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Who We Are
"I created People Speak Up in 2017, when I was on a journey of re-building, searching, and understanding my purpose. I found the power of autobiographical and traditional storytelling. This process helped me to look at my story and make sense of my life. PSU has become the vehicle to take more people on this journey. When you put similar people together in a space who are on a similar journey – the magic starts to happen. When people start to speak up, they connect, learn and start to feel human again. Thank you to all of our creatives who all bring their own art forms and tool kits for our community to find their voice."
Eleanor Shaw
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
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.
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Our Staff
Eleanor Shaw
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Eleanor started her career as a community arts practitioner, working nationally and internationally. For 15 years, she worked in the further education sector within Performing Arts, and her passion was always in supporting those forgotten voices in the community and creating opportunities in the creative industries for herself to further develop as a creative artist and for her students. In 2013 she found the power of autobiographical storytelling during a difficult period of her life, during that time, she changed direction personally and professionally and re-entered community arts. Eleanor’s mission is developing and diversifying People Speak Up, working with other people and organisations with similar values, supporting other start up social enterprises, being an advocate for arts and health and supporting those forgotten voices through gathering stories and telling stories.
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
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"
Donna Lee Lewis
Facilitator
Curious weirdo. Conveniently cuddly. Quixotic. Constant reader. Comedically inclined. Caffiene powered. Can play well with others.
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.
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.
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.
Charlie Piercey
Adminstrator
Charlie has been working in the music industry for over 15 years.
As a musician and composer he has toured the UK and Europe with many different artists and written music for television and other media across multiple genres.
With a further background in arts administration, Charlie now oversees admin duties for PSU as well as acting as PA for director Eleanor Shaw.
Cerys Williams
Volunteer and Community Garden Co-ordinator
Cerys is our new Volunteer and Community Garden Co-ordinator. She will be helping our garden grow and looking after our volunteers.
Cerys has a Ba(Hons) in Fine Art Sculpture and a certificate of higher education in Biological Sciences.
She is passionate about wildlife, and the impact of green spaces on health and wellbeing. With a thriving garden of her own, her green thumb is a great addition to our team here at PSU
Alun Gibbard
Welsh Language and 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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Our Board
Summar Ackery
Trustee
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.'
Jackie Davies
Trustee
Jackie is a mental health nurse and for 30 years has worked with offenders and patients in secure hospitals.
Jackie now works with the Royal College of Nursing representing nurses and advocating for the nursing profession.
Jackie is an Independent Board Member with Swansea Bay University Health Board,
Chair of the Royal College of Nursing Wales Board and Chair of the South Wales Organ Donation Regional Network
Ioan Hefin
Chair of Board
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.”
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.’
Stuart Harries
Trustee
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.
Carole Ann Smith
Trustee
Carole Ann sadly passed away in June 2024 and will be remembered for her dedication and passion to the writing community.Carole Ann wrote short stories and poetry, and also articles on local history. She had work published in a number of literary journals and magazines. She was 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).
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Mark Montinaro
Trustee
( 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 Creative Team
Rachael Barry
Creative Artist
Ray is a mixed media community artist with a passion for willow crafts. She loves to inspire people to use everyday materials to create wonderful things, especially bringing communities together through her workshops.
Bill Taylor Beales
Creative Artist
Bill has been operating as a socially engaged creative professional for 40 years within but not limited to schools - hospitals - prisons and community settings.
Bill is passionate about the power of creativity to transform individuals and communities and the healing potential of the expressive arts.
Artist On Prescription - ACW Arts Associate
Film Making - Animation - Music - Songwriting - 2d & 3D Visual art - Creative Writing - Drama - Story Tellinghttps://www.hushlandcreative.com
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6168897
Natalie Ann Holborow
Creative Artist
Writer Natalie Ann Holborow is the 2015 winner of the Terry Hetherington Award and has been shortlisted and commended for the Bridport Prize, the National Poetry Competition, the Hippocrates Prize for Poetry and Medicine, and the Cursed Murphy Spoken Word Award among others. Her creative residencies over the years have seen her writing and performing poetry in Wales, Ireland, Sweden and India. She is the author of the poetry collections And Suddenly You Find Yourself, Small and Little Universe. Natalie lives in Swansea, is a proud patron of local charity The Leon Heart Fund and should not be left unattended in Waterstones unless accompanied by a responsible adult.
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.
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.
David Pitt
Creative 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 ProfileWe are also work with these guests artists too:
Clare Potter
Dominic Williams
Mel Perry
Gail Low
Mared Davies
Phil Okwedy
Sam Hood
Tia Zakura Camilleri
Stirling Steward
Duke Al Durham
Donna Males
Cath Little
Kate Woodley
Nerissa Joan
Lisa Evans
Valeria Ayres
Karen fitzpatrick
Eleri angharad
Eric Ngalle Charles
Catrin Kean
Deb Winter
Tamar Eluned Williams
Music Factory
Connor Allen -
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 your community, connecting with people, arts, creativity and giving some of your time to help others we would love to hear from you.
We are really keen to hear from drivers who can help us with some of our projects and attendees.
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
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