Mark Slatter
I joined the Phoenix Play team in January 2021 and since had the honour of working with a variety of people, designing and installing hundreds of outdoor spaces across different types of settings throughout the country.
Previously, I worked in a secondary school, in which I also attended when I was a student. I enjoyed my school days so much it seems that I’ve never quite literally left the playground behind me! I cherished the experience of working in a school just as much as attending it. I gained the valuable experience of working with all different types of people which provided me with a passion towards working within the education industry and having an impact on young people’s lives.
During my studies I received a degree in music and live events which I achieved studying at Bucks New University. I have a passion for music and love attending live events and being a part of a community. As a kid I played CD’s my parents gave to me and would have so much fun singing along on my karaoke machine. But it was clear signing really wasn’t for me, so I have since taught myself to play the drums instead!
I embrace the outdoors and especially love visiting the seaside in my 25-year-old campervan which I converted myself. I relish the opportunity to play sport on the beach such as football and cricket as well as climbing and exploring through the rocks. I also like to design and build things hence, my favourite tradition to do whilst on the beach is making a boat out of sand with friends & family and seeing how long we can stay in the boat before the tide comes overboard, and we must abort ship!... Best part is, it’s still as fun now as it was the first time!
Phoenix Play, like a good playground, facilitates me to be able to encapsulate all my passions into one place and achieve my full potential on a daily basis. Doing this job lets me be involved with the outdoors, education and construction, whilst engaging with a variety of people to work collaboratively throughout the process, using our imagination to help create outdoor spaces that transition from a dream to reality! This provides me with a career which is fun and creative, but most importantly facilitates the unbeatable job satisfaction that comes with making a difference to young people’s lives. I understand how important outdoor learning was for me growing up and the positive influence it has had on my life and therefore, I am blessed to be a part of a team dedicated to giving young people of today the same opportunities.
As the sayings go… ‘There is a child in all of us’, so it’s pretty cool to be doing a job whereby ‘Every day’s a school day’. But I would like to finish with my favourite saying that we abide by here are Phoenix Play…’We work hard, but we play harder’! 😉
Thank you for reading & I look forward to hopefully meeting/working with you 😊