Festival of Hope Sefton - Meet the Young ProducersThe Atkinson

The Atkinson, in collaboration with Hope Streets, Curious Minds and Blaze, is working with a group of Young Producers to create the Festival of Hope Sefton; a pioneering festival that places young people at the heart of design, making, programming & production.

The festival’s Young Producers are Sally Dugmore, Greg Hodge, Lisa McGrady, Max Regan and Shannon Weekes.

Due to the current Covis-19 outbreak, the Young Producers have been presented with an opportunity to reflect the world around them and commission exciting artworks as well as accessible digital platforms.

The series of projects will be delivered throughout 2020 and exhibited at The Atkinson during the Festival of Hope Sefton takeover (24 October – 7 November 2020).

Sally Dugmore

Sally (24) has just received a First in History of Art and Museum Studies at Liverpool John Moores University. Her passion for creative events and festivals has led her to become a Young Producer, where she has taken on the role of Creative Director. Her main focus is directing a project currently entitled ‘HopeBox’, which will combine light, paper cutting, colour and collaboration with young people. The finished design will embrace hope, heritage and creativity to culminate in a striking light installation. Sally is also focused on the overall design of our live event taking place later this year. Sally’s interests include dogs, sparkly things, Disney and neon art.

Shannon Weeks

Shannon (23) is a facilitator and community arts volunteer from Southport. Within the Festival of Hope, Shannon’s project primarily focuses on providing representation of young people through an interactive installation piece called ‘This is our Home.’ Shannon is inspired by community actions which aim to communicate a shared narrative. She wishes to continue working with community arts in the future. In her spare time, you will most likely find Shannon drinking tea, doing yoga and reading.

Greg Hodge

Greg (23) is a freelance filmmaker and photographer from Southport. Primarily, Greg works as a camera assistant and operator on various productions, as well as his own personal projects where he is hoping to move into Directing. He is currently working as the Arts & Engagement Coordinator for the Festival of Hope and delivering his project ‘The Skate Paint’. Greg’s hobbies include cooking, drinking coffee & playing guitar.

Max Regan

Max (23) has recently graduated with a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Manchester. Max will continue to study a Master’s Degree in Science Communication, aiming to pursue a career in journalism/documentary filmmaking. Through the Festival of Hope Max’s ambitions are to develop young people’s interest in sustainability, utilising art as the key method. Through a workshop and art exhibition Max aims to utilise recycled material to enable young people to showcase their ideas for a sustainable space. Max’s hobbies include; reading, writing, football and cycling.

Lisa McGrady

Lisa (22) is a recent graduate of History and Political Science from the University of Birmingham. Growing up in Merseyside infused Lisa’s passion for the arts and, as a result, has gained museum and heritage experience through the National Trust, Tate Liverpool and National Museums Liverpool. As a Young Producer within the Festival of Hope, she is part of the ‘Butterflies in the Chaos’ project where she has delivered a photography-based workshop on nature, created content and recordings and has collaboratively directed the film which exhibits young people’s experiences during the Covid-19 lockdown through a series of questions exploring emotions and perspectives from the project workshops. She has also taken the lead on the film’s digital launch and managing our partnership projects around Sefton. Lisa’s interests include photography, walking her dog, swimming, Disney and talking (too much) about History.