Rising Stars

Our hopes were high… The Dock reached the finalist shortlist for the NI Rising Stars awards and we went along to the fancy awards shebang with fingers crossed.

But alas! this happened:

But hey! The Dock is FULL of rising stars and we don’t need some flipping award (mutter mutter) to tell us so…

For example, look at our amazing team of volunteers.  Over the last few weeks they have all given up an evening to attend one of Stevo’s fantastic in-depth training sessions – from how to make the perfect cup of Suki Tea, to what to say to a confused tourist who has never heard of an Honesty Box, to the intricate moods and whims of Doris the Dock Dishwasher… EVERYTHING was covered!

And look at the result… Dock Cafe is more welcoming, more cosy and more heavenly than ever – and every visitor always comments that it’s down to the cheery volunteers (who is the mystery “lovely older gentleman” – anyone want to claim that one!):

The volunteers also came up trumps again at A Night To Remember – the annual remembrance service to mark the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.  Wild and windswept we gathered at 11:40pm on the slipways after an evening of storytelling and dramatic reconstruction of the Titanic story – so no candles this year (just mobile phone flashlights!), but the care and enthusiasm of the Dock volunteers held it all together.

And it’s not just the Cafe volunteers… I was with the Dock Market gang recently for their setup in the Odyssey Pavilion at the crack of dawn – how inspiring to watch them turn such a big space into a riot of colour, creativity and quirky originality.  Don’t miss the next Dock Market at the Odyssey on Sat 22nd April!

And finally (for now…) some of the unseen Rising Stars of the Dock: the Dock Angels, who have been steadily signing up ever since our birthday party back in March.   Dock Angels are people who support the Dock financially – whether through a one-off donation or a regular gift.

As the Dock shines brighter and brighter, we couldn’t survive without their support – and if you want to join them you can find all the details here.

Stars, every one of ya!  Now to put in a bit more practise at the “gracious loser face”…