Who Are We?

Who are we?

	Lorraine Weeks Lorraine is an energetic and motivated Environmental, Community & Heritage Consultant with extensive experience (25 years) in facilitating community & environmental projects in partnership with organizations, helping to bridge the gap between government policies and funding initiatives and the needs of the community. Lorraine is a proactive communicator with a passion and belief in environmental issues, and in the ability of people to make a difference to their environment and lives. An efficient, well experienced and calm manager of large environmental events and deliverer of initiatives at all levels: local, regional and national. Lorraine is an innovative and resourceful results-orientated, client and community-focussed professional, with extensive interpersonal and communication skills and proven ability to meet deadlines regardless of pressure. To view Lorraine's CV click here.
	Angela BA Angela is a County Down based Sculptress with 15 years of experience of creating both her own sculptures, and working with a wide range of community groups on art projects. Angela recently created ‘The Tree of Life’ with Key Stage 2 pupils during ‘The Magic of Trees’ Children’s Conference for The Woodland Trust, which so impressed the former Northern Ireland Minster for Environment that she asked for it to be located in the atrium of her departments headquarters.
	Bronagh BA Bronagh is an art teacher who works in a wide range of medium, making very realistic insects and different creatures from scrap materials
	Carmen Carmen currently works in the family business building up their Extreme Textiles business. They travel round to different exhibitions teaching and demonstrating this new style of craft to all ages from four upwards. Back in the workshop she helps make the tools to sell in their wood workshop and is a very hands on craft person.
	Claire Claire is a qualified artist and illustrator and also a sign writer. She has undertaken a variety of works including book illustration, marketing materials, murals in public places, commercial signs and street banners, as well as traditional fairground artwork. She has experience of working with young people and community groups in devising and undertaking design work, community murals, large-scale and neighbourhood re-imaging projects. She has previously worked in Youth Work and Conservation and spent many years working with Adults with Learning Difficulties. A keen Conservationist and have lived and worked in the countryside all my life including horticulture and agriculture.
	Elly Elly Willett NNEB, BEd 2:1 Primary Teaching, Post Graduate Certificate in Educational Professional Development Elly is a qualified primary school teacher who specialises in history and literacy and has many years experience of working with children. She has worked with the Weeks Environmental team for over a year by creating cross curricular plans and working as part of the team in the field. Elly uses her various teaching skills to bring the National Curriculum to life in the outdoor environment through activities such as orienteering, shelter building, shield making, clay work and tree planting, ensuring the activities are easily assessable to each child’s individual learning requirements. She gives examples of cross curricular follow up work which heightens the children’s historical understanding once they are back in the classroom. Elly creatively combines her knowledge of the National Curriculum with her love of being artistic to lead quality educational activities where the children can both learn and have fun in a variety of outdoor historical settings.
	Emma Emma is a professional artist working for many years on creative educational projects with children, young people & adults. She has designed & delivered educational art workshops on climate change; local priority species; native flora and fauna of Ireland & Britain & Woodland habitats.
	Enrique “I believe that everything in life happens for a reason, though not necessarily to a plan, Enrique Azocar says. This idea is born out by the merging elements that lead to the Chilean painter’s decision to take a different path with his work, one that has lead him away from the fine art still life canvases for which he has become well known to a more vibrant and expressionistic style in which rich and luminous blues and golds merge with images drawn from Newcastle’s cityscape. Enrique’s move to Northumberland in northeast England was one of the key influences in the change. “The light here in the Northeast varies greatly according to the season,” he explains, “And even during the course of the day the shifting weather means the light alters constantly in its intensity, when I first arrived that created real problems for me. Changes in light affect the appearance of objects, the colour and the shade and shadows. I can memorise colour, but shade is too subtle to commit to memory, it must be observed. For my fine art work I need a constant light and that made painting here very difficult. Now, on a new continent, however, Enrique felt able to explore a new style, moving quietly away from fine art. “I started to experiment, dropping classical composition and proportion,” he says, “But though I'm drawn to minimalism and the abstract, I didn't want to lose all elements of realism. I wanted to have figures and objects in the paintings, but not in such a way that it would dominate my imagination. When painting still lives you are at the mercy of the objects. The fruit, the fabric, the table, tells you what colour it is. I didn't want to be at the mercy of objects anymore. I wanted to be in control.”
	Janet Janet is a sculptor based in County Antrim who is able to work in a wide variety of medium
	Lesley B.Sc, M.Sc Lesley Silvera works with schools on outdoor living history events such as Pax Britannica bringing Roman and Celtic history to life along Hadrian's Wall. Of Pax Britannica the Head Teacher of Acomb First School said: "This event gives a deepening understanding of the joy to be had from first hand direct experiences”. A Teacher from Castleside said: “It was one of the best days out I've ever had and I've been teaching for 14 years”. Lesley devises and leads customized field visits for educational groups of different ages, specialising in geography, local history, heritage and biodiversity. Other work includes working with community groups to produce walks leaflets and outdoor events.
	Owen Owen is a Sculptor and sculpts / wood carves in large pieces of wood
	Rosemary M.Sc Rose has been working in both practical environmental projects and education for the last decade, organising events and delivering programmes. She has worked with people of all ages not just children, and enjoys the challenge of the sceptics. Her previous industry planning and organisational skills have been adapted to put all her energy into improving the public perception of the “tree huggers” and making environmental issues more user friendly. Her conservation experience to date has been with both NGOs and Government Agencies.
	Sally I specialise in jewellery workshops using natural materials but also work with masks and puppet making which can be carried out with a group in conjunction with story telling or drama. In my art and my workshops I value inventiveness and the spirit of play.
	Sheila Sheila is a fully qualified, NCTJ-trained journalist with a proven track record as a reporter and sub-editor, PR consultant and experienced journalist. An experienced copy and PR writer, she has written, edited and designed for a diverse range of clients across public, private and charity sector, including the Countryside Agency and more recently the Commission for Rural Communities and IPROW (Institute of Public Rights of Way andAccess Management). Sheila’s work with the Woodland Trust dates back more than a decade and include in-house PR services as well as copywriting for the website and Woodland Trust internal and external publications. Sheila was the editor of the South West of England Exploring Woodland book
	Emma Emma is an enthusiastic and highly motivated Pupeteer, who runs http://www.wildboor.com a puppet company which has produced many puppet shows on biodiversity themes. For outdoor events, Emma delivers a twenty minute puppet show out of an easily transportable box. Emma has delivered this at many Tree for All events in County Durham and Lincolnshire in the depths of winter! Emma has gained a lot of experience of working with schools during her time working for a Wildlife Trust, the RSPB and the North Pennines AONB Partnership. Emma works as a freelance artist and puppeteer performing shows or delivering projects, workshops and training in a variety of settings. These include schools, museums, and environmental education venues across the country. Emma writes, makes and performs her own educational puppet shows which each have accompanying creative workshops. Her shows include ‘Cinderella Green the recycling Queen’ (a show about the importance of recycling, putting a twist on the well known fairy tale) and ‘Funky Monkey and the juicy fruits’. Over the last two years collaborations have resulted in projects such as ‘It Rocks’, a puppet and animation show exploring rocks and fossils, which includes pop songs and videos inspired by rock of the musical and solid kind. Postcards from the Edge involved a photography and crafts exhibition interpreting rural landscapes. The Magic Paintbrush was a puppetry and animation show based on a traditional Chinese story and The Doughnut Detectives, a short animated film interpreting local living history and stories.