Robin Simpson Chief Executive, Voluntary Arts Expand Before joining Voluntary Arts in 2005, Robin was Deputy Chief Executive of Making Music – the national umbrella body for amateur music making, supporting over 2,000 amateur music groups throughout the UK, including choirs, orchestras, and music promoters. Previously, he worked as General Manager of the British Federation of Festivals, supporting the volunteer organisers of more than 300 festivals of music, dance and speech and drama across the UK. Robin has substantial experience of working with volunteers, having also worked for six years for the Royal National Institute for the Blind, managing a team of over 130 volunteer readers to record academic textbooks onto tape for visually-impaired students. He completed his MBA with the Open University Business School in 2002. Robin is a keen amateur French horn player, currently a member of the Northampton Symphony Orchestra. He is also a perennial ballroom dancing student, a frequent theatre-goer, an enthusiastic reader of contemporary fiction, an insatiable consumer of classical and world music and a keen blogger at culturalplayingfield.org and culturaldessert.blogspot.com. “For those of us who voluntarily practice some form of arts activity in our own time – and some estimates suggest that this includes almost half the adult population, playing in orchestras, singing in choirs, acting, dancing, painting, lace-making etc. – it’s often difficult to articulate exactly why we do it. But it usually becomes such a significant part of our lives we genuinely feel we couldn’t do without it.”
Lindsey Jackson Finance and HR Manager, Voluntary Arts Expand Lindsey has worked at Voluntary Arts since 2009 and prior to that has worked as a Welfare Benefits advisor. She has also completed her AAT qualification while working for Voluntary Arts. Lindsey enjoys reading and knitting and is determined to start her first quilt now that her AAT work has finished. “What I enjoy most about working for Voluntary Arts is the opportunity to work with so many talented individuals both in-house and the organisations we work alongside with, it really is inspiring to see so many diverse and different art forms”
Andreea Lupu Communications Administrator, Voluntary Arts Expand Andreea joined Voluntary Arts in 2020 as Communications Administrator. In the last six years, she has worked across various areas of the arts and culture sector both in the UK and abroad, including theatre, contemporary art, heritage and film festivals, such as Birmingham Museums Trust, Ikon Gallery, START Art Fair (London, 2019), Supermarket Art Fair (Stockholm, 2019) and Anim'est International Film Festival. Her communications and project management experience expands to the education sector as well, having supported the Erasmus+ programme in the UK. Andreea’s creative story starts with pencil on paper. Originally from Romania, Andreea followed her passion for drawing and painting since childhood, graduating from an arts college. Strongly motivated to promote the value and benefits of artistic practices, she then studied communication and public relations in Romania and France and got a Master’s degree in Arts and Project Management in Birmingham, UK. She is now producing the Arts and Cultural Management Conference’s fourth edition (2021) while developing her own creative practice (ALTOPIA). I am eager to support Voluntary Arts in promoting and maximising the impact of creativity at social, cultural and health levels, notably in the current times of change and challenge.
Damien McGlynn Communications & Partnerships Director, Voluntary Arts Expand Damien joined Voluntary Arts in 2015 after several years working in the cultural sector in the UK and Ireland. Damien is Project Manager for the Get Creative Festival and works on a number of European partnership projects as well as managing communications across the organisation and managing the staff team in England. Damien was born in Dublin and studied Fine Art at the National College of Art & Design while also completing an exchange in the Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lithuania. His creative passion has, since the age of 8, been photography. Eventually upgrading from a 110mm contraption with flashcubes, he spent several years working as a freelance photographer primarily in documentary photography and photojournalism and also worked in visual arts organisations in Dublin, Edinburgh and London.
Claire Sharples Development Officer (North West), Voluntary Arts England Expand A Manchester-made boomerang, Claire has lived and worked in London, Slovakia and China and travelled and volunteered with social, educational and creative projects throughout Europe, China and India. Claire practiced and studied creative arts and design crafts, alongside art, design and film history and theory as an undergraduate in Kingston-upon-Thames; but always had an interest in the wider social contexts and holistic impacts of cultural and creative practices, completing a masters degree in Communication for Development at Malmo University in 2017, during which she focused particularly on the role of creative cultural exchange and participation in an inclusive public sphere. Prior to joining Voluntary Arts England, Claire has worked in communications, coordination and research and evaluation roles across the public and cultural sector. Work in social documentary and participatory media, as well as creative arts in gallery and community contexts, has emphasised widening participation and encouraging the opportunities of creative and cultural practices to be experienced - and defined - by all, in all their diverse forms and expressive mediums. Most recently Claire has worked with Curious Minds to coordinate the national pilot of the Cultural Citizens Programme in the North West, which supported 200 KS3 students across Liverpool and Blackpool to attend and review cultural venues and experiences across the region and beyond. She continues to support their research for programmes with participation and access themes, as well as providing external evaluation consultation for projects such as Cast's Paul Hamlyn Foundation-supported Social Seats project, which seeks to provide more opportunities to attend performances and other events to the diverse audiences across Doncaster, who are not currently accessing their offer. She volunteers and participates with a number of local community projects supporting social inclusion and community wellbeing, including community led cultural spaces, gardens and language and befriending programmes.
Sally Reay Development Officer (South West), Voluntary Arts England Expand Sally joined Voluntary Arts in January 2020 as the new Development Officer for the South West. Sally has been working in Bristol as an event and project manager specialising in the arts and community development for the last fifteen years. During this time she was International Project Manager for Luke Jerram’s touring street piano project Play Me, I’m Yours, Founder and Director of Bristol Creatives, a network for visual and applied artists, and Event Manager for a number of celebratory parades and festivals for community arts group Phoenix52. Originally from South London, Sally has been living in the West Country since 1995 when she won a start-up grant from the Prince’s Trust to set up in business as a silversmith and jewellery designer maker, working to commission and selling her designs at festivals and online, before eventually settling in Bristol in 2002. Sally specialises in event management and in providing mentoring and support both virtually through document toolkits and face-to-face in advice sessions and training. She is currently learning to throw pots and she loves yoga, cycling and going on road trips in her camper van.
Kevin Grist Development Officer (South East), Voluntary Arts England Expand Kevin is an experienced community music practitioner and arts manager. He has an interest in music technology as a tool for live performance and composition. Growing up in Brighton, Kevin developed a youth arts programme at the award-winning Crew Club Youth Centre (2008), opening the doors to projects such as Glyndebourne Opera’s Knight Crew with Gareth Malone. He joined Arts Council England (2012) as a Relationship Manager for Music. He oversaw a portfolio of Music education hubs and The Stables Theatre in Milton Keynes, whilst supporting Project Grants applicants seeking funding for recordings, festivals and tours. In 2013, he also worked with urban arts charity AudioActive, managing the Hip Hop Foundation, The Lab featuring Rag’n’Bone Man and producing FUSE, a jazz-tech performance event at Brighton Dome featuring Tomorrow’s Warriors. He joined Musical Futures in 2015 as Head of Fundraising, developing a partnership with BBC Radio 1 to support the Learning Revolution Conference, and secured significant funding from the EU. Alongside Voluntary Arts, Kevin is Co-Director and founder of SparkedEcho CIC (2016), who produce new and experimental music activity with marginalised groups in Kent and Sussex. Projects include Sea Folk Sing older people’s performances on moving trains, and Opera House Next Door escape room puzzle, performed in living rooms. He is also a Trustee for Sound Sense, the UK’s professional body for community musicians. Kevin has a degree in Music Production, a PGCE teaching qualification, studied at the National Arts Fundraising School and is an Arts Award Advisor.
Natanya Mark Development Officer (London), Voluntary Arts England Expand Natanya joined Voluntary Arts in 2019. She is a creative practitioner interested in collective and intuitive making. Natanya’s approach is hands on, and is concerned with how we can feel more in touch with our everyday environments. Tactile workshops make up a large part of her artistic practice, often involving collective weaving processes to fabricate community closeness. Natanya enjoys re-purposing throwaway materials; polystyrene chip boxes have been transformed into looms, and disused ethernet cables have become weaving materials to re-connect participants with their environment. In 2016, Natanya initiated the first series of creative workshops to be hosted at the Royal National Institute of Blind People. She continues to develop an Arts Programme at RNIB on a voluntary basis, organising exhibitions and collaborating with filmmakers and graphic designers to showcase participants’ works. Following the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower Fire, Natanya worked with three artists in collaboration with Justice4Grenfell to initiate a series of United Voices Making Days hosted in the Latimer Road community. The United Voices team have since founded Studio Newbie, running collaborative making-focused events which centre around amplifying community voices. Natanya gained a First Class English Literature BA from the University of Cambridge in 2015 and completed an MA in Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art in 2018.
Nicola Winstanley Development Officer (West Midlands), Voluntary Arts England Expand Nicola has worked in the West Midlands as a participatory artist and producer since 2009. She has headed up large participatory public art projects and advised on strategic arts programmes, as well as leading on creative consultation and evaluation for arts and heritage organisations, such as the Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places Programme and the UK Historic Buildings Preservation Trust. She is also a keen volunteer, acting as Secretary and general volunteer for the Friends of Spode Rose Garden - a voluntary group that maintains and programmes creative public events in a community garden in her home town of Stoke. As Voluntary Arts Development Officer for the West Midlands, Nicola is passionate about supporting the everyday creativity that happens in her region and is keen to promote the contribution that creativity makes to the lives of individuals, communities and societies. Nicola will be working to get people involved in national festivals of creativity such as Get Creative and Age of Creativity, to showcase and celebrate the incredible creative work that is already happening across the West Midlands, and to encourage more people to try something new, meet new people and learn new creative skills.
Abby Davies Up For Arts Broadcaster, BBC Radio Devon Expand Abby joined Voluntary Arts in February 2020 as the Up For Arts Broadcaster at BBC Radio Devon. She is a South West girl, born in Bristol, grew up in Somerset and has lived in Devon for the past 11 years. She has a background in theatre, and studied Acting (BA Hons) for a year at Plymouth University before moving on to Journalism. She has worked for BBC Radio Devon for just over 2 years now, starting off doing travel news and broadcasting assistant duties but now as a newsreader, broadcast journalist and producer. Devon is an incredible hub of so many different arts and cultural activities so Abby is looking forward to showing people what is going on in this vibrant and diverse county. She describes living in Plymouth and working around Devon as "a dream come true, every day is different and we celebrate what keeps our community happy and healthy." Abby is also a mum of three children, and two very adorable cats. On her interests, she says: "I’m a people person first and foremost. I love chatting to different groups and getting to know their stories. The reason I got into journalism was to be a mouthpiece for those who have difficulty telling their stories. I’m a keen writer and one day it’s a dream of mine to write a novel. I love theatre and dance. I love the sea and I have done a bit of sailing and surfing."
John Offord 'Up For Arts' Broadcaster, BBC Radio Merseyside Expand John Offord joined Voluntary Arts in early 2017 as an 'Up for Arts' Broadcaster based at BBC Radio York and as 'Up For Arts' Broadcaster at BBC Radio London in 2018 before rejoining to work with BBC Radio Merseyside. John is a freelance producer and has worked on a variety of arts engagement campaigns for the BBC and has produced York in Harmony, a community choir/outreach project. Until 2016, he was a BBC Outreach Manager working with departments across the BBC and has been a fixed point of contact for major pan-BBC initiatives, eg. Children in Need, Sports Personality of the Year, Learning projects like Make It Digital, and region-specific broadcast moments like The Great Yorkshire Show. He was responsible for co-ordinating editorial across all three platforms and social media, working from within the 12 English regions. As a Producer in BBC Learning he was responsible for the production of some live events such as BBC2’s Stargazing Live, The Big Bang Science fair, Radio 1’s Hackney weekend, BBC’s WW1 Centenary commemorations, & the pan-BBC season, ‘Summer of Wildlife’.
Rachel New Up For Arts Broadcaster, BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire Expand Rachel joined Voluntary Arts in January 2020 as the new Up For Arts Broadcaster at BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire. Rachel is a radio broadcaster who began her career in the 1990s, working her way around the West Midlands presenting shows in Wolverhampton and the Black Country, Birmingham and Coventry. Also dipping her toe in the stand-up comedy pond she was a BBC Comedy Newcomer runner-up in 2000. In 2013 she began an MA in Creative Writing which led to a PhD at the University of Birmingham and the position of Writer-in-Residence at the Birmingham Literature Festival in 2013 and 2014. Always interested in people and their stories, in 2018 she launched a podcast about homelessness, giving a voice to those we usually see but don't hear. Rachel also runs creative workshops offering people the chance to explore their inner maker using copper. "Coventry is an incredibly creative city. I love working with small groups of people who are just getting stuck in - whether it's sketching, drumming or writing. They know only too well how good for the soul it is to get lost in the 'flow' of making and doing and I love to help facilitate that work, finding exciting projects to collaborate on and new spaces around the city to work in."
Jennie Dennett Up For Arts Broadcaster, Contains Strong Language Expand Jennie first joined Voluntary Arts in December 2013, championing voluntary arts in Cumbria through a partnership with BBC Radio Cumbria where she also works as a reporter. Currently, Jennie is working as part of Contains Strong Language, BBC's spoken word festival and campaign. “I think of myself as a bit of an arts evangelist,” says Jennie. “When people come together to do creative things it makes for happier people and places. It’s my job to find those characters whose passion for their pastime, be it dance or dry-stone walling, shines through and inspires others to get involved.” Jennie graduated from the University of Oxford with a Geography degree in 1997 and pursued a career in journalism, starting out in a London agency distributing freelance footage from far-flung war zones before settling in Cumbria and working on local newspapers and radio. She lives in Ulverston, Cumbria’s self-styled festival capital where barely a week passes without one. Evenings are spent organising Ulverston’s Candlelit Walk, sorting sessions to make the hundreds of candles, spooky shadow-screens and pottery spike-lights that fill a local woodland for Halloween. Jennie’s also works on the town’s biggest event, the Ulverston Lantern Festival, recruiting volunteers and making lead lanterns that always turn-out bigger than anticipated, most recently a giant seagull and a 12ft fairy. She also makes textile art and is learning to hoop dance. “It makes me happy to create as many opportunities as possible to bring different people together to do crazy things. It brings a feel-good factor to a place.”
Jane Chesworth Up For Arts Broadcaster, BBC Radio Leeds Expand Jane Chesworth joined Voluntary Arts in February 2020 as the new Up For Arts Broadcaster at BBC Radio Leeds. She has worked in the media for 25 years starting out in local newspapers and then a Press agency in Liverpool. Jane worked in the Hollyoaks and Brookside Press Office before then moving to the BBC in 1999 as Press Officer for The Century Speaks which was then the largest single project in the history of radio. Following this Jane worked in the BBC Birmingham Press Office launching the daytime TV series Doctors, and working on programmes such as Top Gear and The Weakest Link. She then moved into BBC local radio producing the Mid Morning show on BBC Radio Leeds and working on special projects across the station. She has also worked as Regional Broadcast Co-ordinator for BBC Yorkshire managing big campaigns such as Children in Need and Sport Relief. In her spare time Jane enjoys keeping fit, yoga and walking.
Rebekah Watkins Up for Arts Producer, BBC Radio Lincolnshire Expand Rebekah joined Voluntary Arts in June 2020.
Leisa Gray Project Coordinator, Voluntary Arts Ireland Expand Leisa joined the Voluntary Arts team in early 2020 to coordinate the #LoveToDraw Project in Ireland. Leisa originally trained as a librarian and was involved in developing community-based partnerships for libraries in Kirklees and Leeds, West Yorkshire. Her work has included public libraries, galleries, museums, theatres and the voluntary arts sector in Northern England and across Ireland. She is inspired by the collections of galleries, museums and libraries and most interested in community participation in the arts in civic spaces. Leisa has lived in North Tipperary since 2016, where she is developing arts for health projects in partnership with Nenagh Arts Centre and mental health support services. Her other work includes Dublin City Council Culture Company, where she is developing creative activities for older people at Richmond Barracks Museum and Festival Support for Tipperary County Council, working with festival committees to organise arts festivals. Between 2007 and 2012 Leisa worked on the community-learning programme at Manchester Art Gallery, developing arts and health projects. She worked for Tameside Museum and Gallery Services from 2012 to 2016, developing their arts programmes for older adults. Leisa’s creative outlets are singing and textiles, she is often knitting and sings regularly in a women’s choir.
Jemma Neville Director, Voluntary Arts Scotland Expand Jemma leads the Voluntary Arts Scotland team. She was previously Communications and Outreach Coordinator at the Scottish Human Rights Commission and has worked in a range of roles connecting the global and the local. During a sabbatical in 2017- 2018, Jemma was the inaugural Community Fellow at The Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities, University of Edinburgh, researching her debut book, Constitution Street, finding hope in an age of anxiety. Part-memoir, part-social and legal history, the book explores the interconnecting lives of neighbours on one street. It won the Creative Edinburgh City Award 2019. Follow Jemma on Twitter @jemma_tweets
Kelly Donaldson Communications Manager, Voluntary Arts Scotland Expand Kelly has a BA (Hons) in Drama and Media, and has been responsible for Voluntary Arts Scotland’s information output and communications since 2005. She also works as a freelance journalist and has been The Scotsman’s chief dance critic for 18 years, is Dance and Kids Editor of The List Magazine, and writes for a variety of other newspapers, magazines and festivals. Kelly is a member of the Love Music Community Choir in Edinburgh, and enjoys creative writing.
Duncan Bremner Development Officer, Voluntary Arts Scotland Expand Joining Voluntary Arts Scotland in 2020, Duncan brings with him a range of experience from across the arts, heritage, educational and creative industries sectors, with a particular focus on community development and place-based working. During his career, he has worked with a broad range of organisations including community and voluntary groups, third sector groups, educational institutions, public and governmental bodies, to name but a few. He has also been lucky enough to serve on the board, or as part of advisory groups, for several national arts and heritage organisations. With a background as a visual artist and arts administrator Duncan has a passion for participation and the benefits of working with others. In 2013 he became the founding Director of Citizen Curator, a charity examining history, identity and creativity in Leith and North Edinburgh. Duncan is a long-time Leith resident, now with his partner and two daughters. He is also involved in various community campaigns and grassroots networks.
Gordon Craig Digital Officer, Voluntary Arts Scotland Expand Gordon joined Voluntary Arts Scotland in March 2020. Gordon left the world of marketing agencies to pursue a career in stop motion animation. He is now bringing his skills in online content to the role of Digital Officer in the beautiful city of Edinburgh, where he has lived since falling in love with the place when he was a student there. Gordon created the YouTube channel ‘Just a tiny amount’ to explore his love of stop motion animation. As well as moving puppets by tiny amounts, Gordon also acts, draws, writes and gardens. Ask him how his gooseberries are doing; he is particularly proud of them.
Gareth Coles Director, Voluntary Arts Wales Expand Gareth joined Voluntary Arts in 2015 and leads the team in Wales. Prior to this, he worked in public services policy for the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), promoting participation in public services and representing voluntary sector interests to Welsh Government. Previously he worked for the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) as a Development Officer in the Collaborative Working Team, and as a Grants Officer for the Community Fund / Big Lottery Fund. Gareth has a degree in Fine Art and an MA in Medieval Art History from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. Gareth is a Welsh speaker and lives in South Wales with his wife and son. He is a keen artist, with a particular interest in drawing, and a woefully poor guitarist and pianist.
Rhiannon Beth Imiolczyk Get Creative Producer, BBC Radio Wales Expand Rhiannon joined Voluntary Arts Wales in 2019, as Get Creative Producer based within BBC Radio Wales. She won Young Voice of Musical Theatre at age 13, and is a trained professional singer and actress with a catalogue of professional performing credits in theatre, TV and Film. She trained in Musical Theatre and Professional Performance Practice at the Centre of Voice in Bristol. Rhiannon was an award-winning principal of six Stagecoach Theatre Arts Schools; two of which she created and managed herself in South Wales for eight years. She managed the Stagecoach National Children’s Choir of Wales for five years and led them to achieve many accolades and professional performances. She has taught singing and directed for over 14 years at various theatres, schools, colleges and produced many national West End and international productions including Disney World Florida, donating significant amounts to charities at every production she’s produced. Rhiannon lives in South Wales with her husband son and daughter, and spends her spare time making Music with her young family and friends. She wants to help inspire every generation to gain confidence and happiness through the creative arts!