varied roles I have held have a consistent feature to them – my strong project management skills. I have a reputation of being able to deliver projects on time, on budget and to the highest quality. I pride myself on my attention to detail, my ability to dynamically identify and respond to key issues, emerging challenges and changing clients needs, along with my ability to communicate clearly to all parties involved at all stages. I take a pride in my work and am motivated by making a difference whether that’s through restoring buildings, securing funding or most importantly helping individuals develop new skills, confidence or ways of working.