creative team
Jill Impey
Jill is an artist and well-being therapist delivering interactive sessions and working with natural sounds & objects through film, photography, installation and printmaking.
For Creative Conversations Jill has been bringing the outdoors in, for participants aged 55+ of all skills and abilities to interpret, create and reproduce their own journey, lifting the spirits by exploring nature through manual and digital art. Jill has worked with groups of adults around Shropshire in a range of residential and community settings, encouraging participants to share new digital drawing and communication skills and work together to produce creative responses to the natural world.
You can visit Jill's website here
Jill is an artist and well-being therapist delivering interactive sessions and working with natural sounds & objects through film, photography, installation and printmaking.
For Creative Conversations Jill has been bringing the outdoors in, for participants aged 55+ of all skills and abilities to interpret, create and reproduce their own journey, lifting the spirits by exploring nature through manual and digital art. Jill has worked with groups of adults around Shropshire in a range of residential and community settings, encouraging participants to share new digital drawing and communication skills and work together to produce creative responses to the natural world.
You can visit Jill's website here
Jean Atkin
Jean works with people of all ages and backgrounds, developing projects and leading workshops for community groups, festivals, libraries, schools and museums.
Her involvement in Creative Conversations has enabled her to put existing skills to use – such as listening, recording and creating poems from people’s stories – but also to try out new and different approaches in the familiar settings of care homes, day centres and sheltered housing schemes. As a result Jean has helped participants make tiny books of words, and experiment with group choral speaking, as well as gaining personally from the opportunity to work in collaboration with other artists.
‘I’ve valued the sense of experimentation that’s been possible during the Creative Conversations project, and how the long-term nature of the project has enabled quality working practices and the development of trustful, creative relationships.’
You can visit Jean's website here
Jean works with people of all ages and backgrounds, developing projects and leading workshops for community groups, festivals, libraries, schools and museums.
Her involvement in Creative Conversations has enabled her to put existing skills to use – such as listening, recording and creating poems from people’s stories – but also to try out new and different approaches in the familiar settings of care homes, day centres and sheltered housing schemes. As a result Jean has helped participants make tiny books of words, and experiment with group choral speaking, as well as gaining personally from the opportunity to work in collaboration with other artists.
‘I’ve valued the sense of experimentation that’s been possible during the Creative Conversations project, and how the long-term nature of the project has enabled quality working practices and the development of trustful, creative relationships.’
You can visit Jean's website here
Sally Tonge
Sally is a musician, storyteller, collector of oral bric a brac and a twaddle monger who enjoys bathing people’s ears in the music of language. She has worked for over 30 years on community arts projects with newborn babies to people at the end of their lives.
As Oliver Sachs said, ‘Music is the quickening art‘ and Sally enjoys connecting people isolated in their minds and spirits through the joy of song and the stories and memories they evoke.
You can visit Sally's website here
Sally is a musician, storyteller, collector of oral bric a brac and a twaddle monger who enjoys bathing people’s ears in the music of language. She has worked for over 30 years on community arts projects with newborn babies to people at the end of their lives.
As Oliver Sachs said, ‘Music is the quickening art‘ and Sally enjoys connecting people isolated in their minds and spirits through the joy of song and the stories and memories they evoke.
You can visit Sally's website here
Adrian Plant - Musician, Musicologist and Mentor
Over a 35+ year career, Adrian has gained extensive experience of managing, devising and delivering a wide range of events and activities for groups in cultural, educational, community and social work settings.
He has extensive experience of working as a musician and musicologist with older people, developing and facilitating participatory music sessions, especially for people (and their carers) who are living with dementia. Adrian has developed innovative projects in partnership with both Age UK and The Alzheimers Society.
Says Adrian: “I am passionate about working with older people for whom I have the greatest empathy and respect. I feel that the life-experience and knowledge of older people is too often overlooked, under-valued and under-utilised. My work with older people is to challenge and help break down the barriers that can so often leave them isolated from the wider community”.
Over a 35+ year career, Adrian has gained extensive experience of managing, devising and delivering a wide range of events and activities for groups in cultural, educational, community and social work settings.
He has extensive experience of working as a musician and musicologist with older people, developing and facilitating participatory music sessions, especially for people (and their carers) who are living with dementia. Adrian has developed innovative projects in partnership with both Age UK and The Alzheimers Society.
Says Adrian: “I am passionate about working with older people for whom I have the greatest empathy and respect. I feel that the life-experience and knowledge of older people is too often overlooked, under-valued and under-utilised. My work with older people is to challenge and help break down the barriers that can so often leave them isolated from the wider community”.
Samantha Moore
Sam is a UK based, international award winning animation director.
She loves the joyfulness and eclectic nature of animation. No one ever finds animation intimidating, and yet it can convey complex ideas to a wide audience in an engaging way.
Sam has made work on diverse subjects, from competitive sweet-pea growing, to cutting edge microbiology, and her own experience of having twins.
Her work is 2D animation but she regularly directs animators in stop motion and 3D CGI animation when the project requires it. She is interested in storytelling and how using narrative engages an audience, and she hopes to develop her future work in this direction.
You can watch some of Sam's animations here
Sam is a UK based, international award winning animation director.
She loves the joyfulness and eclectic nature of animation. No one ever finds animation intimidating, and yet it can convey complex ideas to a wide audience in an engaging way.
Sam has made work on diverse subjects, from competitive sweet-pea growing, to cutting edge microbiology, and her own experience of having twins.
Her work is 2D animation but she regularly directs animators in stop motion and 3D CGI animation when the project requires it. She is interested in storytelling and how using narrative engages an audience, and she hopes to develop her future work in this direction.
You can watch some of Sam's animations here
Hannah Prior
Hannah trained at The Central School Of Speech And Drama graduating with an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice. After graduation she worked for ten years as a theatre maker and actor touring and performing in the UK and Europe.
Alongside her work as a theatre maker she ran participatory theatre programmes in London, creating work with groups who are typically excluded from taking part in the arts. Since moving back to Shropshire she has co-founded Ignition, a not for profit participatory arts organisation who work with children, young people and adults using multi disciplinary theatre as a tool for social impact and change
You can visit Ignition's website here
Hannah trained at The Central School Of Speech And Drama graduating with an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice. After graduation she worked for ten years as a theatre maker and actor touring and performing in the UK and Europe.
Alongside her work as a theatre maker she ran participatory theatre programmes in London, creating work with groups who are typically excluded from taking part in the arts. Since moving back to Shropshire she has co-founded Ignition, a not for profit participatory arts organisation who work with children, young people and adults using multi disciplinary theatre as a tool for social impact and change
You can visit Ignition's website here
MediaActive Projects
MediaActive work with local people, organisations and creative practitioners to co-design and produce an innovative programme of special projects, commissions, events and exhibitions.
Their programme seeks to embrace contemporary practice and the creative use of technology, to inspire and enrich the lives of both our audiences and project participants
Visit MediaActive's website here
MediaActive work with local people, organisations and creative practitioners to co-design and produce an innovative programme of special projects, commissions, events and exhibitions.
Their programme seeks to embrace contemporary practice and the creative use of technology, to inspire and enrich the lives of both our audiences and project participants
Visit MediaActive's website here
Arts Alive
Arts Alive and Flicks in the Sticks promote professional arts and film events in partnership with local people, bringing high quality and affordable entertainment within easy travelling distance of every person in Shropshire, Herefordshire and surrounding areas.
Visit Arts Alive's website here
Arts Alive and Flicks in the Sticks promote professional arts and film events in partnership with local people, bringing high quality and affordable entertainment within easy travelling distance of every person in Shropshire, Herefordshire and surrounding areas.
Visit Arts Alive's website here
Rachel Liggitt
Rachel is a dance artist, educator & coach working within dance, health, education, community & cultural sectors. Rachel began her career as an independent dance artist and performer, collaborating with dance artists & small-scale dance companies in tandem with workshop delivery. Rachel is co-director of Shropshire Inclusive Dance (SiD), a practising artist and a trustee for Impelo, Wales.
Visit Shropshire Inclusive Dance's website here
Rachel is a dance artist, educator & coach working within dance, health, education, community & cultural sectors. Rachel began her career as an independent dance artist and performer, collaborating with dance artists & small-scale dance companies in tandem with workshop delivery. Rachel is co-director of Shropshire Inclusive Dance (SiD), a practising artist and a trustee for Impelo, Wales.
Visit Shropshire Inclusive Dance's website here
Dea Paradisos
Dea Paradisos undertook a BA(Hons) Fine Art degree as a mature learner. As an older and emerging creative who has experience of working in the care sector, and as a friend of the LGBT community, she brings an informed perspective to her work in community contexts. Most recently Dea supported young dancers in the Wondrous Stories Commonwealth opening event celebrating arts and culture in the West Midlands.
You can visit Dea's website here
Dea Paradisos undertook a BA(Hons) Fine Art degree as a mature learner. As an older and emerging creative who has experience of working in the care sector, and as a friend of the LGBT community, she brings an informed perspective to her work in community contexts. Most recently Dea supported young dancers in the Wondrous Stories Commonwealth opening event celebrating arts and culture in the West Midlands.
You can visit Dea's website here