Introducing the first Farming Life/Farm Week 'Now we're talking farming' video podcast featuring South Antrim MP Robin Swann - sponsored by Eakin Bros. find out what life is like for a politician in Westminster, how the Young Farmers' Club influenced Robin's decision to enter politics and his reflections on his time as health minister during a global pandemic.
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00:00This podcast is proudly brought to you by Aitkin Brothers and Zuzu Maydown.
00:25You've been South Anthem MP now for 8 months, 8 months, ok and how are you finding that?
00:32I'm enjoying it, I suppose it's a lot faster paced than the Assembly just in the way things
00:37work and the level of stuff we're actually dealing with as well.
00:41So you're Anthem born and bred, can you, yep, well Cale's steeple road there, not far away.
00:47Ok, so can you tell me a bit about your upbringing, are you from a farming background?
00:51Well my mother's family farms, so they're still farming, Uncle John James is still farming
00:56away down there, so I was always brought up on the farm, I think most people in Northern
00:59Ireland, weekends, school holidays, you know my grandfather when he started, it was always
01:04one of the things they did, my grandfather, I don't know what he did, he'd always either
01:07give us a bullock or a sheep, but with that came the conditions, you had to clean it out,
01:12you had to feed it and if he'd a pen of them in the same one as well, you had to look after
01:17all them as well, so it was always that side of things as well, helping out, busy times.
01:22So fairly hands on then?
01:23Yes.
01:24And where did you go to school?
01:26Cales and Conner Primary School, so again, small local school, still live in Cales, we've
01:31always lived in Cales, so the family's from that side, both sides, my mother and father,
01:35both sides of the village as well, so growing up there, well known there.
01:40What did you like at school most, did you have any career prospects or what did you?
01:44No real career prospects, I was always interested, I suppose at that time, maths, my numbers
01:49make sense to me, so that was always the direction I was going, but lab, science, that sort of
01:55side of things, so actually, first job was actually quality control in Macquall and Meads,
01:59and Antrim and their lab as well, so job I enjoyed, but things moved on.
02:04And how did they move on or what way?
02:06Well I actually finished up, started in the lab and ended up finished as evening shift
02:10production manager at the time of the first BSE as well, so there was a downturn, we were
02:17a lot of processed meat products at that time, so there was a downturn, evening shift was
02:21no longer needed or no longer viable, so that stage to move across and get into the oil
02:25industry and the labs, that side, inspection and testing at that side too.
02:30And you were involved in the Young Farmers Club, were you at an early age?
02:34Yep, well I joined, again, family connection, my uncles were involved in Cales and Conner
02:38Young Farmers, so that's where I joined, joined at 12, did the various committee posts
02:44through that as well, club leader, club secretary, club treasurer, moved into the county Antrim
02:49post then as well, so I was treasurer and county chairman for a while, and finished
02:54up being president of the organisation 2005-2007, so did that and I suppose that's where, went
03:02on then, shortly after that I became chairman of Rural Youth Europe, which was the umbrella
03:08organisation for all the young farmers and rural youth 4-H clubs across, at that stage,
03:14geographical Europe, so not just tied to the EU.
03:17So what did that role involve, was there a lot of travel?
03:20There was a lot of travel, it was quite, I suppose looking back as well, at that stage,
03:26you know, 2010-2011, and we tried Skype meetings, because it was an international board, international
03:32secretariat and...
03:33You were ahead of your time?
03:34Well, we were ahead of our time, but it wasn't just as seamless or as easy as they were now,
03:39and I think we were board members at that time from Scotland, and I think one of the
03:43hardest people we had to connect with was actually him through Skype, so I think a lot
03:47of the Scandinavian and Eastern European countries at that stage seemed to be a lot further advanced
03:52even then, in regards to that online stuff, but no, it was good, so looking again as an
03:57organisation, organised two seminars a year in the European Rally, which I think was the
04:03highlight for any young farmer, is getting part of that European Rally team and getting
04:08away.
04:09So what do you think the young farmer clubs teach children or young people?
04:13Well look, I've said this, and I've been very open and very honest, I don't believe I'd
04:18be where I am today without the Young Farmer's Clubs of Ulster in regards to just the skill
04:23set that they give people, in regards to public speaking, confidence, committee work, being
04:30able to, not debating competitions, but be able to argue a point at a committee level.
04:36Young Farmer's Clubs of Ulster is an organisation for young people run by rural young people,
04:40so it doesn't have, or local clubs don't have that senior leadership team, you know, parents
04:45or adults coming in that's very much peer led, and I think that gives a great skill
04:50set.
04:51So even when it comes to that, and again, going back to public speaking and stuff, judging,
04:56you know, you've people who never thought they would do public speaking, but they're
04:59prepared to stand up and give their reasons as to why they put four cattle in a certain
05:05order to a judge.
05:06So they don't actually realise their age.
05:07They don't realise, and I think that's the big thing about Young Farmer, you know, you
05:10learn all those skills without being put in that teaching classroom situation, so it's
05:16a great organisation for life skills.
05:19Is it also a good organisation for support for young people, in terms of themselves and
05:24their relationships?
05:25I think it is, and I think it actually strengthens that, because it is that sort of peer interaction,
05:30and again, at that age, and it's still in Northern Ireland, you know, in regards to
05:35isolation, especially for young people, you know, we don't have that public transport
05:38system, or even activities in our villages that maybe other parts of the country do,
05:44so I think Young Farmers provides a fantastic opportunity for that mix and the skill set
05:50learning as well, but also that interaction as well.
05:53I met my wife Jenny through it, you know, and you know, matchmaking skills is there,
05:58you know, I think, and actually most of my friends and peer group would probably have
06:03met their wives and partners and husbands actually through Young Farmers as well.
06:07But again, it goes back to, it's an organisation that, you know, allows rural young people
06:12to mix.
06:13Yeah.
06:14What motivated you then to get involved in politics?
06:19Is there a family background, or was it just something completely random?
06:22There's not, and again, I think it's random, but again, through Young Farmers, again, you
06:28know, I was President in 2005, 2007, so I'd been, I was actually Deputy President to John
06:33McAllister, John was President before me.
06:36At that stage we had devolution, so I was used, working with the Northern Ireland Agricultural
06:42Minister, getting access to officials at that stage, and we still are, you know, Young Farmers
06:47are one of the key consultees for both agriculture and youth activities as well, so we were feeding
06:53a lot into that.
06:54People probably don't realise that young people do have access to Stormont and the Minister
06:58through that organisation.
07:00It's, you know, and I think it's actually an organisation that's well-respected in regards
07:04to that, and again, that was both through, as I say, through agriculture, but also education,
07:08because that's where some of the grant, the core grant funding was coming at that stage.
07:12So I saw how valuable it was, having our own Minister, so when the thing fell in 2005,
07:202007, and, you know, dealing with the direct rural Minister, I think it was David Cairns
07:24at that stage, who was Scottish Labour MP, who just happened to be sent to Northern Ireland
07:30to look after agriculture, you know, so I saw the value, so I got involved locally in
07:35politics, I'd always had an interest, I suppose, to come back, even in 97, 98, in regards to
07:40Good Friday Agreement, Belfast Agreement at that stage, but that was really what spurred
07:44it on, and again, just that skill set, you know, going back and forth as President, and
07:49then as Rural Youth Europe, back and forth to Brussels, to see the engagement that we
07:53could actually make, and I think, you know, engagement at that stage, on an agricultural
07:57basis in Europe, you know, through Jim Nicholson, and things like that, so, gravitated towards
08:02the Ulster Unionist Party.
08:04Is that the one that fitted your...
08:06It is, I, look, it's, I believe Northern Ireland works when we all work together, you know,
08:10and that's always been my perspective, and I think it's, it's just the way, family point
08:14of view, personal point of view as well, so, I don't think you'll ever find a political
08:20party, no matter where you are, where your mindset, and their skill set, or policy direction
08:25is 100% fit, but to me, the Ulster Unionist Party fitted best then, still fits best now.
08:31And did you go through a council run, or was it straight through the Assembly?
08:33It was one of those, the time I actually stood for council a couple of times, and didn't
08:38get elected, the time I did get elected in 2011 was one of those years where they were
08:45actually running council and Assembly elections at the same time, so, I, I was, I ran for
08:50both, and got elected to the Assembly, but didn't get elected to council, just because
08:54of the, just because of the demographic of where I was stood, so that's where it, that's
08:59where it took off at that point, so.
09:02And how did you find the Assembly when you got in there?
09:05Well, look, I, I actually, again, I enjoyed the Assembly at that stage, because, you know,
09:10a lot of people knew a lot of faces, and again, go back, you know, John McAllister had been
09:15elected the election before me, friendly with John, so there was the same party, you know,
09:20and that sort of thing.
09:22Ulster Unionist Party's still very much rural based, so is in the DARD committee, in regards
09:26to that, so it was places I was comfortable, it was things I was comfortable with, and
09:30then, again, just the way the party worked, you know, not pushed your boundaries, but
09:34they allow you to do different things, and push out as well, so.
09:38You were party leader in 2017.
09:40Yes.
09:41How was that?
09:42What stands out about that for you?
09:43I think it was, again, one of the, I was party leader during one of the, the suspensions
09:51of Stormont as well, so that was actually very, to me it was very frustrating, because
09:55there was a lot, you know, behind the scenes to get the thing up and running again, but
10:00the fact that the Assembly wasn't working, you know, there was that, challenges again,
10:04you know, MLA's aren't doing very much, but...
10:07We were still getting paid.
10:09We were still getting paid, that was part, you know, that was part of the, you know,
10:12the part of the narrative at that stage, we were getting paid for a job we weren't doing,
10:17where those of us who were involved in trying to get the thing back up and running again
10:20were probably busier than if it was actually running, in regards to what was all going
10:23on.
10:24And the offices are still functioning as well.
10:25And the back, the constituency offices are still going, and all the rest of it, so.
10:29I enjoyed being party leader to an extent, but it's a lonely position, again I suppose
10:35any leadership position, especially in regards to politics in Northern Ireland can be, so
10:40it was just something that, it was a role I found challenging, our two were quite young
10:46at that stage, so something had to give, so I stepped down as party leader just, I think
10:52it was December, December 2019.
10:56Is it hard to juggle family life and politics?
11:00I think it's, I'm lucky I have a very understanding family, but I think it also comes from a point
11:05as well that I've always been doing the job, been doing it while they were growing up,
11:09that at that point in time, as some know, our son, our youngest ever, was born with
11:14a number of medical conditions, congenital heart defect and a number of things, so that
11:18was a challenging time for us, so just at that stage needed to take a step back in regards
11:23to that.
11:24The Westminster role puts a different emphasis, our kids are a bit older, but just being away
11:31those three, possibly four nights a week, is challenging to a point that they were used
11:37to me, I suppose leaving the house early in the morning and coming back when they were
11:41in bed, but it's one of those differences now that when I'm home, I'm home, so that
11:47side of things is a bit more balanced.
11:50You mentioned your son there, and I'd imagine you've had a lot of contact with hospitals,
11:55health professionals, does that affect the way you did your role as Health Minister?
11:59I think it was actually one of the, I suppose the key drivers, as, you know, how I looked
12:04at things, how I was able to look at things from a family point of view, from a patient's
12:08point of view, so when Evan was born, Evan, because of the complications he had, he was
12:13actually in Barbara Ward in the Royal for the first 13 months of his life, so it was
12:18quite a really long extended hospital stay, you know, Jenny had been up during the day,
12:22I went up in the evening, so, and again, you've got to do all the nurses, all the staff, there's
12:28all the ancillaries who worked in there, who made up that health service, so when it came
12:31to taking on the role as Health Minister, I came with, I think, a certain amount of
12:36knowledge from somebody who's seen the service at its very, very best, but also, you know,
12:43those challenging times as well when we're on that ward.
12:46I think it's the fifth anniversary this week of the pandemic, is it?
12:49It is, aye.
12:50Yeah.
12:51What on earth is it like to be a Health Minister during a global pandemic?
12:55Well, I think going back to that point at that stage, and maybe go back, you know, to
13:01that, you know, when the Executive was first set up at that stage, that Saturday morning,
13:05you know, there was quite a hubbub, you know, we got the feel that it was going to come
13:10back, our party Executive met that Saturday morning to say we were coming back in, so
13:16Steve Egan was our party leader, and Steve came to, you know, we're coming back into
13:19the Executive, and, you know, we knew at that point it was going to come down to two choices,
13:25you know, we'd be left with Health and Agriculture being there, so Steve asked me to take on
13:29Minister, and, you know, past President of the Young Farmers' Club of Devolster, past
13:33Chairman of Early Earth Europe, and Steve picked Health, so, you know, it was quite
13:37a, you know, it was quite a surreal moment at that stage, but, you know, three weeks
13:41later, then, pandemic started to appear, and the challenges there, so, the fact there
13:46was no rule book, there was nothing to follow, there was no script, it was a very challenging
13:51time, but it's a time where I think our Health Department and our health professions in Northern
13:56Ireland, and even across the UK and the world, really came to the fore, something that's
14:02very different of the Department of Health that I don't think all the other departments
14:05don't have, that, it sounds simple, but it's quite, you know, Chief Medical Officer is
14:11a doctor, Chief Nurse is a nurse, Chief Pharmacist's a pharmacist, Chief Social Worker's a social
14:16worker, so not only are they coming with a policy perspective, they're also coming as
14:21top of their profession as well, so they have that knowledge, so, when they were coming
14:25to me, you know, with those recommendations, it came with a knowledge base rather than
14:29just civil service policy, so, you know, it was a challenging time, but, you know, between
14:34our health service, I think Northern Ireland Society as a whole, we got through it, you
14:38know, but not without challenges.
14:41This podcast is proudly brought to you by Aitken Brothers, Isuzu, Maydown.
14:48What will stick out for you most about that time? Is there anything that will?
14:52I think it was just how quick things moved and how quick we were actually able to change
14:58some structures, some levels of actually how health delivered itself, whereas when we went
15:02back in the second time, without the onus, without the speed, without the need of the
15:08pandemic, things were an awful lot slower, and I think that's just how quick we re-acted
15:15and were able to act.
15:16Because you had to act.
15:17Because we had to, you know, there was no other option at that stage.
15:21So you've moved from North Androm to South Androm?
15:26Yeah.
15:27What was that like?
15:28Well, actually, it's not as dramatic as it thinks.
15:34You're still allowed to go home?
15:36I'm still allowed to go home, you know, a homestead.
15:39And it's one of those things, you know, I've said, you know, I've done a couple of speeches
15:43where you say, you know, the fact that in Northern Ireland, I'm probably the only politician
15:47that's been elected in the North and the South.
15:49You know, it might be only County Under, but, you know, it's still the centre of the world
15:54for me.
15:55No, and I think, look, where we live in Kells, you know, my family, you know, talked earlier
16:02on about the family farm, that's South Androm.
16:04So most of my family are actually, most of my family could never vote for me when I was
16:08in North Androm, but now they can.
16:09So I was, you know, I said it was probably one of those challenges my mother and father
16:13had, they had the option to vote for me the first time and I had to convince them to.
16:19And what does a week in the life of a politician in Westminster look like?
16:23As I say, it's a lot busier, a lot faster than the Assembly.
16:29So usually my usual week would be leaving here usually on a Monday and coming back usually
16:38a Thursday morning, Wednesday evening, but you know, coming back straight off the airport
16:42and into the constituency office here and there's a raft of meetings and all the rest
16:46of it set up to do for that as well.
16:48But while in Westminster, again, very fast, although it may be all scat out and scheduled
16:53in regards just how quickly different statements, different urgent questions, different policy
16:59decisions come in Westminster compared to the Assembly.
17:02I think that's, it's a bit of actually enjoy at the moment, but just getting into that
17:08tempo of things over there is very different.
17:10So the Assembly works, I suppose, in an order, what they call the order paper, which is two
17:15weeks in advance.
17:16So you have a good idea of what's coming, whereas over there, the finalised order paper
17:21comes out the night before.
17:22So you need to be able to adapt and be on your toes.
17:27And if you're going to speak, you need to know what you're speaking about in regards
17:30to that.
17:32So there was a protest on Tuesday with the farm family tax.
17:37Was there a big turnout in London?
17:38There was, there was again, a significant turnout and I think it was, I think probably
17:43for a number of people there, it was probably greater than some of the protests that had
17:47been in the past.
17:48You know, when they've been doing the tractor protests over there, you know, that size.
17:52But when you see the number of people, you know, going down Whitehall, you know, again,
17:55I think it was 40-ish from over here, including a few farmers and young farmers as well went
18:02across just to make sure that, I think number 10 and number 11 especially, I think the Chancellor,
18:09my personal belief is she doesn't realise the harm and the damage that this is actually
18:14going to do.
18:15I think it's a solution to an English problem that they haven't really thought through,
18:21not just for England, but especially not for Northern Ireland or Scotland.
18:25And what was the mood amongst the farmers?
18:27Well, I think, again, it's just that frustration, you know, I was talking to William Irvine,
18:31the President of the Farmers' Union, they had got into Treasury for a meeting, you know,
18:36after whatever it is, three, four months.
18:39But again, it's just that same narrative coming out, you know, this isn't going to affect
18:44a small, it's only going to affect a small number, but in Northern Ireland, a small number
18:49for what they're talking about in the UK level, it's quite significant for us.
18:52And we've a very different farm structure than the rest of the United Kingdom.
18:56And you've written to the Chancellor pointing out the DRF figures, which they have rejected?
19:00Yeah, look, I've written them out, you know, and Andrew Muir has been very, I think, very
19:05good and very strong in regards to their figures.
19:09But I think we had even the challenge of DEFRA not accepting DRF's figures, never mind the
19:13Chancellor not accepting DRF's figures as well.
19:16So when that level of government to government isn't, I suppose, respecting the Northern
19:22Ireland argument when it comes to the onus of us as Northern Ireland politicians who
19:27are in Westminster.
19:28Look, it is, I think, one of those issues that all the parties, all the MPs are consistent
19:33on in regards to this needs changed, and also the recognition that it is going to have
19:39a significant impact on Northern Ireland compared to, I think, other parts of the United Kingdom.
19:45Is there any possibility with the Spring Statement that maybe they'll...
19:49Look, I think if I listen to what our farmers' unions are now at, and I'm not even sure where
19:56the government has the ability to move, but I think a lot of the farming unions and farmers
20:02themselves, I think they would see the raising of that one million pound cap as something
20:08that could significantly make the difference.
20:12I've been honest, I don't think it's going to go away, but I think it's how we make it
20:17less detrimental, you know, whether that be the raising of the cap or whether, you know,
20:22the farmers' union have even come up, you know, if a farm doesn't, sorry, isn't sold
20:26within seven years of it transferring to another generation, that there's no inheritance tax
20:31paid at that point as well.
20:32So I think there has been creative solutions put forward, but again, I'm not sure the
20:37Chancellor's listening to it.
20:38Okay.
20:39Generally in Westminster, what's the mood?
20:41Because it's been a really strange week in terms of world politics.
20:45And I think that's where we've sort of really seen very different times.
20:48It's a lot more...
20:52How would you say?
20:52So I actually felt a lot more united this week compared to other weeks as well.
20:57You know, I think one of the highlights over there, you know, is the show of the
21:01Prime Minister's questions times.
21:03You know, it's enjoyable to watch, but it has been very combative, you know, the past
21:09few weeks where I think even this week there was a recognition, you know, of the whole
21:12house in regards just to the seriousness of what's going on, the implications that this
21:18could have, not just in Ukraine, but I think worldwide.
21:22Is there a risk that we could also have food tariffs down the line?
21:26Well, I think that's some of the issues that were actually being raised because, again,
21:30because of our peculiarity of where we are part in the EU and part in the United Kingdom.
21:36If there was a tariff war with who, with on what products, when, where, how much is where
21:45we as Northern Ireland, not just in agriculture, but the entire economy here where we would
21:51actually fit in regards to that.
21:54I'm being optimistic in regards to, there seems to be no movement yet in regards to
22:01Trump moving to a trade war or tariff war with the United Kingdom.
22:04And I think where the Prime Minister has played, I think he's played a very good hand on this
22:10issue in the past week, especially.
22:13Although we still have the unknown of.
22:15Well, I think that is, it's just how unknown that unknown is.
22:23I think that's really what's turned the world on its head, both from an economic point of
22:27view, but also a political point of view.
22:29Nobody knows what they're waking up to the next morning.
22:32Absolutely.
22:33So what do you enjoy most about being involved in public life?
22:37Look, it is, maybe sound a bit contrite, but it is actually about being able to help people
22:44in regards to that, you know, from a constituency level, the whole way through, you know, to
22:48facilitate meetings over there.
22:50You know, I met at the start of this week with the Secretary of State for Defence in
22:54regards to what we can possibly do here in Southampton with Aldergrove RA.
22:58You know, so it's about having that engagement, having to be able to take people's problems,
23:04not always get them a solution, but at least try.
23:06And I think that's one of the things about, you know, I promise people that we'll try
23:09to do what we can without that overcommitment, because I think that's, you know, it builds
23:14up a hope that's not deliverable at times.
23:16And what are the biggest issues facing the rural Southampton at the minute?
23:20Is it the farm family tax, or is there a TB, or is it...
23:23Well, I think at this minute in time, it is the farm family tax in regards, and I think
23:28that's, it's really put all those other concerns back a step in regards to that, because, you
23:34know, it's in everybody's mind, no matter what age of the farm, you know, our older
23:39farmers are worried about handing the farm over, our younger farmers are worried about
23:44inheriting a farm that comes with a bill.
23:47Now, we're using, again, going back to young farmers, it was always about, you know, that
23:50generational shift always brought a new way of doing things, you know, from what they
23:55were learning in Caffery, what they were seeing elsewhere, but that always come with an investment
23:59as well.
24:00So if we're stripping out the ability to invest in a farm, to pay, well, basically a glorified
24:06death duty on a farm, you know, it takes away that impetus to make those changes, to
24:12do those improvements, and actually to have the money to invest.
24:15So, you know, the government's offer, you know, you can pay it off over 10 years, you
24:19know, strips out any, I suppose, any opportunity about optimism about what you can actually
24:25do.
24:25So that's the main issue I'm getting at this minute in time in regards to where we are.
24:31I think other issues will start to come back on the burner when, actually, Andrew Muir
24:36as Minister starts to look at his budget and where he now puts his priorities over the
24:41next couple of years.
24:42A lot of people would say the planning delays are cutting, you know, projects on farms.
24:50Well, you know, and again, it's something we actually do a bit of work in, quite a bit
24:56of work here, actually, through the constituency office in regards to that, just how we get,
25:00you know, planning applications through council as well, and regarding, you know, different
25:04CTY policies, how they fit in, different planners' interpretations of specific issues,
25:10and where we go with that.
25:13In Westminster itself, how important, or do you think Labour does think production agriculture
25:19is important?
25:20I'm not sure in regards to that.
25:23It's a hard read to get from some of them.
25:27For some of them, you know, I think Tony Antonzi-Anzi, the chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs
25:32Committee, is actually very good and very strong on that.
25:35You know, she's been very, I suppose, critical as well of the government on this stance as
25:39well.
25:40But there's so many new Labour MPs, massive majority, a lot of them new, I'm not sure
25:49they've really got a feel of their constituency, or how prepared they are actually to stand
25:56up against the government whip and say, you know, we're getting this wrong.
26:01What does agriculture need for, you know, the future?
26:04Is there anything they should be doing that they're not doing?
26:09Well, I think agriculture's doing everything it can do, everything it does, because, you
26:13know, looking at Northern Ireland farmers, they're creative, they're productive.
26:18Their level of ingenuity at times goes far and above any other industry that is so reliant
26:25on such a small number of people in regards to that.
26:28But I think it's what agriculture is doing what it can, but I think we need government
26:32to listen more.
26:34You know, and again, our own department here, I think, need to, again, it's always one
26:38of those old adages, you know, go back to how they begin to help farmers more rather
26:43than inspect them.
26:48You're involved in the Farmers' Choir.
26:50How did that come about, or what's your role?
26:52Are you a singer?
26:54I'm not a singer, I think.
26:55I was going to ask you to give us a few tunes.
26:58I think that's actually, well, my daughter tells me I'm one of the worst singers about,
27:01so she encourages me not to.
27:03No, look, again, it's one of those things, I'm now patron of the choir, and again, started
27:10up quite a number of years ago, joint work between Farmers' Union Group and Northern
27:17Trust, again, to tackle rural isolation for rural farmers, and then post-COVID, again,
27:23a lot of interest, a lot of support, start to get people together.
27:28They wanted to move down that line of, you know, articles of association, registered
27:33charity, so Barclay Thompson, who's the director of it, came to me and asked me would I help
27:41with that piece of, you know, bit of paperwork, so helped them out, get that side of things
27:46set up, and then just enjoy what they do.
27:48I actually believe in what they do in regards to that, so it's not about just coming, you
27:53know, well, it is about coming together and singing, but also, I think, a very strong
27:57ethos in regards to any of the concerts that they put on.
28:00It's not just about that performance, they're always very adamant in regards to the social
28:05aspect afterwards, so it's always about the cup of tea and a sandwich and a bun, so there's
28:10a dedication there where they support their own members in challenging rural isolation,
28:15but when they have that opportunity to bring a rural community together, they do that wee
28:20bit more, so it's a great ethos that the choir has, you know, and they're doing it
28:24out of their own goodwill in regards to actually the roles they take on, but also the service
28:30that they're delivering.
28:31And, you know, from moving from, I think there's over 60 members at this stage, the spring
28:37concerts coming up, so I encourage people to keep an eye out for the tickets coming
28:40up for that, it's in the Braid in Ballymena, so again, but those things always sell out,
28:46so the carol service, our Christmas concert that we've just had, you know, two nights
28:53in Ballymena Academy, again, sold out, you know, so it's all those activities that are
28:58really getting, again, a fantastic concert in, actually up in Stormont, last summer,
29:04where we brought the ladies from Portadown, but also the RNLI choir as well, so.
29:10And they took part in the King's Coronation as well.
29:13I think that's where it actually really came about, they had been about, but I think their
29:17profile, their energy, their desire just to do that bit more really came from that recognition
29:23of that.
29:24So, if you're not a singer, what do you do in your spare time to relax?
29:28Usually sit back on the sofa and fall asleep like anybody else in rural North.
29:33No, I do a lot of, it's time with the family, you know, I've got a 14-year-old and a 12-year-old,
29:38so I spend as much time with them.
29:40I've seen you at a few vintage rallies as well.
29:42Well, I have a good friend, Colin Smith, who lends me a 35 every now and again to drive
29:48about, and again, it's just about getting out and getting the heads out as well.
29:52And are you into a pipe band?
29:54You were into a pipe band?
29:55I wasn't, yes, there was a small rural pipe band in Crumpkill, so pipe, now it's a long
30:00time ago since I've picked them up, but it's...
30:02And now you're out of puff.
30:03Aye, well, probably enough puff to keep going yet, so the new job keeps it up.
30:08And just the last question, what's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
30:13Be yourself.
30:14Don't try to be anybody different, just be yourself in regards to that, and, you know,
30:20don't try to put on airs or dresses that's not there, because either people will let
30:24you down or it just becomes too, too much of a show.
30:27Just to be natural, just keep being yourself and doing what you do.