OUR TEAM

Naomi is a specialist leader of cultural education, a champion of creative thinking and a co-director of Creatives Now. She is an expert in whole school arts and culture development and creative partnerships. Naomi believes that all children and young people should have access to the cultural life of their town and the opportunity to steer its development.

Gaynor is a co-director of Creatives Now and has worked in arts and community engagement in Bolton for over 20 years. She leads public art initiatives and brings art to district communities. She develops well-being programmes and cultural partnerships. Her passion is using the arts to support place-based engagements with heritage.

Ben is a Manchester-based theatre practitioner and community-focused arts project manager. Ben is a lead facilitator at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton and brings experience of working with young people from a range of settings, including SEND schools, LGBTQ+ youth groups, youth theatres and ESOL groups. Ben leads Saturday morning theatre sessions.

Sally is a co-director of neo: artists, Bolton. Sally's personal practice is focused on creating a platform for working class voices and applying arts to social activism.

Ruby specialises in comics and visual storytelling and draws her inspiration from lived experiences. She is an experienced community arts facilitator. Ruby is the director of Ink and Imagination Festival.

neo: artists is an artist-led, not-for-profit organisation, founded to aid the development of local artists. In partnership with Creatives Now, neo: artists produces exhibitions, provides workshops and mentorship for young artists, and shares their facilities to support youth artistic-making.

Creatives Now contributes a youth component to Bolton Film Festival and produces youth fringe film activities alongside the BAFTA & BIFA accredited festival.

Forest of Imagination is an annual pop-up participatory contemporary arts event in Bath co-designed by Grant Associates and House of Imagination over the last 6 years in Bath, with an average of 10,000 participants each year, including 20 schools and 55 organisations in the city programmes that enable children to shape their lives through creative activity. Creatives Now enjoys an ongoing working friendship with Forest.

The Young Green Creators, are a group of young people with an aim to make accessible and inclusive climate-based events for young people across Bath. They are supported by House of Imagination and collaborate with Creatives Now to produce Forest of Imagination workshops and events.

IT recycling with a difference
saving electronics, fixing digital devices with the community at the centre. Recycle IT and Creatives Now collaborate to transform any unrecyclable IT items into arts materials, to curate art exhibitions from non-recyclable waste and to engage schools and colleges in design work hosted across both organisations' spaces.