Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of Outspoken Arts Scotland Limited is a voluntary membership group of non-executive company directors. The Board meets four or five times per year as well as officiating at a few key public events. Board members are entirely voluntary/unpaid and cannot enter into production or service contracts or be employed or remunerated by the Charity.

The role of Board members is to provide governance and support to the small staff team in the development and delivery of its programme of activities, policies, and practices. The Charity is regulated by OSCR and the role of board members/trustees is governed by the following guidance.

CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS
(September 2023)

Lisa Charlwood-Green: Co-Chair is the founder and Director of The WOW Network, has actively championed for LGBT equality and diversity for over 17 years, starting with her work at LGBT Switchboard as a trained counsellor, through to volunteering with LGBT Youth, LGBT Health and Wellbeing and LEAP Sports.

Eleanor Collier: Co-Chair, is the General Manager of Kiloh Konstructions Ltd. She is an experienced project manager is for all aspects of the operation and business development of a construction and maintenance company working primarily in the licensed trade in the West of Scotland. Eleanor has had a long career in the licensing trade, hospitality and leisure sector, and was also a Business Development Leader in strategic asset planning for Glasgow Housing Association.

Garry McLaughlin is a comic book creator, working on his own long-running series ‘Gonzo Cosmic’ and ‘Tomorrow’ with BHP Comics. He also writes a number of comic scripts including ‘Lacuna’, ‘Futurition’ and ‘Sux Ess’, as well as working on a short novel called ‘The Aftermathers’. He blogs at garrymacmakes.wordpress.com and elsewhere on the interweb and runs workshops and online tutorials for people looking to get into art and making comics – he shares the things he has learned over the years such as setting up pages, working with perspective, and getting ready for print. Garry rejoins the board having previously served as director during the latter part of the Glasgay! festival years.

Lil Brookes

Lil is an artist living and working in Renfrewshire known as “Gatekeeper Art”. She works both as an artist, and as a social historian with community practice. Her artwork is inspired by the rich heritage of Scotland with a special interest in the vibrant colours, designs, and textures of the West of Scotland’s 18th and 19th-century textile industries. Lil sees art as “therapy”, a safe place, and a passion. Her work as a social historian has led to a number of community-led heritage projects for a variety of groups including adults with physical, learning, and visual disabilities, mental health issues, as well as older adults and school children. Projects have included online workshops, film-making, and participating in large community events. Lil is experienced in the fields of vocational education, training, personal development and community outreach.  Combining a creative and innovative approach to development work with a mature empathetic understanding of client needs which adds up to an ideal team member able to liaise with colleagues, external partners and clients alike while seeking to achieve goals in a friendly and effective manner. 

Wendy Ferguson

A wellness business owner, Wendy Ferguson discovered Outspoken Arts at a particularly difficult time of life. Unsupported by local services, Wendy found her creative home in OA. A frequent attender at workshops over the past 2 years, Wendy has developed into an artist in her own right – under the support and guidance of many of the artists at OA. With an invested interest in OA as an organisation and the softer, intangible benefits they bring to people’s lives everyday, Wendy sees OA as part of her community and wants to see it remain in the heart of Paisley for many years to come. The difference that OA makes is immeasurable, but 100% real.

David Rae

David was brought up and schooled in Paisley. He works in Public Health where he is an advocate of equality and equity. He is a passionate believer in the power of art and creativity to give voices to those without them, to build communities, to foster health and wellbeing and promote personal development. In his professional life he has had a variety of senior roles and have sat on national committees to represent various civil bodies and NGOs. Currently he works for NHS Ayrshire and Arran in public health research and evaluation programmes, disseminating accessible, evidence-based findings, with the aim of developing health services and improving the health and reducing health inequalities within the local population. He is also a published writer and has won a number of prize for short stories, poetry and flash fiction. He has a love of myth and legend and folk tales and how they reflect and influence our lives. His current work in progress THE LEPIDOPTERIST’S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER is a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth, dealing with themes of love, gender, faith and betrayal and is due out in June 2024. His most recent book CROWBAIT – is a fantasy novel about a dark world where the sun is kept in a box considers issues of trust, faith and forgiveness.

Tom Lusk

Tom is a very experienced community development worker. He has decades of experience as a person-centered manager, trainer, youth worker and facilitator with over twenty-two years of valuable skills gained in the voluntary sector where he encouraged hundreds of volunteers and colleagues to be creative when delivering interventions. Additionally, he has worked for twelve years in the statutory sector and over four years as Team Leader in an enablement centre youth team, supporting young people presenting with a range of additional needs. Valuing community development and experience-led approaches to inform and resource individuals and communities. Tom is an idea generator, collaborative and sometimes solitary by nature and in approaches. He has benefited from and enjoyed the taster workshops that Outspoken Arts has delivered and impressed at being challenged out of his comfort zone in good way. He values the use of aesthetics and creativity in raising self-awareness, health Interventions, general wellbeing, and reducing social isolation.


The organisation is always seeking additional Board members to bring marketing, finance, and fundraising skills as well as gender balance. Interested individuals willing to be considered as potential Board members should email a CV to Steven Thomson, Company Secretary.