Trying to persuade businesses to think green and use renewable energy keeps David Clubb busy by day. And his love of music keeps him even busier by night. A LARGE part of my job is to get the message out to businesses throughout the region that wood heating can be clean, affordable and convenient. Having always been a keen environmentalist, I spent a year working in the desert region of Almeria in south east Spain on behalf of green charity, Sunseed. I have since worked for renewable energy charities in Wales and in Bristol. I have a PhD in physics and form part of the line-up of Newcastle soul band Mothers of Biffa, and also a blues band Minnie and the Victors, so I generally lead a hectic life! Monday A MEETING to kick off the week. It’s with another regional organisation – this one’s involved with hands-on work in the environmental sector, and we’re discussing whether they might be interested in closer working ties as they have an interest in community forestry. Then it’s back to the office to get up to speed with what’s going on with our other projects. I typically spend about half my time in the office. I’m lucky that I love going there as, it’s fairly small and is populated by the smells and sounds of the farmyard! I have superb colleagues and the atmosphere is very relaxed and friendly. With six staff in one office working on a number of projects related to business support and rural development, there’s always people popping in and out and a feeling of activity. The afternoon brings another meeting, with a PhD student who’s looking at climate change in Northumberland. I fill him in on what we’re up to, and give him an idea of the sort of networks operating in the county. That evening I rehearse with the 10th Avenue Band in a pub on Chillingham Road in Heaton. We’re an active street band, and perform in various venues regionally and internationally – probably about 50 performances a year. I play trumpet and saxophone and it’s relaxing and fun – it’s amazing how playing music can remove you from the stressful ‘real’ world – I almost always leave rehearsals feeling renewed. Tuesday I START work at home in Jesmond, Newcastle, today as I have appointments south of the river. The first is to drop off marketing materials at a mailing company for the Ignition09 woodfuel expo, which we’re organising at The Sage Gateshead in March, an international event giving businesses from all over the UK the chance to talk to suppliers first-hand about the long-term benefits of investing in wood heat. Then it’s a dash to Sunderland to head up a meeting to discuss our NEWHeat biomass business support project and how that might work with my contact’s project. Most Tuesdays I travel to Northumberland to stay with a friend, but tonight I stay in and practise for band tomorrow night. Three of our staff come from Newcastle, with the rest scattered around Northumberland. Where possible, the three of us from town try to lift-share, and because we operate a flexi-hours system we can leave after 9am when the traffic is fairly light. This means staying late, but that’s not so bad, and my after-work activities don’t start very early. Wednesday MY colleague comes up from the Yorkshire office to talk about marketing. Later on in the day another partner calls by, and we have an in-depth meeting about the NEWHeat project, and how we can maximise the benefits to businesses in the region. By the time that’s done it’s getting on, so I follow up on the results of the meeting and head off. It’s band practice with Minnie and the Victors tonight – we’ve not been formed long, but it’s an experienced bunch of musicians, and we have gigs lined up already so there’s plenty of practice needed! Thursday A MEETING in Newcastle to start with, then I get a ride to the office with the regional director of the Forestry Commission, who we work closely with. We run a European project supporting biomass in the region, and he’s keen to meet our new project officer. The project’s off to a good start, and we discuss how we can ensure a good fit with other regional projects. Tonight I am off to Northumberland to stay with my friend – something I normally do on a Tuesday but circumstances often change this. We have a lovely meal then venture out for a night-time walk looking – unsuccessfully – for badgers and deer, though we spot a barn owl and spend time watching it hunt! Friday WE’RE looking at moving as we don’t have room to get any more staff in our premises on the farm, so my first engagement is with someone to discuss new office space. I get back to the office and cast half an eye on next week’s schedule to make sure there are no surprises, then discuss our new training programme with colleagues. We offer subsidised training to people in the forestry sector, or wishing to get into it, and marketing this is an important aspect. I wind down the week by heading back and planning my activities for the weekend – undoubtedly some music practice, but hopefully also some outdoor adventures. Northumberland is fantastic for that, and exploring the coast and the forests and hills inland is something I really love doing - just the thing to unwind after a fairly lively week! David Clubb is project director of NEWHeat, a free service funded by One NorthEast to encourage businesses to switch their energy supply to wood heat as a renewable energy source. For more information about wood heat and its application, tel: 0845 478-6300 or go to www.newheat.org | 
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