Our Patrons

Elaine Clarke

In 1984 Elaine Clarke began working as a waitress at her aunt’s café, called Tabac, in Liverpool. Leading on from that she became assistant manager at both Birdy’s Bar and Kelly’s Wine Bar as well as continuing to manage Tabac. She was headhunted in 1991 to work as the General Manager of Baa Bar’s founding site. At the time Baa Bar had been floundering toward closure, but over the years Elaine has been able to make the project work to become a strong business with clear market position and cult status. She has won an astonishing number of awards (8 personal and 19 for the company). She was also chosen as one of the 366 most influential Scousers on the planet (Liverpool Echo – Jan 08)! “I believe I have proved that being black, a Liverpudlian, a woman and a single mother are not insurmountable obstacles in the world of business!” When she does manage to get some free time, she spends it with her son, Oliver.

Vanessa Kirkpatrick

Vanessa Kirkpatrick is a Freelance TV and Video Producer and a former journalist and broadcaster with Granada TV, Channel 4 and BBC. Vanessa also offers a consultancy service providing media support and advocacy to charitable and socially ethical organisations. She is delighted to serve as a patron of BHA and looks forward to assisting the organisation to promote its work on the local and national platform

Tom Lang

Currently Tom Lang is the director of Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, chairman of Sense of Sound, and the managing director and rotational chairman of 3345 Ltd & Parr Street Recording Studios. From 1986-1990 he worked as a recording artist and writer at Sony Records (Epic) where he recorded two albums. He also worked extensively around the world with producers such as Pete Smith (Sting, The Bible), Robin Miller (Sade), Harvey J Goldberg (Hue and Cry). In a live capacity, he performed with such artists as Nina Simone, Jools Holland, Alison Moyet, Suzanne Vega, Black and Ruby Turner. Between 1990-1994, he set up Dry Communications, of which he worked as managing director. He released a further 3 albums with Dry Communications. Between 1994-1996, he worked as executive producer and recording artist for Nippon Columbia. During 1996-2000, he worked in a voluntary capacity, setting up an annual fundraising music event as patron of Merseyside AIDS Support Group and Mersey Body Positive. From 1997-2001, he assumed the role of director of River Media where he produced Liverpool’s Capital of Culture 2008 video bid.

Mike Shaft

Mike Shaft is a broadcaster of some repute in the North West. He was born in Grenada in the West Indies and has lived in the North West of England since 1968. He began his broadcasting career as a freelance presenter at Piccadilly Radio, Manchester in 1978. Mike remained with Piccadilly for 8 years after presenting a weekday show and becoming Head of Music in 1993. Mike Joined BBC Radio Manchester as a soul music presenter in 1987, he was also offered a job on BBC Television co-presenting the BBC1 daytime programme ‘Open Air’. While at BBC Radio Manchester, Mike set up the Sunset Radio group which won the Incremental Licence for Central Manchester. He became the managing director and programme controller at Sunset in 1989, a station aimed at ethnic minorities in Manchester. After Sunset, he worked at a number of stations including Marcher Sound, Piccadilly Gold, Piccadilly Key 103 and Wear FM. He also worked for 3 and a half years as lead commentator for Sky TV on their British Basketball Programmes. At the end of 2000, he worked in Newcastle as series editor of the Dream on TV for the GOD Network. During the summer of 2002 Mike was invited to present Breakfast and to look after the music at BBC 2002 - Commonwealth Games Radio in Manchester. Following the success of the Games, Mike successfully applied for a post as assistant editor of BBC GMR. He continues to present the Multi Faith Sunday Breakfast show on BBC GMR.