Mike Daligan

Realising untapped talent and changing lives

Born into wartime Docklands, Mike's life has seen post-war austerity, the creation of the welfare state, the Cold War, the cultural explosion of the 1960's, the greed of the 1980's,the near collapse of our financial system, more austerity and the recognition that climate changes threaten our way of life on this tiny planet.Yet he remains an optimist.

With the death of his mother when he was 5, Mike was fostered before being signed into the army at 15 for 12 years. Married with a family, he left to persue a career in architecture until, divorced and with his children, he moved to a terraced house in Yorkshire to become a fulltime student. Supplementing his grant with a number of odd jobs, he became a community activist.

Leaving college, Mike got involved in the city farm movement and was instrumental in creating its National Federation and, after a spell of unemployment, became Director of the farm in Leeds. This had no buildings or services and was threatened with immediate closure but was rescued to become one of the best of its kind in the country. Moving to another charity as a Director, he helped homeless people to build their own sustainable homes. This charity, too, was in danger of closure and he helped make it successful. In recognition of his work, Mike was shortlisted for the 'Jamieson Award' for an outstanding contribution to the volunteer sector and highly commended in The Guardian 'Jerwood Award' for excellence on the charity field. He has lectured in Belguim, Bulgaria and Russia and 15 years ago, set up his own consultancy.

He has renovated 5 properties, run the marathon twice (still happily running) and goes to the gym each day. Now at an age when his peers have opted for cardigan and slippers, he has embarked on a sixth career as an author and speaker. In addition to his first two books, "The Real Big Society" and "The Other Side of the Doors", he is partway through two others and has been recommended for an MA in Creative Writing at the same university as his youngest daughter; proving that it is never too late to realise untapped talent.