Catherine Currums (Chair)
Catherine is social worker working with adolescents on a one to one basis. She has worked for social services for 4 years and has recently qualified as a social worker through the Open University. She is a governor at The Grammar School for Boys, Tunbridge Wells. Before joining social services she worked as a sales manager for Royal Mail.
Meghan Field
Meghan is currently covering the role of housing coordinator at Standing Together Against Domestic Violence. She has over 12 years of experience working to tackle domestic violence both in the Americas and in the UK. She is a CAADA-trained Independent Domestic Violence Advisor and managed a west London IDVA Service for three years at Woman’s Trust. She was the domestic and sexual violence Services Coordinator and a Senior Community Safety Officer for the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, where she directed the Borough’s Strategic Partnership. In Spring 2012, she conducted the H&F Survivors’ Consultation on behalf of Standing Together.
Jane Metcalf
Jane worked for a number of years as the editor of a business publication for the Institute of Director, Kent Branch. She has been involved in marketing for nearly 20 years working with companies such as NEC, Samsung and Novell. She has also been involved with Home Start, an organisation which helps young mums with pre-school age children with a multitude of issues. Jane has one adopted child and is a frequent helper at school.
Trevor Penton
Trevor originally trained at RADA. He spent fourteen (mostly happy years) as an actor working mostly in Theatre, but also appearing in Television and Film. In 2000, he made a conscious choice to change career from Actor to Communication Skills Coach. He wanted to use the skills he had honed as a performer to help people in a different way. He is currently MD of Free D Coaching;a London based consultancy, that is all about unlocking people’s full potential as communicators. He is passionate about helping Nicolette and New Shoes Theatre grow a reputation for producing world class theatre. He is married to Katherine and has 3 children.
Joan Stead
Joan is a social anthropologist and Honorary Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. Her research reflects her interest in exclusion/inclusion and social justice in education. She has worked on many projects funded by, for example, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Scottish Womens Aid, the Welsh and Scottish Governments, and the Economic & Social Research Council.
TRIBUTE to Val Griffiths (09.09.1945 - 14.09.2012)
Val was the Tunbridge Wells Detached Youth & Community Worker for a number of years. Part of her extensive provision for young people included the work with Nicolette Kay, co-running the Muzikansky Girls' Video and Drama workshops. The workshops took place in Sherwood and Showfields, outlying estates in Tunbridge Wells, and the young people's films were shown at film festivals in the UK and Europe. As well as winning Kent County-wide Tryangle awards for their high quality films, workshop participants achieved Bronze Arts Awards.
Val is remembered by her peers in the youth services for her tireless commitment to providing opportunities for young people. After her retirement, she worked for the Kent Youth Service
as an area advisor and became a founding Trustee of New Shoes Theatre. Despite her illness and resulting disability she attended Trustee meetings and gave her wholehearted support to the company. Her contribution to New Shoes Theatre is greatly appreciated and she is sorely missed.