How do you unwind at the weekend?
I don’t... Weekends are our busiest time at Portico as there is at least one event on most weekends and sometimes two. On the very occasional weekend off, I feel so confusedly lazy so I do something very silly like start a DIY project which I then take months to finish.
What do you recall most about weekends growing up?
I came to Northern Ireland in 1994 for my first job at the BBC but grew up on a farm in Norfolk – we were always busy mucking out pigs or bottle-feeding orphan lambs or pitchforking hay bales. It wasn’t all work and I remember friends coming for sleepovers in our barn when it was full after the harvest and the thrill of midnight feasts and ghost stories.
Is there a must-listen radio programme or podcast at weekends?
I love a good radio drama while I’m driving. My last listen was another version of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina – a brilliant adaptation by Linda Marshall Griffiths. I iron the kids school shirts while listening to Any Questions. The Archers is just the right length for a bath; and Now You’re Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn is great for walking the dog.
Do you have a must-watch TV programme or is it Netflix?
If it’s just me then I enjoy Nordic noir or political drama – especially ones based on true stories. But when watching with my teenagers it’s Gogglebox or Race Across The World. We all enjoyed The Traitors too.
Is Sunday still special?
I’m an atheist so Sunday is not special in any religious sense. I guess I relax more on a Sunday but that tends to be because we’ve had a big sold-out gig at Portico on the Saturday night and I’m knackered after all that running around trying to be the hostess with the mostest. I don’t rest until I’ve posted all my thank you messages.
Have you a favourite eatery or is it a takeaway?
Hmm, I could get in a lot of trouble here. Let’s just say both Strangford and Portaferry have a lot of good options.
How do you feel on Sunday evening about Monday morning?
Good. Thankful. I get to programme great events, be creative with the marketing, work with lots of lovely volunteers and enjoy the feeling that I played a part in giving audiences a fab night out singing, dancing, laughing or just soaking up whatever kind of culture is their thing.
Neil Delamere said once we were his favourite venue which was nice. Plus the proceeds we make go to maintaining this fabulous heritage venue. And I don’t even have to commute to a city – it’s all right here on my doorstep on beautiful Strangford Lough.
The Portico of Ards has events all year round and more information can be found atPorticoArds.com
