Jennie Rainsford
Jennie Rainsford
I have always had a creative ‘bent’ , from making all sorts of weird and wonderful things as a child to embarking on a life-long passion for tap dancing from the age of 7.
Later years took me into theatre management, moving around the country from The Midlands to Manchester to London’s West End. A further couple of years running Europe’s largest contemporary music school in West London brought another dimension to my creative world.
Moving to Lechlade on Thames in The Cotswolds in 2004, I developed a creative agency with a small team of colleagues, based in Cheltenham. We devised creative marketing campaigns for a diverse range of clients and become involved in a number of events locally, including a project to bring a motor racing event to the streets of Cheltenham, Stroud International Textiles and the Cotswolds Attractions Group.
After re-shaping the business into more of a consultancy role, I enabled my creative thinking to flow once more and launched Lechlade Music Festival in 2010. The family-friendly event has evolved in a respected date in the music festival calendar, welcoming in excess of 6,000 festival-goers to our lovely market town over the late May bank holiday weekend. We endeavour to provide an affordable festival, with free access to children and a host of free family activities encouraging youngsters (and not-so youngsters!) to explore various forms of dance, music and crafts. Over 100 bands perform throughout the 3-day event, with a focus on unsigned artists.
In 2004 I launched Lechlade Craft Barn with a friend, reigniting my passion for crafts. We offer a wide range of craft workshops in a beautiful stone barn and at a number of venues around the region. Regular weekly Wednesday Crafternoons encourage locals to meet like-minded crafters and share creative and life experiences over a cuppa. Workshop topics include Mosaic Making, Crochet, Lampshade Making, Block Printing, Papercrafts, Willow Weaving, Needle Felting – with a year-round programme of events, including a two day Craft Show called ‘Make It! & More’ in the autumn .
Whilst having lapsed as a tap dancer, I am a member of a local ladies’ morris dancing side and have recently taken up clog dancing. My days are delightfully full of all things creative – but there’s always space for something new!
My website addresses are:
and I am on Instagram at:
https://www.instagram.com/jennierainsford/
https://www.instagram.com/lechladefestival/
https://www.instagram.com/lechladecraftbarn/
and on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/lechladefestival
https://www.facebook.com/lechladecraftbarn
https://www.facebook.com/MakeItandMore
Contact Number: 077404 16783