This year, I had the joy of organising the Hillfields Community Festival for WATCH. Slightly different to what I’ve done before but, at its heart, it carried the same thing that runs through everything I do: community.

What made this one so special is how much it ties back to my journey with WATCH. I first walked through their doors in 2022 as a work experience student during my Masters, thinking it’d just be a short placement. Spoiler: it completely changed my journey professionally and personally. Not long after, I became the Youth Development Officer and I got my own radio show, and joined the Hillz FM Steering Group in 2023. In 2024, even while starting out as a freelancer, I couldn’t stay away and I carried on volunteering and staying close to the station and the people who made it feel like home. And now, in 2025, life feels very full-circle: I’m back as Training and Youth Development Officer, and stepped into a brand-new chapter as Hillz FM’s Station Manager!

When I first came to Coventry as a student, I found my community in the arts. But it wasn’t until WATCH that I truly understood what it meant to be part of a community, to work not just in it, but with it and for it. That’s where I found my calling, and it’s why producing this year’s Hillfields Community Festival felt like such a milestone.

Festivals aren’t just about music, stalls, or fun (though we had plenty of all of that!). They’re about people coming together, connecting with each other, and celebrating the place they call home. And that’s the kind of magic I want to keep creating.