Freddie Barker
A graduate who has transformed opportunities for emerging creatives across Worcestershire has been named the winner of the Local Community Impact Award at the inaugural University of Worcester Alumni Awards.
Freddie Barker, who studied BA Film Production and Screenwriting at the University of Worcester between 2019 and 2024, was recognised for her outstanding contribution to the county’s cultural life through arts, community engagement and creative leadership.
“I'm delighted, honoured, and very humbled to be winning such a prestigious award,” she said. “I still can’t believe that my local voluntary and professional efforts are being celebrated in such a monumental way.”
At the heart of Freddie’s work is the Speak Volumes Festival, an annual arts festival and Community Interest Company which she founded as a student in 2023. The festival aims to empower and showcase emerging artists, disabled creatives, students and young people across Worcestershire.
What began as a student-led initiative has grown into a major cultural event. In 2026, the three-day festival featured the work of 198 creative practitioners and attracted around 1,500 visitors. The programme included free arts workshops, live music, poetry and dance performances, and an art gallery spanning three railway arches.
Accessibility and inclusion are central to the festival’s mission. Previous festivals have included multi-sensory installations created with local artists with visual impairments, helping ensure artwork can be enjoyed by people with and without sight. Through Speak Volumes, Freddie has created opportunities that champion underrepresented creatives and strengthen community connections across the county.
Alongside her work as a festival director and arts facilitator, Freddie was elected the 14th Worcestershire Poet Laureate, becoming the youngest person ever to hold the title. During her tenure, she delivered workshops and performances, chaired writing competitions and worked with organisations including BBC Hereford & Worcester, Worcester City Council, Worcester City Pride and the Ledbury Poetry Festival to raise the profile of poetry across the county.
Freddie said her time at Worcester, helped her achieve ambitions she once thought were impossible. After leaving mainstream education at the age of 14 because of ill health, she applied to the University with a creative portfolio rather than traditional qualifications and found the support she needed to flourish academically and professionally.
“I absolutely adored my entire university experience, and as a graduate I continue to thrive thanks to the efforts of the University of Worcester,” she said.
“Studying at the University of Worcester gave me a life I never thought I could have: the ability to fulfil my dreams to work as an artist; the chance to develop practical, social and professional skills; and to flourish in a beautiful city I am proud to call my home.”
Among her fondest memories are working with fellow students through the Poetry Society, organising creative events and fundraising activities, and volunteering at major cultural celebrations including Worcester Light Night, Worcester City Pride, Worcestershire Literary Festival and the Worcester Mela.
The inaugural University of Worcester Alumni Awards celebrate graduates who are making an exceptional difference in their professions and communities.