I have been involved in the North East independent music scene for over 40 years as a musician, promoter and regular gig goer. I currently serve as a trustee/director at The Studio in Hartlepool, a community run grassroots music venue, where I have spent the last 12 years helping to support emerging musicians, promoters and volunteers who are learning how to put on shows, develop projects and navigate the realities of the live music world. As I begin stepping back from the day to day running of the venue.

For the past 15 years I have also run PinDrop, acoustic and lo-fi events has supported hundreds of performers locally, regionally, nationally and on the occasion internationally. Alongside this I am the head honcho of Lost in the Woods gatherings and events for the past 13yrs, including all-day and multi-day festivals and bringing together independent artists, musicians and audiences.

As a musician myself I have been performing and creating music for over four decades and am currently a member of The Woven Project and Thee Love Fuzz.

I also worked as the music curator for the first three years of Wintertide Festival, Deep North and as said multi-day Lost in the Woods Gatherings

Alongside my music work I am a qualified graphic designer and currently work as a Digital Marketing Lead, so I also bring experience in promotion, branding and audience development that could be useful for young producers learning how to present and promote their work, and a qualified youth worker.

Mentoring young people who want to shape the future of music and live events is something I care deeply about. After many years working across grassroots music in different roles, I would welcome the opportunity to share what I have learned across those years with the next generation.