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ANDREW BATCHELOR: Celebrating 10 years of showing the world what makes Dundee great

Ten years ago Andrew launched Dundee Culture, when he was only 12 years old.

Andrew Batchelor is celebrating 10 years of Dundee Culture.
Andrew Batchelor is celebrating 10 years of Dundee Culture.

I was only 12 years old when I started out on what was supposed to be something finite, it has now changed my life forever.

For nearly 10 years Dundee Culture has been the main working focus in my life, and it continues to be so.

I can’t believe it celebrates its 10th anniversary this Saturday and it is hard to imagine where that time has gone.

What started out as a hobby, helping promote Dundee’s UK City of Culture bid, led to me getting my first proper job and meeting quite a lot of influential people: from Kengo Kuma to the late Queen Elizabeth II, gaining a mentor to guide me on my journey – and most of all, allowing me to meet amazing people from this incredible city.

Andrew meeting V&A designer Kengo Kuma in 2018. Image: Andrew Batchelor

I was about to head into my second year at secondary school when the idea of Dundee Culture popped into my head.

My love for Dundee was already there thanks to my amazing late auntie, Lorraine Brown, but finding a way to show my love for the city didn’t come until August 2013.

Andrew and his brother with their beloved Auntie Lorraine. Image: Andrew Batchelor

At this time, there was not much of a Dundee presence on social media, and when I heard the city was bidding to be the UK City of Culture, that’s when I got myself involved, thanks to the encouragement of my incredible mum, dad and brother.

It all started when I created a Facebook page, updated the city on what was going on with the bid and started showcasing Dundee to the world.

It was only a few weeks later when the Evening Telegraph picked up on the story which helped me gain notoriety – little did I know that ten years later, I would be writing a weekly column for the paper that helped me be in the position I am in today.

The Tele promoted Andrew’s work in the early days. Image: DC Thomson

Dundee sadly lost out to Hull during the battle to be the UK City of Culture for 2017 – and I intended to end Dundee Culture after three months – but there was one consistent thing which led me to keep doing it, and that was the people.

Andrew (then 12 years old) with with Dundee’s UK City of Culture bid director Bryan Beattie. Image: Andrew Batchelor

They wanted more – and so I decided to carry on, but never in my wildest dreams though did I think that it would still be here 10 years later, stronger than ever.

Over the course of these past 10 years, Dundee Culture has brought positivity and joy – from the Dundee’s Young People campaign which helped raise awareness of some of the amazing young people in the city, to the Sunny Dundee glasses campaign which raised £1,700 for the Archie Foundation.

Andrew wore his Sunny Dundee glasses with pride at Big Weekend. Image: Andrew Batchelor

But for the most part, it has helped keep Dundee updated on the positives things going on in the city – and to those from the city who have moved away to other parts of the world but want to continue seeing what goes on back home.

The most challenging, but rewarding, time doing Dundee Culture, however, was of course, the Covid pandemic.

The Stay Safe Dundee campaign will go down as one of the proudest achievements in my life. I wanted to comfort Dundonians in a time of uncertainty and that was rewarded with trust that I can never ever repay.

For 79 consecutive weeks, I updated Dundonians on the latest stats relating to Covid in Dundee and Tayside, and I kept up the positive vibes and also gave out important information on how to stay safe.

Andrew kept Dundee Culture followers up to date during the pandemic. Image: Paul Reid

This campaign resulted in a huge influx of support for Dundee Culture – which contributed to 60,000 followers and almost 100 million visits over a 10-year period.

I think Dundee Culture has helped change Dundee for the better, and that is testament to the people who have supported me from the very beginning.

It is quite hard to believe that since Dundee Culture was created, Dundee became the UK’s first UNESCO City of Design, the V&A Dundee opened to the world and Dundee’s international profile has skyrocketed.

Meeting Prince Edward at the Duke of Edinburgh Awards in 2019. Image: Andrew Batchelor

It’s so amazing to see the change this place has gone through and equally exciting to see what the next 10 years hold for Dundee and for Dundee Culture.

I remember going for an interview a few months back, and I was asked what my end game would be for Dundee Culture?

I replied: “To make sure everyone, everywhere knows about Dundee and why it is the one of the greatest cities in the world.”

I want to make a positive impact on the place that I am so proud to call my home – and that is what I intend to continue doing.

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