Neil Peterson, 'Head of Liverpool Welcome' at the Culture Company, will tell us how the plans for 2008 are shaping up. Neil's talk will cover the structure and organisation of the Liverpool Culture Company, an overview of the 'Sea Liverpool' activities taking place in 2005, and plans for the themed years 2006-2008 and beyond. The talk will also look at the ways in which local people and organisations can get involved, particularly through the Volunteering programme which Neil is leading and which will be launched this summer.

Neil - who was married in Gateacre Chapel - lives locally with his wife and three children. He grew up in Childwall and, after University, worked in a variety of roles for the Civil Service in London. He returned to Merseyside with the DfEE in 1992, and joined the Charity Commission in 1998. He then spent some time delivering employment and training programmes in the private sector, before taking up his current post in January 2005.