Who We Are

Latest jobs at People Speak Up

Meet the team

People Speak Up is accredited as a Living Wage Employer.

People Speak Up is committed to pay the real Living Wage and deliver a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work. 

• Our Staff

  

  Eleanor Shaw

  Artistic Director

  I have worked in education and community arts for the last 20 years. Founder and Artistic Director of PeopleSpeakUp; A social arts, health & well-being enterprise based at The Ffwrnes Fach, Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli that connects communities through storytelling, spoken word, creative writing and the Participatory arts. My passion is telling my story and helping others to tell theirs!

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  Kate Williams

  Business and Fundraising Support

  Kate originally trained as a musician playing clarinet, saxophone and piano, although nowadays tends to stick to teaching herself the ukulele.

  Having worked in the arts for 20 years Kate has moved round the UK working in a number of venues as a programmer, commercial and sales manager, run a rural touring scheme was previously General Manager for Neath based Theatr Na Nog.

  In her spare time she is a reiki practitioner and particularly enjoys treating animals.

  http://linkedin.com/in/katemariewilliams

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  Carys Phillips

  Projects Coordinator

  Carys graduated from the BA Applied Drama course in July, 2019 from UWTSD. During this time, she began to volunteer with People Speak Up which enhanced her interest in using creativity for well-being. She then started to work with PSU through facilitating.

  "I have a passion for learning about other people’s lives and using the creative arts as a form of expression and healing"

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  Donna Lee Jordan

  Administrator

  Curious weirdo. Conveniently cuddly. Quixotic. Constant reader. Comedically inclined. Caffiene powered. Can play well with others. 

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  Ffion Weston

  YPSU Facilitator and Inclusion Officer

  Ffion began volunteering on the Young People Speak Up project during the final year of her BA Applied Drama degree at UWTSD and became a co facilitator on the Young People Speak Up project upon graduating from her degree in 2020. Working with the young people on this project, enhanced Ffion’s interest in creating and facilitating creative well-being workshops for people of all ages, along with making workshops accessible for all as she herself is living with ADHD.

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  Kris Grogan

  Facilitator

  Kris started life as a participant and has gone through different stages in his People Speak Up journey - from participant to volunteer to facilitator. He has also graduated in 2022 with a bachelors degree in Applied Drama from UWTSD. His real passions are singing and the work he now does.

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  Steffan Thomas

  Facilitator

  Steffan began his journey with PSU as a participant in the Arty Afternoon programme. Having then done some volunteer work at PSU, when a position became available to join the team as a Welsh Language Facilitator he applied and was successful in getting the role. Steffan has a degree in Fine Art from Aberystwyth University and enjoys playing music and reading comics in his spare time.

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  Suzanne Carter

  Freelance Marketing Manager

  Suzanne has been working in arts, cultural and events marketing for over 20 years.
  A former news reporter and presenter on radio stations in south Wales, she first got her taste for marketing while working at The Wave and Swansea Sound in the early 00s. She has worked with local authorities, independent, charity and cultural organisations including Neath Port Talbot CBC, Blaenau Gwent CBC, Sherman Theatre and National Dance Company Wales. As a freelancer she is supporting PSU with a strategic overview of all things communication and helping the team to increase awareness of the amazing work that the team do week in week out.

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• Our Board

  

  Ioan Hefin

  Chair - Board of Directors

  Ioan has been self-employed as an actor for 35 years and is delighted to see the recent growth of creative companies and individuals in West Wales. 'People Speak Up are at the forefront of that growth and have already embedded themselves in the local creative landscape. You also get the feeling that there’s so much more to come - and that’s truly invigorating.”

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  Summar Ackery

  Board of Director

  Summar is an agency support worker, working in many projects around Carmarthenshire. ' I do this job because I want to help those who need it most, I'm on the board of PSU because I love the community involvement that has and will come from this project. I strongly believe that any form of creative outlet can be tremendously healing for all ages and backgrounds.'

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  Carole Ann Smith

  Board of Director

  Carole Ann writes short stories and poetry, and also articles on local history. She has had work published in a number of literary journals and magazines. She is the founding secretary of Llanelli Writers' Circle and was appointed editor of the annual periodical Amrywiaeth Llanelli Miscellany, in 2011, by the Llanelli Branch of the WEA (Affiliate of Addysg Oedolion Cymru / Adult Learning Wales). As an amateur photographer she also loves to combine words with pictures.

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  Stuart Harries

  Board of Director

  Stuart is a Director at Swansea Accountancy firm Carr, Jenkins & Hood. He has owned and run practices in South Wales for the past 25 years, acting as an auditor and independent examiner to many charitable organisations. These skills, couple with commercial acumen, can translate to helping PeopleSpeakUp on its continuing journey.

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  Alun Gibbard

  Welsh Language & Media

  Alun Gibbard is an award winning broadcaster and author. He has published 31 books to date, mostly non-fiction, but also one novel. Worked in Broadcasting, lives in llanelli, has a passion for the welsh language and is working towards a bilingual Wales.

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  Mark Montinaro

  Board of Director

  ( Mark sadly passed away in August 2019, he will be remebered for all the amazing work he did for us and the spoken word Community)

  Mark originally trained as a classical actor and has done just about everything from west end to street theatre and performance art. Nowadays he lives in the township of Laugharne in Carmarthenshire and divides work between his twin passions of gardening and performing. He is a regular feature on the West Wales spoken word scene and a keen supporter of the aims and objectives of PeopleSpeakUp within the community.

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• Our Associate Artists

  

  Rufus Mufasa

  Poet on Prescription

  Rufus  is a pioneering participatory artist, literary activist, poet, rapper, singer-songwriter, theatre maker, and last but not least, Mother. From Barbican Fellow to the first Future Generations Act Poet in Residence, Rufus also works internationally, securing literary residencies from Hay Literature Festival to Sweden, Finland, Indonesia and Zimbabwe. A Hull '19 artist in conjunction with BBC Contains Strong Language,  poet in residence with the British Association of Social Workers 2020. Rufus has developed huge personal resilience through her artistry and she is working with our communities to develop a new tonic of poetry, so we can heal as individuals and as a community.

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  Ceri John Phillips

  Storyteller

  Ceri John Phillips is a storyteller and Cyfarwydd for Bro Dinefwr - he has previously been an actor, comedian and writer, working for S4C, BBC, ITV in films, TV shows and on stage. His areas of interest include Welsh mythology, heritage and folklore.

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  David Pitt

  Associate Artist

  David Pitt is a sound artist, musician, maker and storyteller living in Swansea and currently working as a creative practitioner for ACW Lead Creative Schools.
  Linkedin Profile

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• Our Trustees

  

  Abbie Hudson

  Trustee

  Abbie works within the Recruitment team for Coleg Sir Gar & Coleg Ceredigion, a further and higher education institution with campuses in both Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. As part of her role on the Board, she provides support in HR and workforce matters. Raised all her life in Llanelli, she said it's ‘a joy and a privilege to be a part of PSU's mission and watch how they connect passionate people within the community and provide opportunities for creativity to any and all backgrounds.’

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• Become a Volunteer

  Do you have spare time to help our community?

  We have a team of enthusiastic volunteers who help out at PSU’s hub in Llanelli and in our community.

  People Speak Up is a friendly, welcoming team who love making, creating and most of important of all connecting with our community.

  If you’re passionate about Llanelli/ Your community ( take lanelli out as they can volunteer in other places with us), connecting with people, arts, creativity and giving some of your time to help others we would love to hear from you.

  If you would like to volunteer please get in touch on email info@peoplespeakup.co.uk

  You must be aged 16+ to be a volunteer