Recent work I have been involved in includes ongoing partnership working with In Your Space Event Management team. In Your Space is a Derry based performance company specialising in arts such as street theatre, circus skills and music. Some of the company’s performers can be recognised in the ‘Voices’ video that made up part of the winning bid for Derry’s City of Culture 2013 win.

In Your Space Event Management run the Annual Carnivale of Colours at St Columb’s Park and are heavily involved in the forthcoming Derry City Council Halloween celebrations. They have more exciting plans in store to unleash their creative events even further, so stay tuned for more to come in the near future.

I have recently been elected Vice Chair of the Diverse Media Group which is a North West Publicity Association that has been set up on behalf of local creative industries looking to collaborate, deliver training programmes and drive up industry standards and skill sets. Further news on Diverse Media to come soon.

Eibhlin Boydell

Local woman Denise Devlin is urging others to get in touch with their positive side this Friday at the launch of her business Positive Parties®.

The launch is coinciding with the Art of Positivity event taking place on Friday 22^nd October at the City of Culture Offices in Waterloo Place, Derry.

Positive Parties have been designed so that a life coach can deliver workshops to groups of friends at home, teams at work, students at school to uplift and motivate them using music, fun and games, helping them to celebrate what can be achieved through affirmative thinking.

Denise said: “I came up with the idea to start Positive Parties after turning myself around from a  low point in my life. I had a life changing period of discovery which instilled my self-belief, while re-training to become a life coach. I genuinely get such joy from helping others feel good about themselves that I want to share it even further.”

Denise has professional and academic training of 20 years, including a certificate in Leadership and Facilitation from the JFK School of Government, Harvard University. Local groups that she has assisted to “change their vibes” include the Pink Ladies Breast Cancer Support Group and the Student Leadership Team at St Cecilia’s College, Derry.

Chris McDonagh, Office Co-ordinator of the of the City of Culture Office said: “We are very excited to get involved with Denise and Positive Parties, they promote a positive attitude and outlook, one which is in keeping with the spirit of the city since winning the City of Culture title, and one which we hope will continue through to 2013 and beyond.”

Denise added: “I am delighted to be launching at the Culture office and to have the backing of a team whose theme behind their winning bid was ‘just say yes’. I have been overwhelmed with the amount of interest in the parties so far.”

The Positive Parties website will be launched at 4pm on 22^nd October: www.positiveparties.com. ‘Drop in’ all day from 11am for further information on Positive Parties.