Trustees – Northern Children’s Book Festival

Eric Ferguson is a Senior Primary School Improvement Consultant for Newcastle City Council and has extensive experience working in primary schools. He is specifically responsible for supporting school leaders and directs the development of Literature Works, a region-wide, English and cross curricular strategy which benefits the whole school. He is committed to improving pupil achievement in reading and writing. Previous to his current role Eric has worked as an OfSTED inspector, an associate regional adviser for the DfE and deputy head teacher in the UK and abroad.

Karen Taws has lived and worked in the North East since 1996. Since 2007 she has been a freelance consultant providing services to the arts and cultural sector and to non-sector organisations who use the arts and creativity as a tool for driving social and economic change. Working for local, regional and national clients she has expertise in a range of areas including: evaluation; research and mapping; policy and strategy development; organisational and governance development; and, funding research, income generation and fundraising.

Rachel Warkup has worked in public libraries for over 10 years in a variety of roles, including driving a jungle themed mobile library around schools in North Tyneside! Rachel now manages the North Tyneside School’s Library Service, library services for children and young people and co-ordinate the libraries’ events and outreach programme.

Dawn Williams is a highly experienced Cultural Education Manager, skilled in partnership development, project management, impact reporting, evaluation, and facilitating creative consultation. Dawn is a huge supporter of libraries and is proud to have worked in both North Tyneside and Gateshead as part of the arts team.