You create the kind of city you want to live in. This means I’ve worked voluntary for various organisations at board level, overseeing strategy and implementing change with a range of stakeholders. And meeting lots of friends in the process that I wouldn’t have met otherwise.

Nottingham Open Spaces Form

Committee member (2023 – )

Independent charity bringing together stakeholders to create a support network to promote, protect, conserve, and enhance open spaces. Involved in strategy, funding, promotion and campaigns. nosf.org.uk

D.H. Lawrence Society

Committee member (2017 – 2022)

Raising awareness of literary heritage through organising, funding, and scheduling of live events, such as an annual festival, and monthly online talks to a global audience. Editor of monthly bulletin. dhlawrencesociety.com

East Midlands Heritage Awards

Committee member (2017)

Helped to brand the third annual awards as ‘celebrating creativity’. Commissioned poets, photographer and filmmaker to interpret the winning entries. Devised the ‘confessional booth‘ to record feedback from 150 attendees which was made into a short documentary. emms.org

Ray Gosling Archives

Co-founder (2016 – 2022)

Raising awareness of the archives, building links with stakeholders, community engagement. Colin Haynes is the authority on Gosling. See his website raygosling.org

Nottingham City of Literature

Board director (2015 – 2016)

Helped write and develop Nottingham’s bid to be accredited on the UNESCO Creative Cities network. Developed and steered strategy and organisational vision with focus on youth and improving literacy levels. nottinghamcityofliterature.com

Nottingham Writers’ Studio

Chair (2012 – 2015)

Developed the studio from a membership of 75 to 200 and co-wrote five-year strategy to create a self-sustaining business. Developed various writing related programmes: Mentoring schemes, workshops, panel debates. Oversaw two successful funding bids. nottinghamwritersstudio.co.uk

Nottingham Festival of Words

Director (2012 – 2014)

Founding member of Nottingham’s first city-wide literary festival in 40 years that took place over 30 locations with over 100 events. Co-organised in collaboration with 30 organisations, and without funding.

Alan Sillitoe Committee

Committee member (2011 – 2013) 

Raising awareness of one of Nottingham’s most prolific writers. Fund raising for community engagement projects: poetry and fiction competitions, two ‘Sillitoe Days’ exploring the writer’s work through film, audio, talks, and a literary heritage trail. BBC Inside Out report.