Our team

Meet the team

Led by festival director, Niccy Hallifax, the team brings expertise, creativity, enterprise, and a wealth of experience delivering large-scale public events.

The wider festival team is made up of colleagues from across Darlington Borough Council, Durham County Council and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, our museum partners and is supported by the S&DR200 Board.

Thanks to Jo Booth, who won the commission to photograph the members of the festival team, through an open submission in partnership with Teesside University.

The S&DR200 Board

The members are:

• Reuben Kench - S&DR200 Chairman of the board and Director of Community Services, Environment and Culture at Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
• Marie Addison - Regional Community and Sustainability Manager at Northern Railway
• Alison Clark - Head of Culture, Sport and Tourism at Durham County Council
• Lianna Francis-Kelly - Partnerships Team Leader of Historic England North East
• Niall Hammond - Chair of Friends of S&DR
• Helen Kemp - Business Solutions Director at Tees Valley Combined Authority
• Felicity Machnicki - Community Rail Officer, Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership
• Edward Perry - The Auckland Project
• Dennis Middleton - LNER
• Charlie Nettle - Group MD, AV Dawson
• Emma Robertson - Programme Manager of Railway 200
• Mark Sill - Northern Railway
• Ian Thompson - Assistant Director of Community Services at Darlington Borough Council
• Ed Turner - Communications Manager of LNER for the North
• Tim Wright - Customer Relationship Executive at Network Rail

S&DR200 Festival team

Niccy Hallifax (she or her) - S&DR200 Festival Director

Niccy is an experienced creator who has worked on numerous global, high-profile and internationally award-winning projects in the heritage and culture sector. She has successfully directed and delivered large-scale, public-facing cultural projects and always prioritises the diversifying of audiences through a creative approach to cultural place-making. Recently she directed installations including SEE MONSTER, the opening and closing events for Waltham Forest Borough of Culture, and the handover to Birmingham 2020, a 10-minute, groundbreaking broadcast piece for the Commonwealth Games.

Richie Starrs (he or him) - S&DR Project Manager

Richie has been involved with the Stockton and Darlington Railway Heritage Project since 2018. He was the lead officer overseeing the delivery of Historic England's S&DR Heritage Action Zone initiative, which saw a huge increase in research and raised awareness and investment into the S&DR programme. Richie previously worked for Hartlepool Borough Council and oversaw significant regeneration projects on Hartlepool's Historic Headland and played a lead role in delivering Hartlepool's Neighbourhood Renewal Programme.

Cait Barratt (she or her) - S&DR Heritage & Community Participation Manager

Cait has worked in the arts, culture, and heritage industry for 15 years in a variety of museums, galleries, and historic properties. Working initially as a volunteer and intern throughout undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, Cait then worked as a museum professional. Cait's background is in collections management and interpretation, developing exhibitions and National Lottery Heritage Fund projects as a consultant and project manager.

Jess Woodley (she or they) - S&DR Youth Engagement Officer

Jess is a recent graduate of the University of Southampton where they studied BA History and Archaeology and MSc Archaeology. Jess has spent 6 years working at Darlington Hippodrome and helped develop exhibition content for the theatre. They believe strongly in the impact the arts can have within heritage and is passionate about improving diversity and inclusion through creating space for the voices of young people within the heritage world.

Claire Skaife (she or her) - S&DR Volunteer and Training Coordinator

Claire was the Community Engagement Assistant at Preston Park Museum and Grounds in Stockton. She worked with 150 to 200 volunteers and local communities through a variety of large-scale family events and exhibitions before joining the S&DR team. During her 5 years of working for English Heritage, she worked at Whitby and Rievaulx Abbeys, Stonehenge and at History Live in visitors services and sales membership.

Reuben Kench - Chair of the Stockton & Darlington Rail Heritage Partnership, Director of Community, Environment & Culture at Stockton Borough Council

Reuben worked in the arts, as Director of Cleveland Arts and Head of Regional Development for Northern Arts, before moving into local government. His subsequent 20 years senior management experience across culture, events, leisure and heritage services has included delivery of large events, major capital programmes, policy development and service design. He is also leading the Council's strategy for environmental sustainability and carbon reduction.

Alison Clark - Head of Culture, Leisure, Sport and Tourism at Durham County Council

Alison has had a 25 year career in culture and place leadership. She is currently Director of Culture Sport and Tourism at Durham County Council, alongside supporting the development of the Culture Creative Tourism and Sport portfolio for the new North East Combined Authority. Alison spent 15 years with Arts Council England and was North West Director and national Director in Combined Arts. She has supported major infrastructure growth, developed policy and designed and lead influential programmes that had significant impact on large scale festivals and events.

Ian Thompson - Assistant Director of Community Services at Darlington Borough Council

Ian has work in local government for over 40 years with 30 years of that at a senior level having a focus on Leisure and Cultural services. He is currently Assistant Director of Community Services with responsibility for Culture, Leisure and Environmental services. In recent years Ian has led the restoration of Darlington Hippodrome, the town library and the most recent £37 million restoration and development project of a collection of historic railway buildings. Hopetown Darlington is a new visitor attraction which opened in July 2024.