Our Directors

All our Directors are unpaid volunteers who have a range of expertise and experience in project and financial management, business administration, marketing, disabilities, charity organisations and care giving - and art! 

Alyson Cadd

Alyson is a Director and Company Secretary. She retired from her marketing and admin consultancy 10 years ago, moved to the southwest of England and took up art. Her dream has been to combine art and philanthropy, so Artists With HeArt has been a long time in development. Alyson originally trained as a designer and architect, working in the property department of Thwaites Brewery, upgrading their portfolio of 250 pubs and restaurants. She then moved in to surveying and HIPs.

She has created, chaired or sat on several projects, committees  and community initiatives relating to education and children. Alyson has also sat as a Magistrate (JP) on the Lancashire Bench. Her experience of disability is thankfully limited but has personal experience of the difficulties of Autism and Aspergers and now suffers limited mobility due to Polymyalgia Rheumatica. Alyson lives in Dorset.

Andrew Harlington

Andrew is our Finance Director. He trained in electrical and mechanical engineering in Sheffield. Then became the founder and Managing Director of Airflow Systems - Airflow Engineering, designing and manufacturing industrial process plant for F1 teams, Rolls Royce Gas Turbines, Fairline and Princess Yachts. He became a Fellow of the Institute of Sales and Marketing.

When Andrew left Airflow he assisted various companies with Marketing and Product research for a number of years before “retiring” to Devon, where he started a project called Re-Cycle. This charitable initiative collected and renovated bicycles to donate to local South Devon charities and food banks. It provided over 30 free cycles each Christmas as gifts for children and teenagers.

He has helped organise a fund raising auction at the Thurlstone Hotel with Pru Leith as presenter for the RNLI, raising over £1500 from the sales of local donated art work. Andrew has also supported Prostate Cancer UK with sponsored cycle rides. Andrew lives in Dorset

Graham Wason

Graham is a former partner of Deloitte, an international accountancy and business consultancy, where he was responsible for tourism and hospitality consulting worldwide. He was for 28 years the Owner-Guardian of a 5-star gold-award self-catering business in Somerset until its closure in April 2025. He is a founder-director since 1999 of All Being Well, which provides coaching and guidance in business and personal development. Previous roles have included:

• Founder and Chair of the Cut Hospitality & Tourism VAT Campaign, 1995-2022
• Special Adviser to the EU Committee of the House of Lords, 1996
• Vice-President of Strategy & Development for the World Travel & Tourism Council, 1999-2003
• Consultant for the United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2000-2023
• Trade bodies: Board member and Chairman of The Tourism Society; founder-director of the Professional Association of Self-Caterers; Board member of the Holiday Home Association; Member of the Advisory Board of the School of Management, University of Surrey.   

Jo Franks-Turner 

Director/Artist - Jo has15 years project management experience in the charity sector including Red Cross, YMCA and smaller charities.  Currently on a career break, developing her art business part time. She volunteers as a room guide at Wimpole National Trust. She also used to volunteer with Leonard Cheshire and worked with SEN learners at various charities including First Place Training 

"As a water colour artist I am inspired by the natural world around us.  I also love to explore colours and textures in Brusho, gouache and acrylics. I have been creating art all my life but it wasn't until I lost my job due to the pandemic that I had time to set up my art as a business.  In the summer of 2022 I had my first solo exhibition and have taken part in Open Studios for the last 5 years. Happy to be a point of contact for artists and attend virtual meetings." 

Jo lives in Dunstable, Beds

Tamsin Dearing

Director/Artist - Tamsin is a Cornish professional artist, who specialises in fine art pencil and pastel portraiture. Her professional background has always centered around people and community work. She has worked in a wide variety of settings and with older people, adults with learning disabilities, in mental health, with people living with Dementia and neurological conditions, and with women and children from Black and Minority Ethnic communities. She has experience working at a strategic level in local health services, and has a particular interest in arts, health and wellbeing. 

Art has always been central in her life. From creating for pleasure, working to commission drawing portraits, and for over a decade teaching art in community settings. Tamsin regularly collaborates with local organisations and service providers, in particular Promas CIC who support unpaid carers across Cornwall. 

Personally, Tamsin has a lot of experience of being a carer for loved ones. This has left her with a deep appreciation of the immense privilege this is, as well as the many and complex challenges it brings. Art and the natural world have been the greatest sources of balance in such times and continue to sustain her and bring her many new and exciting connections. As such, Tamsin is delighted to be able to support Artists with HeART, and will represent the contributing artists and support the development of this exciting CIC to reach and expand its goals.