Who we are
So that you know who's working for you, we've put their details below. Most of them are published authors or editors. Their direct experience in this field gives you a level of quality assurance that's missing from many of our competitors.
Please feel free to phone or email Martin Cutts to discuss prospective work or a project we're doing for you. We hope you'll find us friendly, approachable and easy to work with. If you've any complaints or some improvements to suggest, do please let us know.
Our people
Research director and owner
Martin Cutts has worked in the plain-English movement since the mid-1970s. He is one of the most experienced plain-English editors in the UK, with over 25 years' work in the field. He has led more than a thousand writing-skills courses for every kind of organization.
Martin is author of ‘The Oxford Guide to Plain English’ (published by Oxford University Press), ‘Clarifying Eurolaw’ and ‘Lucid Law’, and is co-author (with Emma Wagner) of ‘Clarifying EC Regulations’. Martin is a member of Clarity and the Information Design Association.
Martin is editor of ‘Indlish’ by Jyoti Sanyal (Viva Books) and consultant editor to the ‘Adult Learners’ Writing Guide’ by Ruth Thornton (Chambers).
Martin has contributed to The Guardian, The Times, the Mail on Sunday, English Today, Clarity, and the Information Design Journal. He has visited India four times for the British Council, giving courses and public lectures on plain language – a first in the Indian sub-continent.
In 1998 the European Union's translation service asked him to lecture on plain language to European Union officials and politicians in Brussels and Luxembourg, and he has since returned on three occasions. Also in 1998, Martin lectured at the annual International Legislative Drafting Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, and gave papers at the Plain Language in Progress conference in Calgary in 1997.
Martin conceived and co-founded the Plain English Campaign in 1979 and was a partner there until 1988. During that time he co-wrote ‘The Plain English Story’, ‘Small Print’ and the Plain English Training Course. He graduated in Combined Studies from Liverpool University.
Associates
Judy Brown is an experienced editor, working on many documents and websites that have gained the Clear English Standard. Judy's MA from Cambridge University included elements of Anglo Saxon, Norse, Celtic, Psychology and Psycholinguistics. She is the author of ‘John Marco Allegro: the Maverick of the Dead Sea Scrolls’ (Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, USA).
Ruth Thornton has worked in training for 20 years, teaching Russian, French and English. Ruth is also a systems analyst, specifying, testing and implementing software. Ruth presents many of our courses. She is author of the ‘Adult Learners’ Writing Guide’ (Chambers), which won a ‘highly commended’ prize in the HRH The Duke of Edinburgh English Speaking Union English Language Award 2006.
Sarah Carr has a first degree in modern languages and English, and a master's in business administration (MBA). Sarah worked as a general manager in the National Health Service (NHS) for 7 years. She now specializes in plain-English writing, editing and consultancy for the NHS and other organizations.
Her publications include 'Tackling NHS Jargon: getting the message across' (Radcliffe Medical Press, 2002). Sarah has served as a visiting fellow at Manchester Business School, and an honorary fellow at the Institute of Medicine, Law and Bioethics, University of Manchester. She was secretary of Plain Language Association InterNational (PLAIN) from 2005-2007, and is currently UK representative for Clarity, the international organization promoting plain legal language.
Christina Gleeson is an experienced editor, educator and linguist. She has given talks at national and international conferences on the teaching and learning of English. For three years she taught English as a foreign language in Athens, and has also taught English language and literature in England to adults, secondary- and primary-school children, and dyslexic children.
She has worked for publishing houses such as HarperCollins, Chambers and Bloomsbury, designing, compiling, and editing dictionaries, grammar books, and course books.
Christina has presented more than 200 courses for Plain Language Commission. She graduated with first-class honours in Education from the University of Central England in 1983, and completed an MA in Special Applications of Linguistics at Birmingham University in 1988.
Ian Hembrow has worked as a plain-language trainer, editor and copywriter since 2000. He previously worked in social housing with local authorities and housing associations, including 7 years as an operations director. As a consultant, he continues to specialise in advising housing, community and public sector organisations on their strategic communications and involvement with customers and stakeholders.
Ian has a strong reputation as a lively, engaging and entertaining trainer, who is good at boosting people’s desire, confidence and skills to write clearly. He is particularly interested in how interactive, digital technologies are reshaping public services and communities.
Joanna Channell has 15 years' experience as a specialist trainer and researcher in language and communication. She holds an honorary research fellowship at Birmingham University. Her publications include ‘The Words You Need’, ‘More Words You Need’ (Macmillan) and ‘Vague Language’ (Oxford University Press).