An explanation....and a revelation...

Well, you know, not much of one.

This photograph is of the building work that is happening at the theatre, my work place. The building work has come about because of a successful capital bid. In and of itself, it isn't exercising me or taking up much time. What happens when the building opens, now that is something else in the taxing league. The building is due for completion in December, 2013 (it was scheduled for early November, but these things drift!) The plans - essentially - how the theatre survives and thrives into the future, is what is keeping me away from Blipfoto.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am easily bored BUT that when something interests me I become completely immersed in it at the exclusion of pretty much everything else. And that is pretty much where I am at. My job, as Artistic Director and CEO is to ensure that as a charity we are able to mix our income streams and be dependent on a range of different sources of funding. In some ways, I feel that the planning, scheming and taking new paths is as much a matter of keeping my nerve as anything. I am working very hard at trying to secure our future. A lot of things have changed in the last few years - the recession for one, and charities (and us among them) have had to be fly and think outside the box about fundraising...

All of this has been thrown into sharp relief this year. In June Moira Preston (who I wrote about here) died quite suddenly - she was an amazing woman. She volunteered for us for 37 years and served in all board roles, most often in the role as Finance Director. As a maths teacher (and then an ex-maths teacher) she played an invaluable role in making sure ends met. I think of her every day. I hear her words and know, at least for the time being, that I am charged with carrying on her mission (with the same kind of understated dedication if I can muster it!)

Long before Moira died we had decided to call the new building the Moira Preston Building. (You can see the plans here). When we announced this in a board meeting (instigated by the incomparable Andrew Walker who has worked equally hard in a volunteer capacity) Moira muttered - as only Moira could - about it not just being about her, but about all the work of all those who'd joined in... Later, when she was dying she said to me, "Calling the building after me jinxed me!" Typical Moira, deadpan, straight, an amazing individual, even cracking a joke when she knew she was dying. What I think is this: never doubt what a group of committed individuals can achieve - to paraphrase Margaret Mead - indeed, as she says, it's the only thing that ever does.

Here you can see the construction and our current building in perspective. Moira, Andrew and another chap, Alan Daiches, who died just after the first new building opened in 2005 played a very big part in raising the funds for our current building. Jacky, the then AD, and her team also played a massive role, but these three volunteers (amongst others) were also utterly committed and central to the success. At that point, we were the only purpose built youth theatre anywhere in the country.

Alan Daiches often said, and we've quoted this beneath our memorial to him, "It's amazing what you can achieve when you don't care who gets the credit." I think of that too - and try to live by that, although it's hard.

When the new building opens, we are changing the collective name of our buildings to Burnley Arts Centre (home of Burnley Youth Theatre) and if all the plans come to fruition we'll be working with 1000 kids a week, we'll have a drop in centre and we will truly serve the community of children and young people including encouraging them as audience for our developing professional visiting theatre programme.

Here are some other pictures of our building and facilities: one, two and three And our current website (although it will change soon!)

So, if you're wondering what I'm up to and why I'm not here then that's will be it. I'll be working to double our capacity, and double our potential and reach. I'll be working to raise funds that mean we can achieve all we wish to.

And the revelation? For those who haven't worked it out (and I know some of you have already) OnMyWaytoWork/anydaynow is also me. I just wanted to take some pictures that didn't involve a dog. I may keep going with that journal, or I may not.