Dylan Jake awarded one of Northamptonshire’s highest civic honours

Dylan Jake has been named Volunteer of the Year 2025, receiving the Lady Juliet Townsend Award for Volunteering from Northamptonshire Community Foundation, described by the Northampton Chronicle as one of Northamptonshire’s highest civic honours. The award carries particular civic significance as it is named in honour of Lady Juliet Townsend, the former Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, a role which serves as His Majesty The King’s personal representative in the county.

Recognising Voluntary Service

The recognition highlights Dylan Jake’s sustained voluntary commitment to Northamptonshire’s creative and community sector. Through his work with Lumina Arts Alliance CIC, he has contributed extensive unpaid time to developing inclusive arts, wellbeing, and community programmes that create meaningful opportunities for people across the county. His role has included supporting governance, building partnerships, shaping programme delivery, and helping establish accessible creative provision for communities facing barriers to participation.

Strengthening Lumina Arts Alliance CIC

As a co-founder and director of Lumina Arts Alliance CIC, Dylan has played a central role in shaping the organisation’s strategic direction, partnerships, and operational foundations. His work has focused on building accessible, well-structured programmes that remove barriers to participation while maintaining strong governance, safeguarding, and accountability.

Building Sustainable Community Infrastructure

Rather than drawing a salary, Dylan’s contribution has been offered in service of Lumina’s mission: to make creativity, wellbeing, skills development, and community participation more accessible across Northamptonshire. The Lady Juliet Townsend Award formally acknowledges the often unseen work involved in building sustainable community infrastructure that enables people to participate, develop confidence, access creativity, and feel more connected to their local community.

A Collective Achievement

Dylan has consistently emphasised that Lumina’s impact is the result of collective effort across its directors, facilitators, partners, funders, participants, and wider community. The organisation’s achievements are rooted in shared responsibility, collaboration, and a commitment to creating inclusive opportunities for those who need them most.

Dylan extended his thanks to Jack Savage, Louise Troy, Louise Brook, and Ewan Kay for their ongoing collaboration and shared dedication to Lumina Arts Alliance’s community-focused mission.

Building Inclusive Creative Infrastructure

Under Dylan’s leadership, Lumina Arts Alliance has become a recognised hub for community arts, accessible creativity, and wellbeing-focused programming. Through partnerships with schools, councils, charities, and community organisations, the organisation has delivered workshops, exhibitions, outreach initiatives, and creative development pathways supporting families, young people who are NEET, underserved communities, SEND participants, vulnerable adults, and emerging creatives.

Recognised by Northamptonshire Community Foundation

Northamptonshire Community Foundation is the county’s leading independent grant-making charity, supporting grassroots organisations, charities, and volunteer-led groups across Northamptonshire. The Foundation has awarded more than £24 million in grants since its launch to Northamptonshire-based charities and community groups, helping fund local work that improves lives, tackles disadvantage, strengthens communities, and supports residents facing barriers.

The Foundation’s work aligns closely with Lumina Arts Alliance CIC’s mission: creating accessible opportunities, supporting vulnerable and underserved communities, improving wellbeing, and strengthening local participation through meaningful community-led activity.

Continued Civic Impact

This honour follows Dylan’s earlier receipt of the Rose of Northamptonshire Award, a joint recognition presented by West Northamptonshire Council, North Northamptonshire Council, Northamptonshire Community Foundation, and county partners. Receiving both honours reflects a sustained trajectory of civic impact and affirms that his contribution is valued across Northamptonshire’s community, voluntary, cultural, and civic sectors.

Looking Ahead

Dylan remains committed to strengthening Lumina Arts Alliance’s work across Northamptonshire, expanding inclusive creative opportunities, deepening partnerships, and building sustainable community programmes that continue to support confidence, wellbeing, connection, and participation.

This recognition marks an important milestone, but the mission continues: to make creativity more accessible, inclusive, and impactful for communities across Northamptonshire.