Ignite! stories:

Rachel Hughes

Rachel with camera, at Ingestre Hall

Rachel was one of the first young people to attend an Ignite! workshop.

Way back in 2003, Rachel was a year 10 student at Heathfield Foundation School in Sandwell and came to our first residential lab at Ingestre Hall in Staffordshire in January 2004.

Always interested in art and animation, Rachel tried her hand at making films and sound recordings, as well as leading the diary room gang. At later Labs in the South West of England she became one of Ignite!'s peer consultants, training other young people to use the diary room and how to make consultation with young people real and meaningful.

Ignite! supported Rachel for two years, during which she also attended a number of further 'Made for You' Ignite! workshops in the West Midlands, and went on to study art and media studies - 'this involved me making films and magazines which I really enjoyed as it involved animation and a lot of other skills I learnt at Ignite!'.

'After completing that year I went on to college where I studied theatrical and media make up - basically all the sorts of make up you would see on films including cuts, bruises, plain day as well as evening and period make up. I also did photography as an extra course and I really enjoyed that.'

Rachel is now looking for work in the arts or creative industries in the West Midlands, and we wish her all the creative best. Top Banana!