BAC Management Committee

Jackie Fitzsimmons - Chair

Jackie has been involved with BAC as the chair of the organisation for 3 years. He brings with him a wide range of experience and knowledge and was previously Chair of the South Easten Education and Library Boad.

Harold Baird - Treasurer

Harold has been involved with BAC for a number of years as a consultant and has now came onto the the Centres Management Committee as the treasurer. Harold is a management account with many years experience.

Alison Brown

Alison has been involved with BAC for a number of years, completing her Basic Expedition Leader Award back in 1999.  After a break of a few years, she came back to volunteer with the gold open award in 2005.  Alison’s next challenge is to complete ML training.  

Kate Thompson - Duke of Edinburgh's Award Representative

Kate Thompson recently took up the post of Director of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Northern Ireland, a charity with which she has been a volunteer for some years.  Prior to taking up her current role Kate held a number of posts in the private, public and voluntary sectors including Board Director of ASG PR and Commercial Manager with the Princes’s Trust – Northern Ireland.  Kate is a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Gold Award holder and a BCU canoe and kayak instructor.  In her spare time she enjoys wilderness canoe trips and hillwalking.

Pamela Ballantine

Pamela Ballantine started her career in broadcasting as a Secretary in local radio station Downtown Radio, and was soon filling in as a newsreader and programme presenter while still doing her day job in the office.  She then joined BBC Radio Ulster as a fulltime Presenter for 6 months before joining UTV’s continuity announcers department. While working for UTV she has presented many programmes like Farming Ulster, Telethon, The Ulster Schools Quiz and Hot Pursuits.  She was the Presenter and Reporter on UTV Life at 5.30, UTV’s daily Magazine programme which covered all aspects of life – from medical to legal issues, entertainment and celebrites.

Pamela is now an Ambassador for UTV, working on events and presentations.  She is also a Presenter and Reporter for UTV Live., UTV’s successful news programme. She has also worked as a Presenter Reporter for UTV’s Motorsports programme RPM, covering the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. 

Pamela has been part of the Management Committee of the Belfast Activity Centre for about 15 years.  It was while she was presenting Hot Pursuits that she first met Stephen Dickson who was acting as games master and safety officer.  She was persuaded to become part of BAC by Stephen Dickson while she was nagging over the side of a building taking part in an abseil in Belfast – Stephen can be very persuasive when he is holding on to the end of a rope!

Lynne Spence

Lynne has been involved with BAC for many years, over ten of which were spent volunteering with the Open Award.  During this time she has obtained the Basic Expedition Leader Award, Level 2 Hill Walking qualification and has undertaken an ML Training course, while developing further interests in abseiling, running, cycling and kayaking.  A member of the Management Committee now for a number of years, she has also been a member of the Fundraising and Rathlin Committees.