Meet The Team
Key People
Richard Hughes
Chief Executive
Born and bred in Cefneithin, Carmarthenshire, Richard started his professional career in theatre and television production before a 16-year stint in local government working across leisure, culture, social care and wellbeing services. He became Chief Executive of Awen Cultural Trust in 2015.
Responsible to the Board of Trustees, Richard is committed to ensuring Awen is, and keeps on being , an organisation that has a real and sustainable impact on people’s lives and the wellbeing of communities.
A married dad of two, Richard now lives in Cardiff but remains a passionate west Walian and is a season ticket holder at the Scarlets.
Ceri Evans
Director of Development & Partnerships
Ceri has worked in theatre management, marketing and development for the past 25 years.
Her current role includes strategic oversight of Awen’s Theatres & Creative Wellbeing programme as well as acting as the strategic lead for our local authority and Arts Council of Wales partnerships. Ceri also leads on business development, partnerships and funding across the organisation. She lives in Porthcawl with her family and in her spare time enjoys playing tennis, going to the theatre and spending as much time as possible at the beach.
Richard Bellinger
Director of Operations
& Community Services
Originally from Yorkshire, Richard studied librarianship and Welsh
history at Aberystwyth University before moving to Bridgend to
start his career in libraries.
Richard’s role at Awen includes strategic oversight of libraries,
Bryngarw Country Park and our training programmes for adults with
learning disabilities, as well as Awen-wide responsibilities for health
and safety, facilities management, and insurance. Married with a
young daughter, in his spare time Richard enjoys live music, hillwalking
and learning Welsh.
Steve Dimmick
Commercial Director
Originally from Blaina, Steve is the entrepreneur behind a number of successful companies including the UK’s first recruitment agency to offer video job adverts, the creative communications consultancy Small Joys and most recently doopoll, the online real-time survey platform, which was acquired by QuestionPro in February 2023.
Steve’s role at Awen is to lead on our commercial endeavours, by identifying and activating new revenue streams as well as optimising operations to ensure Awen runs as efficiently as possible. Steve’s work will support the sustainability of Awen and its ability to impact positively on the lives of people and communities of South Wales.
A proud Welshman and fluent Welsh speaker, Steve splits his time between Cardiff and Cornwall with his three children and girlfriend. In his spare time he enjoys getting lost; in the pages of a book, on a long walk, watching a film, with new technology or his own reveries.
Helen Cook
Head of People
Helen joined Awen in 2015 after 24 years of working in local
government, first at Cardiff City Council then Bridgend County
Borough Council from 2011, where she discovered her interest
and passion for human resources. Helen has been a Chartered
Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) since 2009.
Helen enjoys taking her dog Murphy for walks and loves travelling .
Brought up in Nantymoel, Helen now lives in Coity.
Maria Goddard
Head of Finance
Maria joined Awen Cultural Trust as Head of Finance in 2018. A qualified management accountant, Maria has worked in finance for over 20 years, from large commercial organisations including PepsiCo and Vodafone UK, and other charities including Wales Millennium Centre. In 2019, Maria won highly commended Young Director of the Year at the Welsh Finance Awards.
Maria studied French and Spanish at university, and lived in Madrid during 2001. Her love of learning new things continued after her CIMA qualification and she gained her ILM level 5 in 2020.
Maria has two young children and lives near Cardiff. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, swimming, paddle boarding and cycling. Holidays are an important part of her life – her favourite being the Maldives, and wants to take her children all over the world.
Board of Trustees
Ava Plowright (Chair)
Ava Plowright is an experienced fundraiser and event manager, currently Fundraising Manager at Shelter Cymru, the housing and homelessness charity in Wales.Ava previously worked within the development team at Wales Millennium Centre, across all fundraising disciplines. An MA Arts Management Graduate from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Ava joined the Board at Awen following completion of the Chwarae Teg ‘Step to Non Exec’ programme.
WILL CAMPION
Will, who is also director and chair of Awen Trading Limited, works for The Development Bank of Wales. Living in Aberkenfig, Will and his family are regular users of Awen’s theatres, the local library and Bryngarw Country Park. Will became a trustee at the start of Awen’s journey in 2015. He has seen Awen grow from strength to strength as a result of the hard work of the whole team and has enjoyed watching it become a recognised and trusted name.
Stuart Bain
Pencoed-based Stuart has 25 years’ experience in the financial sector, specialising in risk, compliance and governance. In his spare time, the married dad of two is a trustee and Treasurer for both the Open Spaces Society, Britain’s oldest conservation charity and The Wildlife Trust for South & West Wales. Stuart also volunteers with the South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre. With a passion for the outdoors, nature, biodiversity and conservation, Stuart enjoys taking short camping trips and fishing with his son.
Noel Thomas
Carmarthenshire-based Noel specialises in cards and accepting payments for large, national organisations in the charity and higher education sectors. Prior to this, he worked as an Associate Banker who supported mid-sized organisations in South Wales. In his spare time, Noel, who has a young daughter, is a member of a male voice choir and is passionate about the benefits that arts and culture can bring to local communities. He is also interested in preserving historic buildings of significances and finding new ways to use them in the twenty-first century.
DAWN SMITH
Originally hailing from Scotland, Dawn has lived in Cardiff for over 30 years and now calls the capital her home. Dawn is a solicitor, specialising in Commercial Real Estate and first became involved with Awen in a professional capacity, before later becoming a Board member. Dawn has a passion for all things creative and has a particular love of live music. In her spare time, she enjoys attends music festivals and gigs, as well as a trip to the theatre.
ANTHONY WHITTaker
Former chair of Valleys to Coast, Anthony joined Awen’s Board in 2024. Anthony had a 40-year career in housing with local authorities and Registered Social Landlords, with the latter 23 years as Chief Executive of United Welsh Housing Association. A resident of Bridgend, Anthony enjoys walking with his dogs, gardening and following his former local football team.
robert evans
TORI LYONs
Tori is a Welsh actor, writer and creative facilitator from the Valleys. Tori is currently filming her debut short film ‘Justice’ that looks at systematic violence against women. She is also co-writing a BBC Wales comedy pilot. Tori works as a creative facilitator with New Pathways, a charity for survivors of sexual violence, and The Wallich, a charity for people at risk of homelessness. Tori focusses her work on societal issues, mental health, female led narratives and Wales-based storytelling.
