Meet the team behind the Portico Sadie Massey Awards
Ruth Estevez
Our Project Coordinator for the Portico Sadie Massey Awards for young readers and writers is a published author who has also worked in theatre and television. She began her career as actor, stage and company manager, props maker and driver for theatre companies from Opera North, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Harrogate Theatre-in-Education Company to YTV’s Emmerdale.
Writing includes being a script writer on the Children’s TV series, Bob the Builder, to her current career writing YA and Adult novels. She strongly believes in place and voice in books, and sets the majority of her novels in her native Yorkshire.
Please get in touch with Ruth if you have questions about The Portico Sadie Massey Awards: psma@theportico.org.uk
Lynne Allan
Chair of the Portico Library. Lynne was a teacher and lecturer in Manchester for over 30 years. She has been a member of the Library for 20 years and served on various committees during that time. Lynne has been Chair since 2013 and the inaugural Chair of the Board of the new charity. The motivation to become a trustee stemmed from a love of the Library and the determination to participate in ensuring its future as a cultural beacon for Manchester and beyond. As well as her roles on various library committees, Lynne contributed to the setting up of the Portico Sadie Massey Awards in 2014 and plays a central part in advising and guiding their development and continuation.
Janet FitzGerald
Our Book Award school liaison and workshop organiser, working in particular with Manchester Pupil Referral Units and special schools, has been involved with The Portico Sadie Massey Awards since its creation in 2014. Following Janet’s retirement as a primary head teacher, she is responsible for building up links with schools and delivering reading for pleasure workshops both in schools and in the library as well as specific projects. She has seized this opportunity and is an essential part of the library’s young people’s programmes. Janet also plays an essential role in the Gorton Imagination Library, affiliated to the Dollywood Foundation. Both roles enable her to continue to be involved with students and to share her love of reading.
Janet also owns a new dog with a massive personality.
Morayo Sodipo
Morayo is a Manchester-based writer and former corrosion engineer who now works in theatre and film. She is currently the Communications Officer at Film Hub North and a co-founder of the community-led creative agency VAGUE. And since 2012 she has run Within My Locket, a blog about storytelling across film, theatre and literature.
Morayo joined the Portico Sadie Massey Awards in late 2021 as our Communications and Press Officer.