This autumn marks an exciting new chapter for Magic Me. With Susan Langford stepping down after more than three decades of inspirational intergenerational arts leadership, we’re preparing to begin our next phase under the joint leadership of Ben Butcher and Kate Hodson. Together they will guide Magic Me into its next stage of growth, creativity and connection.
Kate moves from her current role as Magic Me’s Programme Director to Joint CEO / Creative Director. ‘There are many stand out moments from my time with the charity so far’ she says ‘Highlights for me have been the projects that brought intergenerational connection and celebration right into the heart of everyday spaces. I’ll never forget the Meet the Street festival in a school playground where hundreds of younger and older neighbours gathered in joy and playfulness, or the Inside Out festival, which transformed residential housing into vibrant arts spaces, showcasing creativity across generations. Developing work between artists and care homes has been a real source of passion and learning for me – From Cocktails in Care Homes parties, to Artists’ Residencies, and our Spark training and development programme, I am continually inspired by how creativity can enrich daily life, strengthen relationships, and open up new possibilities for residents, staff, and artists alike.’
Ben – who moves from Head of Operations to Joint CEO / Executive Director – says ‘Discovering Magic Me was a serendipitous experience for me. I’d been talking with a friend and immersive theatre maker about the idea of bringing school children into a care setting to create a performance together. A few days later while looking for a job I found Magic Me and realised there was an organisation already doing something very similar which felt incredibly exciting. As I explored the organisation’s legacy projects, I realised that this was an organisation whose values matched my own.’
How does the future look? Ben adds ‘Kate and I are really keen to explore how we can take the excellent project work we do to other parts of London and the UK and how we might work in partnership with other great organisations to do this. Magic Me has collaboration and co-creation at its core and this will serve us well as we explore the possibilities of expansion.’
‘Building connection is central to Magic Me’s ethos’ says Kate ‘Over the next few years, I’m committed to carrying forward our belief that everyone has a past, a present, a future and an imagination, and that we are all ageing, not just those society labels as ‘old’. Our projects can challenge the divisions and stereotypes that so often separate generations, instead creating opportunities to connect, share, and belong. At a time of seismic change – locally and globally – I believe it’s more important than ever to build understanding, connection and community across ages.’
Congratulations on your new roles, Ben and Kate!
