Jilly Gardiner

Liverpool born and bred, Jilly is a writer of plays, screen, prose and non-fiction.  She is a fully qualified teacher and lecturer, relaying to her students that the ability to create is inherent in us all.   She has a passion for storytelling with a gritty, realist edge, but with the natural humour that comes with it.  

Jilly is writer and executive producer of Being Keegan, starring Stephen Graham, and directed by Stephanie Zari.  The film has won a number of international awards, including Best Short Film at the Scottish International Mental Health Arts Festival, and the International Film Festival of Wales.  You will find Being Keegan on Amazon UK and USA.  IMDb Being Keegan and Trailer

One of the winners of the Windsor Award for New Writing (The Kenneth Branagh Award), Jilly was also nominated for Best Screenwriter at the BAFTA Qualifying Underwire Film Festival. Jilly's work has been chosen for production at London's Lost Theatre, Riverside Studios and Canal Cafe Theatre, as well as Swansea Grand and Cambridge’s ADC Theatre, and Dubai’s DUCTAC Theatre, and has been Highly Commended at the London Screenwriters Festival.

Jilly divides her time between teaching scriptwriting/ creative writing and mentoring scripts in the professional and higher education sector including Winchester University and MetFilm school. She also teaches various forms of creative writing and scriptwriting in adult education, Recovery Colleges, City Lit London and Activate Learning. Jilly undertakes private tuition for all ages and abilities in creative writing, scriptwriting, digital storytelling, online blogging and life writing, and has a strong interest in the mental health benefits of creative writing.

With a Masters Degree in Scriptwriting, and a BA (hon) Degree in Journalism, Jilly spent the earlier part of her career working in TV broadcasting, studio and transmissions in Cardiff, Wales.
She is  currently working on and developing new projects for both stage,  screen, prose and non-fiction articles. 

Mental Health Benefits:

Creative writing has been proven to have very positive properties for people suffering from issues concerning their mental health, including helping with self expression, building confidence, organising thoughts and feelings, improving mood, reducing stress levels and improving motivation.

Jilly works with several organisations and a charity which strive to use creative writing as a positive therapy to improve mental health as a whole. We very much welcome people who may suffer from a variety of health issues, where they are looking for a way to improve their general wellbeing.

Jilly is a Mental Health First Aider.