About Us

Anne Timpson has worked for 18 years to create opportunities across west Cumbria for communities to engage with life enhancing arts.

 

As a producer and project manager, she has worked with and for:

 

• both Allerdale and Copeland Borough Councils

• Rosehill Theatre’s where she established and developed Taking part Programme over 6 years

• Cumbria Family Arts Network and Frame (the West Cumbria Cultural Education Partnership), including periods leading and chairing

• Prism Arts

 

Recent projects she has produced include:

• Snappy Operas (2016 -20) (for Mahogany Opera and Rosehill Theatre)

• Michael’s Magical Menagerie (2021) (for Trellis Arts and Cumbria Music Education Hub)

• Creative Connections (2018-21) (Rosehill Theatre)

• Let’s Create Activity Packs (2020-21) (for Frame, West Cumbria Young Carers and Arts council England),

• Midsummer Dreaming and At Autumn’s Mellowing in 2019

• The Promise Opera (2021) (under the banner of Handpicked Productions). Anne is currently Project Manager for Theatre with Prism Arts.

 

Simon Walker has returned to where he grew up and for the past 15 years has worked to increase access to arts in an area that has been historically underserved. He is passionate that the arts and science are fundamentally connected. Notable experience includes:

 

• Chair of the Egremont and Area Regeneration Partnership, which runs Florence Arts Centre (FAC)

• Stakeholder Engagement Manager for National Nuclear Laboratory. There he leads on Social Value within the Bid Team. and plays an active role in leading corporate engagement with schools.

• Managed the development of an arts centre in north London (artsdepot, in north Finchley)

• Was programme manager for the community and economic regeneration of Egremont, leading amongst other initiatives, the development of the town’s innovative arts strategy with Grizedale Arts, which led to the establishing of FAC.

• Studied music, philosophy and art history and gained an MA in Aesthetics and the Visual Arts

• Gained a post graduate diploma in Leading Sustainable Communities

• Attended the National Arts Fundraising School in 2000 and has a track record of successful fundraising from Arts Council England, European Union, HMG and a large number of local and national trusts and foundations. 

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Janice Murray is a visual artist and innovative community engagement specialist.

 

She studied Visual Studies and Anthropology at Oxford Brookes University. She then worked on community arts projects in Oxford and London before moving back to her home town of Whitehaven in 2001

 

• Delivering the consultation stage of We Are Here, west Cumbria’s Creative People and Places programme

• Ran the Art Department Howgill Family Centre in West Cumbria for 14 years. During this time she developed Howgill Arts from a run of the mill community service to an award winning and highly respected arts organisation

• Was Creative Connections practitioner for Rosehill Theatre, engaging and inspiring adults and children using the theatre’s unique cultural heritage as inspiration

• Employing engaged practice techniques she has collaborated with artists such as:

  • Robyn Woolston (Liverpool Art Prize winner)    

  • Alistair Hudson (MIMA) and Adam Sutherland (Grizedale Arts)

 

Developing locally well received and nationally acclaimed projects including:

 

• The Howgill Guardian (Open Me Dream Be)

• The Shop at Howgill

• A Happy Place

 

• In her personal arts practice she uses traditional craft techniques to create quirky assemblages. She also collaborates with Helen Morgan as Morgan Murray Arts.

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Debbie Graham is a graphic designer and art director who for over ten years has specialised in arts and community engagement, design and communications, running multiple campaigns for:

 

• Rosehill theatre and The Green Room restaurant

• Rosehill Taking Part

• Handpicked Productions

• Mahogany Opera Group

• Cumbria Family Arts Network

• Florence Arts Centre

 

She studied graphic design and creative writing at Cumbria Institute of the Arts. She was a designer for Cumbria Life Magazine, regional studio manager for the North West for Newsquest and marketing manager at Rosehill Theatre.

 

She is particularly proud of three freelance community engagement projects for Ewanrigg Community Trust:

 

• Maryport Matters, the local community engagement magazine

• Award winning mental health campaign WEWLL

• signposting and support service HUG A MUG