Paul Harris Fellowship recipient addresses Carrick club

David Boyd, director of Beat Carnival, an independent Arts company which now operates from the Beat Carnival Centre in Millfield in Belfast, was a recent guest speaker at Carrickfergus Rotary Club.

As a graduate of the Art College with a keen interest in and involvement with youth groups, David’s purpose was to develop creative talent in the community and to provide employment for artists.

He outlined how Beat Carnival developed into the vibrant organisation it is to-day, engaging people across communities and producing carnivals and large scale performances involving thousands of people such as Belfast Carnival and the Lord Mayor’s Parade.

He described how, through Beat Carnival, large numbers of all ages now participate in workshops and training programmes in a wide range of art forms including drumming, dance, costume design and construction, prop design and construction and puppetry construction. These are delivered by professional artists and craftsmen and women.

Rotarian Michael McCune thanked David for his “excellent presentation which opened up a largely unknown world to club members”.

He also congratulated David for his work in creating and developing Beat Carnival, which recently earned him a Paul Harris Fellowship from the Rotary Club of Belfast.