Tim has recently established Red 22 CIC to collaboratively develop and deliver projects and educational resources that benefit children, young people and their families especially those most vulnerable or marginalised within their community.

Red 22 is currently working with a range of primary, secondary and special schools facilitating staff, students and parent/carers in co-designing, developing and embedding projects and resources with a particular focus on promoting and supporting good mental health.

Tim also works for the University of Exeter Psychology faculty as the Participation Lead across the Southwest for the Department of Health National Programme of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP-IAPTS) and is responsible for supporting agencies in embedding the voice of children, young people and families in its service design and delivery. Alongside this work he volunteers as a Trustee of Brook, Plymouth & Devon Race Equality Council and as an Independent advisor to Devon and Cornwall Police.

Between 1998 until January 2017 he was the Chief Executive of Young Devon (www.youngdevon.org); a charity that has established its reputation for innovative and effective services that tried to add value to the lives of young people (majoring on mental health, housing and social action). In parallel, over the past 20 years he has also spent time seconded into Local Authorities, Government Offices and Local Universities advising and/or leading on specific areas of Youth Policy. He started his involvement in youth work just over 28 years ago as a volunteer in Plymouth at the Zone (Youth Enquiry Service) and went on to become a professionally qualified youth worker; and its projects coordinator. From there he worked for CenterPoint (Youth homelessness Charity) developing a strategy to improve housing options for young people living in Devon.

Tim loves working with others to explore new ways of looking at specific problems/ideas and testing out different ways of working that could make a difference. He loves the concept and process of ‘growing acorns’, and is constantly curious about what works well and why.

He is married, with 3 children and 4 grandchildren, 2 foster children and lives on Dartmoor alongside a growing family and a mix of dogs, cats, horses and sheep…

Tim Bolton is currently Vice Principal at Plymouth College of Art. He originally studied ceramics and glass at the RCA, practicing in architectural ceramics and glass. Over the last 10 years. Tim has been responsible for completely reshaping the curriculum at PCA, including L&T models, academic structures and validated programmes. His teaching career has covered most types of institution and most levels: running workshops for children, adult and community learning, Foundation courses and programme leadership of BAs and Masters courses. During 2005-2006 Tim undertook a teaching fellowship at the University of Plymouth, part of their CETL, investigating the emerging theories around “Threshold Concepts” and “Troublesome Knowledge” specifically in an Art and Design context. Tim has been an external examiner for the University of the Arts London at Central St Martins and Arts University Bournemouth. Leeds Met, University of Bournemouth, UCA Canterbury, Leeds Met and Ravensbourne.

In 2009 Tim co organised along side Malcolm Ferris the first Making Futures conference, a biannual international event looking at the crafts and sustainability, Making Futures 5 took place in September 2011 and saw over 150 delegates from 37 different countries attend the 2 day event. Although now less directly involved in the conference curation his current research remains in the area of endangered craft skills. These include traditional crafts in the UK as well as across the globe i.e. ceramics, glass, weaving etc. Particularly in India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The disappearance of historic craft manufacture has created a hiatus in human social behaviour and distances us from physical contact with the materiality of our environment. His research is involved in looking at the social and economic conditions affecting the ability of craft and making to be sustained and to sustain communities.

As part of the Senior Management Team at Plymouth College of Art Tim was involved from the inception, in the application to government to open the first Creative Free School in the UK. His main input has been shaping the curriculum offer and in developing the pedagogic ethos of the school. Plymouth School of the Creative Arts, a 4 – 16, all-through free school, was given ministerial approval in July 2012 and opened its doors to 120 new pupils in September 2013. The school has grown over the last 4 years and now has 1150 pupils. Tim continues to be involved as one of 4 trustees and as a member of the governing body and is currently developing a new 6th form based around the same creative learning and teaching model.

My name is Emma Wright and I am a professionally qualified Youth and Community Worker. I have worked in both the voluntary and statutory youth sector for over 15 years. I am passionate about nurturing the strengths, interests, and abilities of young people through the provision of fun and meaningful opportunities.

I make every effort to adopt a culture where young people can become involved in the decisions that affect them at both an individual and systemic level. The young people I have worked with over the years have always managed to inspire and challenge me both personally and professionally and it is a real privilege to see firsthand how young people, through utilising their own passion and determination, can shape their futures for the benefit of both themselves, their peers and wider community.

I started my working life in the environmental sector, but quickly realised that what interested me was people, and the benefits that the outdoors has on our wellbeing. Since then, over the past twenty years, I have been involved in a wide range of projects with many different organisations, trying to understand what humans need to feel valued and motivated.

I am passionate about increasing the resilience of young people and their families, and have specialised in the areas of Person Centred Planning, Wellness Recovery Action Planning, and Emotional Health and Wellbeing for children and young people. I am currently working with the Plymouth School of Creative Arts to implement their Mental Health strategy and in recent years have lead on participation for Exeter University as part of their CYPIAPT programme, and was the Head of Policy and Involvement for Young Devon.

I also teach horses and humans across the UK and internationally. I live on Dartmoor with my three horses and dogs and am still passionate about the immensely positive impact nature has on our brains and bodies.

Prior to entering the teaching profession 19 years ago I had worked in Estate Agency, as a legal secretary and as an air hostess. Immediately before beginning my teaching degree I had worked as a fitness instructor for 13 years and I continued to do this during my 4 year BEd. It was whilst working in health and fitness that I began to do outreach work in schools linked to children’s physical and mental health – this opportunity to work in schools inspired me to train to teach.

My BEd specialised in physical education and the early years and, after qualifying, I taught in several schools and also worked as a lecturer on the BEd and PGCE programmes at Plymouth University. I gained my first headship, at a village school in 2008. In 2011 I saw an advertisement offering the opportunity to ‘grow your own school’ and create a school which would be the first building to serve the new town of Cranbrook that hadn’t been built yet. The advert intrigued me – I applied for the job and was appointed as headteacher in September 2011. The remit was to lead and then close down a village school, whose children were due to relocate to the new school, to oversee the build of the new school and to ensure that new school was ready to open, with all that that entailed, in September 2012.
St Martin’s opened with 32 children on roll and grew to over 400 children over 5 years with the most rapid rate of growth in the first 3 years. As we grew we were constantly having to employ new staff, welcome new families and establish a safe and secure environment for children whose world was ever changing as new people arrived in the town and into the school. The school also had higher than average numbers of disadvantaged and children with SEND.

At St Martin’s we created an ethos which had love and relationships at the core of everything we did and the belief in the school being a family and a place of safety was the bedrock from which it grew. We wanted children at St. Martin’s to develop confidence in themselves (feel happy in their own skin) – and to have the ability to appreciate the world from others’ perspectives (standing someone else’s shoes). Children need to be excited by possibilities and ‘not knowing’ so they become creative and critical thinkers and will be resilient ‘life long’ learners who can live, work and grow successfully and sustainably alongside others.

Laughter and fun are important aspects of learning at St. Martin’s as are aspiration and self-motivation. St Martin’s is a place for children and adults to grow within a safe and purposeful environment that encourages everyone to be curious and excited about the world in which we live.

Due to a change in personal circumstances I made the decision to retire early from headship knowing that the ethos of the school is embedded and there is a strong team who will take the school into its future. This has given me the opportunity to explore new opportunities and I know that I will always be keen to look for ways in which to work creatively to empower and enable either with individuals, groups or communities. I am not sure what the next chapter of my life will bring but I know I want to give back to a world that has given me so many opportunities to learn and develop and am, of course, keen to carry on learning and being curious about possibilities myself whatever, whenever and wherever they may be…