Well, hello there. I’m Kieran Macfadzean. You may remember me from such TV channels as That’s Cumbria.
Dated Simpsons references aside, I’ve joined CAfS at the very tail end of 2019 to be given just enough time to learn where the teabags are kept before I’m sent away for my Christmas holidays. Once the tinsel is taken down though, I’ll be getting to work on the project to install electric vehicle charging points across the North West of England. I’ll also be supporting Jaki in the day-to-day running of the website as well as helping out in the writing and posting of communications material across all of CAfS services.
As mentioned, those in Cumbria with either a marked interest in local news or a faulty television remote may have watched me as the lead presenter of the That’s TV Cumbria news bulletin on channel 8. During my time at the programme, I’ve travelled the length and breadth of the county to uncover stories and interview the people making things happen throughout the region. If your church crowdfunded a new roof or a hotel threatened to collapse, I was probably stood nearby with a microphone and a dream of bagging an interview with a councillor.
As I’ve found out while looking at Cumbria through a camera lens, it’s fairly green (both in an activism and very much literal sense). There is no shortage of people in our region working to mitigate the impact of the climate emergency and it’s been my pleasure to pick the brains of dozens of them during the last year. I’ve even produced news pieces on CAfS’ Cold to Cosy scheme and the Cumbria Climate Survey 2019 which, at the very least, meant that I knew where to turn up to on Monday.
I’ve always found the work of anyone fighting to maintain the balance of our world admirable and necessary. My induction at CAfS has left me looking forward to getting started on helping with that work and I hope that I can, in some minute way, contribute to the sustainability of the beautiful and verdant surroundings I’ve grown up in.
That’s all from me. I look forward to engaging with the CAfS community in the near future but in the meantime, have a splendid Christmas and a smashing New Year.