Our Mentors & Advisors
We have an established network of lovely, experienced, and knowledgeable folk who are supporting and advising the project - we're grateful to them all. We will be constantly growing this circle of support as our school for change develops and the range of topics and expertise we'll need grows. Do get in touch if you would like a conversation about getting involved.
Glenn Davidson
A critically acclaimed visual artist working in the Cardiff area for over 40 years tackling the twin imperatives of social justice and economic sustainability. Glenn and his associates have recently been focusing on sound and what you can learn about the health and well-being of communities by listening closely. You can read more about Glenn and his Art Station organisation here.
Jo Hartwig
Jo is the founder of Art Shell, a communal arts studios based in Grangetown, that engage in research and help to facilitate contemporary art in temporary or alternative spaces and engage with new and diverse audiences.
Rawley Clay
Rawley is and artist and community creative . He has worked as a lecturer and teacher of sculpture, as well having his own practice. With the help of many hands he is transforming a family farm into a community portal of light for this new time. He has a deep understanding and love of collaboration.
​
Ian Vincent
A cost consultant and project manager with years of experience in the sustainable construction industry. Ian has extensive knowledge and connections within the building sector of South Wales and valuable insight into the planning system.
​
Ian is also a passionate advocate and activist campaigning to protect natural greenspaces around Cardiff. He is actively involved in the ongoing Save the Northern Meadows campaign.
​
Sheleagh
Llewellyn
Sheleagh was born in Brighton and moved to Wales when she was a teenager. She lived and worked in Cardiff for thirty-eight years, until moving to Carmarthenshire in 2021. After graduating she lived in Cardiff Housing Co-operative and worked with a printing co-operative as a dark room technician. With an interest in alternative organisational structures, she chose to work in the voluntary sector.
Sheleagh is interested in grassroots approaches to community action that promote social values, human rights and wellbeing. She believes that granular action for change can play a vital part in system change, which is necessary to create a happier and healthier world for future generations
Brigid Bowen
Brigid is founder of Compassionate Mental Health is a freelance journalist, writer and editor with a special interest in health, education and wellbeing. Brigid’s personal journey with psychosis and recovery led to her interest in compassionate, recovery-focused approaches to mental health, and is the driving force behind this event.
​
​
Stephen Watts
Amongst a host of various skills and hobbies, Stephen has been foraging and growing his own fruit and vegetables for the past 20 years. He is director of Ediculture, a charitable trust dedicated to increasing the capacity of foraging and food growing, through mentoring, creating growing spaces and creating educational material and frameworks to help bring the subject of edible culture to life. He has developed a variety of edible-cultural skills which bring creativity to the challenges of living a sustainable life.
Stephen primarily works free-lance collaborating with a number of organisations and individuals; schools, charities, businesses, land-owners, small holders, allotment tenants, students, home education groups and more, in helping them to explore their own journey into edible culture.
Stephen envisions a future whereby the skills required to grow, forage, cook, preserve and teach these land based skills become part of a national curriculum and general cultural understanding.
Poppy Nicol
Poppy is a community grower, seed saver and research activist. She is also a trained forest school leader (Level 3) and Egin programme peer mentor.
Since 2016, she has been project co-ordinator and lead grower at Global Gardens Projects, a community growing project based in Cardiff. At Global Gardens, she has been involved in initiating and coordinating a community-based learning programme centred around building community skills in ecological food growing, seasonal nourishing cooking and sustainable arts and crafts.
Poppy is passionate about catalysing and creating regenerative food systems. She was part of co-facilitating a People’s Assembly that informed Food Cardiff's ‘Good Food Strategy’. In January 2024 she coordinated one of a series of 'Climate Conversations' in her local community enabling people to share views on and contribute to Welsh Government policy.
​
​
