About us
Bridget Shea and Tess Hudson (pictured right) are the driving force and co-founders of Pen and Tonic.
Bridget Shea has gained over twenty years experience as an Informal Educator and Community Worker. She has facilitated many writing groups within community settings including for people with learning difficulties and people with limited literacy skills. She has also set up and supported a number of self advocacy groups and projects including a community action group for young people living with HIV and AIDS and advocacy groups for disabled people. She supported the founding of the London-based charity Powerhouse; an advocacy and campaigning organization for people with learning difficulties. She went on to become director of the charity. Bridget is also a fieldwork supervisor for Informal Education and Community Work under graduates and practitioners.
Tess Hudson is a writer and teacher. She has written for radio and television and has won numerous competitions/prizes for fiction and script writing. She is a qualified teacher and has several years experience of working within formal and informal educational settings as a drama and creative writing teacher.
She has also facilitated writing and drama therapy groups within various community settings including a homeless person’s project and various projects for people with learning difficulties. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (Distinction) and has taught creative writing at the university.
Recommendations
‘Pen and Tonic’s writing for health workshops help you to break big issues into manageable chunks and make something creative out of ideas you didn’t know you had in you.’ (John Lawson, Community Worker, MESMAC Teesside.)
‘It has helped me to get things off my chest. It’s amazing how quickly people get to know and trust each other through the workshops.’ (Jenni Owen, Community Arts Officer, The Arc, Stockton. )
‘I feel very inspired to take my ideas into the community. Now I have the frameworks and confidence it will be excellent!’ (Viv Wiggins, Poet and Writing Facilitator.)