::andrew muir online::

1976 - 1993	1993 - 1997	1999 - 2008
Growing up Primary & Secondary School	Further & Higher Education Foyle Friend & SHAC	The World of Work Politics & Communities

1999 In June 1999 I graduated from the University of Ulster with a 2.i in Peace & Conflict Studies. I then worked for the Peace People from July 1999 to November 1999 as Secretary / Book-keeper responsible for Financial Accounting & Management plus secretarial assistance to Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate.

1999 In November 1999 I joined the Grand Opera House Belfast as Administration Assistant. During my time with the Theatre I progressed to the post of IT Manager, enabled real time Internet Ticket Sales to be conducted from www.goh.co.uk, facilitated the Ulster Orchestra to sell tickets for their concerts via the BOCS system, managed the installation of BT / Nortel Meridian 1 Option 11 PBX telephone system and completed a Windows 2000 Professional & Office 2000 migration project for all PCs

2001 In November 2001 I met Stephen in the Kremlin Bar / Club Belfast and from then we have remained together as special friends.

2002 After a redundancy settlement from the Grand Opera House I joined Belfast Festival at Queen's as Box Office Manager in August 2002, moving to the Ulster Orchestra in November 2002 for a year also in their Box Office. My time with the Ulster Orchestra allowed me to develop my love of Classical Music at no expense!

2003 I greatly enjoyed helping to organise and participating in Belfast Pride 2003 and working together with Roger Tomlinson & Debbie Richards compiling the Business Plan & Economic Appraisal for a proposed Audience Development Agency and computerised Box Office project on behalf of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

In 2003 I also competed in the Euro Pride Swimming competition held in Manchester after setting up Belfast's first gay swimming group Splash Out! and completing the Butlin's Swimathon for another year in March 2003.

2004 From February 2004 I worked with the Arts Council of NI as Project Manager setting up Audiences Northern Ireland, the region's first Audience Development Agency with associated computerised ticketing infrastructure. Such a large scale project naturally consumed a lot of my time but I managed to keep some sort of a personal life!

In May 04, Lynne, Paul, Stephen and I visited Menorca, and I was involved in a rather more politically controversial Belfast Pride 2004 when right wing religious bigots threatened to stop the parade and set-up an anti-parade web site with content largely copied from the God Hates Fags site in USA. I appeared on BBC Radio Ulster Evening Extra to challenge them and, for various reasons, they eventually didn't block the parade.

Stephen and I then visited Ibiza in October 04 and I joined Audiences NI in the same Project Manager role on a temporary basis in November 04 when six more members of staff joined myself in the new venture dedicated to develop sustainable audiences for the arts in Northern Ireland.

2005 In July 2005 Stephen and I visited the Scottish Highlands and stayed at great accommodation at Wildside Highland Cottages in Whitbridge, Inverness.

Until August 2005 I continued to work as Project Manager with Audiences NI. With the business a year old and delivering substantial benefits to member arts organisations I was recruited as Services Manager in August 2005.

In August 2005 I was also elected onto the Management Coalition on Sexual Orientation and as Chairperson of Belfast Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Resource Centre in September 2005.

In December 2005 I was appointed as Independent Member of North Down District Policing Partnership.

2006 I moved back to Bangor in February 2006, following my appointment to North Down District Policing Partnership. I can proudly state that this is a decision that I have never regretted!

In July 2006 I became 30 and celebrated with a party at my house. A video of this party can be viewed on YouTube by clicking here.

I left Audiences NI in August 2006 and joined Northern Ireland's public transport provider Translink as Assistant Ticketing Systems Manager immediately thereafter.

As a member of Coalition on Sexual Orientation's (CoSO) Management Committee I worked throughout 2006 to oversee the re-constitution of CoSO to become a company limited by guarantee later in the year.

As a member of CoSo's Management Committee I was also part of the process which lead to the former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Rt Hon Peter Hain MP) announcing on Saturday 29 July 2006 the commencement of consultations on regulations to end discrimination on the basis of a person�s sexual orientation when trying to access goods, facilities and services and on the draft Sexual Orientation Strategy and Action Plan.

The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 was subsequently published and came into force on 1 January 2007. The enactment of these regulations put one of the final pieces of the legislative jigsaw in place to ensure discrimination on the basis of a person�s sexual orientation is made entirely unlawful.

On 29 July 2007 the Secretary of State also announced �To support capacity building of LGB organisations I am pleased to be able to provide a future package of financial support, the detail of which I will announce later�. The funding package was later confirmed as �230,000 over two years from the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM).

In late 2006 I left CoSO's Management Committee to concentrate on forming North Down & Ards LGBT group in January 2007.

2007 As mentioned in 2006, 2007 saw the enactment of the The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 on 1 January 2007.

I have been working throughout 2007 as Chairperson North Down & Ards LGBT group to ensure the groups long term sustainability.

In February and March 2007 I worked as Election Agent for the SDLP's ultimately unsuccessful candidate in the NI Assembly Elections for the North Down Constituency (Liam Logan) on 7 March 2007.

I became single once again in April 2007 following a relationship which lasted over five years.

In the Summer of 2007 I retired as Co-Chair of Belfast Out Resource Centre. I also relinquished various positions on numerous working committees in order to concentrate on work, my social life and my roles as Independent Member of North Down District Policing Partnership, Chair of North Down & Ards LGBT group and Vice Chair of SDLP Bangor Branch, North Down Constituency.

2008 In 2008 I continue to focus on my roles of Independent Member of North Down District Policing Partnership, Chair of North Down and Ards LGBT group whilst also now a member of the Alliance Party.

From April 2008 I intend to re-focus with reduced voluntary committments.

1976 - 1993	1993 - 1997	1999 - 2008
Growing up Primary & Secondary School	Further & Higher Education Foyle Friend & SHAC	The World of Work Politics & Communities

This page was last updated Tuesday, 18 March 2008 20:08:25