Craig Tyrie, Digital & Communities Lead
Craig writes the majority of content for the Digital Sentinel, the local news website for Wester Hailes, keeping up to date with community news and finding out what’s on in the local area. He runs weekly IT drop-ins, here at WHALE or at Clovenstone Community Centre. He is always on the lookout for local people who are interested in becoming volunteer community reporters and writing their own stories and content for the website.
Dawn Borthwick, Support Worker & Cleaner
Dawn supports a variety of our adult and young people’s groups. She also makes sure the building is clean and tidy.
Fabien Merville, Front of House Administrator
Fabien is the first point of contact for visitors and tenants, on the phone or in person. You can contact him if you need to book a room or have an enquiry about WHALE Arts activities. He supports with the distribution of marketing and social media materials additionally.
Kate Griffin, Creative Programme Manager
Kate manages WHALE Arts’ programme of arts activities for families, children and young people, including creative and strategic development, programming and working with partner organisations and artists to create exciting and engaging arts projects. She is responsible for the following groups: Creative Adventures, LYT: Discover, and Eco smARTies, as well as the holiday programme and WHALE’s exhibition programme.
Kirsty Frankland, Art & Wellbeing Manager
Kirsty runs our Arts and Wellbeing programme including WHALE Arts core Adults groups including: SmartCraft; Let’s Create; Stitch N Time; Men’s Makers; Let’s Dance and more. She manages a team of freelance artists who facilitate these groups and works with partner organisations to deliver a wider range of creative projects at WHALE. Kirsty is also involved with developing progression routes through WHALE Arts with our newest project Grow Your Own Artist.
Laura Delahunt, Enterprise and Facilities Manager
Laura has responsibility for overseeing the day-to-day management of building staff and facilities such as the maintenance and improvement of the building, including the community kitchen and community garden. She also develops and manages activities that are economically sustainable community-led social enterprises, maximising the income generation potential of the organisation through events, long-term and ad-hoc rentals.
Leah Black, Chief Executive
Leah is responsible for WHALE Arts’ strategic and operational development. Broadly she ensures the organisation achieves its objectives by overseeing all aspects of WHALE’s programming, building, staffing and finances. Leah works on fundraising, funding reporting and building networks with funders, HR, organisational policy development, governance, strategic projects, capital development and developing and diversifying income streams through enterprise development. Leah also works on area-wide networks through being co-chair of the SW Voluntary Sector Forum, co-chair of Living Well Wester Hailes, co-founder of Go Beyond and sits on the Community Planning Partnership. Additionally, Leah has a role within multi-agency area-wide regeneration projects such as the Wester Hailes Local Place Plan.
Michael Bowdidge, Community Development Lead & Street Arts Coordinator
Michael is the newly appointed Community Development Lead (more info coming soon!) and he is responsible for managing the Street Arts team, programming exciting and innovative creative activities with partner artists, and engaging with young people as part of our award winning Street Arts project.
Tiki Muir, Community Development Coordinator (more info coming soon!)
Verity Combe, Operations & Marketing Coordinator
Verity assists the Enterprise and Facilities Manager with the daily running, marketing and ongoing improvements of the WHALE Arts’ building and enterprise activities. Alongside the Front of House Administrator, Verity liaises with contractors to ensure the upkeep and improvement of the building where required and carries out daily and weekly facilities procedures in line with health and safety requirements.
