Helen Hayes

After graduating from Birmingham Conservatoire, Helen trained as a teacher and her first job was as a music teacher in Wolverhampton.  Three years later she was appointed as Education Officer at Cheltenham Arts Festivals Limited, where she worked with Michael Berkeley and Humphrey Carpenter.  Helen was responsible for initiating and organising the education and community work of the Cheltenham International Festival of Music and the Cheltenham Festival of Literature.  Over the next five years, she co-ordinated numerous projects as part of the Festivals including taking members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the composer Judith Weir into Cotswold Primary Schools; a Viola day with the BBC Philharmonic and the composer John Woolrich; a contemporary Indian Dance residency with Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company; a schools residency with the composer Julian Anderson; writing workshops, led by many well known writers including AL Kennedy, Helen Dunmore, Jean Binta-Breeze, Geoff Dyer and a readers day with Susan Hill; a reminiscences writing project with elderly people led by Sara and Ranjit Banerji and a two-year writing residency at HMP Long Lartin with Humphrey Carpenter, Barbara Trapido and Nigel Williams.  She also initiated a schools ticket scheme working in collaboration with the Arts Council of England, which brought over 1000 school children into the Music Festival.

Following the birth of her first child, Helen worked as Press Officer for UK Touring, looking after Roger McGough, Brian Patten, the late Pete McCarthy and Ian McMillan.

The move to Potton Hall in 2003 coincided with the arrival of her second child.  Helen now undertakes the management of Potton Hall Productions Limited as well as running the Potton Hall holiday cottages.  In her spare time she dashes all over Suffolk taxiing her children to their various commitments!