Pick of the Month - June 2025

Welcome to June's Pick of the Month! We’re excited to feature individuals who are making a real impact in the charity world. From creative social innovators to tireless charity leaders, their work is all about driving change and improving lives. We’ll take a closer look at their unique paths, the challenges they’ve navigated, and the incredible contributions they’re making to communities across the UK. Come join us in celebrating their inspiring efforts! 

Charity Leaders of the Month – Helen Monks & Matt Woodhead, LUNG 

Founded in Barnsley in 2014, LUNG works across the UK to make hidden voices heard. Based in Yorkshire, it is a Company in Residence at the National Theatre and partners with The Lowry in Salford. The organisation develops high quality verbatim productions that tour everywhere from theatres to school halls to The Houses of Parliament. It creates educational and training resources for teachers, social workers, artists and people in power, and spearheads award winning campaigns to spark change.  

We spoke to co-directors Helen and Matt, about their careers so far and the work they do at LUNG. 

Helen and Matt shared a little bit about their work and mission:  

“Our plays are published by Faber & Faber and studied on the AQA GCSE Drama Syllabus. Our productions have reached audiences of 81,000 people, our education programme has engaged 17,000 young people, and 3.8 million people have tuned into BBC Radio 4 broadcasts of our work.  

We believe in the value of art to amplify untold stories and transform the world around us. And we have a lot of fun whilst doing it!” 

We asked Helen and Matt how they both got to where they are today and what their roles involve: 

“We started the company when we were students (11 years ago!) at Sheffield University and were so lucky to know brilliant creatives and actors to build LUNG from the ground up. It started out with Matt’s dad (the ever-fabulous John Woodhead) driving a van and doing pub quizzes to raise funds to go to the Edinburgh Fringe. We’ve now grown to a company of six and have a fantastic board of trustees who steer the company with us.  

Our job is to be both head-of-sensible and head-of-fun. We run the operations of the company as well as the creative vision of our productions, developing our artistic slate and work with a fleet of freelancers, creatives and community groups.  

A piece of advice we got very early on is ‘There’s no such thing as a career in theatre’ and it’s true. We believe in following the work and the stories of the people we meet. That is where the magic truly happens.” 

Helen and Matt shared some advice for aspiring leaders:  

“In the words of Fleetwood Mac, go your own way. We're so lucky that forming the charity ourselves meant we've carved out a little corner of the world and do things the way we wish they were done everywhere. At LUNG, we believe in living by your principles. Our work champions equity and we celebrate the different roles in the company equally. Therefore, all core staff are paid the same pro rata. It doesn’t sit well with us that one role is valued above others – when we’re all putting in the same hours.   

 A big learning curve we’ve been on is being explicit and uncompromising on our values which are:  

1. Be kind  

2. Be courageous 

3. Be your own you. 

We plaster these everywhere and ask everyone who engages with us to sign up to them. You must lead with kindness, otherwise we’re all doomed.” 

Helen and Matt ended by discussing something that they are passionate about seeing change in their sector: 

“It would be just gorgeous if the industry could stop commissioning reports and projects on why art is important. No one is disputing it – the problem is making the right people hear us.   

At LUNG we have worked in secondary schools where the theatre has been taken away and replaced with a canteen. We have seen the removal of the arts from state schools and watched the number of students taking GCSE drama fall to record lows.  

Now is the time for action. I wish we could all be a bit more confident in speaking truth onto power, or funding a local schools project, rather than commissioning another report.” 

To hear more about the work at LUNG, visit their website. 

Social Entrepreneur of the Month – Kerrine Bryan: Butterfly Books

Kerrine Bryan is co-founder of Butterfly Books, an independent publishing house for children’s books that promotes diversity across industries at the grassroots level. Butterfly Books work with professionals across a range of industries, then simplify big concepts into short, rhyming and colourful children’s books. The organisation works to educate, inspire and entertain and it is working to improve the lives and diversity of generations to come. 

We asked Kerrine what led her to establish the organisation: 

"My career began 20 years ago at a major oil and gas contractor, where I started on a graduate scheme immediately after completing my four-year Master’s degree in electronic and electrical engineering with a language component. I was also a STEM ambassador, sharing insights about my job with schoolchildren nationwide. I discovered that misconceptions about engineering had already permeated the minds of children aged 5—misconceptions I believed contributed partly to the lack of gender diversity in typically male-dominated professions. This realisation inspired the creation of Butterfly Books, which I set up with my brother Jason, who also co-authors the books. We wanted to create alternative narratives for children that address some of the misconceptions surrounding gender and careers, especially in industries experiencing skill shortages and diversity challenges. These are best tackled early, so our books are for children aged 4 to 7 years old."

Kerrine discussed the biggest challenge she had when setting up her organisation: 

"Running a business alongside a demanding career presents immense challenges, primarily because you work on the venture outside regular business hours. However, with technology, it’s possible—and I’ve learnt that we typically have more time to devote to our passions than we realise."

Kerrine shared her favourite part of the process so far: 

"Meeting inspirational individuals from various industries and hearing their powerful stories—about their early struggles, dreams, and the paths they took to reach their current roles—has been both eye-opening and deeply moving. From scientists and nurses to plumbers, army officers, and footballers, these amazing people are defying gender and social stereotypes to excel in their fields. They stand as powerful role models for young people, embodying resilience, ambition, and a determination to break barriers and redefine success."

Kerrine ended with some pieces of advice she would give to aspiring social entrepreneurs: 

“Never give up. There will, of course, be setbacks. But as long as you remain strong-willed and learn from these quickly, you can take positive steps forward to succeed with your social enterprise in solving genuine human problems, innovating, and improving the world. It is possible to make a difference, even if it’s in a small way; the repercussions can ripple positively."

If you would like to find out more about Butterfly Books, visit the website. 

Fellow of the Month – Sallie Varnam

Sallie Varnam has been working in arts and heritage development for 20 years; for the last decade working in health contexts. Sallie is development manager for BrightSparks Arts in Mental Health CIO, a charity supported by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust. She is also Creative Health Manager at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, and director of Weave Creative Productions CIC. Sallie's current work involves bringing together partners to develop an integrated approach to creative health in primary, secondary and community settings in Leicestershire and Rutland to bring about positive health and wellbeing outcomes for patients, staff and communities. 

We asked Sallie to tell us a little bit about her work at the moment, how she got to her current position and what the role involves? 

“I've been working with BrightSparks Arts in Mental Health CIO for around 8 years, following a stint of working in arts development roles in local authorities. I began working with BSA through their programme, the Comedy Asylum, which offers collaborative creative opportunities for people living with severe and enduring mental illness to improvise, write and perform comedy based material at a range of events, including the Leicester Comedy Festival. The Comedy Asylum's primary aim is to promote social inclusion amongst participants, and to de-stigmatise mental illness in the wider community.

My role with BSA has evolved to focus more on the strategic development of the organisation and develop sustainable project support across the organisation. My work with UHL involves managing the trust's art and museum collections and offering creative opportunities for staff and patients that return positive health and wellbeing outcomes. I deliver a programme of activity in partnership with a range of organisations and individual creative practitioners, funding all activity through grants and partnership funding."

Sallie discussed the key opportunities for her organisation: 

"The pandemic brought into sharp focus the mental health crisis adults and children in the UK are facing and BrightSparks has specific expertise in supporting people with severe and enduring mental illness, as well as supporting and advising other arts providers in the area on working with people with poor wellbeing. The anticipated change in government may well open up improved support for mental health and we are working in partnership with our acute trust to develop opportunities to share resources and deliver at wider scale. The prevalence of social prescribing offers potential opportunities for us to develop our reach into communities by offering training, quality assurance, and hopefully, resources to partner organisations that we would be able to coordinate and systemise."

Having just finished this year’s Fellowship programme, Sallie discussed what she will take from it:  

“I'm excited about diversifying my fundraising skillset, which has been exclusively focussed on securing grants and commissioned work. I have some philanthropists in mind and can't wait to unleash my new found skills on them! Finally, I can't wait to bring in loads of money for the organisations I work for and see the impact this will have on the people who really, really need it at the moment."

Finally, Sallie told us what she’d like to see change in the sector:  

“Sustainability. The opportunity to deliver long term, embedded programmes of high quality, impactful work over a number of years, rather than having to reinvent and find new things all the time. This is particularly important in creative health."

The BrightSparks website is currently being redeveloped, but you can still browse their old website if you would like to know more.  

Trustee of the Month – Rebecca Ward: Trustee at Manchester Camarata

Manchester Camerata’s mission is to make music for change. Social impact is truly at the heart of the charity’s mission and music is the vehicle for that. One of its most recent successes was launching the UK’s first Centre for Excellence for Music and Dementia. Its artistic programme is incredibly varied and diverse and regularly challenges employees to reimagine the existing parameters of the sector. 

We spoke to Rebecca and asked her how she got to where she is today and what does her role involves: 

“As a Trustee at Manchester Camerata, I act as an advocate for the charity’s mission and work with the rest of the Board to ensure the charity is able to carry out its work to the best of its ability. Often this means taking a bird’s eye view of the charity’s operations, fundraising and programme and identifying areas of risk. As a fundraising professional, I am also involved in the more detailed aspects of fundraising for the charity as well as advising on strategy and impact measurement.  

As a music graduate I noticed a relationship between being a musician and caring about social impact, so I set up a podcast to discuss this topic with professionals and colleagues across the sector. I wasn’t 100% sure where I would end up, but I knew I wanted to focus on social action and I was passionate about justice making organisations. At first, I didn’t know how to fit this into my background in classical music, so I created my own path by setting up my own enterprise alongside completing a combined MA at the University of Leeds Business School / School of Music. This led to my career in fundraising."

Rebecca shared some pieces of advice for prospective leaders:  

“Always follow your passion. There’s so much noise telling you what you should be doing, how you can be better at your job, how to make the most money. Figuring out what you’re passionate about and doing that is the bravest and most resilient thing you can do for your career in the long-term."

Finally, Rebecca discussed what she’s passionate about seeing change in the sector:  

"Gosh, so many things! 

I think it’s a shame that the arts have become more and more siloed in society. We know they are crucial to belonging, health, meaning and fulfilment. And yet, in education and in the charity sector in the UK they have been relegated to a status which is somehow separate from other aspects of the economy and society rather than the motivating force behind it. I’m interested in seeing much more integrative approaches to arts, health and the environment. 

As a Trusts and Foundations specialist, I am passionate about transformative grant-making and how the sector can become more equitable. It’s such an interesting time to be thinking about wealth distribution on a large scale, with many Trusts and Foundations questioning their role as gatekeepers of wealth and the “great wealth transfer” predicted to happen in our lifetime. I think we will see more new and innovative vehicles for grant-making because of that."

If you would like to know more about Manchester Camerata, visit the website.