Green Candle Board of Directors

Green Candle’s Board of Directors understands and takes into account the values and beliefs of the Company. Their overall responsibility is to ensure the company stays focused on its mission statement and they do this by providing support and constructive challenge to the management team as well as making policy decisions.

 

Lynn Maree (CHAIR)
Arts Centre Programmer, publicist, fund-raiser and administrator at Jackson’s Lane Community Arts Centre, North London 1981-83 and Dance and Mime Officer, Greater London Arts 1983-88. Following this she held roles in South Africa, first as the Dance Director at The Playhouse Company in Durban 1994-99, and then as the Chair and Administrator of KZN DanceLink an umbrella organisation for dance in the province of KwaZulu-Natal from 1998.  For three consecutive years she ran a dance course for U3A teaching a different dance style every week. Lynn joined the Green Candle board in 2014.

Richard Howarth (TREASURER)
Richard is a freelance brand consultant and restaurateur and currently CEO of Second Home, an international business offering flexible workspace. He joined the Green Candle board in 2004 via the Arts & Business Board Bank.

Joe Ellis
Joe joined the board in early 2019. He is Dementia Support Manager for Tower Hamlets Alzheimer’s Society and has always been a great advocate for Green Candle’s work .

Peter Golds
Peter Golds is a Councillor in Tower Hamlets. He has served as a London Councillor for almost 21 years and is a Board Member of the Conservative Councillors Association.

Annie Gargya
Annie joined the board in 2018 and is an active member of Spinoff – Green Candle’s dance company for over 55s.  She trained at The Royal Ballet Upper School and has freelanced for many different organisations including the LSO, and various museums, colleges and schools leading dance, drama and art workshops. Annie has a PGCE from The Institute of Education and worked for 20 years as a primary school teacher in Tower Hamlets.  Annie has also been a trustee and secretary of Stitches in Time, another Tower Hamlets charity.

Janice Galloway
Janice joined the company as a founder member in 1987. She has worked as a choreographer, teacher and participatory arts producer and now specialises in arts and health and community arts development. Janice joined the Green Candle board in 2012.

Ruth Simmons
Ruth had early experience as a Community Advice Worker in Tower Hamlets, supporting staff as a mentor and trustee. She is a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist with long experience of clinical supervision, as well as being a yoga and Tai Chi teacher. Ruth joined the board in 2017

Previous Board Members

Naseem Khan (VICE CHAIR)
Naseem joined the Green Candle board in 2005 but sadly passed away in 2017.  Naseem was a writer, researcher, and policy advisor on cultural diversity. She wrote the first landmark study, ‘The Arts Britain Ignores’ (1976). Her experience included being Theatre Editor of Time Out, a columnist for the New Statesman and a trained South Asian Bharat Natyam dancer. She was Head of Diversity at Arts Council England for seven years and awarded the OBE in 1999.  She will be greatly missed.

Read our Chair Lynn Maree’s tribute to Naseem Khan 

Braham Murray OBE
Braham joined the Green Candle board in 2004 but very sadly passed away in July 2018. Braham was a Founding Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange Theatre Company in Manchester, stepping down in 2012 after 35 years  having worked with many leading actors such as Vanessa Redgrave, Judi Dench and Robert Lindsay.  Braham will be greatly missed.
Read a tribute to Braham by our Artistic director, Fergus Early