Hello.
My name is Stephen Finch and I’m the newly elected PCS Proud representative for the North East. I’m very pleased to have been elected PCS Proud Rep for the North East. This is the second time I’ve held this post within the Union –although I’ve been involved with Proud for the last three years. I am also a branch rep and ULR so I hope you feel that this makes me reasonably qualified to take up issues on your behalf.

I live in Middlesbrough with my Civil Partner Edward – just down the road from Annie’s Bar. I also work in Middlesbrough and have just been given a temporary promotion to Decision Maker (at least for the next six months).

Over the past few weeks I have been busy contacting local branches and getting involved with the regional TUC, who have seconded me onto the Regional TUC Forum. Hopefully I will be able to raise the profile of PCS PROUD and also the issues facing LGBT people in the North East. I am also involved

I have also run the two day LGBT awareness training with the help of my colleague Dorian Griffiths. If anyone else is interested in undertaking this training please let me know and I will try to arrange another course. Two of the attendees at the course were so enthused that they wrote an article for their local newsletter.

I would like to arrange some kind of informal event this year so if anyone is interested in getting together please let me know. Ideas about dates, venues and what people would like to do or get out of the event would be helpful. You can contact me on my email address sfinch22@hotmail.com or phone/Text me on 07792 272140 on any LGBT related issues or just to have a chat.

If you haven’t already done so, please re-apply for PCS Proud membership (it’s free). You can join as a full or associate member. Please send your application form to PCS HQ - as explained on the website. This is because PCS Proud needs to update its membership records. Also, if you want to receive regular e-mail updates from me, please send a message to my email address and let me have an e-mail address where you would be happy to receive PCS Proud messages. I’ll also ask for news to be posted on the PCS Proud website on the North East page. I would like to avoid too many hard copy mailings – mainly because of an out-of-date contact list and because it’s a waste of paper and postage! If anyone is involved in anything that could be taken up by PCS PROUD please let me know. Also if anyone is organising any events let me know so I can get more support for you.

So please get in touch and let me know what you would like to do. I’m happy to arrange meetings and get-togethers, and I’d be really interested to hear about what’s going on in your Branches and workplaces.
Bye for now,
Stephen