Meet The Team

Emma was born in West Cumbria where her mother ensured she was exposed to as many aspects of the arts as the rural location allowed. After completing a degree in Textile Management at Leeds University she has worked...

Hello! I’m Katy and I work here at The Kirkgate doing the Finance and Admin. I moved to Cockermouth in April 2024 and have been overwhelmed with the kindness and generosity of the community here, particularly The Kirkgate...

Katie grew up in Cockermouth and, after a few years away in various roles and cities, moved back in 2003. She started volunteering at the Kirkgate Centre in 2014 in the box office, with the music programming group...

After graduating with a degree in archaeology, Helen worked as a volunteer manager for different health, youth and disability charities. In more recent years she has been running community arts and heritage projects, focusing on projects that involve...

Rob is a Cockermouth resident who has a background in nuclear engineering and legal services. He acts as the Trust’s Chair...

Hello! I’m Nichola, and I’m delighted to be back at The Kirkgate, this time as a Trustee. A proud West Cumbrian, I’ve spent over 25 years of my career involved in programs that create a positive impact for...

West Cumbrian John worked as a journalist in the county for over 20 years before taking up the role of Head of Communications at Allerdale Borough Council in 2000. He left Allerdale to join Sellafield Ltd, initially as...

I grew up in West Cumberland but moved away to go to college and eventually ended up in Glasgow, where I was a researcher at the University for many years. Glasgow was where I developed a taste for...

A native West Cumbrian, Sue has always lived in the area, apart from time studying Business Studies and Modern Foreign Languages at Newcastle Polytechnic. Returning to Cockermouth, Sue worked as PA to the Board of Directors at Millers...

Becks Skinner, is a Freelance Heritage Practitioner.  Becks specialises in working with small to medium sized heritage organisations, interpreting collections and bringing them alive to wider audiences.  She is a published author of ‘British Para 1940-45’ and provides...

Michael has lived in Allerdale since 1999 and in Cockermouth since 2016. A retired accountant, he spent the last 21 years of his working life in a variety of finance roles in the NHS in Cumbria. He is...

Sue is a serial career woman having worked in the Police, large companies, the Voluntary Sector, NHS, property sector and since moving to Cockermouth 10 years ago, hands on retail as she ran the Country Market at the...