What we do:
Vesper Hill was founded as a social enterprise in 2022, by a theatre-maker and a therapist. Steve and Angel Scott-Bottoms are partners in life, but we realised that we also have things in common professionally.
Our shared concern is with listening closely to the ways in which people tell their stories – and then playing those stories back in ways that make people feel heard. That’s why Vesper Hill develops workshops, performances and engagement strategies grounded in the lived experiences of those we work with.
Milo Harries (below), who joined the company in 2025, has summarised our approach as the LEAF method: Listening, Emergence, Action, Feedback.
Why we do it:
Vesper Hill exists to ‘help the helpers’ – those who show up and try to make a difference, for other people or the planet. That includes everyone from community workers to sustainability staff.
Sometimes these good citizens just need help engaging with key audiences in ways that resonate. But we’ve also noticed that these ‘helpers’ often feel personally isolated in their work, and overwhelmed at the scale of the challenges they face.
That’s why, as a social enterprise, any profit we make goes back into the work of providing creative and therapeutic support for people who spend their lives trying to do the right thing.
Why 'Vesper Hill'?
Vesper Hill was created as a meeting place for Steve and Angel’s complementary passions and expertise. That’s why we named it after the place we first met – at a summer camp, many years ago. We’re delighted that others have now joined us around this figurative campfire (see below).
Together, we’re here to laugh and sing and tell tall tales. But we’re also mindful that ‘vespers’ is an old term for evening prayers. It’s a word that invites us to reflect carefully on the day gone by, and prepare for new days to come.
Steve Scott-Bottoms
Storyteller-in-Chief. Steve has three decades of experience as a theatre-maker, workshop facilitator, and researcher. He is currently Professor of Contemporary Theatre and Performance at the University of Manchester. His work with Vesper Hill builds on earlier research for the Multi-Story Water project and the UK Climate Resilience programme, in which he developed interactive performances through direct engagement with communities and professional stakeholders. Steve is an Associate of the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission.
Connect with Steve on LinkedIn
Angel Scott-Bottoms
Managing Partner. Angel brings decades of experience in coaching, education, and community leadership to her work at Vesper Hill. She has worked across sectors and continents — from language teaching in Japan, to founding developmental play programmes in the US and UK, to consulting with women-led businesses and social franchises.
Angel recently completed a Level 7 Postgraduate Diploma in Integrative Transactional Analysis – deepening her commitment to relational and therapeutic practice. She offers ecocentric counselling and psychotherapy services in her private practice in south Manchester.
Connect with Angel on LinkedIn
Milo Harries
Research Director. Milo is a researcher and performer who specialises in dialogue as a mode of exploration and communication. After studying at the University of Cambridge and the Royal College of Music, he served as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Manchester, studying climate resilience narratives in the catchment of the River Aire. In a previous life as an opera singer and singing coach, Milo worked at the Royal Opera House, Opera North, and Glyndebourne, among others.
Connect with Milo on LinkedIn
Si Brewis
Creative Associate. Si has been making social storytelling theatre for audiences in unusual spaces like housing estates, the countryside, historic Churches, festivals, and on canal boats, for almost twenty years. For much of that time they’ve been working with Steve to shape oral histories into thoughtful stories about waterways, flooding, and climate change. At the moment Si is also developing a new body of work about the uncomfortable cultural legacies of Empire.
Sam Fillingham
Creative Associate. Sam is an experienced community organiser and certified Yoga Nidra facilitator. Her classes, sessions and retreats help participants to reduce burnout, stress, and anxiety while improving sleep and enhancing well-being. Sam specialises in using somatic practices to support groups and individuals in expressing creativity and finding fresh perspectives on their world. (Note: yoga nidra does not involve poses and stretches! It’s a guided meditation method that explores mental imagery and semi-dream states.)