Cheers...

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Christmas eve eh? 

How’s everyone doing?  Presents all wrapped?  Food prepared?  Destination where you’re going to spend the festivities reached?  Film viewing timetable agreed?

The Yew Tree Office is officially closed.  It has been since Thursday, although it’s 8.30 on Christmas Eve morning and I’ve changed the profile picture on the facebook page, uploaded the final jingle, written my 99 words, collated all the entries I’ve got so far ready to add any last minute ones and then make my decision and in a minute, when I have written this, I’m going to write some of my play…so not as closed as you’d imagine it might be…

This year I’ve been one of those irritating people who, when people asked me what I wanted for Christmas, responded that I didn’t want anything…thing is I genuinely didn’t…(obviously when pressed I came up with something) and I’m going to explain why in this blog…

This has been a tough year for so many people, the world we live in is changing for all sorts of reasons and for someone who graduated in the mid 90’s with an acting degree and a whole load of hope the landscape I look at as a creative practitioner now is a very much bleaker…Arts, education and health, the three areas I do the majority of my work in have taken a real beating and there have been times, very real times over the last 18 months when I have been scared that the repercussions of that would have a serious impact on me, the brilliant people I work alongside and the precious people I work with.  However, another year has passed and despite the challenges we’ve faced…we’re still here and I still get to do the job I love with people that inspire me every single day…

Genuinely there is nothing in the world I want as I have the best job imaginable and that’s thanks to you…all the people I see every week, all the people that come back whenever University or grown up life allows…and not forgetting my team of exceptional artists - who I am continually delighted by and grateful for.  The whole community of Yew Tree and every person within it is wonderful and inspirational and I am the luckiest person in the world…what else could I possibly ask for? 
Thank you for a fantastic 2011 and let’s see what we can do with 2012 eh?

Merry Christmas 

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