About

I am originally from Scotland and lived in London for many years working as a BioChemist & Genetic Engineer. I moved to Knaresborough in 1996 and became Secretary of the first 6 Knaresborough Festivals working with the van Zelsts and others. My husband, Kevin, was FEVA Chairman in 2001/2. I am proud to continue supporting the festival. It is a really important Knaresborough event and I hope to be able to expand it to include more organisations and individuals to continue its engagement in the community.

Responsible for all Financial Transactions and Accounts

I moved to Knaresborough in April 1990 and worked in Finance/H.R. in the Electricity Supply Industry and Hospitality Industry prior to my retirement in 2013.

I retired from my 40-year financial services career in April 2020 and having recently moved to Knaresborough looked for a local volunteering role. With an interest in the arts, especially dance, music and theatre, feva seemed an ideal fit and l joined the committee in January 2021 as secretary.

I come originally from Scotland but have lived in England for some 40 years now, moving from North Lincs to Knaresborough with my late wife towards the end of 2006. I fully retired in 2017 but was recruited before this onto the feva Committee.

A friend had recommended me for the ‘Flavours’ job due to my fondness for cooking and eating. Flavours provides an opportunity for those caterers – cafes, eateries and pubs – who seek to support this local festival and to capitalize on potential additional custom it provides.

I grew up with feva and it is my pleasure to be able to continue to work alongside the committee to develop the festival and its programme. I love being able to bring outsider artists in to run workshops and events as well as promoting local artists and companies. It is my hope that the Spoken Word events encompass a range of interests, with a variety of workshops and performances for both children and adults. This year's youth programme is really exciting, and we are pleased to be hosting a Youth Arts Day to enable all young people to access a range of arts.

I am the proud owner of Northernline Arts, a pottery studio and artists' retail outlet on the train station in Knaresboorugh. I love working in the arts and have done so since I left university over 25 years ago. I have over 20 years experience working with adults with a range of disabilities and support needs, as well as local artists, crafts people, children and families, and community groups.

The feva Art Trail gives artists and crafts people the opportunity to showcase their amazing talents in local businesses around Knaresborough, bringing art to everyone and at the same time promoting our wonderful business community. I look forward to welcoming you all to the feva Art Trail 2022.

I have been a promoter of local music events for over 15 years after starting a music promotion company with my great friend John Haxby. I have been involved with bringing top music artists to the Yorkshire area, many of whom you will know. I am pleased to be able to expand my services to help feva by bringing a range of entertainment to the streets of Knaresborough.

Douglas Thompson is an multidisciplinary artist and workshop leader for Henshaws Arts and Crafts Centre. He came to Yorkshire after training in theatre acting at Bretton Hall and fell in love with the Yorkshire. Douglas has recently completed a masters in creative practice at Harrogate College where he explored the art of Papercutting. Douglas works with a number of charities and arts organisations in the area and has recently collaborated with Rowena Lloyd on the creation of Knaresborough Youth Theatre. For more information please visit: www.dougblack.co.uk.