Trustee Nominations - 2024

An introduction to the 8 individuals who have put themselves forward to stand as Directors of the Oban Communities Trust.

BETH CHALMERS

Beth Chalmers is an artist living and working in Oban.

Her practice includes photography and filmmaking, music, poetry and workshop facilitation.

She has an MA in music from The University of Glasgow, has studied film processing at The Glasgow School of Art and drumming at the Tafi Cultural Institute.

As a touring musician and events organiser, she has a wealth of experience in the arts and culture sector from both a backstage to front of house perspective.

Locally, she volunteers with Adventure Oban, the ReStore workshop space and has previously provided photography to The Rockfield Centre in kind.

Beth feels strongly that TRC is a brilliant resource and that should be used by everybody - whether they’ve been in Oban for 5 minutes or 50 years. She would be delighted to join the team and help steer the centre into a new chapter.

JANE CHURCHILL

Based in Oban, working across Scotland, I help transform, develop and sustain small and medium sized third sector organisations, with a focus on arts and culture, outdoor education, community-led health and community development. I am responsible for supporting, setting up and helping sustain many community-led projects and bringing in millions of pounds to the third/essential sector in Scotland.

I bring 25 years of expertise and knowledge in funding, social enterprise, and partnership development; and decades of experience working with Community Development Trusts. I have been serving on Boards and Committees for 20 years - five years on the Board of Glasgow Bike Station and six on the Board of Senscot (the national organisation developing social enterprise). Currently I am the Treasurer of Adventure Oban, a Director of the Isle of Eigg Brewery and the Chairperson of Open Aye CIC.

I understand what is required to create a sustainable organisation and a strong Community Development Trust.

My work recently involved leading the development of the Connecting Communities Collective locally and the opening of the new Re_Store project in Oban. I am passionate about people and communities and want to do what I can to help Oban Communities Trust and The Rockfield Centre survive and reach its potential.

DR STACEY FELGATE

I am an environmental scientist specialising in community-focussed international development work, with experience writing successful funding applications and delivering large, complex projects for universities, research centres, and governments alongside a diverse range of NGOs and volunteer groups. As well as a PhD in Biogeochemistry, I also hold a Modern Apprenticeship in Hospitality Management, am a WSET qualified Sommelier, and have extensive experience working in bars, cafes, and eateries, including my family’s restaurant which has been going strong for > 15 years.

As a board member I will focus on cafe operations, aiming to increase profitability and footfall whilst remaining sensitive to the existing local cafe offer. This will include working with staff, volunteers, and the wider community to come up with a new strategy by which the café facilities can be most effectively utilised. I will also lend expertise in terms of streamlining finances, creating a more diversified funding strategy, general building operations, and volunteer recruitment, with an emphasis on supporting the existing body of excellent volunteers, encouraging new members to step forward, and empowering anyone with an interest to help us deliver a truly ambitious, community-focussed, and community-led arts program.

Long term, I envisage TRC being an important community asset where all walks of life can come together to experience art, music, food, and a shared sense of belonging. By standing for election to the board, I hope to do my part to make this shared vision a reality.

KAREN LINDSAY

I hold a degreee in hospitality management from Napier University and have worked in and around hospitality for over 40 years. I have worked in a number of different hospitality environcments including front of house management at the Barn, Lerags from 1990 until 2006. I then moved into training and delivered hospitality / management qualification in the form of Modern Apprenticeships for a Perth based company called Goal Training. My area covered Argyll and Lochaber where I worked with young employed people in the hospitality sector as an assessor and verifier helping them gain SVQ awards covering a range of work based skills and knowledge. This was my job from 2006 until 2020. Part of my job was also delivering SCPLH - Scottish Certification for Personal Licence Holders. During my time at Goal Training I worked with hundreds of young people encouragings, supporting and guiding them to achieve their applications.

In 2020 I became self employed and opened a retail unit in Oban specialising in Scottish Craft Beer. I have been in business now for 4 plus years and every March I recognise the shop’s birthday and organise a boutique Beer Festival to celebrate the occasion.

This event moved to Rockfield this year and was a great success. I would like to see of the centre hosting multiple events and really utilising the resources it has. It is extremely well positioned and provisioned as my event in March showed. I would enjoy sharing my experience with Rockfield team and be part of the steering it forward into the new phase of its development and maximising its incredible potential and carrying on the incredible work of previous trustees.

NEIL MCCORRISKEN

Currently an Isle of Luing resident, where he volunteers as a Home-help which includes shopping, collecting prescriptions and regularly delivers hot meals to elderly and or vulnerable residents. In Oban he works with Re-Store as a Volunteer Arts Coordinator, working with local artists and organisations to help promote good causes and positive messages within our community.

Previous work includes: Engineering, Teaching, Motivating, Music & Performing Arts, Cultural & Creative industries.

Ministry of Defence: Civil Engineering and External works. Teaching primary school children for West Dunbartonshire Education Department where he concentrated on pupils left behind by the curriculum and was part of a Scottish Arts Council funded program to motivate children through digital music. Various Music and Performing Arts Festivals inc. Glastonbury, working in Drainage, security fencing/structural engineering, Music Curation & Programing, DJing, Logistics. Sound & lighting on music tours and installations. Owner of various hire companies in the music industry including PA & lighting and Marquee hire. Created community cultural projects and events in Liverpool and Bristol. Worked with Visual Stress performative visual arts group. Former Director at the Luing Community Trust, Lorn Island Partnership, Colston Halls / Beacon / BMT.

I feel really passionately about joining Oban Communities Trust and feel my particular experiences and knowledge will help the Rockfield Centre move forward in a positive direction. I look forward to creating stronger links to the community and being a supportive and motivating role to the staff and volunteers and seeing the Rockfield Centre fully reach its potential.

NEIL MCINROY

I am excited by this opportunity to potentially become a Trustee on the board of Oban Communities Trust (Rockfield Centre).

I have a 30 year long career as economic and social policy expert/professional and practitioner, board member and chair. This includes 20 years as Chief Executive of a UK charitable company. I now offer the Rockfield Centre my extensive skills, knowledge and experience to assist in what is a moment of change, renewal and evolution - helping to fulfil and grow Rockfield’s purpose, mission and potential.

I am motivated by a desire to help and serve - driven by a passion for community and economic development. Great places like Oban are hives of activity, with facilities acting as hubs for meetings, fun, culture, history, education, environment with community exchange and diversity. Rockfield Centre has and should increasingly fulfil that role.

I know and appreciate the strategic and operational detail that is required to run an organisation and business. As CEO, I successfully led all aspects including planning, governance, charity policy and procedures, finance, marketing and communications, funding bids, managing staff and volunteers and setting up and running successful commercial trading arms.

My board experience and skills are extensive and well-honed having served on boards of numerous organisations. This includes chair of a large community primary school’s governing board and being the founding chair of an anti-poverty charity. I currently Chair the Economic Development Association of Scotland (EDAS). I have also participated in numerous reviews and time limited boards (i.e Chaired review of Social Economy in Scotland). I have throughout my career undertaken board governance, management and leadership trainings with refresher courses. I have been told that as Board member I am disciplined, energetic, clear sighted, decisive, and enjoyable to work with.

RENUKA RAMANUJAM

As a practicing artist who has worked with the Rockfield Centre for almost 3 years, I would love to see it flourish. The Rockfield holds much potential as the definitive hub for the arts in Argyll, and with my background in design and arts teaching – as a lecturer at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design and delivery of workshops like the Oban Open Draw – I believe I can contribute to creating a solid arts programme and fit for purpose space that works for artists and creative enthusiasts.

I also have a strong background in entrepreneurship, project management and financial management, having bootstrapped a design-based start up with many collaborative partners from the ground. As a result, I have solid knowledge and success around grant funding and bid writing, especially in the creative sector.

Lastly, as a self-employed artist and director, my resource management is highly effective; I believe I would be able to give the trustee position the requisite attention it deserves at this very exciting period of growth for The Rockfield Centre.

FEE SHAW

I feel passionately that access to the arts should be for all, readily available and have no boundaries. I believe that rural communities significantly increase their chances of achieving these standards with the existence of venues such as The Rockfield Centre at the heart of their communities. As such, I am putting myself forward for a trustee position in order to ensure the organisation not only is able to survive but to also directly help it to thrive to serve the whole community.

Having previous worked at The Rockfield Centre, managing the arts programme, I have seen first hand the positive impact that is possible and see the potential of The Rockfield Centre to be that central, community focused space that has something to offer every generation. I want to be part of a board who listens to their staff and their community and feel my personal career to date puts me in an excellent position to have a strong understanding of the challenges faced by Rockfield and decisions that must be made for it to succeed.

I have worked in arts venues for over 20 years, managing thousand-seater concert halls in Edinburgh, run international film festivals in Glasgow, and set up a community cinema in Oban.

These experiences, plus my current job as Network Development Manager for The Touring Network which involves me supporting hundreds of promoters and performers to bring live performances to a wide variety of venues across rural Scotland, means I have a vast amount of lived experience of running arts venues and working through common issues faced. I would bring a practical, creative and highly approachable personality to the board.