About our Team

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Louise Lappin-Cook – Artistic Director

Louise brings extensive experience in arts, theatre and community engagement. Formerly Director of Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre (a 250 seat theatre and studio spaces specialising in working with young people) and Chair of arts and health charity Creativity Works. Louise has led award-winning programmes, helped secure NPO status for arts charities, and delivered high-impact creative programmes. She was also Creative Director of Claremont in London, developing pioneering arts and therapy programmes for older adults and Marketing Manager at Theatre Peckham. Louise is passionate about the huge difference creativity can make to communities.

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Louise leads on programming, fundraising and strategic direction, working with communities and artists to co-create our creative programmes

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Jane Barry – Programme Manager & Communtiy Engagement Lead

Jane is a highly experienced creative educator and secondary drama teacher with over 25 years’ experience in participatory arts and health & social care. She has led run a host of creative organisations and programmes, led theatre companies, founded innovative arts projects, and was stratigic lead for creative programmes for Slough Borough Council. A Graydin-certified life coach and Mental Health First Aid qualified, Jane combines creativity with care to inspire and support people of all ages.

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Jane strategically supports all our creative programmes with a special focus on developing our team and supporting our work with young people.

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​Rachel Cohen-White - Marketing and Communications 

An arts producer and drama facilitator with over twenty years experience of managing arts projects and events. Rachel has led her own Circus Theatre company, managed large scale events for Bristol Zoo and Shamabala venues and currently delivers a weekly youth theatre. 

 

Rachel is currently supporting Make the Sunshine with comms and event marketing and loving every minute of it.

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Mandy Redmond

Mandy has had an extensive career as a professional dancer and choreographer and has a strong commitment to bringing high-quality dance experiences into the community. Mandy is founder and Director of Adventures in Dance and works across our school and community programmes. Mandy​ trained at The Royal Ballet School and The Northern School of Contemporary Dance, and spent over fifteen years performing, teaching, and choreographing across the UK. Her work has included teaching at The Urdang Academy, the Royal Academy of Dance, the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, Wessex Dance Academy, and as Artistic Director of Berkshire Youth Dance Company.

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Mandy leads sunRISE, LUMEN and Sunshine sisters dance and works across our school and community programmes.

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Angela Laverick 

Angela is an actor and theatre/dance practitioner with extensive experience perfoming and touring across the UK and leading community workshops. She is also co-artistic director of Tor Theatre. Angela enjoys teaching many different styles from contemporary dance to mask theatre and everything in between. =

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Angela leads regular programmes across Make the Sunshine's school and community programmes as well leading on developing our ASCEND programme for older students.

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George Oliver 

George is an actor and theatre-maker from Somerset. He has worked extensively on stage in the UK and internationally, and his screen work includes credits for BBC, CBBC and ITV.  

 

George trained at East-15 Acting School. As a drama facilitator he also creates and delivers dynamic and engaging workshops for children, young people and adults working with a wide range of theatre, education, culture and community settings.

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George leads regular programmes across Make the Sunshine's school and community programmes and will be running regular drama sessions at our venue.

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Lucy Hobman 

Lucy is a special educational needs qualified teacher with extensive experience working with young people. Lucy studied dance at university and after COVD-19 found herslef applying for a teacher training degree in SEND. Lucy continues to perform alongside leading workshops. She loves creating multi-sensory dance classes that incorporate regulation strategies to ensure all the children are having fun and ready to learn. As well as developing gross/fine motor skills to help them achieve their EHCP targets. Lucy was part of the New Adventures Overture Co-hort in 2024/2025

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Lucy works across our school and community programmes and is also an ASCEND Company Director

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Asha Pathy-Barker 

Asha is a dance performer practitioner based in the South-West. Her focus is in contemporary dance - Graham, Release-based techniques and aerial circus.

Asha is passionate about the imapact of dance on health and wellbeing and has worked on the Dance for Parkinson's programme at The Octogon in Yeovil as well as leading Youth Dance Companies.

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Asha works across our school and community programmes and is also an ASCEND Company Director

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David Reakes - Workshop Facilitator

David is now well into his third decade as a professional actor. He has performed in all four corners of the UK, and as far afield as Norway and Italy. Back in 2017 he worked for five months with the BBC Radio Drama Company and was briefly all over your radio like a big ginger rash.

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He also works as a storyteller (using his alter ego The Professor), a playwright (his company, Tor Theatre, which he set up with Angela Laverick) and a teacher. 

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He lives in Glastonbury and is an Elder Bard of the town.

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David has been part of Make the Sunshine since the beginning and works across our programmes with a special focus on performance and storytelling

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Emma Jayne Gray

Emma is a qualified Primary Teacher and Early Years Educator. Emma trained professionally in dance and dance psychotherapy and has a particular interest in dance as a form of connection and the importance of building strong early relationships. Emma is an invetive practitioner who prioritises playful, sensory engagement and works leading d/Deaf and disabled dance groups as well as early years sessions.

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Emma leads on our Early Years and KS1 programmes and workshops

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Elly Wdowski

Elly trained at Wimbledon School of Art in Theatre: Design for Performance, achieving a First Class BA Honours. She was the recipient of the Vice Chancellors award. Elly is a set-designer, costumier and illustrator working on projects across the globe. From international operas to incredible immersive installations to illustrating for Punchdrunk. Elly brings phenomenal expertise as well as an incredible community-minded focus. 

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Elly supports a wide range of Make the Sunshine programmes from Window Wanderland to specialist arts commissions.

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As well as our regular artists featured above Make the Sunshine is very lucky to be able to work with a huge range of local and international freelance artists and practitioner across our programmes.

 

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Our Board of Trustees

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Tara Jessop (Chair): An experienced project manager with a background in public policy and community regeneration. Tara is Prince II trained and has led major cultural and infrastructure projects for Shepton Mallet Town Council. Tara is the Department Manager for the Depratment of Education at the University of Exeter. She specialises in governance, compliance, and strategic delivery.

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Katy Read Barrow (Trustee): Specialist in digital communications and community storytelling; from working at Google to INK Copywriting agency - Katy has led national campaigns and training for brands like John Lewis and PwC.

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Holly Wilson (Trustee): Holly is passionate about the arts in all their forms. Holly brings extensive experience across the arts and education sector, with a special focus on working with young people with SEND, music education, safeguarding and trauma informed approaches.

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Make the Sunshine Youth Board Make the Sunshine has a Youth Board whcih currently has 12 members aged 11-18. Young people help shape Make the Sunshine - as well as making core decisions on programming, visioning and our strategic direction they also help develop programmes that raise awareness of the importance of the arts for young people and get training in makreting, communications and representing the organisation at events through volunteering.

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​​Volunteers

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Make the Sunshine is only possible thanks to our amazing volunteers who give their time, passion and skills to make our work possible - from strategic co-ordination to supervising school workshops, from baking cakes to making festival decor, from stewarding to technical support - volunteers support our programmes at every level.

 

Would you like to volunteer with us? We are always on the look out for new volunteers. From a few hours a month to weekly sessions to making things at home we have volunteer opportunities to fit all patterns. We can promise a welcoming community and lots of experience. Email Jane on info@makethesunshine.co.uk to find out more

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