I grew up in the home counties and the defining moment was when I was nine - my parents took meto see ‘The Amorous Prawn’ at the Thorndike Theatre in Leatherhead. I was hooked and decided then and there that I was going to work in theatre. However crippling shyness meant that I had no intention of putting myself on stage and so pursued a career behind the scenes. I have since seen The Amorous Prawn again and it is a horrible old thing but hey – it has a place in my heart!

I later did work experience at The Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone and then on to Mountview Theatre School. I was offered a job as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘gofer’ straight from leaving drama school which was fun apart from the tantrums…. Not mine. I hopped over onto the sound team at Starlight Express and then spent 15 happy years as a sound engineer on West End Musicals including Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, City of Angels, Cats and Follies. This was great but I wanted to do a bit more so I decided to undertake an arts admin course and embarked on a new career as a theatre manager. My first gig was back at the Hazlitt where I enjoyed 17 years, only leaving when I led a management buyout funded by the home office which got trumped by a corporate take over from a leisure company. Not bitter… Further study resulted in an MA in Creative Industries followed by a few years of freelancing. During those years I became involved with Gravesham Borough Council who asked me to take on The Woodville in 2015. Gravesham was a revelation to me as it has a wonderful mix of creativity and edginess which makes it really exciting. I was keen that arts and culture should lead the charge for the planned regeneration and after much pressure my new post as Cultural Manager along with a small team was created. In the intervening time I had started Gravesham Arts Salon (GAS) as a way of trying to ensure that artists and creatives were recognised by the local authority, also to bring artists together to support one another where possible. GAS became an important part of delivering the arts and culture programme for the borough as well as developing funding bids and delivering the annual Gravesham Fringe Festival from 2019. The arts and culture team was created just as covid hit but despite that they have delivered a vibrant arts programme, 4 Light Festivals and the inaugural Franklin Festival in 2024.

Itchy feet returned and I resigned my highly enjoyable post for the excitement of freelancing again making good my escape in February 2025. The subsequent few months have been very invigorating with many new projects and clients.

I am delighted that through the NPP legacy steering group I am able to continue working with the creative colleagues that I have come to think of as friends over the last few years.
What can I bring to the group…. Well a lot of experience, project management support, knowledge and passion for the area. I was delighted by the success of the grants programme for the NPP and am keen that the legacy demonstrates the creative scope in the area. I also hope that consideration is given to how we can use this funding and the creative cohort to push the boundaries still further ensuring that creatives have a strong voice in the future development of the area. Skills gaps? More than I care to mention, I am clueless about marketing and get far too excited by an idea to consider that people aren’t going to welcome it with open arms with barely any need to tell them. I have done dozens of those Belbin tests and am sure that within our group we can fill all the necessary
roles.