The 2024-25 Committee
CHAIR
Keith Hinchy
Keith spent many decades working as a manager in highly complex technical industries and, following early retirement, he discovered and developed a growing interest in writing.
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He joined a small successful local writers group called Newport Writers (based in Shropshire) and now acting as the Chair there as well as Vice Chair for a much larger group, Wrekin Writers (also in Shropshire), he is both honoured and delighted to add Chair of Swanwick Writers’ Summer School to his portfolio.
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Keith first came to Swanwick in 2016 and, along with many others, found himself captivated by the magic.
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He is passionate about securing the long-term future of Swanwick and is looking forward to continuing to grow and thrive the School by leading his new committee and putting together a vibrant and varied programme for 2025.
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​Email: chair@swanwickwritersschool.org.uk
Vice Chair
Maria
Hennings Hunt
Maria brings a wealth of experience to Swanwick, having been Vice Chair on numerous
previous occasions.
Maria's journey with Swanwick began in 1992, as an unpublished young writer, eager to
learn all she could about the craft of writing. Thirty years on, she is a successful published
writer of both fiction and non-fiction having worked for over 20 years in the travel industry,
notably at Travel Trade Gazette and The Daily Express, as well as writing short stories for
the women’s press. She went freelance in 1999, whilst at the same time training to become
a dance teacher.
In 2003, she founded Dance Generation, her southeast London based dance school, which
now also offers Yoga and Metabolic Health Coaching and provides a platform for her weekly
blog. She is also co-founder of LWLF (Live Wild Live Free) a social enterprise formed in
April 2021.
In 2023 she had two children’s picture books published: ‘The Lullaby Fairy’ and ‘Bear Hug’.
Drawing from both her successful careers in writing and teaching, Maria is looking forward to
ensuring her passion and enthusiasm for The Writers Summer School is reflected in the
2025 Programme.
For more information:
www.dancegeneration.co.uk
www.mariahenningshunt.co.uk
www.livewildlivefree.org
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​Email: vicechair@swanwickwritersschool.org.uk​​
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Treasurer
Sally Warr
Sally has been attending Swanwick since 2018. She has been the newsletter editor since November 2022 and the Treasurer since October 2023. Sally lives in an old farmhouse with her husband in rural North Lincolnshire. They have one son who is an archaeologist. This is the profession that Sally would have loved to have pursued when she was younger, but life was different for women back then. Archaeology forms the background of the novel she is currently writing, which will be the first in a series set around an archaeological theme. For most of her professional career, Sally worked in Education Management, with over 35 years’ experience of working in FE environments. She is a skilled senior manager and for the final 6 years, before retiring in 2022, she worked as an educational consultant to a variety of institutions around the country.
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Sally is a dedicated volunteer and over the years has held positions of secretary and treasurer at a local playgroup, served on the committee of her local primary school for several years before being elected to the chair. Chaired several groups responsible for improving the lives of young people with additional learning needs in the community.
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Reading is Sally's biggest passion, including beta reading for fellow Swanwickers; she has undertaken training as a copy editor. Sally enjoys crafts and when she gets time, in the not-too-distant future, she is hoping to learn to paint with watercolours. She is an avid traveller and last year travelled solo to Italy for a 7-week spiritual break, that she shared part of with a like-minded friend. However, it ended up being a different kind of break as she literally broke her foot on the last week in Rome!
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Secretary
Sharon Payne
Sharon was born in the crater of a volcano in Yemen, the same year and in the same hospital as comedian Eddie Izzard. She travelled throughout her childhood with her R.A.F. family. The result was a shy child who listened to records and read Enid Blyton. Thirteen schools in fifteen years weren’t funny. She loved drama and dreamed of being cast as George in The Famous Five (Enid Blyton) on T.V.
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At nineteen, Sharon enlisted in the R.A.F as a cook, which included a tour behind the Iron Curtain in Berlin. Following a lengthy career in catering, she retrained in food technical management. This involved technical writing and control of the quality management systems (food safety). She handled staff training and designed pictorial procedures to help Polish staff grasp the instructions more easily.
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A colleague commented Sharon should be a creative writer, and it sowed the seeds. Swanwick beckoned in 2013. Since then, it has been an addictive experience, nourishing her mind, body, and soul. Sharon has many hobbies and interests and loves to engage with others. She dabbles in short stories, novel writing, and poetry, and is especially drawn to psychological thrillers and comedy.
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Committee Member
Andrew Roberts
Andrew was born in Rochdale but moved to Staffordshire when he was 9. He has been writing as a hobby since the age of 17, having developed an interest through table-top roleplaying games. He predominantly writes actions/adventure in historical settings, with a particular fondness for writing about pirates.
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After discovering Swanwick in 2016, he took his writing further. In 2018, he left his full-time job as an accountant to study Creative Writing at De Montfort University. He stayed in Leicester after graduation and is pursuing freelance opportunities in writing.
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Besides his pulp stories, he blogs about popular culture and dabbles in poetry. He's also an avid video gamer.
Committee Member
Phil Collins
Phil first came to Swanwick in 2006 and hasn’t missed a year since. With a background in engineering and technical writing he’s enjoyed moving on to fiction and comedy writing.
A regular contributor to Page to Stage since its beginning, he has several ‘Swannies’ sitting on his desk. He has written a couple of pantomimes and enjoys acting and directing. He also plays guitar and ukulele badly and can often be found emptying pubs at open mic evenings in his home town of Shrewsbury.
He joined the school committee in 2015 and became Chair of the school in 2018 and 2019. After a five year break he decided to rejoin the committee and is looking forward to helping organise the 2025 school.
Committee Member
Sarah Moore
Sarah’s first attendance at Swanwick (2019) saw her duetting with the legendary Phil Collins, shamelessly performing Victoria Wood’s Ballad of Freda and Barry waving a Woman's Weekly magazine as a prop at Buskers’ Night. She reports it was so far out of her comfort zone but yet with such a receptive audience sensed she was amongst real friends and so it has proven, returning ever since.
Sarah has direct experience of working in the charities sector in a legal/advocacy and managerial capacity prior to switching to working alongside her now late husband to grow their family business as a director.
She has a Masters of Arts degree (Creative Writing), graduating on schedule in 2020 despite COVID-19 attempting to scupper her schedule.
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She regularly attends a couple of local writers' groups and founded her own group to meet the needs of her rural community, where nonagenarians are in the majority. She’s recently joined a newly established poetry group that meets in Wellington Library, Shropshire, a town much maligned by poet Philip Larkin. Talking of Larkin, she literally bumped into him in the Brynmor Jones Library, Hull, just before he died. (Not immediately before your honour!) Larkin was sporting a three-piece suit and looked like a Wind in the Willows character.
Thanks to her appearances on the Swanwick stage, she has now landed several amateur dramatic roles, regularly performing in pantomime. Oh yes, she has!
Sarah is honoured to serve as a committee member.
Committee Member
Martin Lake
Martin was born in Southampton and now lives in Dorset with his wife and one of his daughters. Martin works as an IT Director and has a 40-year career in IT, including running his own IT Consultancy business and working for companies such as Virgin Media, Reuters, Towergate Insurance and De La Rue.
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A relatively recent newcomer to Swanwick, Martin first attended in 2022 and was immediately involved with Page-to-Stage producing a Phil Collins’ comedy sketch. He started writing about 10 years ago and his first novel, Beyond the Stones, had its publication launch at Swanwick 2023 along with several other SpellBound Books authors. He is currently working on the second book in his fantasy trilogy.
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Despite this year being only his third Swanwick, Martin is very passionate about The Writers’ Summer School and is looking forward to bringing his experience and enthusiasm to help drive the school forward.