About Us

CADA believes that we all have a right to create and take an active part in creativity and cultural life at any age

How We Work

We exist to create the conditions for innovative and impactful work to flourish and to ensure that older people’s views and voices are heard.

We connect individuals and organisations in communities across England and beyond, who are developing and delivering arts and heritage programmes with, by and for older people.

We believe that society is richer when all older people are visible and valued; when communities come together to share arts, culture and heritage through the lens of age, experience and difference; and when we see more pathways to emerge or re-emerge as a creative talent in later life.

Our Priorities

Developing understanding and insight: identifying opportunities and potential pathways to change.

Advocacy: advocating for the power of creative ageing to policy makers, NGOs and potential funders.

Convening: coordinating opportunities to think, learn and reflect

Campaigning: forming partnerships with the people and organisations that can make change happen.

Our Charity

Chair – Paul McGarry

Since 2003, Paul has led multi-agency urban ageing partnerships, and in 2016 was appointed as the Head of the Greater Manchester Ageing Hub. Paul has had a number of journal articles on ageing published, and given presentations to high-profile events in the USA, Asia, Europe and Australia. 

Phil Cave

Phil is a consultant, speaker and researcher, specialising in public engagement. He worked with Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Local Trust, National Lottery Community Fund and Esmee Fairbairn Foundation to design Creative Civic Change.

Sarah Roper

Head of Finance: Cultural Institutions University of Manchester

Esme Ward

Esme Ward is Director of Manchester Museum, the UK’s largest university museum.  
She is Honorary Professor of Heritage Futures at the University of Manchester, a Clore Fellow and Culture Lead for the Greater Manchester Ageing Hub.

Arti Prashar

Arti stepped down as Spare Tyre’s Artistic Director/CEO in August 2019 after inspirational and acclaimed leadership for 19 years.

She developed inclusive creative practice championing diverse voices. She is at the forefront of immersive sensory theatre practice for people living with dementia and learning disabled people. 

David Slater

David Slater was Founder Director of UK participatory arts company Entelechy Arts, based in Deptford, southeast London.

He remains an Associate of the company. David has extensive experience of working with participatory arts practice in both urban and rural communities with a particular interest in programmes that support older, old people to connect and contribute to the cultural life of their communities.

Recent street-based performance work, including Theatre of Wandering for Coventry 2021, has focused on uncovering the often invisible and unheard stories of older age.

Elizabeth Lynch MBE

Elizabeth Lynch MBE is an arts and community specialist who works with artists, communities and organisations as an advisor and researcher. Her experience lies in collaborating with and commissioning artists in community contexts and in producing interdisciplinary projects across art, science, health and education. She established the ground breaking youth-led Roundhouse Studios as Director 2000-8 and now works for arts, museums and heritage organisations including Creative People & Places projects, National Gallery, Wellcome Trust, Wellcome Collection, Action Space, Octagon Theatre, Museum of the Home and the National Trust. She has worked as a theatre director in India and Pakistan and on Kinetika’s UK/India Silk River programme 2017 in West Bengal. She is Chair of Theatre-Rites and What Next? Wandsworth, Trustee of I Am Irish, RSA Fellow and Associate Research Fellow, School of Arts, Birkbeck University.

Director – Farrell Renowden

Farrell Renowden is an experienced, passionate, and compassionate cultural leader specialising in Creative Ageing. She has delivered European Cultural Exchange projects with older adults, established the Age of Creativity Festival, an annual programme of events to celebrate creativity in later live across England, and supported national research and policy development.  In her role at Age UK, Farrell has pioneered a strategic approach to supporting older people who are often marginalised by the creative and cultural sector.

A trustee for Human Story Theatre, a charity that develops new plays with health and social care issues at their heart, she recently completed a funded postgraduate certificate in Place Management and Leadership at Manchester Metropolitan University and became a Create Place fellow with Staffordshire University.  Committed to ensuring lived experience is embedded at every level of her work, Farrell is keen to connect with like-minded colleagues from all sectors across the world

As Director of CADA, Farrell will develop England’s Creative Ageing sector support organisation to lead a fundamental rethink and reflection on ageing and creativity, investigating the profound shifts needed to tackle ageism and support systemic change.

Our Advisory Group

Phil Cave

Phil is a consultant, speaker and researcher, specialising in public engagement. He worked with Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Local Trust, National Lottery Community Fund and Esmee Fairbairn Foundation to design Creative Civic Change.

Julie McCarthy

Julie McCarthy is the manager of Great Place GM; a programme to demonstrate the importance of arts and culture in delivering against strategic priorities at Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

She has worked in socially engaged practice and co-production for more than 25 years and Creative Ageing is a major focus of her current practice.

Paul McGarry

Since 2003, Paul has led multi-agency urban ageing partnerships, and in 2016 was appointed as the Head of the Greater Manchester Ageing Hub.

Paul has had a number of journal articles on ageing published, and given presentations to high-profile events in the USA, Asia, Europe and Australia. 

Arti Prashar

Arti stepped down as Spare Tyre’s Artistic Director/CEO in August 2019 after inspirational and acclaimed leadership for 19 years.

She developed inclusive creative practice championing diverse voices. She is at the forefront of immersive sensory theatre practice for people living with dementia and learning disabled people. 

David Slater

David Slater was Founder Director of UK participatory arts company Entelechy Arts, based in Deptford, southeast London.

He remains an Associate of the company. David has extensive experience of working with participatory arts practice in both urban and rural communities with a particular interest in programmes that support older, old people to connect and contribute to the cultural life of their communities.

Recent street-based performance work, including Theatre of Wandering for Coventry 2021, has focused on uncovering the often invisible and unheard stories of older age. 

Elaine Unegbu    

My background is nursing but I have always been passionate about culture. Over the past decade or so I have worked with cultural partners to help make culture more representative, relevant and accessible to older people in Manchester. 

I am a member of CADA advisory board, and a Culture Champion. As an ambassador for arts and culture I seek maximise the reach and of arts and culture in to each of Manchester’s neighbourhoods.

Esme Ward 

Esme Ward is Director of Manchester Museum, the UK’s largest university museum.  
She is Honorary Professor of Heritage Futures at the University of Manchester, a Clore Fellow and Culture Lead for the Greater Manchester Ageing Hub.

Elizabeth Lynch MBE

Elizabeth Lynch MBE is an arts and community specialist who works with artists, communities and organisations as an advisor and researcher. Her experience lies in collaborating with and commissioning artists in community contexts and in producing interdisciplinary projects across art, science, health and education. She established the ground breaking youth-led Roundhouse Studios as Director 2000-8 and now works for arts, museums and heritage organisations including Creative People & Places projects, National Gallery, Wellcome Trust, Wellcome Collection, Action Space, Octagon Theatre, Museum of the Home and the National Trust. She has worked as a theatre director in India and Pakistan and on Kinetika’s UK/India Silk River programme 2017 in West Bengal. She is Chair of Theatre-Rites and What Next? Wandsworth, Trustee of I Am Irish, RSA Fellow and Associate Research Fellow, School of Arts, Birkbeck University.

Our Supporters and Partners

CADA was initiated and is hosted by Manchester Museum, in collaboration with the Whitworth Art Gallery and Manchester Art Gallery.

We are supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and The University of Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing. Together, our partners have an internationally recognised track record in pioneering, innovative age-friendly practice.

We are seed funded by the Baring Foundation which made a ten year investment into creative ageing from 2010-2019 and supported by Arts Council England. CADA is building on this to create a powerful national community of practice that is led by older people and respects their right to culture and creativity.

CADA is a Strategic Alliance Member of the Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance (CHWA)

CADA is an Affiliate Partner of the Centre for Cultural Value

CADA is a member of the British Society of Gerontology Creative Ageing Special Interest Group

Creative Ageing Development Ltd working as CADA the Creative Ageing Development Agency a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales No 13863570. Registered office 200 Drake St, Rochdale OL16 1PJ. Charity number 1200477 

Contact Us

hello@cadaengland.org
Follow us on Twitter @CADA_England