This is really more of an "about me" post than a proper spotlight post, but I like to keep things consistent hence the title.
Lets start with what I am passionate about. I love bringing people together and facilitating their skills and abilities, I love communities of people that share a common goal or interest. I have spent many years professionally managing volunteers and enabling community projects, including securing funding and organising events. I have worked for organisations in the public and charitable sectors and have a certificate in fundraising and an NVQ level 4 in volunteer management.
I have organised logistics for a number of events, a variety of different ones in my day jobs, but also Fantasycon in 2017 and 2018, Lavecon and British Fantasy Society socials.
I love to read, I think I have spent my whole life with my "nose stuck in a book", a phrase I heard a lot as a child. I particularly love character driven stories that make me laugh, cry or both. I absolutely love believable characters in fantastic settings and I read a lot of fantasy and science fiction as well as the occasional horror novel. I review books for sfbook, Concatenation and the British Fantasy Society journal as well as one or two for this blog.
I have a condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and a secondary diagnosis of Vasal Vagal Syncope, I have a wonderful cardiology team of who are helping me manage my symptoms and find the right medication mix and dosage for me. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I am passionate about inclusion and issues that affect disabled people. You will also note that my default charity to support is Ehlers Danlos Support UK, who have helped me to understand my condition, put me in touch with others and encouraged me to seek the medical support I need.
I volunteer for the Scout Association as a Group Scout Leader, managing a team of adult volunteers to run Scouts, Cubs and Beavers. I love this role especially as, in addition to using my profesional skills, I get to see the young people's progression through the sections, their journey from a probably timid 6 year old to a hopefully confident 14 year old.
I love over being outdoors, plants nature and growing things with different levels of success or otherwise. I have a wonderful family and partner who support me though all my random plans and projects. I take part in live role play (LRP) events and play Pokemon Go. I have sung in a variety of choirs, mostly church choirs. I have a certificate in arboriculture and a degree in Geology. I do a little bit of proof reading once in a while and I manage the HWS social media accounts.
So that's me, I hope you enjoyed reading and have some idea of where I am coming from now.