"Never give up, never give in"
Ark Global News
Has anyone heard of Michael Quinn MBE?
23/02/2008 When I was Editor of Caterer & Hotelkeeper in the late 1990s, it was a publication that people referred to as the “Bible of its industry”. This had little to do with me – at the time there simply wasn’t anything to rival the magazine in British hospitality. With a weekly readership of 250,000, its position as the main channel of communication in hotels, restaurants and among contract caterers was second to none.
This was in the days before email, and the Editor used to receive up to 100 letters a day. Most routine correspondence was handled by my PA or other members of staff, but I always responded to personal letters myself. One day, a letter arrived from a Michael Quinn. Something about it caught my eye, I’m not sure what. I read it carefully and then walked out onto the editorial floor and asked: “Has anyone ever heard of Michael Quinn MBE?” There was silence. Someone muttered something about “famous chef, long time ago”.
I checked out the name, made sure that the letter wasn’t a fake, and arranged to meet Michael in a hotel near Northampton. Over lunch, he told me his story. I was intrigued. My nose for good editorial copy was twitching. But it was more than that. As he described his descent into the nightmare world of the alcoholic and about his slow but successful recovery and how he now wanted to do something to assist fellow alcoholics, I felt compelled to help.
Two months later we ran a leader column in the magazine about the Ark Foundation, accompanied by a six-page article and interview with Michael. The rest, as they say, is history. The hospitality industry responded, the Ark was launched, support gathered momentum and the work commenced.
I’ve never pretended that it was this article in Caterer that was responsible for the Ark’s success. It would have happened anyway, such was Michael’s commitment and faith in the project. But if the magazine helped, then I’m pleased.
As a personal footnote, my subsequent friendship with Michael kick-started an interest in charity work that led, five years later, to a new career with The Children’s Society (www.childrenssociety.org.uk). It’s no coincidence that I should find myself involved in an organisation where much of the work helps young people with drink or drug problems or whose parents suffer from substance misuse. Michael Quinn’s influence is more far reaching than he thinks!
Forbes Mutch
Senior Communications Editor, The Children’s Society
Editor Caterer & Hotelkeeper (1997 – 2005)