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Alison Prince has written over 50 books, many of them for young people, but also biography, poetry and scripts for TV and radio, notably the now-classic series, Trumpton. She has written for newspapers for many years, and still reviews books for the Herald. Her well-loved column, On the Green, will be a regular feature of The Arran Voice.
She holds an Honorary Doctorate of Letters for services to children's literature, works extensively in Community Arts and has edited several anthologies. She is secretary of the Arran Community Council and plays clarinet in the Jazz Café Band.
Nick is a professional journalist and researcher. As a law graduate of Edinburgh University, his first experience in journalism was reporting for the Arran Banner during the summer of 2002. Two years later he undertook an MA in international journalism at City University, London. Since then, he has worked in a range of research roles and freelanced mainly for Ethical Corporation - a magazine providing news, comment and analysis on global issues of corporate social responsibility.
He is keen to understand the role and impacts of businesses at the community level – and his other research interests include mass surveillance, digital rights, ethical consumerism and environmental issues.
Passionate about the internet's potential to assist a new and more participative citizen journalism, he is determined to make sure The Arran Voice will give strength to the many voices of the island.
In his spare time he likes to play football, climb mountains, watch films and meet up with his pals.
Janis brings to The Arran Voice twenty years' experience of newspaper advertising and office management, previously having led a team involved with the simultaneous production of four local Scottish & Universal newspapers. Janis will be the cheery voice at the end of the telephone, keen to help you get into the paper and make the most of your advertising budget.
Initially based in the Belvedere conservatory, Janis looks forward to meeting you when you hand in articles, letters and photographs and will also be on hand to advise you regarding the most effective ways to promote your business. If you cannot make it into our office, Janis will be only too happy to come and see you at your premises. She will also respond to your e-mails ensuring that all incoming enquiries are dealt with efficiently.
Janis and her husband Steven moved to Arran in November 2005 for the improved 'quality of life'. Since childhood she has spent all her holidays on Arran, her family owning a holiday home in Knockinkelly in Whiting Bay, where her mum was born.
Janis looks forward to establishing herself as part of The Arran Voice team that are going to provide something different for the community of Arran.
Graham's former career of chef and hotel owner are a distant memory. Starting his catering career off in Yorkshire, he used his Canadian nationality to work in Ontario for two years as a chef coordinator. He returned to the UK in 1988, working in Wales, Suffolk and Norfolk. After running several small pubs and restaurants, he finally bought his own hotel in the Shetland Isles in 1993.
Following the Braer oil tanker spill and the resulting demise of the tourist trade in Shetland, he sold the hotel and moved to Arran in order to start something new.
Spotting a gap in the market, Arran Graphics (still Arran's only full time design studio), was formed in 1996 and continues to build on its initial success – which, at the time, was mostly as a photocopying/computer repair business. With ten years experience of Arran and its people, Graham is using his self-taught design skills and local knowledge to good use in the new Arran Voice newspaper.
Graham has driven the trans-Canada highway solo, hiked the grand canyon, scuba dived with manta rays in the Caribbean and once got completely lost in the rainforests of Tobago.
Graeme Attkins is the co-founder of Frecosse Online Solutions and has over 10 years experience in website design. His main skills are website design, application development, database design and a little graphic design when everyone else is too busy to help him out.
From April 2003 until June 2006, Graeme was the Web Manager for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) website. When he started, the website was a mere 700 pages in size, with around 10,000 documents available for download. When he left, the website had increased to over 15,000 pages, with over 40,000 documents available to download.
While he was running SQA's website, his main goals were to convert the site to meet accessibility standards at Priority 2, simplify the navigation, introduce a site-wide search engine, develop password-protected areas, and create a full e-commerce solution. This last was finally achieved in his last week with the organisation!
Previously Graeme ran his own company, called Interactive Arts, between 1998 and 2003, providing a number of services including website design, CD-Rom authoring, graphic design, and design and print.
Chris Attkins began his career as a technician, film editor and cameraman with the BBC and at STV, working in both studio and outside broadcasts.
In 1980, Chris and his wife Jan established Flashback, Scotland's first independent video production company, specialising in the promotion of Scottish businesses both at home and abroad. Flashback became a pioneer in the developing world of desktop publishing and partnered the Daily Record in the setting-up of Glasgow's first cable TV channel. Over 17 years, Flashback grew into a profitable limited company with a six-figure turnover, employing thirteen full-time staff and many others on a freelance basis.
In 1997, Chris and Jan relocated to Arran where, in addition to running their guest house, Belvedere, they established VISION unlimited, a residential centre for personal development.
At the invitation of VisitScotland, Chris for some time chaired Destination Arran, but concentrates now on his work as a qualified Life Coach and Hypnotherapist. He maintains several websites providing comprehensive self-help to people all over the world, and instigated the creation of ArranOnline.com, the well-used and rapidly expanding community website. He is passionate about Arran and is very keen to facilitate local debate and ensure that the opinions of the people who live on this most special island are heard.
Jan Attkins nursed for 12 years, specialising in Midwifery and Neonatal paediatrics. In 1980 she started a video & television production company with her husband Chris. Over 20 years she worked in accounts and production co-ordination, then went on to produce and direct programmes, specialising in Community Programming for STV.
She was a key contributor to six series of EIKON, a Moral, Ethical & Religious magazine programme, for which she produced the more whacky, New Age stories.
For several years Jan produced ACTION 2000 – 45 Sec infomercials for small community and self-help groups to educate the public and recruit volunteers.
She also produced and directed a monthly charity appeal, together with Morning & Evening calls – STV's Godslot, becoming adept at co-ordinating teams, getting the best out of people unfamiliar with the media, and working to tight budgets and deadlines.
Since relocating to Arran in 1997, Jan has been working as a complementary therapist as well as running Belvedere Guest House.
NB Other staff are currently being recruited, and information about them will appear here shortly.