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Alex Finnegan and Alison Mcgowan have received the UnLtd Millenium Award Level 2 in 2005, to set up PuppetShip CIC as a Social Enterprise. .

The project continues to benefit from the support of the Unltd Ventures team and Alex has recently been selected for the Unltd India Learning Journey 2006.

Download Alex's CV Here

CV Alex Finnegan 06.doc

Alex Finnegan, is a 34 year old Boat-builder, Designer and Project Manager, based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, where he lives with his wife, Puppeteer Alison Mcgowan and their 2 year old son, Daniel.

Alex and Alison, met as Industrial Design students at the University of Ulster in Belfast in 1991. Their studies were profoundly effected by the course tutor at that time, Professor John Frazer of the Architectural Association London, and the couple went on to very different careers, outside Industrial Design.

Alison trained as a Puppeteer, and worked all over the world, on stage and TV, with Artists as diverse as Laurie Anderson and Sooty. While Alex, toured the UK as a Professional Musician and worked briefly as a Graphic Designer in London before becoming a City Farm Manager in Rotherhithe (milking 12 goats by hand, twice a day!) saving enough money to train as a wooden boat-builder in Lowestoft.

In 2002 Alison returned from touring a Puppet show around Japan, Alex flew back from building boats in Southern France and they sailed their yacht up from London to Alison's homeport of Newcastle to settle down and start a family.

With the arrival of the Tall Ships Festival on the Tyne in 2005 Alex and Alison submitted proposals to the local council for the creation of a floating Puppet Theatre on the River Tyne.

Even though this business plan was well received at the time, funding proved elusive, leading to a crisis point where it seemed the lack of funds would stall the project completely.

It was the national recognition and financial security of the Unltd Millennium Award in 2005, which has afforded Alex and Alison the time to develop the project concept into PuppetShip Community Interest Company.

Alex explains,"The team at Unltd recognised the potential of our project and helped us to configure a sustainable business plan. Without their support our project would have been dead in the water".

PuppetShip CIC continues to seek core funding for the purchase and conversion of an ex-commercial Humber Barge into a 100 seat floating Puppet Theatre. With the support of Unltd Ventures, PuppetShip CIC has identified a sustainable interim plan for sustainability before the actual barge purchase.