Siana-Mae Heppell-Secker

Events Coordinator

Hello! I am Siana-Mae, the Events Coordinator with The Mighty Creatives. I am extremely passionate about making arts and culture accessible to everyone and supporting young people to access a cultural education. When not running around at live events with a clipboard or clicking buttons on Zoom – I can usually be found at the cinema, art galleries or cuddling with my crochet and cats on the sofa! She/her

Lisa Houlihan

Artsmark Coordinator

Hi, my name’s Lisa and I’m the Artsmark Coordinator here at The Mighty Creatives. I love music, dancing, adventures, and people…I really love meeting new people and having a chat. I have always been really passionate about music, especially old-school blues and the origins of certain genres. I used to be a massive festival goer but have less time for that now I have two small children…although they have both been to every Glastonbury festival since they were born! I’m vegan, I love cake, I used to have a massive crush on Dennis Pennis and my guilty pleasure is Love Island (don’t judge). I am inspired by expression, equality, and camaraderie. Working for TMC is exciting and inspiring because my own personal career development and wellbeing is supported and nurtured, and I get to work with an amazing team fighting for the creative voices of children and young people. She/her

Megan Cashmore

Creative Content Administrator

Hi, I’m Megan, the Creative Content Administrator for TMC. I love Marvel movies, animals and spending time with family and friends. When I’m not working, I own my own small business on that sells a variety of handmade and affordable gifts made by myself and my family. We also support other crafters. How I would personally describe creativity is a way of expressing your thoughts, feelings, and emotions by visual or verbal art and literature and also, it’s a way of learning and discovering more about yourself. I do love to write stories, either short or long, in a variety of genres. (I hope to publish one day). I love drawing tattoos designs or just anything that’s one my mind. I am always up for a challenge and love learning new things

Hannaa Hamdache

Creative Communities Manager

Hello! My name is Hannaa and I’m the Arts Alliances Coordinator at The Mighty Creatives. I love all forms of art from baking and crafting to much-more-serious-white-cube-art. (Although my favourite stuff is often work you find outside the gallery!) An artwork I love is ‘In Vitro’ (2019) by artist Larissa Sansour. She/her

Louise Kay

Youth Programme Coordinator

Hi, I’m Louise and I’m the Youth Programme Coordinator. I LOVE to dance. If there is music playing… I’ll be moving! I believe that creativity and culture provide us all with ways to express ourselves and our feelings in an often-complicated world. I couldn’t possibly pick my favourite dance piece as I change my mind all of the time and love to explore new and emerging companies. She/her

Tahir Hajat

Mighty Employers Project Manager

Yo! My name is Tahir and I am the Mighty Employers Project Manager. I love Live Events, Music and Sport. I am also completely obsessed with food. Creativity allows me to express who I am, what I love and what I like to eat!

Bethany Patience

Communications & Marketing Manager

She/her

Was once introduced at a spoken word night as the ‘Mistress of Misery’.

A decade in marketing and lifetime lover of the bizarre.

Björk and Kate Bush. Charles Bukowski and Sylvia Plath. Francis Bacon and Mackenzie Thorpe. Edward Scissorhands and Romeo and Juliet. True crime and poetry. Art deco and antique shops. Plato’s Origins of Love. Nature, the roaring 20s, my dog.

Caroline Frankland

Business Manager

Hi I’m Caroline, I work within the resources team at TMC and look after finance, HR and the office.  I love dancing and going to see live ballet or anything with a bit of tap dancing in it.  My favourite movie of all time is Singin’ in the Rain (Gene Kelly is such an amazing dancer).

Emily Bowman

Deputy CEO

Hi, I’m Emily, the Deputy CEO for The Mighty Creatives. I am hugely passionate about theatre and in a past life I trained and worked as an actor which took me around the world and back again. I am crafty at heart and love to keep myself busy trying out new disciplines from sewing to woodwork and everything in between – not everything turns out as I’d hoped, but I enjoying giving new things a go!
When I was growing up, I often felt that I sat ‘outside the box’, but creativity offered me a space where I felt I could belong, it created room for me simply be, explore and discover who I am, what I believe in and what I fight for. I am passionate about creating greater access and opportunities for children and young people to engage in creativity as audience members, participants and decision makers. Throughout my career I have focused on supporting young people and believe that by embedding young people’s voices in development and policy, we can ensure the arts remain relevant, responsive and forward-looking—securing the future of arts engagement across our sector. She/her. Emily also identifies as neurodiverse.

Emily York

Youth Programme Manager

Hello! I’m Em, TMC’s Youth Programme Manager, sad music enthusiast and lover of 90s American reality tv shows. Creativity is so powerful. It provides us all with unique ways to communicate and express ourselves. Anyone who knows me knows my favourite novelist is Margaret Atwood, she’s a force to be reckoned with! She/her

Hazel Townsend

Development Manager

Hello, I’m Hazel and I lead on the Artsmark programme here at TMC and I feel very lucky to work with so many inspiring teachers and amazing schools! Picasso famously said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grown up”, and when I am not at work I enjoy re-connecting with my creativity by making things and getting messy – sometimes with clay and sometimes making cakes! She/her

Hope Cassie-Sheward

Communications Coordinator

Hi! I’m Hope, a music and movie loving Taurus who’s part of the Communications team. When I’m not working, I own a small Etsy shop inspired by my love of K-pop. I’m inspired by fashion, literature, and astrology and I run on peppermint tea. I love creativity as it allows me to enjoy art and culture from across the world! My favourite artwork is Dots Obsession by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. She/her

Lorrie Stock

Development Co-ordinator

Hi I’m Lorrie, a curious and inquisitive creative who works as part of the Arts Award team. I’ve always been creative, its part of who I am and I love creativity, it allows us to explore and express ourselves in so many different ways. It makes us laugh, make us cry and make us think, that’s why I enjoy working in the creative arts and culture sector. She/her

Nick Owen

Chief Executive

Hello!  “But what do you DO, dear?” My mum has always asked me what I do for a living, and I gave up trying to explain it a long time ago.  Now I just say I love music, DJ-ing, air guitar, making playlists, cooking, eating outdoors with friends and family, travelling, the journey more than the destination, writing, editing, selling, cycling, tennis, squash, surviving squash, networking, producing something from nothing: everything which has a creative energy at its heart. My favourite artwork today? It’ll be different tomorrow.

Rachel Hathway

Impact & Data Manager

Hi, I’m Rach.  I am the Impact & Data Manager at TMC. I like to take on as much as I can so I am never bored.  I am very eclectic in my passions.  I love listening to a wide variety of music and watching many genres of movies.  I like to spend a lot of the little spare time I have working on craft projects, including cross-stich and I have to admit to being a bit of a gaming geek: computer games and board games.  I am really a big kid at heart and I believe my TMC family consider me to have a bit of an unhealthy panda-obsession, but I cannot let them know that they are right! She/her

Ryan Lee

Income Generation Coordinator

Hey! I’m Ryan, The Mighty Creative’s Income Generation Coordinator. I’m an avid reader, runner, and occasional writer! My favourite novels tend to be satirical, science fiction or dystopian (Catch-22, The Dispossessed, & 1984 to name but a few). Art & Creativity can be a great outlet for me and I’m enthusiastic to try all crafts (well.. hesitant towards dancing!). I’m passionate to work towards a society that recognises the importance of art and creativity, fighting to both retain and improve its accessibility for everyone. He/him

Sophie Baczynski

Development Manager

Hi I’m Sophie and I’m Development Manager for all things Arts Award at TMC. I’m a big fan of live comedy, music and podcasts and I have a sausage dog called Stanley. I work in the creative sector because I am extremely passionate about providing everyone with the same equal access to arts opportunities. Creativity is for all, not just the few. My current favourite book is He Used Thought as a Wife by Tim Key. She/her

Amanda McLaren

Specialist Consultant

Amanda lives in Derby and has a studio in Nottingham. Her personal practice is in the visual arts and professionally her experience includes gallery education and participatory arts. She established Partake in 2011 and her work as a freelance arts consultant spans the education, health and heritage sectors. Much of this work includes developing community/children and young people engaged programmes, undertaking external evaluation and research, and the facilitation of training or consultation. She is a co-founder of the Derby Makers group and she is a keen allotmenteer.

Michael Supple

Specialist Consultant

Michael Supple is a teacher, coach and advocate for the arts. Based in Northamptonshire, Michael works with schools and arts organisations throughout the Midlands to improve current practice and build sustainable development. Michael is also the director of Game Change Leaders, a coaching programme for young learners in KS2 and KS3.

Nettie Scriven

Specialist Consultant

Nettie is a theatre designer specialising in working with young people. She is co-artistic director of Dragon Breath Theatre having recently completed A Crack in Time at Papplewick Pumping Station. She is currently designing Cinderella at Derby Theatre and is re-interpreting part of Wollaton Hall for family viewing. She is preoccupied by the importance of creativity and the power of the imagination to support young people’s development, and the sustainability of creative approaches to teaching and learning.

Samantha Whelan

Specialist Consultant

Samantha has recently launched a new not-for-profit organisation – Platform Thirty1 – alongside her consulting work for TMC. Samantha’s belief is that significant change can happen at a grass-roots level if the right conditions are cultivated. Her practise focuses on encouraging and enabling individuals and groups to achieve their aims through creativity. Samantha’s work has largely been around the arts and education in the voluntary sector, with significant collaboration with the public and private sectors on a range of programmes.

Sara Giddens

Specialist Consultant

Dr Sara Giddens is a choreographer, teacher, creative facilitator and co-director of Bodies in Flight performance company. Sara works as a creative facilitator and project manager across the East Midlands, and currently teaches on the Dance Performance and Teaching course at UCLan. She has recently completed a a practice-led PhD supported by Dance4 and Middlesex University. Her extensive choreographic work has toured nationally and internationally. Sara is a great advocate of action-research across a range of learning contexts and is keen to support the continued development of the arts working alongside those who value the arts as a place from which to celebrate difference and embrace change.

Simon Hollingworth

Specialist Consultant

Simon is a freelance Creative Producer and has been working in the arts in Lincolnshire for around 25 years. He has a background in arts education and for 10 years was the Director at Lincoln Drill Hall. Since becoming self-employed he has worked with festivals, venues and creative projects across Lincolnshire and beyond and is currently working for Gravity Fields Festival, Threshold Studios, the TMC Emerge Project in Spalding and is also producing a large community play about women’s football.