Post-production trade body UK Post is to embark on a nationwide roadshow in order to boost regional membership and address the concerns of regional members.
Post-production trade body UK Post is to embark on a nationwide roadshow in order to boost regional membership and address the concerns of regional members.

The recently inaugurated association has seventy-three member companies but only nine from outside the M25. Companies such as Barcud Derwen in Cardiff and 422 South and Pink House in Bristol have signed up to the association, but new UK Post chief executive Gaynor Davenport wants to increase this number. 'UK Post has been established to represent, support and promote the whole of the UK's post-production industries,' she said. 'To do so effectively we must have a strong regional voice.'

The first stop of UK Post's roadshow will be Manchester on 28 October, followed by Bristol in November and Glasgow in January. 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.

Davenport said the team were not embarking on the roadshow 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.'

Expected issues include the proposed BBC move to Manchester, regional quotas and the issue of retaining post-production 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 Friday (24 September) 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.