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Hugo Finley

My name is Hugo Finley, I have over 20 years of experience working for a mixture of for-profit and not-for-profit organisations including charities. I went freelance in 2019 and have not really looked back since.

Being dyslexic I am an unlikely lover of documentation, but my frustration with badly written documentation brought about an interest in making the written word more accessible for all types of user.

I have a passion for helping people & organisations that help make the world a better place, not only do I believe this is a social responsibility but also a key to living a happy life.

I have been an employee, volunteer and Trustee for a mixture of charities and not-for-profits with a huge mixture of purposes including:

  • providing mixed-age drama workshops on social issues with mixed-age groups
  • running events and conferences
  • producing a weekly magazine and books
  • running a local Manchester Park (Fog Lane Park)
  • decommissioning specific types of ammunition
  • providing a social space for tech orientated community
  • membership organisations
  • looking after the welfare of bereaved husbands

 

I am a member of a couple of freelance communities Freelance Folk and Freelance Hero’s. Both are supportive of their members through regular networking opportunities and meet-ups etc. Freelance folk has a special place in my heart as I have been a member of them since before becoming a freelancer as they allowed access to their co-working spaces for remote workers to prevent feeling isolated.

WordPress Community

I believe in taking or creating new opportunities a good example of this is my involvement in the WordPress community.

Although, I have been using WordPress since 2007. I started out from a place of naïvety within the WordPress community, not really knowing that much about their events until I volunteered to be an organiser of Manchester WordCamp 2015. I have since gradually grew to understand the community so much so that I became the lead organiser of WordCamp Manchester 2018.

My experience of the online community has grown over the past 5 years and I have contributed policy and advice locally and internationally on forums and slack since getting involved.

I am a member, speaker and organiser for the local Manchester WordPress community (MWUG) too.

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Making a Home

Manchester became my home after moving here for educational purposes in 2002. Manchester was the first place that really felt like home since I was about 12, I am sure this is not just because of my lovely wine drinking friends, but also because of the vibrant theatre and music scene here.

Manchester has been a good home to me, plus it has allowed me to continue with my hobbies: photography, cooking, quilt making, wine drinking (if that can be considered a hobby).