Helen Tomb is the manager at Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful's Live Here Love Here programme.
She's worked in the voluntary and community sector for more than two decades and we took 15 minutes with her to find out what makes her tick..
Name: Helen Tomb
Company: Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful
Role: Manager, Live Here Love Here
What do you do (in 10 words or fewer)? I manage the very busy Live Here Love Here programme.
Three main attributes you need for the job: Flexibility, passion, energy.
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Path to this position: I have worked in the voluntary and community sector for over 20 years and the role is a perfect match with my personal passions. Live Here Love Here is a national campaign aimed at promoting civic pride and a community can-do attitude and I love being hands-on with the important activities that we deliver.
What’s your dream job (present position excepted)? I would like to run my own boutique hotel somewhere scenic and remote with a large kitchen garden. I love meeting people and hearing their stories. Providing a customer-facing service and being part of a small community would fit my lifestyle and connect me with some great personalities.
What are you most proud of (work-wise)? Seeing the difference that Live Here Love Here makes to individuals, to communities and to green and blue spaces across Northern Ireland. We receive lots of great feedback from people who have received a grant, equipment or support to fulfil their vision of a cleaner, greener place to live, and seeing their confidence and skills develop is a real highlight of the role for me.
What are you most proud of (in life)? I am a dog lover and have wonderful memories of the dogs I adopted over the years. Some had lived in awful conditions, others just needed a new home. We have had adventures together and plenty of snuggles on the sofa, I just loved seeing them become part of the family.
How did the coronavirus pandemic affect your organisation and how did you adapt? Our organised community activities ceased immediately, and it took a while for this to recover. We moved community support online, which worked well but of course, we missed face-to-face interactions.
Demand for support grew as people began to notice litter more and we found that they were keen to help tackle this at a local level. Live Here Love Here runs an Adopt a Spot programme which enables volunteers across Northern Ireland to adopt an area and look after it and for this, we diversified the kits that we offer to include food growing and wildlife variations.
This has helped people to make the most of outdoor space whilst engaging in positive activities.
What lessons did you learn about yourself during lockdown? That I’m never going to enjoy DIY! I bought paint during lockdown with the aim of finally decorating our home and it’s still unopened in the garage.
Who is Northern Ireland’s brightest business brain? I’m not really immersed in the world of business, but I listened to one of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’s podcasts with David Gavaghan last year and I was really struck by his passion for taking immediate action to fight the climate crisis.
David is also a Climate Commissioner for Belfast and really gets the breadth of the environmental challenges we’re facing and the need to urge everyone to make a difference, from family members to elected representatives.
What do you wish you had invented? I’d love to develop an app that fully translates dreams. I have eclectic and intriguing dreams that blend reality with fantasy and I’d love to know how the thoughts have come together and what they mean. It’s just a bit of fun, but it would be interesting to join a few dots of my nocturnal thinking.
Favourite App on your phone: Currently WhatsApp. I have so many conversations going on, I need to check in regularly to keep up with the chat.
Apart from Belfast Live and your own, what’s your favourite website? I love Tripadvisor for finding new places to visit and explore, and of course for reading all the weird and wonderful reviews people write.
If you were spending the day in Belfast where is your dream breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks? Maggie Mays in Botanic is a great spot for breakfast. After a wander around Botanic Gardens and a walk along the Lisburn Road, I’d be ready for a junk food feast in Bare Bun and finally a trip to Nu Delhi, a great Indian restaurant in the city centre with delicious cocktails. After all that, a trip to the Lyric theatre would round the day off nicely.
Where’s your hidden gem in Northern Ireland? I love all the mountain areas and the Fermanagh Lakelands, but my hidden gem is Cregagh Glen. It is a stunning location right in the suburbs of Belfast and I love that it is within walking distance, so I don’t need the car to visit. A steep climb is rewarded with beautiful waterfalls and stunning views from the top.
Where’s your favourite place in the world? I fell in love with Cornwall a few years ago and have made several trips back as there is so much to see and do. It was my first destination as a solo traveller and I loved the beaches, coastal villages and the laidback lifestyle. The Eden project is always worth a visit as the seasons create an incredible experience and the flower displays are stunning.
How would you describe Belfast to someone who’s never been? A vibrant city. If you are bored in Belfast, you’re doing it wrong!
In 10 years’ time I’d like to… Be in (very) early retirement, exploring the world with a huge pack of dogs to come home to.
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