A matter of FACT

It's turning into yet another week of meetings/office-based activities and I've been disappointingly sedentary - which I hate! Not only do I miss getting some decent exercise but I also have limited opportunities for seeking out interesting blip subjects.

Still, as luck would have it, many of my endless meetings take place in the (soon to be abolished...) Primary Care Trust (PCT) headquarters which is conveniently situated next door to this place...

FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) styles itself as one of the UK's leading video, film and 'new media' arts venues. Alongside a range of digital media exhibitions it hosts a range of one-off screenings, special film seasons, talks and Q&A sessions with filmakers and a regular programme including 'Classic Tuesdays', 'Queerfest', the 'Film and Philosophy' course and the 'Liverpool Arabic Film Festival'.

It was here that I saw 'Tomboy' last weekend and, being a member, not only do I get discounted cinema tickets but I also get 10% off food and drink (including cake of course!) which is always welcome!

One of the things I like best about FACT is the way that it works with local communities to address their experiences of e.g health, housing and poverty in creative ways. One example is Tenantspin which is a web-based community TV channel managed jointly by FACT and tenants of Arena Housing Association.

Tenantspin runs a free training programme 48 weeks a year to help local residents develop their creative skills and I even appeared in one of their webcasts once!