LOCKWOOD STUDIOS

From Grassroots Vision toWARDS Professional Reality

I was brought in by Craig Hills, to support the development of Lockwood Day Centre into something of a community arts centre with broad objectives from supporting young people to environmental sustainability. My role was to provide high-level oversight and strategic guidance to ensure the centre’s programme of activities was delivered safely, professionally whilst being financially sustainable required for growth. Longer term, the aim was for me to produce cultural content at the venue.

I was offered a director role however, Lockwood faced significant operational and regulatory risks during its transition from a loose collective of well-intentioned volunteers into a formal social enterprise. I wanted to reduce risks before such a commitment.

A pivotal moment in the project involved a proposal to use an existing but dormant Community Interest Company (CIC), Belcanto, as a shortcut for official Companies House registration. At the time, the directors advocated for building a bespoke organisational structure from the ground up. This was in part to ensure that the governance was tailored specifically to the community needs of the project – a collaborative model – rather than having directors make decisions with minimal consultation and accountability. Unfortunately, Belcanto CIC’s previous three years of accounts was found to be “unsatisfactory” by the local council and so we needed to raise funds quickly to cover additional month’s rent. The then directors put in cash and I helped facilitate the move-in of the first wave of resident artists, successfully converting empty square footage into a revenue-generating reality.

Over a few years, I was part of the leadership team and a de facto director of Lockwood Studios / Belcanto CIC, shaping the organisation’s ecosystem. My contribution included:

• Vision 2023-2024: Co-authored the foundational “Vision” document and more recently, contributed towards the VSEM Framework (Vision, Strategy, Execution, and Metrics) to help align the management board on long-term objectives.

• Governance Transition / Policy Authoring: Drafted and implemented several essential policies for everything from Data Protection (GDPR) to Safeguarding, tailored for this creative and community setting. I began to introduce a culture of professionalism and accountability providing governance structure proposals for a transparent and accountable management group.

• Safety Leadership: Leveraging my IOSH expertise, I started to develop an integrated Operations Manual linking high-level Risk Assessments to daily actionable Logbooks – to help create a safe environment for both resident artists and the visiting public. This included authoring a comprehensive Fire Safety Book (including PEEPs and evacuation protocols) and implementing critical H&S systems, such as Legionella risk management and site-specific winter protocols.

• Marketing & Comms: Began to standardise outward-facing messaging to ensure a professional voice that highlighted our social impact.

By acting as a bridge between the creative/community side and the commercial/regulatory requirements, I supported Lockwood Studios become professionalised without losing its ‘creative soul’.