Well-being Tree is a non-profit Community Interest Company (Ltd by guarantee), we registered with Companies house in January 2021. Many of the management team are living with disability (either they have a disability themselves, or care for someone with a disability).
Hannah Hill (Trustee director and facilitator) is a freelance community arts and well-being facilitator and massage therapist.
She has worked across the care sector and community running art, therapeutic movement, puppetry and meditation workshops for over 20 years, with many different people of all ages. As well as working as a support worker in the areas of mental health and learning disability.
Hannah has experienced the transformational power of creativity and meditation through her own personal practice and felt preveledged to be able to communicate through puppets and song with her father in his last year of living with Dementia as well as through her work in the community. This motivates her to empower people to find joy and strength through creativity, connections and the rhythms of life. https://www.shadowcabinetpuppetry.com/?lightbox=dataItem-ivs95pwp
Lisa Guile (Trustee director) has a background in music and arts development. She likes to teach, put on events, and help creative charities develop. Her current fave thing to do is read poetry and try to write her own. She also likes unusual sounds, and has recently bought a singing bowl.
Sam Smith (Trustee Director)
Sam is a performance artist who has been specializing in clown/mime for the past 7 years. Sam has always been amazed at the incredible impact making others smile can have on their well-being, self-esteem, and as a form of release. Sam has worked with a wide range of individuals over the years and will continue to put smiles on faces wherever they go.
When not clowning/miming, Sam works as a care worker for young adults with complex needs, supporting them to live as independently as possible. Sam has worked in care for the past 8 years, championing clients to achieve their goals and targets by providing them with tools, information, and, if needed, advice.
Sam has raised money for various charities over the years and set up the first charity music event at 17 years old. Since then, Sam has been spreading awareness and embarking on fundraising events every year.
In free time, Sam enjoys playing, listening to, and dancing to music. Sam is currently in a band but enjoys playing music with anyone who wants to play.
Sam is looking forward to bringing knowledge, skills, and passion to the well-being tree team.
Nicola Baretta (Trustee Director)
Nicola is an actor, illustrator and freelance assistant. She has been firmly based in the arts since a young age taking extra mural drama and art classes since she was 9. To this day, she still takes a weekly acting class as she believes we’re constantly learning & growing, both in relationship to ourselves and the medium we choose to create with. Creating can be entertaining & fun but also truly transformative. She owns her own illustration company where she creates and sells prints, mostly illustrations of the flora and fauna of her home country, South Africa, but she has recently started creating original acrylic paintings of food & drinks. When she’s not creating with pencils and paint, she is a jobbing actor and voice over artist.
Nicola has been volunteering for a few years with the London based charity, Share, which help adults living with disability to live more independently, have more access to leisure opportunities and promotes general wellbeing. Nicola hopes to bring with her the learnings & insights she’s gained from volunteering at Share, to her role at Well-being Tree. https://www.etsy.com/shop/nicolabaretta
Ruth Baker runs art sessions and is part of the management team.https://www.ruthgbakerwatercolours.com/
Many of our management committee are living with disability, and so have an understanding of the challenges that this can bring, and a motivation to help others to live a full and nourishing life, as part of a strong community.
Management Committee: Karen and Mike Sandford, Lisa Guile, Hannah Hill, Sam Smith, Nicola Baretta, Hannah Sandford, Ruth Baker,
Fundraising Team : Karen and Mike Sandford, Lisa Guile, Hannah Hill, Nicola Baretta.
Advisory Board Disability awareness: Holly Williams, Margaret Kelly . Creativity, well-being and mental health: Angela Whitney, Hannah Hill
Workshop leaders: Ruth Baker, Hannah Hill, Bernard Tagliavini,Charlotte Oliver, Dawn Fuller, Holly Williams,Yvonne McDermot, Raven Kaliana. Plus other guests.
Holly Williams: Holly is a writer, poet, blogger with Cerebral Palsy. She has published 5 books and is currently working on redrafting her 6th. Holly enjoys writing in the fantasy genre and creating interesting environments and characters with impairments. https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Holly%20Williams/author/B0BBSF8D7TShe also enjoys art and drawing, especially working in pen and ink to create cartoon characters. Holly also works three days a week as a graphic designer for a social firm called chec.co.uk
Angela Whitney: Angela has worked as a dispensing option and well being therapist for over 25 years. She lives in Lewes and loves the Lewes community. She’s passionate about the outdoors, swimming, walking and loves painting, drawing, photography, music, cooking & socialising. She enjoys leading Qi Gong and Chakra healing meditations including using Koshi chimes based on the theme Relax, Renew, Refocus.