Lucy Windridge-Floris joins Mel Perry as new Co-Chair

We’re delighted to welcome Lucy Windridge-Floris and Mel Perry as the new Co-Chairs of the Lapidus Board. In this blog post, Lucy shares her intentions for her new role and a vision for how she and Mel will work to champion Lapidus and its members. 

I am enormously honoured to be on the Lapidus International Board and to have the opportunity to take on the role of Co-Chair alongside Mel Perry. With such an excellent body of new Directors and skilled administrators, the future feels really exciting! We’re standing on the shoulders of giants.

The world is undergoing gargantuan shifts in many respects. Words, stories, connections, healing and all the aspects of Lapidus feel ever more important. My commitment is to embrace change head-on and support the important place this organisation has internationally. I believe we must listen to the work of those across the globe as well as in the UK.

I have been interested in how creativity connects with our sense of vitality and authenticity since my mother gave me a candle, a box of matches and a cake tin and told me (aged 6) to write down all my angry thoughts and burn them! Despite the large hole in the carpet, I think this was good parenting! I later embarked on a Dramatherapy PG training, way back in 1990. As part of this it was obligatory to enter into the discipline as a participant. Since then, I have looked at the whole world through such a creative/therapeutic lens.

I am passionate about the power of words and in times of challenge, I always reach for a pencil and paper. I believe how we use narrative is essential to human existence and to work in this field is to be close to the essence of us all.

I am committed to ensuring that our practices at Lapidus International align with our values of inclusivity and ethical responsibility fostering a more inclusive and socially aware environment. Also, my personal commitment is to decolonising my mind, and I have a special interest in critical social issues. This informs my practice, research and teaching.

In addition to my role with Lapidus International, I am also Programme Director and Senior Lecturer in English and Creative Writing at Cardiff Metropolitan University. I have honed my leadership skills and hope I have always fostered a highly positive and supportive environment for students. I have worked in education, as a therapist for the NHS, Social Services and privately in mental health and secondary treatment for addiction.

My recent research focuses on how creative writing can be used to tackle social issues through storytelling. Unpicking Horrifying Moments of Uneasy Silence: Writing Responses to Gestures of Islamophobia in the UK explores my and my husband’s experiences.

We live together in Gloucestershire and between us have 4 children and 2 grandchildren.

So, now to crack on with my new responsibilities. I look forward to meeting more and more wonderful people in this role!