Andrew Reid

I am the eldest of five children. I live and work in Haringey, and living in south Tottenham since 1972 I know very well the happenings of the last 40 years in the area. Haringey is to me the most diverse place in London, where young people and adults can easily get together in a community. I am happy to say that in Haringey there are both an art centre and a theatre. What I love most about it is its diversity. It’s good to see different people, different nationalities, to seek understanding from them. I find that this breaks down barriers like racism, sexism…

I work with quite a few organizations in the borough, given that I am a diversity activist. In particular, though, my brother and I have founded the Black Art Production Theatre, or BAP Theatre, for short. My brother is the artist, while I take care of the management/services bit. I think ours is an important job because it gives young people the opportunity to get closer to theatre.

My life motto is “A winner never quits, a quitter never wins”. As far as I’m concerned, future leaders should know who they’re representing, know their community, ask them questions and listen a lot. Only then it is possible to represent it in a positive way.