I’m proud to serve my local theatre group in Derry as a voluntary non-exec director.  I find it satisfying to convert some of my free time to serving the local community that Learning Pool is based in and I live in.  It’s also a lot of fun.  The photo above is of me with the Millennium Forum & Derry Theatre Trust’s wonderful and inspiring Chairman, Martin Bradley, & Ed Vaizey (Minister for Communication, Culture and the Creative Industries) – it was taken at the party thrown by the theatre the day after Derry’s success in bidding for UK City of Culture 2013 was announced. 

I only wish I had enough free time to serve as a councillor but my working life is just too demanding right now – maybe later...

So what made me apply in the first place?  My first three years living in Northern Ireland were spent working in one of Belfast’s busy high tech start-ups.  Our customers were based predominantly in the Bay Area & Japan which led to a very long working day – start early to catch Japan before it went offline and stay late to welcome the Californians to their new working day.  By the time the company was sold, I was close to burnout and wanted to be involved in a project that was enjoyable but also included an element of “putting something back”.  I decided to join the theatre board because they were seeking someone with a commercial financial background.  Seven years later I’m still on the board and the benefits I have enjoyed during that time have been many fold:

·         I’ve met lots of interesting new people

·         I’ve been able to satisfy some creative leanings in some small way

·         I’ve helped the theatre flourish by working with the rest of the Board and the executive team to improve governance and financial management – the theatre’s creative direction didn’t need any help as the executive team have always had that side well covered

·         I’ve been able to re-use some specialist experience and that was satisfying

·         I’m proud that Derry is going to be the first UK City of Culture 2013 and glad that our theatre will be a key player in that.

My day job didn’t get any quieter.  Indeed quite the opposite...it got busier.  But I have no regrets about volunteering and figure I must have got better at managing my time.

If you don’t currently put something back, I urge you to have a rethink and consider what you could do for your community, however small.  I promise you it will be fun.

The photo above was taken at Friday’s City of Culture celebratory gathering in Derry’s Millennium Forum.  The guys gathered around me need no introduction but just in case they are Phil Redmond, creator of Grange Hill etc, Ed Vaizey, Tory Culture minister and the fabulous Mark Durkan, our local Derry MP, thoroughly good egg & supporter of small, local business.

I know you’re all wondering what on earth I’m saying to them.

There are 3 things that I’ve been wondering about since the City of Culture 2013 announcement was made.

The first is a hope that the City receives a new name.  Derry/Londonderry – leading to the plain daft Stroke City – is just too controversial.  My suggestion – and I’d love to hear yours – is St Columcille-ville.  It builds on the city’s heritage & has a vaguely Europop vibe.

The second is how much easier our lives would be if our local airport operated within the usual parameters common to airports and had flights to places we need to go to – e.g. London – so that we could get there & back in a day.  Novel idea I realise.

Third is how much we in Derry love the Giant’s Causeway but what a pain it is to get to – we’re hoping that can be simplified as part of the 2013 preparations – indeed if it could be relocated to the mouth of the River Foyle so that we could visit in our lunch breaks that would be perfect.

So – take your pick from any of the topics above.  Of course, I could have just been pontificating about how marvellous it is to be part of a tiny little company based in Clarendon Street, Derry that manages to deliver cost-effective & comprehensive online services to most of local government and increasingly central government right across the whole of the UK.