Our Trustees
Chair of KBACT – Terry Clarke was born in Lancaster and, with his wife Beverley, now lives in Levens. They have a daughter and three grandsons. For the last 25 years Terry has worked in the footwear & apparel industry based in the UK, USA, The Netherlands and France. Joining in 1989, he held several senior positions within Reebok; Finance Director in the UK, VP Finance & Operations in North America, VP Finance EMEA and CEO in France. After taking a year out to gain an MBA at Lancaster University, his last role was with the Santa Barbara based Deckers Corp (Uggs, Teva, Hokka) as VP Finance & Operations EMEA. Retirement now provides the time for new hobbies, learning to play the guitar and gardening, along with his lifelong passion for live music, theatre and literature. He has climbed Kilimanjaro, trekked in Patagonia and to Everest basecamp and is now ticking off Wainwrights. (KBACT Board (Chair), KCC Board, Finance Sub Committee, Remuneration Committee)
Chair of KCC – Phil Whitehurst joined the Trustee team in January 2015 and is also chair of KCC (Kendal Catering Company) which runs all the food & beverage provision at the Brewery. Originally a youth worker Phil came to the Lake District to work for the Brathay Hall Trust providing community-based initiatives for young people throughout the north of England. Since then, he has developed his own consulting business and supports many organisations worldwide in such areas as Leadership Development, Change Management, Executive Coaching & the development of High Performing Teams. He also works with smaller businesses and charities within NW England. Phil’s passion for live music and community-based initiatives is what originally attracted him to the work of the Brewery which he sees as a focal point for South Lakeland residents and also the many visitors to the Lake District. To relax Phil is currently re learning to play the electric guitar although he has a long way to go to emulate his idol, Pete Townsend! (KBACT Board, KCC Board (Chair), Remuneration Committee)
Abbie Lawson is a historical costumier and actor who has come up through the Brewery’s Youth Arts program. She lives in Tebay and is passionate about inspiring and supporting young and emerging artists in the South Lakes and Cumbria. She is involved in the Folded Zine network and is studying for a DipHE in Arts and Cultural Leadership with the University of Cumbria. (KBACTL Board)
Anne-Marie Bainbridge has been a passionate equality, diversity, and inclusion consultant for 20 years, working with a variety of organisations. An excellent facilitator and coach assisting senior leaders to recognise their responsibilities in creating inclusive organisational cultures. She has worked with organisations in Arts and Heritage including, Horniman Museum and Gardens, Jane Austen’s House Museum, Royal Museums Greenwich, National Theatre and Park Theatre. She has presented at a number of national conferences and has been a Trustee of two Hertfordshire-based charities which further helps her to understand some of the issues and challenges that leaders can face when trying to navigate the EDI agenda within their organisations. Relocating to Carlisle from London last year, the best decision ever having fallen in love with Cumbria, she is looking forward to bringing her passion to her role as a Trustee for Brewery Arts at this exciting time. (KBACT Board)
David Stevens is an experienced chartered accountant. Having spent most of his career in start-up businesses and digital technology, Dave moved into the charity sector in 2014 and ended his career as Chief Executive of a dementia care charity. He retired and relocated back to Kendal in 2017. Dave has been a supporter of The Brewery for over 30 years and his interests cover most of the activities of the centre, particularly cinema, music, theatre, and visual arts. Dave is also a trustee of South Lakeland Hydrotherapy in Kendal and a governor of The Loyne Specialist School in Lancaster. (KBACT Board, KCC Board, Finance Sub Committee (Chair), Audit & Risk Committee, Remuneration Committee)
Lekhani Chirwa is an actor, writer and theatre maker from Kendal Cumbria. She trained at Identity School of Acting and has recently taken part in WoLabs & Soho Writers Lab. She has written and performed her one-woman show Can I Touch Your Hair?, which debuted at VAULT festival 2019. She has worked with the BBC, Burn Bright, DoThinkDo, 45 North, The Delta Collective, MoreThan, Omnibus Theatre, Ovalhouse & UniDays. Lekhani is passionate about representation and uplifting voices of those underrepresented groups within society. She is the chair of the Arts & Culture working group at Anti-Racist Cumbria. In her spare time, she loves going to the theatre, gigs and museums. Loves looking after her plants and enjoys long walks whilst listening to her favourite podcasts. (KBACT Board)
Noel Farrer has practised as a landscape architect for 30 years, with extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. His work is founded upon the belief that landscape makes an essential contribution to socially cohesive and sustainable communities. He is an accomplished master planner and strategist who has an in-depth understanding of the people, diverse communities and politics that drive change. He is a passionate advocate for the social and environmental value of landscape, continuously asserting the importance of high-quality environments for all. Noel’s work has progressed to being an enabler for high quality public realm as a key part of large-scale urban renewal. He advocates that it is landscapes and place making that delivers diverse outcomes including, health, culture, improvement in quality of life and reduction in wealth inequality. Alongside his work at Farrer Huxley, Noel is past President of the Landscape Institute (LI), where he is also a Fellow and past Chair of Policy. He sits on a number of Design Review panels, chairing the Essex Quality Review Panel and Co-Chairing the Oxford Design Review Panel. Noel is a Design Council (DC) High Streets Task Force Expert and Building Environment Expert (BEE). He has previously been a Board Member of the Construction Industry Council (CIC). (KBACT Board)
Sam Hunt lives in Kendal and works as Programme Director for Festival UK* 2022, a UK-wide project celebrating cross-sector creativity, prior to this role he was Creative Director of London’s first ‘Borough of Culture’ Waltham Forest 2019 a flagship cultural initiative from The Mayor of London, and Executive Producer at Hull 2017 UK City of Culture. In his spare time, he founded Aerial, a new festival of sounds and words that takes place in the South Lakes. (KBACT Board)
Susi Poole has been a trustee since 2018. Following a successful career of more than 20 years in womenswear design – working with brands including Hobbs, White Stuff and The White Company, Susi now works as a graphic designer having pivoted her career to follow her passion for typography and illustration. Originally from Yorkshire she lived in London for 18 years before settling in Kendal with her Husband and daughter 10 years ago. Leaving London was difficult, but The Brewery provided the much-needed cultural hub and became an intrinsic part of the decision to move to Kendal. Susi was recently a member of the community group Friends of Abbot Hall playground who successfully raised the funds to replace and improve the equipment and facilities in the park. Susi brings her meticulous eye for detail, commercial awareness, and love of alternative music to the Brewery team. (KBACT Board and Audit & Risk Committee)
Sophia Minden (she/her) believes the arts play a hugely important role in realising Cumbria’s full potential. She worked in the visual arts before selling her PR, Events and Marketing business to co-found Anti Racist Cumbria. Today Sophia is Communications Director for the charity. Never afraid to break new ground, spark conversation or to make space for those whose voices have been historically marginalised she will be bringing her communication and creative skills to Brewery Arts and is proud to help shape and contribute to its future. (KBACT Board)
