Roger Hill
My passion and focus is outdoor arts, but it’s not where I started 20 years ago. In the early nineties, Roger Hill was Founder and Chair of the National Association of Youth Theatres, a radical organisation, which promotes the social and cultural effects of the arts on and by young people. He refused to compromise on quality, whether it was in the process of working or the presentation of the work. What I learnt from Roger whilst I was Director there (1991–1993) was the true meaning of democratic culture.

Anthony Sargent
I was based in Birmingham during the nineties, when it was undergoing a huge transformation. At its forefront was Anthony Sargent, then Head of Arts, with whom I worked on the Towards the Millennium Festival. He offered me a phenomenal insight into the international festival world and experience of the full spectrum of the arts at the highest level. He taught me the value of being bold in ambition and of maintaining a clear aesthetic – he programmed what he liked and believed in and it was all of our jobs to find the audiences for it.

Katy Hallett
In 1999 I was drawn to the outdoors. One of my main projects was Sustrans’ Art and the Travelling Landscape programme. At its helm is Katy Hallett, whose infectious energy taught me that enough is never enough. She introduced me to the enormous possibilities of working in the great outdoors and demonstrated how the commissioning process could best work – where the needs of audience, artists and a specific place were equally understood and valued.

Aileen McEvoy
Aileen McEvoy, recently retired Executive Director, Arts Council NW, is one of the few arts “bureaucrats” I have met who makes the systems work to release rather than enslave the talents of those delivering on the ground.
When she spotted good work she would get behind it without overwhelming it. Her style is one of positive affirmation, which helped provide me with the confidence and motivation to pursue an ambitious programme.

Jeremy Shine
Jeremy Shine, Director of Manchester International Arts (MIA), is in every sense a guru. It is through him that I understand the true meaning of the word partnership – generosity, openness and clarity in achieving a shared goal. Jeremy has an unrivalled knowledge of outdoor arts work, is an internationalist and has an unmoveable ethos – creating the very best circumstances to showcase the very best art to the widest range of people. He is a fierce advocate for the art and artists and refuses to dance to the instrumental tunes of the arts sector.

All these people have passion and integrity, value excellence and accessibility, are challenging but inspiring to work with, question the status quo head-on or by stealth (!) and have bags of humour – the qualities which I believe encapsulate outdoor arts work, which is where I have found my place.