Our Teachers

Philippa Barstow

1 Course in Crafts and Textiles

I qualified from Manchester College of Building in 1987 and started my own business, along with my husband, in 1988. I have been teaching at night school for over 30 years and have taught French Polishing around...

Alessandra Batty

14 Courses in Distance Learning, Archaeology, History & History of Art, Art

I hold a degree and a postgraduate degree (Specializzazione) in Classical Archaeology from the Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, and an MA in Archaeology and PhD in History of Art from the University...

Les Berry

12 Courses in Music, Archaeology, History & History of Art, Classics, Literature, Philosophy & Poetry

For many years before taking retirement I was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of English at the Manchester Metropolitan University, teaching across all of the department's degrees and supervising dissertations. My particular interests lay in the areas of...

Benedicte Blamey

7 Courses in Modern Languages

Benedicte is one of our native French teachers. She has been working at the Guild over many years and has built up a number of successful classes. She is a fully qualified secondary school level French teacher and has...

Sylvia Bower

1 Course in Crafts and Textiles

I was born and grew up in Morley Green, lived on my parents' farm until I married, and then moved to Alderley Edge where I had my two sons. I then moved to Woodford and started working in a florist's...

Guido Bozzi

2 Events: Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto

Rosemary Broadbent

2 Events: Choral Celebrations – Purcell, Handel and Saint Cecilia (Part Two), Choral Celebrations – Purcell, Handel and Saint Cecilia (Part One)

Rosemary read Music at Oxford University and has spent her career in Music education, including over twenty years as an Academic Tutor at the Junior Royal Northern College of

Peter Brookes

1 Course in Archaeology, History & History of Art

Military Historian, Speaker & Battlefield GuideWith a lifelong passion for military history and an academic foundation to match, Peter brings the complexities of the World Wars to life. Having completed his Master’s degree specializing in WWII history in...

Mia Calderisi Phelan

6 Courses in Jewellery school Cheshire

Mia Calderisi has been designing and handcrafting jewellery in south Manchester for more than 10 years. "I took the long route round to get to where I am now. I started with a fine arts degree and then...

Barry Clark

Barry Clark is an experienced speaker and a retired Manchester Metropolitan University lecturer with a life-long interest in the...

Emma Crawley

2 Courses in Art

Lindsey Cuff

3 Courses in Bridge

After a career in the Pharmaceutical Industry, I trained to teach bridge with the English Bridge Union. I have been playing bridge for 15 years and teaching for 2 and I play in local clubs at least once a...

Anne Davies

12 Courses in Distance Learning, Crafts and Textiles

I am a freelance artist, writer and teacher based in Stockport, Cheshire. I work in textiles and mixed-media. Felt-making, dyeing, stitching and printing are the main areas I work in.As a...

Nick Eveleigh

1 Course in Art

After gaining a diploma in Art and Design, painting and film making, at Newport Art College I went to Manchester Polytechnic where I obtained a Certificate in Education. I taught Art to 11 to 18 year olds at Wilmslow...

Alexandra Fairclough

12 Courses in Archaeology, History & History of Art

3 Events: Cathedrals of the UK, An Introduction to legal history, History of Fashion- Medieval Drapery to Contemporary Streetwear

Alexandra is an architectural historian and heritage specialist. She studied her Masters in Architectural Conservation,...

Lynda Favour

8 Courses in Children's Ballet School RAD, Dance and Fitness

2 Events: Children's ballet pre-teen and teen Free taster, Children's ballet aged 5 -7 (Beginner) Free taster

Lynda Favour BA (hons), RAD RTSMostly raised in Liverpool, at aged 3 I was introduced to the world of dance at Chiltern Casting School where I was taught by the wonderful Mrs Byatt. It was here where I gained vocational...

Anna Maria Forti Sheikh

12 Courses in Modern Languages

Anna Maria Forti Sheikh is an experienced Freelance Translator, Language Consultant and Teacher of Italian at CDLCI – Education Department of the Italian Consulate in Manchester- delivering courses of Italian language and culture at pre-GCSE, GCSE and GCE level,...

Alison Hales

11 Courses in Community Engagement

Following brief experiences in leisure, retail management and chartered accountant training, I settled into a rewarding career in further and higher education colleges. In addition to having experience of managing two very different college departments,...

Jackie Halhead

9 Courses in Art, Crafts and Textiles

I started to paint on China and Porcelain in 1973 simply for fun......which is what most students do. I found I loved it and decided to take it a lot more seriously by attending every class/course or seminar I...

Juliette Hamilton

3 Events: Willow obelisks and dragonflies 27th March , Willow sitting hares 20th February 27 , Willow stags 24th October 2026

Juliette Hamilton originally trained at Manchester Metropolitan University in Textile Design, specialising in Weave.

Laura Harvey

Laura Harvey is an interdisciplinary scholar and artist, whose focus lies at the intersection of the visual arts, environmental relationships, and cultural contexts. Her practice currently focuses on the processes of ink making, papermaking, and basketry.

Ros Heywood

Volunteer and Coordinator for Floral Design Club

Shirley Hody

2 Courses in Dance and Fitness, Health and Wellbeing

Hi! I’m Shirley, a fitness instructor with a strong background in science. For the past...

Victoria Holden

6 Courses in Dance and Fitness, Health and Wellbeing

Vicky is a tai chi and qigong teacher of 28 years’ experience. She is a registered instructor with the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts (BCCMA), which is the Sport England-recognised governing body for tai chi, and holds an...

Teachers

I qualified from Manchester College of Building in 1987 and started my own business, along with my husband, in 1988. I have been teaching at night school for over 30 years and have taught French Polishing around...

I hold a degree and a postgraduate degree (Specializzazione) in Classical Archaeology from the Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, and an MA in Archaeology and PhD in History of Art from the University...

For many years before taking retirement I was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of English at the Manchester Metropolitan University, teaching across all of the department's degrees and supervising dissertations. My particular interests lay in the areas of...

Benedicte is one of our native French teachers. She has been working at the Guild over many years and has built up a number of successful classes. She is a fully qualified secondary school level French teacher and has...

I was born and grew up in Morley Green, lived on my parents' farm until I married, and then moved to Alderley Edge where I had my two sons. I then moved to Woodford and started working in a florist's...

Rosemary read Music at Oxford University and has spent her career in Music education, including over twenty years as an Academic Tutor at the Junior Royal Northern College of

Military Historian, Speaker & Battlefield GuideWith a lifelong passion for military history and an academic foundation to match, Peter brings the complexities of the World Wars to life. Having completed his Master’s degree specializing in WWII history in...

Mia Calderisi has been designing and handcrafting jewellery in south Manchester for more than 10 years. "I took the long route round to get to where I am now. I started with a fine arts degree and then...

Barry Clark is an experienced speaker and a retired Manchester Metropolitan University lecturer with a life-long interest in the...

After a career in the Pharmaceutical Industry, I trained to teach bridge with the English Bridge Union. I have been playing bridge for 15 years and teaching for 2 and I play in local clubs at least once a...

I am a freelance artist, writer and teacher based in Stockport, Cheshire. I work in textiles and mixed-media. Felt-making, dyeing, stitching and printing are the main areas I work in.As a...

After gaining a diploma in Art and Design, painting and film making, at Newport Art College I went to Manchester Polytechnic where I obtained a Certificate in Education. I taught Art to 11 to 18 year olds at Wilmslow...

Alexandra is an architectural historian and heritage specialist. She studied her Masters in Architectural Conservation,...

Lynda Favour BA (hons), RAD RTSMostly raised in Liverpool, at aged 3 I was introduced to the world of dance at Chiltern Casting School where I was taught by the wonderful Mrs Byatt. It was here where I gained vocational...

Anna Maria Forti Sheikh is an experienced Freelance Translator, Language Consultant and Teacher of Italian at CDLCI – Education Department of the Italian Consulate in Manchester- delivering courses of Italian language and culture at pre-GCSE, GCSE and GCE level,...

Following brief experiences in leisure, retail management and chartered accountant training, I settled into a rewarding career in further and higher education colleges. In addition to having experience of managing two very different college departments,...

I started to paint on China and Porcelain in 1973 simply for fun......which is what most students do. I found I loved it and decided to take it a lot more seriously by attending every class/course or seminar I...

Juliette Hamilton originally trained at Manchester Metropolitan University in Textile Design, specialising in Weave.

Laura Harvey is an interdisciplinary scholar and artist, whose focus lies at the intersection of the visual arts, environmental relationships, and cultural contexts. Her practice currently focuses on the processes of ink making, papermaking, and basketry.

Volunteer and Coordinator for Floral Design Club

Hi! I’m Shirley, a fitness instructor with a strong background in science. For the past...

Vicky is a tai chi and qigong teacher of 28 years’ experience. She is a registered instructor with the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts (BCCMA), which is the Sport England-recognised governing body for tai chi, and holds an...

Volunteer and Coordinator for the Gardening Club