Following the retirement of our Chair Douglas Adamson in 2020 we are thrilled to announce that Tony Durcan has now been appointed. Tony has always been passionate about stories and has an unrivalled career in the cultural sector. We caught up with him to find out more about him.
What drew you to the role of Chair of Trustees at Settle Stories?
I was looking to get involved in a local charity, partly because I have more time now that I am retired, and also so that I could get to know more about the area, and more people.
When I saw this role, it seemed to be a perfect fit with my experience and interests, so I applied, and was lucky enough to be appointed.
Have you a connection with Settle and the local area?
My wife Jacqui was born and grew up in Ingleton (where we now live) and went to Settle High School. My mother-in-law was from Settle, and we have spent lots of time there. Although we have spent our working lives in Derbyshire, Durham and Tyneside, we and our three children have spent lots of time in Ingleton and the surrounding area.
What experience are you bringing to the role of Chair of the Trustees?
I have recently retired after working in local government for 40 years – mainly in cultural services. I’m a librarian by ‘trade’ but was also the culture lead for Newcastle City Council and have worked in various arts and culture services for 30 years. I’ve
also been involved in other cultural charities, and am currently the vice-chair of The Reading Agency, an organisation that promotes the power of reading, and how being a fluent reader helps people to cope with everyday life and its challenges. So,
I know the cultural sector, I’ve got management experience at various levels, and I’m well networked.
What were your most memorable stories growing up?
Stories and reading are really important to me. I think my earliest memorable story experience was listening to my grandfather reading Winnie the Pooh and the House at Pooh Corner to me. I loved the characters and the language. My grandad didn’t like them at all, but persevered. Every now and then he would turn over two or three pages at a time, but apparently, I always realised, and made him go back.
What do you think the best attributes for effective leadership are?
Good listening and communication skills; taking an inclusive approach to working with colleagues; being well organised; and being interested in people and passionate about delivery and knowing how to be firm when it’s necessary.
Settle Stories is a perfect example of an organisation that has adapted to delivering the arts online. What do you think one of the greatest challenges the organisation is facing under the current Covid 19 climate?
There are lots of challenges. For us, key challenges are the uncertainty about future funding opportunities (how will the arts fare generally post Covid 19?), and also how
to maintain links with people and audiences with ongoing social distancing.
But, and I know it’s a bit of a cliché, big challenges often bring significant opportunities. Settle Stories has been really ambitious in developing its online offer, with the covid crisis providing a strong driver to keep developing our online presence.
What exciting plans have Settle Stories got in store for 2021?
Well, I am brand new so perhaps not best placed to answer this yet. But I think the plans for the 2021 Yorkshire Festival of Story and the associated programme of activities, and the ongoing work to develop Storyversity are just two examples of a really exciting year of ambition, hard work and delivery.
Blog written by Jane Corbett
