REGROUP ‘n’ RENEW

The past 18 months have taken a huge toll on creative and cultural leaders, and, against a backdrop of isolation and relentless change, uncertainty and un-producing, many have had little support, let alone time to develop the new skills and mindsets needed to weather a storm of this magnitude. We hope that REGROUP ‘N’ RENEW will provide a real antidote to that.

Leadership Support Programme

 

Before Christmas, the ABCD Plan for Cultural Recovery and the hub, recruited an amazing cohort of people for the REGROUP ‘n’ RENEW Leadership Support Programme.  Developed for cultural leaders in Brighton & Hove, R’n’R isn’t about helping people develop traditional leadership skills.  Instead, the focus of R’n’R is on providing space for self-reflection, building entrepreneurial thinking and skills, and catalysing collaborative approaches to addressing shared challenges and ambitions.

Over the next few months, the group will take part in Action Learning Sets, 1-2-1 mentoring and creative circles focusing on different aspects of the city’s cultural landscape.

Taking this journey are:

Bobby Brown – from a background in fashion and brand marketing, Bobby moved into music management and spent several years working for management company and record label Disturbing London. He moved back to Brighton in 2017 and began working with local artists, local youth and community groups, and broadcasting on radio station Platform B. He is a co-founder of Brighton’s Black Anti-Racist Community Organisation – BARCO.

Ella Burns – between 2008 and 2020, Ella co-founded Little Green Pig, a creative writing and mentoring charity for children and young people, providing young people from Brighton’s most deprived communities with the chance to write and share their stories. She stepped down in January 2020 to concentrate on building her own creative practice, and is currently working at the National Literacy Trust on an early years programme across the UK.

Carolynn Bain is the founder of Afrori Books, an online and now a physical shop in Brighton, specialising in books of Black origin.  The book shop has become a community focal point since opening in 2021.  With a background in event management, Carolynn also leads on a number of projects including Brighton Book Festival.

Jessica Cheetham leads award-winning independent company Spun Glass Theatre, who experiment with crossing theatre and popular performance forms to create radical, anti-elitist performance, and providing high quality entertaining and accessible arts experiences for a wide range of audiences.

Katie Dale-Everett is the Artistic Director of Sussex Dance Network, an artist-led organisation which aims to create a connected dance scene in Sussex and advocate for independent artists.  She is also a dancer, choreographer and teacher. Katie and SDN are leading on another ABCD project, the Alternative Tours of Brighton, that will take place in March.

Gareth Evans is Artistic Director of Carousel, an organisation who support learning disabled people to achieve their artistic ambitions, where he started as Music & Radio Coordinator in 2011. Carousel delivers a range of exciting and bold activities and events that improve access to, for, and celebrate the talent of learning disabled artists.

Kimberley Godley-Hendon is Director of Finance & Operations at Spitalfields Music, based in East London. A Brighton local, Kimberley trained as a musician at university and still regularly plays in amateur orchestras, combined with a passion for providing organisations with the business skills they need to succeed. She is also a trustee and finance lead of two other arts charities.

David Sheppeard is Executive Director of Marlborough Productions, which he co founded with Tarik Elmoutawakil in 2009, building the organisation from a grassroots volunteer group to a nationally recognised producer of LGBTIQ+ culture. In 2012 he co-founded The Spire Arts to revitalise semi-derelict St Marks Chapel as a creative resource for the city. He is also an occasional writer and performer.

Lucy Stone is a fundraiser who has worked in the charity sector for over 20 years and has supported organisations to raise £97 million. Through her consultancy No Stone Unturned Fundraising, Lucy is currently supporting Music Venue Trust, LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment) and Phoenix Dance Theatre among others. She recently joined Community Works as a Trustee.

Ivan Thorley is Creative Director of outdoor arts company Puppets with Guts, which he founded in 2011 and that tours extensively both nationally and internationally. The company makes large and extraordinary puppets, animating public spaces with spectacular shows that illuminate contemporary society, alongside education and engagement projects.

Ebou Touray is the Director of African Night Fever CIC, an organisation that promotes the cultural heritage of Africa through music, workshops and Educational Talks. Ebou has been the chair of Brighton & Hove Black History for the past 10 years, an organisation that promotes and highlights the contributions of Black and Diverse communities in Brighton and Hove.

Jamie Wyld is Director of videoclub, an agency supporting artists and audiences to engage with film, video and digital culture.  He also set up This is Wyld in 2013, a creative agency working with the cultural sector to develop and support projects. videoclub is producer and curator of ABCD project Third Thursdays Brighton.

 

the hub’s director, Julia Payne, who is leading the programme says:

“The past 18 months have taken a huge toll on creative and cultural leaders, and, against a backdrop of isolation and relentless change, uncertainty and un-producing, many have had little support, let alone time to develop the new skills and mindsets needed to weather a storm of this magnitude. We hope that REGROUP ‘N’ RENEW will provide a real antidote to that. We’re excited to be working with such a dynamic and diverse cohort of cultural leaders, and with the ABCD programme team and wider network, who themselves have also shown real leadership at a critically important time for Brighton’s cultural ecology.”