Announcing: A Fresh Start for Leith FM

@Nick Gardner Leith & North Edinburgh

Yesterday’s AGM of Leith Community Mediaworks Limited, the company licensed by Ofcom to broadcast, was an enormous success.

Despite taking place on the hottest day of the year and right before the England v Germany kick-off, there was a spectacular turnout with 75% of members.

The only proposal tabled was the election of the group of 10 candidates to the board.  An emphatic majority secured the future of Leith FM and the station is now governed by some of the most outstanding people of the local community.

The new board comprises:

• 

  Sarah Price

  Sarah Price, MD of local visual arts organisation, Edinburgh Printmakers, has experience in financial management, fundraising, marketing and communications planning, sales, artistic policy development, service delivery and all programmes of education and engagement working with local schools and community groups.

• Susan Smith, Editor of Third Force News, has extensive knowledge of charity management, law, governance and funding issues through editing TFN (published by SCVO). Susan also set up Scottish Charity Awards which recognises excellence across Scotland’s voluntary sector.
• 

  Kate Longmate

  Kate Longmate, Development Manager at the Edinburgh’s Lyceum Theatre, is a highly experienced fundraiser. Kate has a thorough knowledge of the legal, accounting and reporting and annual returns requirements of Charities, Companies Limited by Guarantee, Social Enterprises and of best practice with regard to accounting for fundraising. She has extensive knowledge of charity management, law, governance and funding issues.

• 

  Fin

  Fin Wycherley, Leith FM broadcaster and blogger, has an honours degree in law and qualifications in journalism and marketing.  Fin recently completed the East of Scotland Common Purpose Senior Leaders Leadership course and is looking forward to ensuring Leith FM gets the governance and management the community deserves.

• 

  John Murray & Trevor Dann

  John Murray, of Leith FM and Kingdom FM, co-founded Kingdom FM and founded registered charity Kingdom Kids affiliated to Kingdom FM radio.  He has assisted and presented with volunteer radio groups such as Festival FM, Fresh Air, All Edinburgh Radio, Radio Cracker and Leith Festival Radio. John was awarded John Whitney Award 2010 by Radio Academy chairman Trevor Dann for outstanding radio contribution.

• Colin Somerville, has 31 years radio experience in ILR and the BBC. Colin has lectured HNC Radio Students, HND Journalism Students, and media from NQ level up.  ““Local” radio does not exist any more, except in the community sector. Scottish radio is owned by Bauer Media, a German company specialising in the magazine sector.  It is depersonalised by heavy networking of programmes and has no local character. I have a passion for what I call the last human medium. The relationship between radio broadcaster and audience is unique and to be cherished.”
• 

  Hamish Alison

  Hamish Alison, MD of Freakworks, has been a board member of Leith Community Mediaworks since it’s inception, and prior to that worked on both of the working groups, set up to research and create the intended body. Freakworks has become one of Scotland’s highest profile facility houses and is currently the only facility house based in the Edinburgh area offering both high end Production and Post-Production services.

• Bob Giulianotti, of Firstport, supports social enterprises in Scotland through business and commercial advice, funding and growth support.  Based in Edinburgh covering the whole of Scotland.  He also does training workshops in Legal Structures, Cash Flow Forecasting and Planning for Social Enterprises.
• Jai Adami, HR Consultant, has a thorough working knowledge of operational and strategic requirements within public and private sector industries at a senior human resource management level, including local government for 7 years and Scottish housing associations for 10 years. Jai has been an Aftercare Business Advisor for 8 years and Investors in People Scotland for whom I was a quality standards panel member for 4 years.
• 

  Ally Tibbitt

  Alastair Tibbitt, of Greener Leith, currently works as development manager for Greener Leith, an organistion dedicated to promoting community involvement, sustainable development and better public spaces. They’ve won awards for their website and our use of social media at a Scottish and UK level. Alastair has an MSc in Energy and Environmental Management, and is a member of the Institute of Fundraising.

  We wish them all the best for the future, as well as many thanks for the previous board members.

  @finwycherley