UK Post tour to encourage regional membership

Postproduction trade body UK Post is to embark on a nationwide road show starting in one of the UK’s most creative cities, Manchester.
The recently inaugurated association is travelling around the UK in order to boost regional membership and address the concerns of regional members. UK Post's road show will be Manchester on October 28 and its Chief Executive, Gaynor Davenport, will be joined in Manchester by Chairman Mike Luckwell and board members Bryn Roberts of Barcud Derwen and Neil Hatton, Managing Director of Frontier Post.
UK Post has seventy-three member companies, but only nine from outside the M25. Gaynor Davenport wants to increase this number.
"UK Post has been established to represent, support and promote the whole of the UK's postproduction industries," she said. "To do so effectively we must have a strong regional voice."
Davenport said the team were not embarking on the road show with any preconceived ideas.
"We don't want to set the agenda. We want to focus on key issues pertaining to the regions and understand how best UK Post can support local businesses."
Alice Morrison, Chief Executive of North West Vision, said: “Manchester has long been a centre of excellence for postproduction and this decision by UK Post to start their road show in Manchester shows their commitment to the regions and their recognition of Manchester as one of the most creative regions outside of the M25.”
Issues expected to be raised in Manchester include the proposed BBC move to Manchester, regional quotas and the issue of retaining postproduction work in the areas where filming took place, rather than losing it to the capital.
Chris Lunt, business development manager for Manchester-based post facility Red Vision, said: "We've heard of UK Post but we're waiting to see what they have to say and what they want to achieve. Government-backed initiatives can free organisations or can tie their hands.”
Nominations have been called for a second regional board member to join Bryn Roberts. The deadline for submissions is Monday January 31 2005 with voting to follow. An announcement is expected after the next board meeting in a fortnight.
The board declined to use its right to co-opt the 10th board member, choosing to leave the position open to a vote.
(GB)