ÂÒÂ×Ðã

What is your role and what does it involve?

I am Head of Outreach for ÂÒÂ×Ðã Special Collections, which means I lead the delivery of an education programme for schools and community groups that explores the university’s incredible collection of rare books, archives and manuscripts. I work with three other brilliant colleagues in the outreach team and the wider Special Collections team to ensure that our audiences’ needs are met, whether that be on campus at Bloomsbury, at ÂÒÂ×Ðã East or at school and community locations around London.

How long have you been at ÂÒÂ×Ðã and what was your previous role?

I have been in post at ÂÒÂ×Ðã for almost eight years now. ÌýBefore that, I worked at The Historic Dockyard Chatham (a heritage site with 400 years of naval history) in community engagement.

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?

I am most proud of The New Curators Project, which aims to enable 18-24 year olds from east London to access and explore the cultural heritage sector. ÌýUnfortunately, this field harbours longstanding shortfalls in terms of workforce representation and accessibility, so the project seeks to make a meaningful contribution towards young people from east London overcoming these barriers. It has been running since 2020, initially setup remotely during lockdown, but now has a home at the new ÂÒÂ×Ðã East campus in the Culture Lab. Ìý

Of 28 participants across four years, we have seen individuals go on to work as an Assistant Curator at Tate, undertake a internships at ÂÒÂ×Ðã and Historic England and become a Heritage Officer at Toynbee Hall. Feedback highlights the transformative effect the project has on participants’ confidence, skills, understanding of the sector and ability to make networks. It is a very rewarding project to deliver!

Tell us about a project you are working on now which is top of your to-do list

We are currently developing a free online resource for GCSE History teachers on the topic of Migration to sit alongside some films that the East Schools Engagement team are making on the same topic. We have carried out a great deal of research in our efforts to bring lesser accessed collection items to the fore, ensuring they are conserved and digitised. We hope this will be released around Spring 2025 and that it will be part of a suite of free online resources from Special Collections that direct teachers towards relevant collection items, mapped to GCSE curricula.Ìý

What is your favourite album, film and novel?

An impossible question (!), but recently I’ve enjoyed: Skyklokke by Henriette Flach, Io Capitano, directed by Matteo Garrone and Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch.

What is your favourite joke (pre-watershed)?

Any of the @KidsWriteJokes are great (and usually don’t make any sense):Ìý

Why did the crab go to prison?Ìý

Crimes.

Who would be your dream dinner guests?

The whole of Fanfare Ciocărlia – though I think they’d be very disruptive!

What advice would you give your younger self?

Life is too short to worry about what other people think – and do some Pilates before your back starts complaining…

What would it surprise people to know about you?

Perhaps not surprising, but certainly not usual; I sing and play the French horn and accordion in a folk band called The Ashen Keys.

What is your favourite place? Ìý

The Isle of Grain in Medway – a fascinating combination of industrial and natural heritage tucked out of the way from much of Kent.