“Helen at Antworks Community has been a pleasure to work with and brought expertise and theoretical approach to our evaluation which has helped us to focus in on impact, social change and organisational learning. Her passion and belief in arts engagement and creativity as a way to support communities is evident in everything she does”.
Ruth Cooke, Executive Director & Joint CEO Northern Broadsides
You can read the Northern Broadsides Iron People Impact report here.
“At Zarach we wanted to explore whether pursuing public sector income and contracts was an appropriate route for us. To ensure we looked at this properly, we engaged Helen to work alongside us due to her extensive social sector leadership experiences, including of the funding and public sector engagement landscape.
Helen’s work with us included team and individual meetings, desktop research, engaging with her well-developed network and, vitally, bringing her first-hand experiences. Alongside the valuable skills and experiences brought, our team really appreciated the openness and honesty in Helen’s approach, so that we could arrive at the right decisions for our charity.”
Andy Peers, Chief Executive: Zarach
“Working with Helen makes what feels like an overwhelming task a breeze. She is patient, grounded, thorough and personable. She took a very complicated community project with multiple funders and broke the task of evaluation down into manageable chunks, and has adapted her templates to make things make sense for us and the way we work. She kept us all on track beautifully.’
Jess Rooney, Marketing and Communications Manager – Northern Broadsides
I worked in a senior team with Helen for 2 1/2 years, and I have worked with her as a collaborator since then. I have always valued the diversity of her experience, her experience and wisdom, and how that all comes together. Helen has a really calm and thoughtful way of deeply listening and taking on board what you are saying, which immediately puts you at ease and makes you feel safe and calm. Deeply perceptive questions and reflections that she provides really hold you and help you to move along your thinking to good solutions. She is a perfect combination of being a natural coach combined with someone with extensive knowledge and experience that allows you to really trust and value her perspective when she gives it.
Jen Rouse, Independent Consult (former Senior Head of Policy TNLCF)
“Helen is particularly passionate about bringing young community members to the fore and moreover keeps everyone else on their toes – always speaking her mind and going into bat for the communities with whom she works at all and every opportunity. She is someone I have the greatest respect for and whom I’m always willing to work with”
Margaret Greenfields, Professor of Social Policy, Anglia Ruskin (collaborator and co-author)
Would highly recommend Antworks Community for facilitating those spaces that need to go deep, be equitable, inspire thinking, shift mindsets. Deep democracy in action.
Jayne Spencer, Continuous Improvement Specialist
Antworks Community 