Pick of the Month - May 2026

30 April 2026 | By Lucy Grehan-Bradley

Welcome to May'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!

Trustee of the Month - Hannah Beech, Brass Bands England

Brass Bands England champions brass banding as an exciting and innovative art form, with deep roots in community music education.

We spoke to Hannah Beech, one of Brass Bands England's trustees.

Hannah told us a little bit about what her mission is:

"I’m currently a trustee of Brass Bands England, which is an organisation that provides support to the estimated 30,000 brass players in the country. Brass Bands play a hugely important role in the arts and culture sector, not just in the UK but all over the world, and the skills and values promoting within banding are ones that are transferable to all aspects of life. BBE helps support bands in a variety of areas, from a successful youth development programme to bespoke guidance on fundraising, safeguarding, and community engagement, and it’s a huge honour to be a part of that. Music is a transformative art form in all its iterations, and ensuring brass bands can continue to innovate and engage positively with the community is a core priority both personally and for the organisation."

We asked Hannah how she got to where she is today and what her role involves:

"I graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2022 with a BMus, and ever since have been working as the University Music Administrator. My day-to-day role is to support the extra-curricular music making at the university, which involves working with the 40+ ensembles that are open to all students, staff, and members of the local community. I also play cornet with the Langley Band and remaining in the brass band community after university led me to discover the work of Brass Bands England. I joined the trustee board in 2024 and am currently involved with the Youth Voice Working Group, and the IDEAS Working Group.
As someone who has recently experienced music within the education system, and works closely with young people in my job, I have a unique perspective on the needs of young people and the importance of including youth voices at all levels of an organisation. Ensuring that brass bands are inclusive and accessible to everyone is a crucial part of the work BBE does, and it’s a privilege to see this having meaningful impact on the development of the brass band movement."

Hannah shared some advice for aspiring trustees:

"As someone who is relatively new to the world of trustees, my advice is to see every situation as an opportunity to learn. I’m lucky to be a part of a board with a variety of hugely knowledgeable and passionate people, and I have learnt a great deal from their expertise. It’s also important to remember that every person has a unique perspective to bring, and that lived experience is a valuable asset to any organisation.
I also think it’s so important to lead by example – as an organisation with over 500 member bands, we can’t, for example, champion the importance of diversity and inclusivity in banding without ourselves working to ensure the organisation is including diverse voices at all levels. Leading with integrity and enthusiasm is vital to earn the respect and trust of the community you represent."

Finally, Hannah discussed what she's passionate about seeing change in the sector:

"Brass bands are often misrepresented as being archaic, or stuck in the past, and I’d love for more people to see the innovative and exciting work that bands are doing across the world. For example, last year’s BBE Youth Championships saw 40 youth bands take part, the annual ‘Brass in Concert’ event continues to champion storytelling and collaboration between artforms, and bands across the country are constantly developing ways to foster connection in their local communities. Brass Bands are more relevant than ever, and it’s hugely exciting to see more people of all walks of life getting involved in the arts."

Read more about the work at Brass Bands England.

Charity Leader of the Month - Stephanie Fuller, CEO at Ditchling Museum

Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft celebrates the village’s rich legacy as a thriving centre of art and craft in the 20th century.

We spoke to Stephanie Fuller, CEO at Ditchling Museum.

Stephanie told us a little bit about what her mission is:

"I’m the Director/CEO of Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft. I’ve been there for just over 8 years, and came in with a mission to make the museum more inclusive and accessible. I’m also committed to supporting living artists and craftspeople as part of the tradition we care for."

We asked Stephanie how she got to where she is today and what her role involves:

"I’ve worked in the culture sector for over 40 years in lots of different roles including as a maker myself as well as an arts manager. I’ve worked for funding bodies including the Crafts Council and Arts Council as well as running my own gallery with my partner and being the founder director of one of the first Creative People and Places Projects which put people and creative participation at the heart of cultural programming. I’ve always been interested in people and how they engage and make art and culture.
My current role is as the leader of a very small team so it’s pretty hands on. I work closely with our board of trustees to manage the strategic direction of the museum, and ensure it’s compliant with Charity Commission requirements and the Museum Accreditation standards (how we care for our collection and make it accessible). I oversee all aspects of the operation as well as leading on fundraising, exhibition programming and curating some of our exhibitions. I’m lucky to work with a group of fantastic and passionate colleagues who always deliver above their weight.
I’ve been a trustee of Disability Arts Online (DAO) since 2021 where I contribute visual arts and museum knowledge, and am a board champion for Ambition and Quality, meeting with members of the team quarterly to check in on progress. It’s exciting times for DAO at the moment with a big change in structure and the launch of an important new project exploring the history of disability arts."

Stephanie shared some advice for aspiring leaders:

"Keep going! I’ve got through many difficult situations in my career through not giving up and just working through issues one at a time. It’s important to support and trust colleagues who have skills and knowledge you don’t and to listen to their ideas and advice. And don’t be shy to ask for or accept help. People like to help others and everyone needs some extra input from time to time."

Read more about the work at Ditchling Museum.

Social Entrepreneur of the Month - Alix Harris, Founder of Beyond Face (now artistic director and CEO)

Beyond Face was formed to address the lack of representation of Global Majority people participating in theatre in the city.

We spoke to Alix Harris, founder and now Artistic Director/CEO.

Alix told us a little bit about her work and what her mission is:

"Beyond Face is a theatre company, and our mission is to provide opportunities for Global Majority artists to live, work and thrive in the South West theatre Sector and we have four key areas of our work.
Productions, where we make shows that are rooted in the South West with a global perspective touring across the UK. The Youth Company in Plymouth and Exeter, which is a weekly space for young people to develop skills in making theatre. They get to make shows with professional theatre makers and take part in youth exchanges with other youth theatre companies across the country. We have an Artist Development programme, which is a place for writers and theatre makers to develop their skills, receive investment and test ideas. Lastly, our Regional Voices strand is a place for people who want to develop their skills in creativity, but have careers and life outside of the arts sector. We provide opportunities for them to explore ways to tell stories, and also opportunities to go and see live theatre together as a community. "

We asked Alix how she got to where she is today and what her role involves:

"I have always been passionate about theatre from an early age. When studying I got involved in all different types of roles within theatre, so I did stage management, ushering, front of house, marketing, producing, education projects. I worked as an actor and trained up to facilitate workshops for young people and communities. I was working for the Theatre Royal Plymouth and Barbican Theatre Plymouth as a freelance Theatre Practitioner. I noticed a distinct lack of representation in the youth theatres and did some research and consultation with young people in Plymouth who were from Global Majority backgrounds to understand their experiences or thoughts about theatre. A lot of the young people told me they didn’t feel that theatre was for them, or that they didn't feel welcomed in the buildings and when I asked if something was set up for them would they want to be a part of it, many of them said yes. 10 years later we are a regularly funded organisation from Arts Council England and have funding from Paul Hamlyn foundation and other sources.
My job as Artistic Director and CEO is to guide the company's artistic vision. Working with the team, artists and participants I curate our programmes of work and strategise how to bring in partners to collaborate with us to amplify the work we are doing. I also do the fundraising for the company, so a lot of my time is spent writing funding applications and nurturing the relationships with existing funders.
The other aspect of my role is I am still an Artist! I am currently writing and developing our next production which will go on tour in 2027 as well as putting the beginning foundations down for our 2028 production. I work closely with our Artist Development Producer to deliver dramaturgical support for artists and writers that are part of our programme. I also currently deliver our Youth Company and Regional Voices workshop programmes.
Lastly, the other aspect of my job involves reporting regularly to our funders board, this is a space to share what is happening within the company and the challenges that occur for arts organisations. This space is a chance to get different perspectives and to be challenged on my strategic thinking."

Alix shared some advice for aspiring leaders:

"Find and make regular connections with your peers who are doing the same job as you who get the role that you are doing and understand all that comes with it. It's important to talk to people outside of your time and have those connections.
Figure out what you need for yourself to be able to show up for people, but think about that in all areas of your work. For example, what do you need to put in place for yourself when you are travelling for work vs when you are in the office. Recognise what drains your energy and find things that you can put in place to support yourself. I am still working this out on a monthly basis, because it isn't always straight forward."

Finally, Alix discussed what she's passionate about seeing change in the sector:

"This is a big question, because I think there is so much changing and also that needs to be changed.I think wellbeing and care is super important in sustaining everyone working in this sector. Burnout is a word that gets thrown around so much at the moment, but I think the fact that it is should be raising alarm bells. The world is in a fragile state at the moment and I think that the theatre sector needs more investment because we are the vehicle for people being able to explore and process so much of what is happening around us. Arts Education is having a massive decline and that is a huge area that I think needs to be changed. When I was studying theatre, other people who weren’t on my course used to call it the mickey mouse course, thinking that we were just messing around all the time, but when we broke down what it takes and what is needed to make a piece of theatre they were always amazed. When I work with our Regional Voices group and give insight sessions into the process of making a theatre production, the amount of roles and work that goes into bringing something to life people are always so amazed but also appreciative of it.
Too often we are placing things on a spectrum of importance and I think that it's an unhelpful place to be in, and so the change that I hope shifts is the way in which this sector can be viewed externally. Within the sector itself I think I would love to see a change in the hierarchy in terms of where you live and make work, who’s making it and also the value and respect that is placed upon smaller companies over buildings. Organisations like Beyond Face, tiata fahodzi, Tamasha Theatre Company, High Tide Theatre are small companies that do big things. I would love to see that amplified more with recognition of the value that we bring to the sector too.
Lastly, I hope that through the work that we do at Beyond Face we can change and be a part of the change of the stories told in theatre."

Read more about the work at Beyond Face.

Fellow of the Month - Jennifer Holyhead, RicNic

RicNic works to bridge the gaps in creative learning, providing opportunities that have been missing in education over the past decade, and supporting those leaving school or college to explore and pursue careers in the creative industries.

We spoke to Jennifer, executive director at RicNic about her role and her experience so far as a fellow.

Jennifer has been Executive Director of RicNic since January 2019 and has been the only person to hold this post in the charity. Prior to her role being created, the charity was volunteer-run by its trustees and on coming into post, she was given the exciting opportunity to turn their small project into a charity with a wider reach and multi-faceted programme. After the first 12 months of exploring ideas, RicNic (like other organisations) had to navigate the pandemic and being unable to operate in a traditional way. The past 6 years have seen a huge expansion of projects and a reworking of the organisation's strategic aims. Jennifer's role is very busy but slowly moving to be less operational and more focused on fundraising/strategic vision. As the only full time staff member, with 2 part time staff and some sessional workers, her role is very varied and includes grant writing, developing local partnerships and building networks, HR for staff, developing projects, general admin, some social media design/comms, event production and more!

Given the context of the UK right now, we asked Jennifer what the key opportunities for her organisation are:

"RicNic has always been youth led across all of our projects and have supported young people as they transition between education and early careers. There is a big push for youth employment, developing leadership skills and creative skills for the creative industry at the moment, which we are starting to see some traction with. We are based in a Levelling Up area and work predominantly in areas of low cultural opportunity for young people. We are therefore able to offer something which others in the same areas aren't."

Thinking about the year ahead, we asked Jennifer what she is most looking forward to as part of the Fellowship Programme:

"Working as part of a cohort to understand arts fundraising from different perspectives and thereby broadening my awareness of approaches/challenges/etc. I am keen to build confidence in my skill set and be able to take back learning into RicNic to feel more confident that we can maintain its work long-term. Having done a Fundraising Certificate previously, which was really not set up for working around the arts sector, I am excited to working with peers who understand the specific challenges of the sector, particularly those coming from similar small charities who are often managing multiple roles within one job role."

Finally, Jennifer discussed what she's passionate about seeing change in the sector: