Pocket Notes

Recorded in spaces and places on Rathlin Island including a ferry shelter, the Branson Centre and the West Light Seabird Centre . The episode opens with a reading by children’s book author and illustrator Paddy Donnelly and creator of the book “ The Golden Hare .”  The first conversation features Tom McDonnell , a Rathlin-based wildlife photographer whose passion for capturing photos of creatures...

Recorded in spaces and places on Rathlin Island including the Manor House Rathlin and the Rathlin Co-operative . We pop into Rathlin Co-operative, the shop that has everything including a range of creative objects made by Rathlin islanders and friends of the island. Aoife runs the shop and we join her as she works and chats and tells us about life on the island, younger and older creative entrepre...

Recorded with Kristen Robb Textiles in a church suite at a leisure centre complex in Holywood. Emerging textile print designer Kristen Robb has just completed a remote Masters in Regenerative Design from University of the Arts London that has led to her looking at the world of design through the lenses of biodiversity, seasonality and her local environment. Setting up her own brand Worthy Earth Ap...

Recorded in the OURSELVES studio at home tucked away between the countryside and the sea. Sarah McCullough recently moved back to Northern Ireland after spending decades in London and now works both solo and with a remote team from her home studio. Through her own consultancy and OURSELVES studio, Sarah has amassed a wealth of experience working with global brands. Her speciality is helping them t...

A short tour of the Field Day Ireland HQ at the end of a country road beside Monlough.

Recorded at the Field Day Ireland HQ at the end of a country road beside Monlough. Alix from Field Day Ireland has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Learning about retail business at a young age in her father’s shoe stores, she embarked on her own business over 20 years ago wanting to evoke the scents and atmosphere of “home.”  In a converted mushroom warehouse, the business has gone from Alix...

Recorded at Boundary Brewing in Portview Trade Centre, a space which plays host to many Little Fox Events. Little Fox Events' Caroline Baker is all about curating markets, pop ups and gatherings that champion local, independent businesses. Caroline believes that sustainable and regenerative action could be more widespread if we can use more engaging and positive messaging to get people on boar...

Recorded in Jenny Eva Design ’s home studio in Bangor. In the Jenny Eva Design Studio in Bangor, creative director and graphic designer Jenny Rusk works remotely with a wide range of companies and has a particular love of projects in the food and environmental spaces. Jenny is passionate about how designers - particularly small business owners and freelancers like her - can still make a genuine su...

Recorded at David Keys ’ woodworking shed in rural Moneymore in Mid-Ulster with a soundtrack of insects and birds! David’s journey into woodworking started with making a single coaster and soon turned into a regular hobby that helped with his mental well-being. A decade later, the hobby is now a business and David has gone deep into learning everything there is to know about the skills, tools, her...

Recorded at the Taylor Yates store on Bushmills village’s Main Street.  Karen, Ellen and now - Tom - are the family business Taylor Yates. They are redefining what it means to be a modern luxury brand through creating thoughtful handbags with a beautiful purpose, as well as expanding to a wider range of lifestyle products.  Taylor Yates has progressed from starting out in The Designerie ’s creativ...

Recorded at the Belfast Bow Co. Studio in Historic Dromore. Belfast Bow Co. was founded by wife Karen and husband David initially as a “pocket money” company and they have grown it slowly and organically to include customers from all over the world today. They are all about attention to detail - from the Liberty fabrics and linen they use, to using the tiniest scrap fabrics to create new products,...

Recorded in Boom! Studios in the heart of Bangor. Boom! Studios’ Co-Founder and Studio Director Marianne has spent the past decade on projects supporting and celebrating Bangor’s creative and cultural scene. Breathing new life into empty and disused spaces whilst supporting local creatives such as Jenni Robinson Art , the Boom Stitchers and the Past The Label sketch comedy group, she has created a...

Recorded in Hundred Studio on the Ormeau Road, Belfast Hundred Studio are an independent creative company creating and curating experiential design for their clients including Sidemen , Exemplar Coffee and the newly opened Charlie’s Pizza-by-the-slice on the Ormeau Road. Craig, Gregg and Kaia’s “open door” studio policy, highly collaborative approach and passion for Belfast’s creative scene is wha...

Pocket Notes takes you into the studios, homes and spaces of creative micro-businesses across Northern Ireland.  We explore the specific approaches each business takes to sustainability and regenerative design whilst hearing about their work, lives and projects.  You may hear some traffic, music - and even birds - as we immerse ourselves in the business owners’ workdays. You’ll also hear the “real...