‘Every single person who gives up their time for Foyle Search is a hero to me’

He has cemented his place in his adopted home by volunteering for the city’s voluntary rescue service - Foyle Search and Rescue.

Next month the hotel will be hosting a ‘Spring Fling’ with some of the proceeds going to FSR.

Originally from West Belfast, Neil started his career in hospitality with the Marriott Hotels group in California. 

“I worked there for seven or eight years and decided to come back during the recession.

“I just wasn’t enjoying it anymore and decided to come back.”

Neil took a year out of the hospitality industry before taking on the deputy manager role in the Culloden.

“I am with Hastings Hotels for almost ten years now. I was offered the opportunity to be the general manager of the Everglades Hotel two months before City of Culture kicked off and I have been here ever since.”

Neil said he loves Derry, describing it as a ‘great city and great people’.

A short time after he started working in the Everglades he met his future wife, Leanne.

Neil was introduced to her by the former Derry City and Glasgow Celtic player and current technical director of Derry City F.C. Paddy McCourt. 

Football is something of a theme throughout Neil’s life, as he also works as the hotel player liaison for the Northern Ireland Senior Football team.

“Anytime they travel for away games, I look after them to make sure all the food and everything in the hotel is ok.”

He spent four weeks in France with the team for Euro 2016 and will be travelling to Sarajevo with the team next month.

“I absolutely love it. I love football and work in hospitality so it is a win win for me. 

“I have built a relationship with the players, I know what they like pre match and post match and it has had a knock on effect within my business with some of the players hosting events including their weddings in Hastings Hotels.”

While Neil admits his wife is the main reason for adopting Derry as his home, the commitment of Hastings to the city is another draw.

”The owners have invested over £5 million in the Everglades in my time here. They see Derry very much as a city ready to wake up and with better infrastructure it will just boom.”

Neil said the hotel does a lot of work with local charities and is very much part of the community. 

“I got involved with Foyle Search and Rescue after they held their 25th anniversary celebration here two years ago.

“In the past, I would have supplied the team with soup and sandwiches when there were searches ongoing.

“At the anniversary dinner I got chatting to Stephen Twells who suggested I volunteer with them. I didn’t realise you could just join.”

Neil joined up a couple of months later and began his training.

“The training was absolutely immense - eight training sessions in total, four of which were four hours long and four were eight hours long. I was committed and I wanted to do it because I live here, my wife is here and I wanted to do something to help out.

“It is a hobby but it is a real passion. Something that is very rewarding, but can also be very challenging.”

Volunteering with Foyle Search and Rescue allowed Neil to see why the charity is so vital to the city.

”On my first shift as a proper operational volunteer we had nine incidents. It was a real eye opener for me about the scale of the problem.  

“It should be a paid organisation as there are heroes all through FSR. Every single person who gives up their time is a hero in my eyes, but particularly the pager team who are on call 24/7  who give up so much of their time.”

Neil said that all of the 76  plus current volunteers with FSR  ‘are like family’.

“There is great camaraderie and there is a buddy buddy system in place to ensure that anyone who has dealt with an incident have someone checking in with them to make sure they are ok.”

As well as doing duty nights throughout the month, Neil has been assisting as treasurer for the charity.

He said that the generosity shown to FSR is ‘unreal’.

“FSR are loved by the whole city and many local businesses are so good to the volunteers.”

Neil said this applies especially on duty nights when there is always hot food donated by local restaurants for the team.

The Spring Fling in the Everglades Hotel is based on the hugely popular New Year’s Eve ball, which was attended by over 250 people this year.

“There was a date free in March and we decided to host an event with a nice four course meal, spring cocktail on arrival and a really good local band the Housem8s to dance the night away to. It will be a cracking night and some of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to FSR.”

The Spring Gala takes place on Saturday, March 28. For more information or to book visit  https://www.hastingshotels.com/everglades-hotel/ or ring 02871321066.