Everyone at Fun Palaces works part time, and flexibly.
Fun Palaces is a campaign to make the cultural sector fairer, more inclusive, richer and more fun. We strive to celebrate everyone’s cultural life, everyone’s voice, everyone’s uniqueness. Therefore, we take care of each other at work, develop our roles around the people in them, and respect people’s lives beyond the workplace. We are working on formalising our policies. Social justice and equity is at the heard of everything we do, and we are always working hard to do better. We want Fun Palaces to be a workplace in which people, whatever their background, can do their best work, wholeheartedly, where people can be vulnerable and feel safe, where people can grow, and change the world. We know that this looks different for everyone, and each team member works in their own way. We make space for that.
Fun Palaces Director
Amie Taylor joined Fun Palaces in Jan 2021. When she’s not working at Fun Palaces, she’s a writer, theatre-maker, workshop facilitator and producer. She has written two books for children and teachers: The Big Book of LGBTQ+ Activities and The Monster Book of Feelings.
She has made three theatre shows for children and has toured theatres, festivals and schools with this work. She founded and ran the LGBTQ+ Arts Review for 6 years, in which time the team reviewed almost 300 theatre shows.
Executive Producer
Orla Nicholls is a tech enthusiast with a passion for planning, who originally joined the Fun Palaces team in the Co-ordinator role. She started her Fun Palace journey in 2014, creating the Luton Fun Palace over the October weekend of celebration, so is able to bring first-hand experience of being a Maker to the role. When not working at Fun Palaces, she lends her expertise to small business owners, helping them host virtual events and optimise their digital technology. She has a keen interest in the power of intergenerational connections for communities as well as amplifying underrepresented voices.
Communications and Marketing Manager
Alex Marshall is a London-born musician, parent and marketing specialist for the cultural sector. He joined Fun Palaces in 2021 after holding a marketing role at Lewisham Education Arts Network.
When Alex is not at Fun Palaces, he provides horsey rides for his two young kids, as well as producing and performing his own music. Both as a solo artist and with his band, Crouton Cannon.
Producer
Rachel Attfield our newest member of the team, joining May 2024. Rachel is happiest when she is making things, this takes the form of traditional and forgotten crafts, knots, plaiting and anything woven. Her work has recently been exhibited at Trowbridge Gardens in Hackney Wick following an artist residency. Her career began in dance working as a choreographer and engagement practitioner. In 2020 thanks to a career break, Rachel embarked on an MA in Cultural Studies at Goldsmiths London University where she explored Cultural Democracy focusing on the management of culture within funded participatory programmes. Rachel is excited to be part of Fun Palaces where she can put this research into practice, and her role fulfils a long-term aspiration to be part of the organisation after hearing Stella Duffy’s inspiring talk about Fun Palaces in 2015.
CCV Exhibition Producer
Ayesha Chouglay recently joined the Fun Palaces team as our CCV Exhibition Producer.
Her work in the arts has always had a community focus; past jobs include management roles for Stagetext and the Museum of Colour, and she has been involved with many creative projects, from art exhibitions to photographing a performance art piece at the Tate Modern. She is passionate about access and inclusion, an interest which stems from her work within the Disability Arts sector.
As an artist and writer, her work has been shown in the Song of Myself Poetry Jukebox at Belfast International Arts Festival, at Mr W et al, a celebratory event exploring art and disability in Hackney Wick, and in Deaf Experience, an online short film screening, organised by The Film Bunch, amongst other spaces.
She is really excited to be part of the team!
Co-ordinator
Adam De Salle joined the Fun Palaces team as the Co-ordinator in January 2024. For the past 4.5 years he has been a Fun Palace Maker in his childhood-library-turned-workplace in Eltham, South East London, where he still works when he isn’t helping coordinate Fun Palaces! Adam is also currently studying for his MA in Intellectual History and the History of Political Thought from Queen Mary, University of London.
Passionate about history, science, and all things Fun Palaces, Adam is very excited to be a part of the team!
Previous Team Members
It has taken a huge team of people over the years to build and support the Fun Palaces Campaign – here we celebrate them and their contributions.
Stella Duffy (co-founder and co-director), Sarah-Jane Rawlings (co-founder and co-director), Kirsty Lothian, Makala Cheung, Mandy Colleran, Hannah Lambert, Amy Merrigan, Neelam Chhara, Daniel King, Sasha Abrahams.