People United appoints two further new Trustees

Grace Bremner, Creative Civic Change Lead and Ben Payne, consultant and writer join the Board in January 2022.

With People United’s agenda of radical, change-making kindness more crucial than ever, our new Trustees will play a key role in the organisation’s strategic and creative development, including supporting our current creative programme, Futures of Care.

Steve Moffitt, People United Chair said: “We are delighted to welcome these two new Trustees to our Board. Along with a passion for our work and values, Grace and Ben will bring different areas of expertise, relevant to our current work and future plans, to further strengthen our already strong, committed Board.”.

Grace runs the Creative Civic Change programme, which is a ground-breaking funding programme delivered by the Local Trust, National Lottery Community Fund, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. It supports communities across England to transform their places through creativity. In her day-to-day work she strives to put the values of kindness, creativity, collaboration, bravery and inclusivity at the heart of everything.

Ben was Literary Manager and Associate Director at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, where he developed, commissioned, programmed and directed new writing for the company, and he continues to work as a freelance writer and dramaturg for both theatre and dance. He co-founded and was Co-Director of Ministry of Stories, the writing and mentoring centre for young people in east London and he led the replication of its model to other parts of the UK. On leaving the Ministry in 2019, he set up a new creative consultancy, B&G Partners, with Gerald Richards which supports individuals and organisations primarily in the cultural, education, non-profit sectors through coaching, training, facilitation and consultancy.