People

Staff

Jo Clarke (she/her)

Director

Jo is an artist and maker with 20 years’ experience in the non-profit sector, leading creative community based programming, mainly in East London. She has worked in social enterprise and cooperative development, and is the founder of London Green Wood CIC. She’s also a Trustee, with a focus on community participation, at Rosetta Arts.

Rachel Gornall

Programme Manager

Rachel has over 20 years’ experience working in the creative arts and has exhibited her colourful and delicate textile artworks across the UK and internationally. Originally from The North she’s spent the last 10 years in Tottenham.

Rachel brings her enthusiasm for people, colour and visual energy to everything she does. Her meticulously crafted, often delicate, artworks celebrate riotous hues and natural forms, predominantly using hand dyed cloth, printed papers, threads and light.

staff member with long brown hair stood against red container wearing yellow knitted jumper

Lucy Martin (she/they)

Creative Programme Manager: Schools & Young People

Lucy is an experienced creative youth practitioner and journalist who has worked with young people to produce documentaries, podcasts and photography exhibitions alongside craft based youth programmes. Having programmed and led multiple youth projects across East London contributing to long term change for young people; Lucy is our Creative Programme Manager for Schools and Young People.

Jack Bodimeade (he/him)

Jack is one of our workshop technicians, working two days a week. He is a talented carpenter and metal worker, with a professional background in theatre set-making and commercial large scale fabrication. His more recent projects have included designing decorative metalwork for a community garden in Shadwell. He has an independent practice making cast silver jewellery, and paintings of animals, which he shares via @jackbodimeade_projects.

Jo Myles Geczy (they/ them)

Youth Programme Facilitator

Jo is an artist, cabinet maker and fabricator. Outside of their work as youth programme facilitator at Blackhorse Workshop, they work as part of Built This Way, a queer and trans trades network that they co-founded and help to organise.

Anna Cornish

Workshop Operations Manager (Compliance)

Anna Cornish had a successful career in the NHS before deciding to change careers and follow a long held dream of becoming a maker. She undertook the Diploma in Fine Furniture at Building and Crafts College in East London in 2016 and graduated in 2018. She now runs her own company Essentially Wood, based at the Workshop.

Sacha Lacey (he/him)

Workshop Technician and Metal Lead

Sacha Lacey is a self-taught blacksmith and knife maker. Having started out in freelance welding work, and as a welder and chaser at the Bronze Age foundry, he founded his own small business Hold Fast Forging Co in 2021. He splits his time between Blackhorse Workshop – where he also teaches on our popular Blacksmithing course – his personal business and South London knife makers Blenheim Forge.

Jordan Abankwah (he/him)

Programme & Marketing Coordinator

Jordan is a designer, workshop facilitator, and creative producer working across arts, culture, and community engagement, primarily in East London. He came to this work by following his greatest passions: community work and diverse artforms.

His experience includes designing and delivering workshops, exhibitions, and community-led events that centre co-design, accessibility, and participatory art.

Oliver McKinley (he/him)

Reception and Office Manager

Oliver is our part-time Receptionist and Office Manager. Oliver is a craftsperson working predominantly with textiles employing heritage techniques to craft contemporary quilts and objects.

Marcie Wood (she/her)

Reception and Memberships Manager

Marcie Wood is our part time Receptionist and Membership Co-ordinator. She studied Illustration at the University of Gloucestershire and now also freelances as an Illustrator. Being from the Cayman Islands, her works consist of Caribbean culture, folklore and anything with a whimsical twist.

Eddie (he/him)

Office O-paw-rations (part-time)

Eddie is formally our part-time office o-paw-rations manager, but his role primarily is to provide moral and emotional support to the Blackhorse Workshop team. He works remotely for much of the time, but can be found at our Reception on the days he decides to come in.

Tutors

George Exon (he/him)

George Exon is a multidisciplinary graphic, furniture and object designer, with a focus on silliness, colour and play. He studied 3D Design: Product and Furniture at Northumbria University before going to London where he was a graphic designer for Mob. He is one-third of collective Chunky Boys, based here at Blackhorse Workshop, where he shares a container studio with Byron.

He teaches on our Introduction to Routing: Mirror course.

Penelope Phillips

Penelope began her journey to be a joiner later in life, after careers in forestry, bike mechanics, and psychotherapy. In 2018 she studied Fine Furniture & Cabinetmaking in British Columbia and since then has found her joy to be in the patient steady work of heritage conservation and restoration. She loves supporting people to learn how to use tools and understand wood so they can feel the joy of creating something beautiful with their hands.

Pen teaches on our woodwork courses.

Kieran Slater (he/him)

After graduating from Kingston School of Art in Product and Furniture Design , Kieran spent two years working at a design studio focused on creating furniture and objects from recycled plastic. He ran his own joinery and design studio for two years in his Somerset hometown, before returning to London to pursue a career in teaching. Alongside this, he continues to work as a freelance set builder, designer, and carpenter across a range of projects.

Kieran teaches many of our woodwork courses, leads our woodwork inductions, and has designed our new Summer Joinery Intensive in August.

Jeremy Elford

Jeremy has over eight years’ experience as a fabricator working for the Royal Opera and National Theatre as a scenic set builder, and worked as the workshop manager at James Glancy Design, transforming retail and outdoor spaces. Jeremy has aways had a love for teaching, especially anything metalworking and loves sharing his skills with others. He runs our MIG welding workshops, among others.

Micky Matesich (he/him)

Micky is a TIG Welding master, tattoo artist, and maker of all things metal. Micky teaches our TIG Masterclass sessions, amongst other metal specialist courses.

John Alfredo Harris (he/him)

As a self-thought woodturner John’s designs merge the classic traditions of the craft with a freedom of visual expression. Using eco-friendly sourced timber, he strives to create vessels that reflects the many moods of nature, creating designs that are at once functional and visually stimulating. As a Wood Artist John designs furniture, tableware, individual hand turned bowls and hollow forms, interior accessories, and interior space. John teaches on our woodturning courses.

Sam Braid (he/him)

Sam is a designer/maker. He studied Industrial design at Northumbria University. Since graduating he has worked within workshop + technician roles within furniture design and education.

Sam is currently working freelance on his own design practise, whilst taking on commissions and working within set building.’

Fay Rushton-Ryan (she/her)

Fay Rushton-Ryan is an artist and woodworker. Fay graduated in 2022 from the Slade School of Fine Art. She worked as a carpentry and joinery apprentic before taking on carpentry and art technician work of her own. Fay is currently studying Woodcarving and Gilding at City and Guilds of London Art School. Fay teaches on our woodwork course, and designed our DIY Skills Surgery.

Richard Evans

Richard has been working as a furniture maker since 2017. He studied furniture design at University and has worked across Arts, Design and Photography before setting up his own business RichCraft Furniture which specialises in the manufacture of bespoke metal furniture for residential and business clients.

Joe Fergey

Joe Fergey teaches our Bespoke Picture Framing course. Since graduating from University of the Arts London in 2016, he has worked for various picture framing workshops and independently. From his workshop in Cambridge Heath he has made frames for clients and artists exhibiting at the V&A, RA Summer Exhibitions and internationally. Currently Lead Technician at Dyson Art, he studied Fine Art Photography at London College of Communication (UAL).

Cafe Team

Board

Tessa Read (chair)

Tessa Read is Associate Head for Retention and Belonging (Creative Industries) at the University of the Arts London (UAL). Tessa was key in initiating Creative Shift – which aims to shape a diversity in the creative industries by supporting UAL students from underrepresented backgrounds. Prior to this she worked in Widening Participation at UAL. Her interest lies in addressing inequality and under representation within the cultural industries. She is a graduate of both Manchester University and Sussex Universities. She has worked in both India and South Africa, working closely with local social enterprises and has a strong interest in social entrepreneurship research and learning.

Adam Azmy

Adam Azmy is a Director of Visual Effects for the film industry and has worked on a number of high profile feature films including Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, James Cameron’s Avatar, Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity and the Matrix. He is also a bespoke furniture maker, having featured in New Designers and runs his own company AzmyAnything. He is an active Blackhorse Member and has extensive experience working with digital manufacturing processes.

Rob Fiehn

Rob Fiehn is a freelance communications consultant, working within the built environment industry and lives in Walthamstow. Rob has worked as a book editor at Phaidon Press, an in-house comms manager at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and as an account director at bespoke design PR agency Caro Communications. He has also delivered projects for a number of key events and institutions, including Vision, Architect@Work, the London Festival of Architecture, New London Architecture, the World Architecture Festival and RIBA. Rob is passionate about our built environment and has developed firm roots within the architectural community, including strong relationships with key journalists, institutions and clients. For this reason, he also has advisory roles for the Museum of Architecture and Blackhorse Workshop.

Jerome Ince-Mitchell

Jerome Ince-Mitchell was a facilitator on The Agency youth programme we ran as part of Borough of Culture in 2019. He also led our diversity group and has previous board experience as Chair of AN (The Artists Information Network). He is a practising Artist and Senior Lecturer at Camberwell College of Art.

Stephen Mackie

Stephen Mackie is a local architect who has lived in Walthamstow for 8 years. He previously ran the architecture practice Sean & Stephen and teaches on the Foundation in Architecture, Interior and Product Design course at Brighton University. His passion for architecture and teaching underlines his belief in the importance of creating opportunities for people from all different backgrounds with a space to gain new skills and knowledge.

Ruch Pathirana

Ruch Pathirana has been a regular user of the Blackhorse metal workshop, building everything from cocktail cabinets to gates for a friend’s house, and joined the board to offer his financial expertise. As a chartered accountant and tax specialist, he has worked for firms such as KPMG, Rio Tinto and Octopus Investments. Ruch helps us ensure we maintain a healthy financial position and we spend wisely.

Zosia Poulter

Zosia Poulter is a Content Strategist and design researcher and has always been fascinated by the wellbeing aspects of making. A short stint as a DT technician in a local school solidified her belief that working with your hands from a young age can have huge benefits beyond the four walls of the workshop. Growing up in Leytonstone she has seen the area change and grow for the better and is proud to be from Waltham Forest.

JOBS

The workshop’s mission is to open up access to making for all. As a social enterprise we’re a non-profit organisation, and passionate about what we do. We’re an open, friendly and supportive team who embrace the challenges of working for a small organisation and are constantly looking to push the boundaries of what we do and make things happen. We are a London Living Wage employer.

When roles become available details are posted here and on our social media channels and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions. We actively seek out people of all backgrounds, especially those currently less represented in our organisation and the arts industry. We are always interested to receive applications from people from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds, those who identify as deaf and disabled people, and neurodiverse.

Find out more