Lapidus Board & Team Members
Meet the Board & Team behind Lapidus International, The Writing for Wellbeing Community.
Board Members
Mel Perry
Mel is a poet, spoken word performer and writing practitioner from Wales, with a background in public health, and substance misuse related training and service management. She completed her MSc CWTP in 2019 following her research project which explored the experience of women survivors of domestic abuse reading their creative writing at a spoken word poetry event. Since retiring from Public Health Wales in October 2018, Mel has dedicated her time to developing her current role. Mel is published in Nation Cymru, 2024; LIRIC Journal Vol 2 Issue 2; Spoken Word in the UK, Routledge, 2021, Write a line. Inspiration book for children & young people. Kultivera 2021, and poetry anthologies. Her third poetry collection will be a response to the life and influence of her maternal grandmother. She is passionate about helping people find their seed of creativity to promote health and wellbeing, and social activism across a range of issues.
Matt Bennion-Pedley
Matt is an accomplished finance director and management consultant, who has played a pivotal role in ensuring the success of numerous organisations, particularly those operating in the not-for-profit sectors of education, social care, emergency services and criminal justice.
Matt is a strong advocate for writing for wellbeing and has seen the positive impact it can bring to people from all walks of life.
When not working, reading or writing, Matt will probably be found gardening, walking the coast path, visiting a theatre or art gallery, or catching up with friends.
Buki Akilapa
As an accomplished educator and advocate for diversity and inclusion, Buki Akilapa brings a wealth of experience in empowering individuals and fostering inclusive environments. With a background in education and community development, Buki has demonstrated a commitment to promoting equity and social justice in various professional settings. Her passion for creating positive change is evident through her work in curriculum development, training facilitation, and mentorship programs. Buki’s dedication to uplifting marginalised voices and promoting cultural understanding reflects her empathy, integrity, and collaboration values. With a keen focus on leveraging the power of education to drive social impact, Buki continues to inspire others to embrace diversity and build inclusive communities.
Peter Emelone
With over two decades of dedicated service in the field of education, Peter brings a wealth of knowledge, passion, and dedication to Lapidus International. Previously Director of Studies and currently serving as a Consultant Lecturer for Learning and Teaching at Global Banking School, he is a passionate advocate for transformative teaching practices. As an ambassador for the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), Peter actively promoted the importance of management and leadership skills in education. He also advocated for the integration of these essential skills into the curriculum. He is a self-proclaimed pioneer of positivity, and his philosophy centres around creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to achieve their fullest potential. Peter is on a mission to change lives through education by fostering a culture of positivity, inclusivity, and continuous improvement.
Caroline Burnley
Caroline Burnley is a Senior Lecturer in Psychological Therapies & Mental Health, School of Health, Leeds Beckett University. Caroline has worked part-time as an operational lead in clinical practice in offender & mental health regional personality disorder services from 2006 to 2019. Caroline subsequently moved into HE in 2017, firstly as a mental health nurse educator from 2017 to 2019 at Leeds Beckett University 2019 and thereafter in a similar role at her previous institution, the University of Bradford, from 2019 to 2021. She then moved on to the Psychological Therapies and Mental Health team in the School of Health at Leeds Beckett University in 2021. Caroline’s interests are in trauma-informed practice and creative writing with mentally disordered offenders in criminal justice settings. In addition, she is currently a Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD) student at Leeds Beckett University with a focus on this theme. Caroline is an accredited Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes Practitioner (Metanoia Institute) and has her own creative writing for well-being company, ‘Creative Hearts and Minds’. Caroline’s current teaching includes BSc Counselling and Mental Health, MA Integrative Counselling, MSc Applied Mental Health Practice (DL), and Trauma Informed Practice L7 CPD module.
Staff Members
Flo Reynolds
As Membership & Creative Development Lead for Lapidus International, Flo leads on our operations, membership strategy and creative programme development, working across the organisation to enhance member experiences, guide programming, and support the Board in shaping long-term plans.
Flo is also a writer, coach, and arts professional based in Norwich, UK, and is passionate about nurturing people’s creative voices and supporting opportunities for learning, collaboration, and growth. She has published three books of poetry with respected small presses. With nearly fifteen years’ experience in the arts and culture sector, Flo’s professional background spans place-based and organisational strategy, programme design, evaluation and impact design, and project management. Notably, Flo worked as a programmer and producer at National Centre for Writing for six years, where she curated festival, adult education, talent development, and international programmes.
Flo is able to help with all queries from Lapidus members and interested parties and can be contacted on membership@lapidus.org.uk.
Dr Emma Astra
Dr Emma Astra is Editor of the LIRIC Journal (Lapidus International Research and Innovation Community), an open-access journal exploring writing, research, creativity, health and wellbeing.
A writer, researcher and founder of the Emma Astra Foundation, she is committed to making research accessible and engaging for all — from the general public to professionals across disciplines — while maintaining rigour. She is particularly interested in evolving how research is written and presented in new ways.
She welcomes contributions from all backgrounds and subjects, alongside established published authors, and is developing a supportive Reviewer Hub to strengthen LIRIC’s reviewing culture.
Emma actively encourages feedback from authors, readers and reviewers about their experience of LIRIC — what has worked, what could be better, and any ideas or suggestions they may have. She also warmly welcomes open dialogue with anyone who has connected with the journal in any way: whether something has resonated with you, you have a question or query, you’re wondering whether to submit, or you’ve encountered any difficulties with the submission process or the system. No question is too small — get in touch at liriceditor@lapidus.org.uk
For Emma’s wider portfolio and full contact details, visit linktr.ee/emmaastra
Regina Beach
Regina Beach is a disabled poet and essayist. Originally from the American midwest, she now calls the Welsh Valleys home. She is a freelance writer and editor passionate about accessibility in the arts. She is the founder of the literary magazine Lesions | Art + Words featuring the work of creators living with chronic conditions. She hosts Writers’ Hour and is the editor of the London Writers’ Salon’s Writing in Community anthology. She facilitates creativity workshops for the MS-UK charity and is the producer of the Living Well with MS podcast.
Read more of Regina’s writing at reginagbeach.com or subscribe to her newsletter at reginagbeach.substack.com.