TEAM

Anna

Anna Francis is co-director of PIP. Collaborating with Rebecca since 2016, Anna uses her skills as an educator and researcher, along with her experience as an artist working in urban contexts in planning and delivering activity with the project and community. Anna’s role at PIP includes programming and policy focus, particularly in relation to our environmental responsibility and leading on the development of our strategic partnerships. Anna is also Professor of Art and Society at University of Staffordshire.

Rebecca

Rebecca Davies is co-director of PIP. She works with Anna to design and create projects that are truly responsive to local needs and interests. She has over fifteen years of experience designing and delivering projects in community contexts across the UK. Her artistic practice crosses illustration, design and performance and she gets to fold these skills into her role as part of PIP. She also leads on the visual identity for the organisation and lots of its projects.

Katrina

Katrina Wilde is the Project Manager for the Neighbourhood Workshop. She runs a weekly gardening club in the neighbourhood as well as other textile-based projects, and leads on the materials library project. In her own practice, Katrina works with plants, textiles and people, exploring ways we can reconnect and re-enchant ourselves with the world around us.

Alice

Alice Thatcher is a ceramic artist working with clay and people in the city. She has worked with the project since 2016, and now in her role as Creative Producer she collaborates on projects with us, whilst managing our social enterprise and supporting on our public programme.

Kerri

Kerri Francis is PIP’s book keeper. She ensures the organisation is on top of things in terms of budgets and funding. She is also a rad hula hooper and has hosted a few hula hooping workshops on the PIP programme!

Ken

Community Ken is our caretaker, keyholder, youth club support, technician and DJ. Ken used to run the community centre before it closed and he is a fountain of knowledge on community history and making sure events run smoothly.

Godson

Godson Egbo is an architect based in South London. Having participated in a number of Rebecca’s art and community projects around the Elephant & Castle shopping centre, he has been working on the Portland Inn Project since 2016. In 2018, Godson helped lead the Portland St Architecture School in order to gather ideas for our building – Godson has supported a truly collaborative approach to the future designs of the building, working hard to represent local requests and needs.

Jamal & Zahra

Jamal has worked with us running sports activities for our young members since 2016. Zahra joined the team in 2019. Together they are our Youth Leaders and run Youth Club and sports/active sessions. They have so much experience working across communities in Stoke On Trent and are well respected by our young members and they both lived in the neighbourhood as young people themselves!

Glen

Glen Stoker documents the project, he is also important support on the ground when we are delivering activity. His role also covers production for some of our programmes too. He’s also director of AirSpace Gallery, and so is able to share our work through a wider creative network. Anna and Rebecca have studios at AirSpace too!

Nana

Non Executive Director

Nana Lyamgohn is a Sociologist and a non executive director, as well as a board member.
She believes coherent communities are the bed rock of a thriving society.
Nana created the Portland Jollof rice, she’s the moral compass and ensures the project delivers all community level projects with minimal waste.
Before volunteering for the Portland Inn Project, Nana spent years working with NPOs/NGOs In Nigeria to improve health services and influence positive behaviour change towards health within communities.

The Community Decision
Making Panel

The Community Decision Making Panel is made up of residents, team members, partners and local services. We meet once every two months for a meal and discussion on decisions made for our programme. This is an important space to check in, and ensure our activities are responding to local needs and interests, as well as ensure local services are onboard and in some cases can work with us to make activity happen.

PIP ADVISORY BOARD

Kavita Purohit

Deeply invested in a justice rooted Social & Ecological Systems transition, Kavita is an Environmental Engineering graduate who has worked in the steel industry as an in-house environmental process optimisation consultant prior to joining the CIVIC SQUARE team, where they are a researcher and Mission Co-Lead in the Neighbourhood Doughnut demonstrator. Major work at CIVIC SQUARE to date includes research lead for the Doughnut Economics Data Portrait of Place, orchestrating the Ecological Health in Neighbourhoods peer-to-peer journey, and working on the Neighbourhood Public Square site.

John Farrar

Semi Retired Charity Finance Director ( YMCA North Staffordshire ), now with over 25 years experience in Charity Finance Management , proud resident of Stoke-on-Trent and passionate about community empowerment , lover of soulful music and supporting new artists part time DJ , presenter of wonderful weekly radio show on local community station Six Towns Radio ,long time suffering supporter of Stoke City FC and lover of good beer and preserving decent pubs.

Gemma Thomas (Chair)

Gemma is a proud Stokie, mum, and Creative Director. She’s been co-creating and co-producing arts and cultural projects through the work of Appetite (a Creative People and Places NPO programme for Stoke & Newcastle led by the New Vic) since 2013. She is also a director of Stoke Creates and founder of Brilliant Bamboo CIC. She believes in the power of people and the arts to change how we see and feel about places.

Maria Brewster

Maria Brewster is a curator, organiser and cultural consultant based in Liverpool. She is Director/Founder at Rule of Threes, a small not for profit arts agency embedding contemporary arts practice into every day life. She currently leads At The Library – A programme of artist commissions and happenings, focused on creative community development, in Sefton Libraries. Maria also offers consultancy in strategy and development. She grew up in Stoke-on-Trent.

Emma Sumner

Emma Sumner joined the Public Arts Trust of India as Director in September 2023 from Grizedale Arts where she led the business planning, fundraising, and purchase of The Farmer’s Arms.

Before Grizedale Arts, Emma lived and worked in South Asia, conducting research with Artisan Design School Somiya Kala Vidya and developing projects which put the work of female artisans centre stage with organisations including the British Textile Biennial. She then went on to become Head of Publications at the Samdani Art Foundation in Bangladesh working on the 2018 Dhaka Art Summit.

Emma has curated / produced exhibitions at Tate Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool Biennial, and written for publications including Art Review, E-Flux and Aesthetica.

Nicky Twemlow

Nicky is the Community & Partnerships Director at YMCA North Staffordshire. She has extensive experience in strategic leadership, securing investment into the city for children and young people and cares passionately about providing young people with opportunities to explore their talents and engagement in youth voice activities.

Nicky was one of the founders of Stoke Creates which is the Cultural Compact for North Staffordshire and Chairs the Made in Stoke Network, working with Stoke diaspora around the globe to contribute their time, talent or treasure back to the city.