Co - Director

I work as a social development advisor. My background is 15 years senior management in the non-governmental international aid and development sector, including personnel management, budgeting and fundraising. I have worked with diverse groups to achieve complex outcomes such as strategic planning, project design, research analysis and evaluation, often in contexts of local and/or internal conflict. I initiated, fundraised for and co-ordinated a ground-breaking £350k research project in Somalia and Kenya, funded by the World Bank. Back home in Kington, I co-lead two local heritage and living archive projects, funded by the Heritage Fund: The Story of Kington Camp (2007) and Brilley Voices (2008).  

Co - Director

I was born and grew up in Kington and love the town and surrounding area.  My background is in art and design, originally working in fair trade as a designer and textile buyer, running fair-trade shops in the South West and for the last twenty five years living locally and working as a stained glass maker.  In March of 2024, I opened Flock, a craft gallery and shop representing local artists and makers. I have valued being part of community led volunteer projects from my first volunteer role as an youth and art worker in the 1990’s,  since then I have set up a playgroup  and was chair of Gladestry primary school friends commitee for many years. As well as volunteering at the Oxford Arms, I am a school governor and a trustee of my local community hall.

Co - Director
Community Engagement Officer

My specialism is Community, Youth and Educational Development. I have worked overseas for many years with the British Council and VSO assessing needs, establishing skillshare programmes, delivering capacity building for local partner institutions and trouble-shooting volunteer management.  But before moving to Kington in 2021 I lived in Luton for 8 years, working as the Programme Coordinator for the national charity, Near Neighbours, where I had responsibility for c. £1million budget. Near Neighbours supports communities to come together, talk openly and productively about challenging local issues, and empower people to make a difference in their neighbourhoods.

Co - Director

I was an agricultural botanist and later a landscape architect in both Australia and England. My interests revolve around the relationship between plants, food and the local landscape. I set up a preserves business in Cumbria specifically to showcase hyper local produce and foraged wild plants and was Chair of Sustainable Food Carlisle. I am particularly interested in helping with the food offer at the Oxford Arms; sourcing and using local produce to produce affordable and interesting menus accessible to all.

Co - Director

I have a background in public health and community development. I have worked for grantmaking organisations and charities that support international development initiatives, as well as local organisations overseas. Closer to home, I was part of a health promotion team based in Bristol for the NHS. I have lived in the borders since 2000, in the Radnorshire hills for 15 years – with Kington being my local town – and now in Hay-on-Wye. I’m particularly interested in how a sense of belonging to a place-based community contributes to health, mental health and social well being. I am delighted to be part of Open Arms Kington.

Financial Management & Governance

I am the former chief exec and company secretary of ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Ltd. From small beginnings working from my kitchen table, I developed ECHO into the largest provider of opportunities for disabled people in Herefordshire with over 50 staff and 100 volunteers and a turnover of £750,000. A firm believer in the call for “nothing about us, without us”, ECHO involved local disabled people across the organisation.

Project Development Administrator, Communications and Marketing

I was previously an academic, working at universities in Switzerland and the UK. After many visits to Kingon over the years, where I greatly appreciated the hospitality of the Oxford Arms, I finally moved here in January 2024. I am excited to support the development of this community project.

Accountancy & Bookkeepng

Steering Committee

We love living in Kington, it is a great community in a beautiful location. Being part of the Oxford Arms is a brilliant thing to be involved with. I really want to see it become a community space for all and a more widely-known asset for the town.

By day I am self-employed, working in and advising community heritage projects across the country. By night I might be pulling a pint at the Oxford, or dreaming up new art and craft projects.

My husband Andrew and I are also joint voluntary Tree Wardens for Kington town and Kington rural and keep an eye on Kington's fabulous trees every day when we walk our dog Bryn.

Steering Committee

I have worked in the public and charitable sector, firstly in administration, and after my degree, as a development worker for ECHO in North Herefordshire, and project facilitator with Age UK Hereford & Localities. In 2017 I opened a gallery in Kington which promotes local artists and functions as an informal co-operative. The gallery is also a key player in the Marches Makers Festival, Herefordshire Art Week, and The Big Draw – helping build and sustain a strong and successful art and craft artisan and community presence in Kington.

Steering Committee

I have been a practicing architect in Herefordshire for over 30 years, with a consistent involvement in low energy and low impact buildings. I have also carried out various self build projects. I am an early member of the The AECB (Association for Environment Conscious Building) , active member of KLEEN (Kington Local Environmental and Energy Network ) and have an interest in developing a Community Land Trust in Kington.

Steering Committee & Bar Team

Whilst I was born in Hereford I have spent the majority of my adult life living abroad and in the North of England. My employment history has mainly been within the public sector. I hold a degree in Social Work and Social Policy and worked as a Probation Officer/Manager for HMPPS for 25 years. I also held a role as a Mediator.

Volunteering has always been a part of my life. For many years I was a Samaritan. I established a Mother and Tots group for ex-pats in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and post retirement I worked for an animal Charity before my return to Herefordshire in 2021. The people and the project at The Oxford represent the values and goals that are important to me.

Steering Committee & Bar Team

I am a consultant clinical psychologist and have a national practice in supporting autistic and neurodivergent people with eating issues. I moved to Huntington with my husband in the summer of 2024 after many happy walks on offa's dyke. Volunteering at the Oxford Arms has been a fantastic way of getting to know people and make friends, and I enjoy helping the team with events and on the bar where I have reawakened skills, like pulling a pint, from my youth! I hope to continue supporting this great project for a long time to come. 

Steering Committee & Events

I have had a varied career in tourism, travel, and event management in education and the arts.  I worked for the British Tourist Authority, and was one the founders of the Ledbury Poetry Festival. I also worked for The Pennington Mellor Munthe Trust, Craigie Taylor, and was Student Services Coordinator for The Wimbledon School of English until my retirement 5 years ago. I love living in Kington and seeing the power of volunteering and community service.

Steering Committee & Events

I am a retired primary school teacher and Special Needs Co-ordinator with a lifelong passion for working with children and sharing their love of learning. Although I have stepped away from full-time teaching, I still enjoy being involved in education and have continued to volunteer in local schools since retiring.

I am also co-founder of a charity dedicated to supporting education in Africa, a role that remains very close to my heart.

In 2021, I moved to Kington to be closer to my daughter and her family and have ‘almost’ finished renovating our home with my partner - a project that has certainly kept us busy! With more time now available, I am keen to become increasingly involved in the Kington community.  I am inspired by the ethos of the Open Arms project and look forward to supporting its ambitions and celebrating its successes for the benefit of the whole community.

Volunteer - Events

I have lived in the Kington area for 27 years and am a former District Nurse, now loving working in Health Promotion. I enjoy volunteering at The Oxford as the social connections its activities provide are so key to health of the community. I also hope to support this project to develop with environmental sustainability at its heart

Volunteer - Bar Team

Volunteer - Gardening and Decoration

My background is in the creative sector, having studied Drawing & Applied Arts in Bristol. I have worked backstage in the theatre, coordinated children’s craft workshops and run my own small business making leather goods.

I now work as a gardener spending most of my life outdoors in & around Kington. I am very happy with the change of course my life has taken and am training to be a landscape designer. I hope to help create a welcoming, engaging space for our community, both inside and out.

Volunteer - Cafe Management

I have a background in the catering industry and as a new resident to the town of Kington,volunteering at The Oxford Arms Caravan Cafe has introduced me to the diverse,energetic and talented community of local people,dedicated to creating a welcoming and prosperous events space that will serve the needs and aspirations of the town and its neighbours.

Volunteer - Events and Bar Team

We moved to Kington in 2001, and have raised our three children here in the beautiful countryside.

I hope to spread the word of how OAK can become an amazing hub for Kington and its surrounds with literally something for everyone.

I was born and brought up in Bristol, and qualified through CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) in 2000, whilst working for a narrow-boat holiday company. I am now Financial Controller for RMA landscape architects in Worcestershire, and work part-time. I enjoy walking, gym classes, zumba, line dancing, live music, catching up with friends, cinema, to name a few!

Volunteer - Communications

Having grown up living close to the Oxford Arms, I have recently moved back to Kington with my young daughter. The Open Arms team are bringing something truly special and hugely valuable to Kington, and I believe this project will make a huge difference to all children and young people growing up in and around the town, as well as to the community as a whole.

Volunteer - Bar Team

Volunteer - Events & Decoration

Volunteer - Events

Volunteer - Bar Team

Volunteer - Events