Episode 54 - Emma Parsons (Freelance Consultant)

n Episode 54 of the Cultural Peeps Podcast I'm joined by Emma Parsons. Emma has been a freelance consultant for almost 20 years, working with organisations in the arts, heritage, cultural and environmental sectors to help them connect, to plan and to thrive. She specialises in helping organisations develop their audiences and participants, putting them at the heart of their activities. In our chat we talk about Emma’s career – which started with her first degree in Leeds, where her interest in Museum work was ignited through a connection with documents from the Cold War. After graduation Emma undertook a lengthy stint of volunteering at Abbot Hall, which she describes as critical in helping her define what she wanted to do in her career. We also chat about her time as a Project Development Manager at Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council Leisure Services before then going on to work as a Development Manager at The Harris Museum & Art Gallery in Preston – somewhere I went to a lot as a student, during both my A-levels and Foundation course. Emma then went on to work as the Marketing Manager at The Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, before moving across the city to join the team at the Imperial War Museum North as the Head of Marketing & PR, where she stayed for 6 years, before initially dropping down to 4 days to dip her toe into what became a permanent move into Freelance work. We also touch on Emma’s work on the Loud in Libraries CIC where acts like Idles, Sam Fender and Adele played to small audiences in Local Libraries. More recently Emma has qualified as a RD1st coach. This episode was recorded in March 2026 and is an edited version of a longer conversation. LINKS:  Emma Parsons Consulting: https://www.emmaparsonsconsulting.com/ The National Lottery Heritage Fund: https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/ The National Lottery Heritage Fund RoSS framework consultants: https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/about/our-people/project-support-consultants-ross-framework The Paraorchestra: https://paraorchestra.com/ Abbot Hall Kendal: https://lakelandarts.org.uk/abbot-hall/ Loud in Libraries CIC: https://getitloudinlibraries.com/ Imperial War Museum North: https://www.iwm.org.uk/ The Whitworth Art Gallery: https://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/ Whitworth: Wallpaper Collection: https://whitworthcollections.manchester.ac.uk/aboutthecollection/wallpaper The Harris: https://theharris.org.uk/ Esme Ward: https://www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/members/manmuseum/ Bolton Libraries & Museum Service: https://www.boltonlams.co.uk/ Kendal Parish Church: https://kendalparishchurch.co.uk/ Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh: https://www.rbge.org.uk/ Morecambe Bay Partnership: https://www.morecambebay.org.uk/