Open for Business with Gerard Richardson, MBE, The well-known company owner, wine enthusiast and Deputy Lieutenant for Cumbria explores the business community in west Cumbria...
Oyez Oyez.
One of the best things about writing this column is that I'm able to introduce you all to some of the characters I've met over the years through my own business and from organising events, but this week's victim is something else.
Marc Goodwin is a project manager and social value maker for Mott MacDonald, an international engineering and consultancy firm, and from what I've heard, he works his cotton socks off for them, but Marc has another side to him.
Marc is a community superhero who even has his own cape, although thankfully, his underwear is on the inside.
Four years ago, I was looking for a new town crier and several people suggested this chap who was prominent on the local theatrical scene and as far as town crier interviews go, it was love at first sight; great voice (some say they can hear him in Douglas), lovely personality and very happy to embrace our main rule that our town criers don’t do politics.
While I'm always careful to pay respect to the criers before him, I have to say that Marc is quite possibly the hardest-working community volunteer I've ever met.
Every day of every week he is here, there and, as the saying goes, everywhere, whether it's opening a pub or calling the bingo numbers for the second, third, or fourth charity that week.
Truth be told, I've no idea where he gets his drive but he shows no sign of slowing down.
I frequently remind him that he doesn't need to say yes to everyone and that perhaps he could take five and draw a breath but Marc quite literally loves it all.
It's at this point that I have to remind everyone, and myself, that he also has a full-time job, and a serious one at that.
Mott MacDonald aren’t massive in West Cumbria with approximately 80 staff, but one of the projects they are involved in could be vitally important to West Cumbria over the next 50 years or so.
They are working on the master plan for Pioneer Park near Sellafield which may or may not yet host a mini nuclear reactor.
Internationally, however, it's a different game for the company as they employ over 18k worldwide.
Anyway, back to Marc as an individual; I always ask what hobbies these business leaders have and it turns out that on top of all the other stuff he crams into his personal time, he is quite passionate about his early morning wild swims at St Bees.
He does these with a group called RX4, talking freely about the benefits of freezing your bits off every day but you can tell that his real passion is his acting.
If anyone was born to have an audience, it's Marc and recent roles that he is quite proud of are playing a part in Sweeney Todd and Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar.
Go to the back of the class with a dummies hat on if you read that as meaning Sweeney Todd was a character in Jesus Christ Superstar!
Anyway, much as it’s been fascinating drilling further into this crazy community superhero who I'm proud to call a friend, I wanted something that really summed him up and I think it's this: he takes immense pride in joining the dots with various groups, making new connections and bringing people together.
Something quite historic next week, folks!
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