Meet the team
Kat Vallely
Director
Kat is an educator, facilitator and community-builder, whose work centres people, participation and the creation of welcoming, inclusive spaces.
She brings almost two decades of experience in education, beginning her career as a primary school teacher before moving into higher education as a Senior Lecturer in her current role. Her work includes leading large teams, designing curricula, and contributing to research focused on student voice, inclusive learning practices, and children’s Reading for Pleasure.
Alongside her academic career, Kat is the founder of Unity Yoga, a community-led yoga practice that goes beyond the traditional class model. Her work is rooted in accessibility, trauma-aware teaching and relational practice, with a strong emphasis on connection, care and belonging — both on and off the mat. She also facilitates monthly talking circles, adventure clubs, runs skills-share retreats, and international retreats, making shared learning, rest and creativity more affordable and collective for everyone.
At Unboxed Folkestone, Kat brings a people-first, values-led approach, with a particular sensitivity to how people experience spaces in their bodies. She is passionate about creating environments where creativity, collaboration and wellbeing can coexist — especially for those who may not always feel comfortable, confident or at ease in shared, creative or work spaces.
Mark Butler
Director
Mark is a web developer and company director with over 20 years’ experience in the web design sector. He began his career as a software developer before moving into project management, leading the development of complex digital systems for major public sector organisations including Kent County Council, Greater Manchester Police and the Scottish Parliament.
In 2010, Mark co-founded Bamboo Solutions, a web design agency built around clarity, reliability and long-term client relationships. After relocating from Manchester to Folkestone in 2019, the agency expanded to operate across both regions, supporting clients nationally while staying rooted in local communities.
Alongside his business work, Mark runs Work From Home Folk, a twice-weekly meet-up for freelancers and remote workers to meet-up, connect, collaborate and support one another. At Unboxed Folkestone, Mark brings a calm, experienced and community-minded approach, blending technical expertise with practical problem-solving, clear business thinking and a dry sense of humour. He has a knack for making complex things feel manageable, and for steadying the ship when ideas (or Kat) get a bit overexcited.
Anastasia Marshall
Non-executive director
Anastasia is a producer and filmmaker with over 16 years’ experience in the creative industries. She has produced and contributed to award-winning media projects for the likes of the BBC, Disney and Condé Nast, amongst others, with teams large and small, local and international.
Having returned to her hometown of Folkestone after many years living in London and abroad, she’s deeply committed to its growth as a creative hub providing support, development and opportunity for the community.
Rebecca Bethune Pelly-Fry
Non-executive director
Becca is an independent curator, facilitator and cultural consultant based in Folkestone. She was Director and Curator of Griffin Gallery (2013-2018) and Head Curator for Elephant West (2018-19), where she curated over 50 exhibitions and oversaw a residency programme, annual art prize and international education programme. Since 2019 Becca has undertaken freelance programme design, strategic planning and facilitation work with a wide range of arts organisations across the UK and has curated several independent exhibitions and projects in collaboration with galleries and art fairs. She is regularly invited to speak publicly about her work as a curator and as a visiting lecturer at universities across the UK.
Becca’s curatorial interests lie in the intersection between art, ecology/ecofeminism and spirituality. She seeks to create and hold space for sacred connection and transformational experiences, wherever possible. Most recently, she curated an exhibition and programme of events under the title Landscapes of Hope as part of the Folkestone Triennial 2025, exploring where pockets of hope can be found through local resilience in the face of climate change. In early 2025 Becca curated the Platform section of London Art Fair, entitled Today for You, Tomorrow for Me, and a group exhibition at Soho Revue entitled La Mariposa (Butterfly Woman), both investigating the sacred and interconnected web of life.
Becca contributes to her local creative ecology in Folkestone through voluntary roles including Co-Chair of artist-led festival, Open Art Folke and Associate Curator for SCHOOL Gallery. She is an Associate Consultant for people make it work, a mentor for Arts Emergency and The Launchpad Collective, and a member of the British Art Network, Association of Women in the Arts and International Futures Forum. She is also a Master Level Reiki practitioner and passionate advocate of holistic practices for individual and collective well-being. Underpinning all of her work is a commitment to collective care and social justice.
