Setting sail in the Arc

Prior to moving to ARC, I had been running a similar, but smaller, arts centre in Maidenhead for more than six years, so my comfort levels were high.

Suddenly I am in a new area, surrounded by new people, visiting new places, living in a new flat... The only constant has been my partner David, who willingly gave up his job in London to move up here with me (thanks, I couldn't have done it without you).

Newness is exciting, and I have been genuinely moved by the warmth and desire to support ARC, and the arts in general, that has been shown by the many, many people I have met so far. It feels like expectations are high but then so is the potential.

One of my responsibilities at ARC is of course to select what we put on, so as well as spending time in the building, watching shows and talking to artists and companies, I also try and get out and about as much as possible, to see what other people are doing.

So I hope to share some of what I see and do over the next few months with you via this blog.