Suffolk Artlink (2015–2023)

For almost a decade, I worked with Suffolk Artlink, initially as a freelance artist and later as Project Development Officer. During that time, I devised, secured funding for and delivered a wide range of creative projects with communities across East Anglia.

My role was to develop projects alongside the people they were intended to serve. Rather than starting with a fixed programme, I worked with communities to understand their interests, experiences and aspirations, building projects that responded to local needs and strengths. This included work with adult family carers, isolated older adults, children and young people, people accessing food banks, and communities in hospitals, hospices and women's refuges.

Over this period, I developed and led a number of significant programmes.

Around the Table (2017–18)

A creative project for adult family carers that used food, making and shared experiences as a way to bring people together. Working with chefs and artists, we created opportunities for carers to connect, learn and reflect on their experiences. This project became the foundation for the Landscape Table methodology that continues to inform my work today.

Make, Do & Friends (2019–21)

A rural creative programme for older adults experiencing isolation, for which I served as Creative Director. The project brought people together through practical activities, shared learning and creative experiences rooted in place, helping participants build confidence, friendships and stronger connections within their local communities.

Friends Around the Table (2021–22)

Building on the success of Make, Do & Friends, this project extended the food-based approach into new settings and communities, using cooking, conversation and creativity to support connection and wellbeing.

Kirkley Creates / Wild About Kirkley (2019–22)

A two-and-a-half-year community project in Lowestoft, developed in partnership with First Light Festival and The Pantry Project food bank.

Working alongside The Third Person, I led a programme exploring Kirkley's identity through its plants, wildlife, soil and food culture. The project resulted in a no-dig community garden, edible street planters, community soil mapping, natural pigment workshops and two published foraging guides. The work also culminated in performances at First Light Festival in 2021 and 2022, developed in collaboration with Casson & Friends Dance Company and a soil scientist from the University of East Anglia.

Alongside these larger programmes, I developed creative work for healthcare clowning projects in hospitals, hospices and a women's refuge; delivered professional development opportunities for emerging artists through the Step Up programme; and supported young adult family carers through the Avenues project.

Across all of this work, my approach remained consistent: building trusted relationships, working collaboratively with communities over time, and creating projects that gave participants a genuine role in shaping both the process and the outcomes.