Our wonderful team bring skills and expertise from a variety of industries and backgrounds, to offer a diverse range of high-quality artistic healthcare experiences for our communities year-round.
Find out more below.
Our wonderful team bring skills and expertise from a variety of industries and backgrounds, to offer a diverse range of high-quality artistic healthcare experiences for our communities year-round.
Find out more below.
Managing Director and Founder
Yvonne is a seasoned and multi award-winning social entrepreneur who specialises in developing creative, research-led programmes to improve...
Yvonne is a seasoned and multi award-winning social entrepreneur who specialises in developing creative, research-led programmes to improve healthcare and transform lives. Most recently (2021/2022) Yvonne won the Women in Social Enterprise Award 2021 and recognised on the WISE100 UK’s top 100 most inspiring and influential women in social enterprise, impact investment and mission-driven business! Yvonne has been working in the arts and health sector for thirteen years and during that time has been responsible for leading teams to design and deliver ground-breaking work across the UK and abroad.
Yvonne has gained international recognition for her work in the sector and frequently delivers keynote speeches at health, arts and social enterprise conferences and events globally. She has co-authored papers published in peer-reviewed medical journals and has delivered a Tedx Talk about her work at Breathe. Under Yvonne’s leadership, Breathe has won multiple national awards and gained recognition as a service provider to our National Health Service. Prior to working in the arts and health sector, Yvonne held multiple creative roles at the BBC and ITV.
Head of Development
Lydia has over 10 years’ experience in fundraising and development for the arts and health sectors, whilst at...
Lydia has over 10 years’ experience in fundraising and development for the arts and health sectors, whilst at Cardboard Citizens, The Big House and The Anna Freud Centre, amongst others. She is passionate about supporting organisations to survive and thrive financially and boosting organisational resilience.
Lydia holds a BA in Arts Management from London South Bank University and participated in Clore Leadership’s Emerging Leaders programme. Lydia also sits on the Board of Trustees for interactive theatre maker, Coney.
Head of Programmes
Hannah has been working within the performing arts sector since 2007, developing large scale projects with schools, universities,...
Hannah has been working within the performing arts sector since 2007, developing large scale projects with schools, universities, marginalised community groups, NHS Trusts and professional artists. She has designed and produced a variety of programmes through roles at King’s College London, Candoco Dance Company, English National Ballet, Sadler’s Wells and China Plate Theatre. Hannah has also developed inclusive dance projects with The British Council in Vietnam, Senegal, Armenia and Nigeria. Alongside her role at Breathe, Hannah is a freelance arts Producer.
Hannah holds an MA in Creative and Cultural Management from Chester University and BA in Dance, Drama & Theatre Studies from Liverpool University.
Head of Scalability
As Head of Scalability, Lorna works on creating sustainable programmes at scale in a strategic way to benefit...
As Head of Scalability, Lorna works on creating sustainable programmes at scale in a strategic way to benefit more individuals and communities on a local, national and international level. She has designed and delivered training packages for the World Health Organisation and continues to manage all of the different strands of our Breathe Melodies for Mums programme, including our research partnership with King’s College London.
Lorna has over 10 years’ of project and event management experience in the music and charity sector, most recently in public engagement for the international charity ActionAid UK and before that as General Manager of the Music Publishers Association. She brings significant experience in project and event management to Breathe, as well as a strong sense of fun and passion for the power of arts in health. Lorna has a BSc in Natural Sciences from the University of Bath and is Breathe’s Mental Health Champion.
Communications Manager
Georgia has worked in arts communications since 2015. She loves to inspire people to take part in creative...
Georgia has worked in arts communications since 2015. She loves to inspire people to take part in creative activities to improve their health and wellbeing. She is also a professional Dance Artist.
After graduating from Trinity Laban, Georgia joined Verve Dance Performance Company, touring globally. Following this, Georgia worked with Dance Umbrella, influencing the digital strategies and channels, and fuelling her passion in promoting the arts to wider communities.
Georgia has extensive experience in performance and engagement work, and teaches across a range of community, health and educational settings, including English National Ballet. Recent work includes Danielle Teale Dance, Dancing with Parkinson’s Programme and the Royal Opera House MS Society residency.
Georgia joined Breathe in 2019 and leads on digital, marketing and communications across the organisation.
Digital Communications Officer
Lilli has over 7 years’ experience in marketing and events, the last 3 years specifically in the Health...
Lilli has over 7 years’ experience in marketing and events, the last 3 years specifically in the Health and Social Care Sector. Lilli is passionate about raising awareness and supporting people to achieve positive outcomes through various projects.
Lilli has always had a keen interest in the entertainment sector, from quizmaster to hospitality events manager during the Rio Olympics and Carnival. Lilli worked with a prestigious Samba School in Rio, she organised Carnival Workshops and Team Building events which included costume design, Samba & music workshops and a Carnival parade.
After moving back from Brazil, Lilli started working in the Health and Social Care Sector, as the marketing and events manager for a learning disability provider. She arranged events across the UK, for the people she supported to encourage them to achieve amazing outcomes, such as learning to sing, dance, play an instrument, play sport, get a job etc. Lilli also organised an event at the House of Commons to launch a new positive behaviour support initiative.
Lilli joined Breathe in 2021 to support on digital, marketing and comms for the Breathe Melodies for Mums programme.
Programme Manager, Guy’s and St Thomas’
Jo has over 18 years of experience working in theatre access and education, designing and managing programmes for...
Jo has over 18 years of experience working in theatre access and education, designing and managing programmes for young people facing barriers to arts engagement. In her previous role for Mousetrap Theatre Projects she launched relaxed performances in West End theatres, created and delivered theatre access schemes for young people with sensory impairments, and developed many participatory drama projects for young people with disabilities.
Beyond Breathe, Jo is happiest walking her dog with a podcast in her ears, singing with her choir or sat in a theatre.
Programme Manager, Breathe Magic
Drew has worked within the arts sector since 2014, and most notably has worked for two national touring...
Drew has worked within the arts sector since 2014, and most notably has worked for two national touring dance organisations, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures and English National Ballet.
Drew has a passion for creating high quality and inspirational arts experiences for children, young people and the wider community and has produced large-scale participatory projects and programmes across the education and health sectors.
Drew holds a BA in Dance Studies from the University of Roehampton and joined Breathe in 2021, working across all the different programmes under the Breathe Magic umbrella.
Engagement and Support Officer, Breathe Melodies for Mums
Tim combines nearly 3 decades of experience in the health and disability world with his lifelong interest in...
Tim combines nearly 3 decades of experience in the health and disability world with his lifelong interest in the arts. Before joining Breathe, he worked extensively for organisations supporting people with long-term conditions, life-limiting illnesses and physical and emotional difficulties – both in the NHS and the charity sector.
Beyond the day job, he has a particular passion for puppetry as an art form, writes creatively, loves samba and makes stop-motion animation clips.
Tim has been with Breathe since the beginning and has worked across all of the company’s programmes.
Project Manager, Breathe Sing for Lung Health Warwickshire
Eleanor combines over a decade’s experience in education and community engagement with a passion for health services...
Eleanor combines over a decade’s experience in education and community engagement with a passion for health services that work well for the people who use them.
As a public contributor to maternity research, she has a strong interest in how qualitative evidence shapes high-quality co-produced health interventions.
Eleanor joined the team in March 2023 as Project Manager for the Breathe Sing for Lung Health Warwickshire programme.
Company Administrator
Hannah (Han) has been working in the arts sector for 10 years, managing multiple departments at independent theatres,...
Hannah (Han) has been working in the arts sector for 10 years, managing multiple departments at independent theatres, theatre companies and arts organisations. Her passion is administration, efficiency and being adaptable to the daily needs of busy, thriving organisations.
Throughout her career, Han has seen first hand the full power that the arts provide for under-represented groups and feels strongly about the importance of amplifying lost or marginalised voices. Han has also worked in SEN support roles for schools and drama skills workshops.
Han joined Breathe in 2021 to provide administrative support to the busy teams and wide range of programmes.
PA to the Managing Director and Project Coordinator, ICS Arts for Staff Wellbeing
Claire brings multiple years of experience within the arts sector to her work at Breathe, as a performer,...
Claire brings multiple years of experience within the arts sector to her work at Breathe, as a performer, teacher and published researcher. After completing her BA in Music Performance, Claire pursued her keen interest in health and wellbeing within the arts through an MSc in Performance Science and an MSc in Psychology at the University of East London. This developed her ever-growing passion for combining the arts, health and empirical research.
Outside Breathe, Claire can be found teaching crafty workshops and scouring beaches for sea glass.
Film maker
Alongside filming and editing his own personal work, Dieter is also a Senior Teaching Fellow on the MA...
Alongside filming and editing his own personal work, Dieter is also a Senior Teaching Fellow on the MA in Ethnographic and Documentary film at UCL and the co-founder of Yarrow films, a social enterprise that specialises in collaborative filmmaking as a tool to tackle stigma.
Their aim is to empower groups facing complex social, economic and educational challenges through their inclusive documentary production process. Their collaborative projects combine skills learning with a therapeutic approach that focuses on the empowerment of participants.
His films have been shown across the world and won several awards. One of the most recent collaborative films he created alongside a group of LGBTIQ+ refugees living in Brazil, premiered at the BFI Flare film festival in 2020 and has since screened at multiple festivals.
Bookkeeper
Marjan has a First Class Honours Degree in Business and Economics. For many years she has worked in...
Marjan has a First Class Honours Degree in Business and Economics. For many years she has worked in the City as a sales trader, and since 2015 she is also Head of Accounts at Air-Edel, a music management company.
Marjan has worked for Breathe since 2013 looking after its accounts.
Clinical Lead, Occupational Therapist
Becca joined the Breathe Magic team as a Magic Trainer whilst completing her Occupational Therapy degree, and continued to...
Becca joined the Breathe Magic team as a Magic Trainer whilst completing her Occupational Therapy degree, and continued to volunteer until she joined the team as a Clinical Lead in 2021.
Since qualifying Becca has gained experience across a range of settings including specialist and mainstream schools, private clinics, and community paediatrics; assessing and working with children with varied strengths, functional needs, and diagnoses. Becca is the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Lead for the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) Specialist Section – Children, Young People, and Families, and hosts regular webinars for Occupational Therapists on diverse topics.
Becca is involved in research and is the London area lead for the international data collection for the EASI (a new assessment tool) and has contributed to the appraisal of articles for the RCOT Play Guidelines. She loves to learn, and actively engages in frequent CPD to further her knowledge and skill-set.
Clinical Lead, Occupational Therapist
Rebecca has over 14 years of paediatric experience as an occupational therapist. Rebecca assesses and treats children with...
Rebecca has over 14 years of paediatric experience as an occupational therapist. Rebecca assesses and treats children with a wide range of clinical diagnoses and functional difficulties. She has worked across a range of acute, community and education settings as an advanced clinician and clinical lead across NHS, charitable, not-for-profit, and private sectors. Rebecca has been actively involved with Breathe Arts Health Research since 2016.
Rebecca has a wealth of experience working with children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions, neurological and congenital upper limb injuries and individuals who have sustained congenital or acquired brain injuries.
Rebecca’s clinical specialisms and specialist interests lie in delivering intensive therapy and early developmental programs which bring together; evidence-based practice, family and child-centred care and arts in health interventions to meet the holistic and psychosocial needs of the young people and their families. Rebecca is passionate about sharing clinical practice and knowledge with other professionals and has spoken and lectured at multiple UK courses and conferences.
We have a small core team, but much of the reason why Breathe can achieve such incredible things is because we are surrounded by an amazing team of artists, researchers, clinicians and volunteers.
Meet just a few of the fantastic people we work with, below.
My main passion is the voice, but also plays the piano, ukulele, flute and the tin whistle. I'm also the lead singer in the Hyundai Tucson (2018) and Allianz (2021) adverts.Singing Lead Elisa Jeffery is a professional singer and vocal coach. As a lead singer, backing vocalist, choir and workshop leader, Elisa has developed a strong passion and love for the voice and especially enjoys helping others unleash their true potential.
I have loved performing at prestigious venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall.Breathe Resident Musician, Havana-born Ahmed Dickinson Cardenas's recent projects include the world premiere concerto with Docklands Sinfonia, recitals with Malta International Arts Festival and live performances at the Royal Opera House with ballet star Carlos Acosta.
I love working with Breathe. It is the most progressive, supportive arts organisation I have come across with a wonderfully open, across the board attitude towards staff and participants alike.Singing Lead Cleo Lane has performed at the Royal Albert Hall and has worked with George Michael, Duran Duran and Cliff Richard. She wears many hats, including singer, songwriter, choir director and singing for health practitioner.
I have a passion for developing communication skills in others, and aim to include this wherever possible in the Breathe Magic programmeBreathe Magician Richard McDougall has been working with Breathe Magic since its very first day, and has helped deliver the programme to every young magician who has been through the camp or online. In his own work, he has been a World Open Champion for Close Up Magic, and award winner at FISM (the Olympics of magic), and is a Member of the Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star.
I’ve been lucky to work with many amazing magicians including Dynamo and James Freedman, and I’m honoured to be The Magic Circle Triple Crown Champion; the only person to win all three of the society’s competitions!Breathe Magician Edward Hilsum's performances feature ground-breaking magic, presented in a refreshingly contemporary style. His original stage shows have received critical acclaim at the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival and for five years, Edward starred in the record-breaking 'Champions of Magic' spectacular, touring theatres throughout the UK and North America.
I use magic to create more than momentary astonishment. I explore how magic can convey information and teach practical skills to varied audiences. My one-man show shares stories from the extraordinary history of conjuring.Will Houstoun is a Breathe Magic Magician and has also written and edited thousands of pages of specialist magazines and books for magicians, including over 100 issues of The Magic Circle’s private Members' magazine.
Once I performed for Steven Hawking and after the performance, he started to reply on his computer. When he finished, he had replied: “How in the world did you do that?”Breathe Magic Magician Christopher Howell, has performed at prestigious venues Hollywood's Magic Castle and Berlin's Wintergarten. He also plays play a Vaudeville magician character called Norvil who once magicked Ant & Dec's trousers into Union Jack boxers on ITV.