Carole Rose

Cooking

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Carole has spent 23 years making cooking accessible and enjoyable for people of all ages and abilities.  Her philosophy is simple: we all enjoy eating, so everyone should have the opportunity to learn about food, develop their skills and express their creativity in the kitchen.  For Carole, cooking should be fun, rewarding and never a chore!

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Carole’s career began far from the kitchen, working for the Financial Times, where she managed the Colour Department within advertising.  When her role became redundant as a result of advances in digital technology, and after taking time out to raise her children, Carole decided to follow her passion for cooking and retrain for a completely new career.  Having raised her sister from a young age, she was already confident in the kitchen and loved experimenting with food and creating new dishes.  It proved to be the perfect career change.

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Carole initially focused on teaching young children, but over the years has worked with people across a wide range of ages and abilities.  Having an autistic son herself has also helped shape her understanding of the importance of adapting teaching approaches to meet individual needs and ensuring that everyone can participate and succeed.

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The opportunity to make a real difference to people facing additional challenges has been a particular motivation throughout Carole’s career.  She now works with a variety of schools and charities, but her favourite place remains City of Chelmsford Mencap, where she has been teaching for an incredible 14 years.  Carole delivers three classes per week, on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday mornings and afternoons.

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Carole’s classes combine fun with practical learning, using step-by-step demonstrations to help everyone develop their skills, confidence and independence in the kitchen.  And, as Carole is always quick to point out, she teaches the best subject of all – because everyone leaves with something delicious to enjoy!

Outside the kitchen, Carole is a proud mum to three grown-up sons, who have clearly inherited her love of cooking and are now accomplished cooks themselves.  She also enjoys reading, travelling and learning Spanish, keeping her mind active and embracing new challenges.

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Helen Cridland

Dance and movement

Helen began dancing at age 4, training in ballet, tap, modern, and jazz at Rainbow Studios near Blackpool. Her passion led her to vocational training at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, and after completing her BPA (Hons) Degree, she rekindled her love of musical theatre at Bodywork Company Dance Studios in Cambridge.

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Following a 10-year professional performing career, both nationally and internationally, Helen transitioned into teaching after settling in Chelmsford, where she joined Essex Dance Theatre in 2012.  Since then, she has worked extensively as a teacher and creative dance artist across a wide range of settings and communities.  Her work includes creative ballet projects, technique training, choreography, adult ballet classes, school sessions, community dance initiatives, and musical theatre youth work.  Working with children, teenagers, adults, dancers, non-dancers, and individuals with disabilities has been central to developing her inclusive and creative practice.

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Helen also spent five years as an Associate Artist on the Royal Ballet & Opera’s ‘Chance to Dance’ programme - a project rooted in ballet but driven by creativity and accessibility - collaborating on large-scale performances for hundreds of young people at the Royal Opera House and the Royal Ballet School.

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Outside of dance (and helping run a family business with her husband), Helen enjoys beach days, country park walks with her two children and their Welsh Collie, Sansa, and spending time in the garden with their guinea pigs.