Finn Warman, artistic director and CEO of Andro & Eve

Sheffield makes me proud to be a Northerner.  

The things I love about Sheffield are the way people just crack on with stuff and collaborate, sharing resources and ideas. The green spaces in the city are a huge draw and access to the Peak District. The availability of great coffee and independent cafes is a plus, and I love how compact the city centre is with plenty of different events on every week. 

I run Andro and Eve, an organisation set up to celebrate queer culture through memorable events that inspire. Started as an informal event series in 2016, we're now a not for profit arts organisation led by a board and proud to be making space for queer culture in Yorkshire. We are the creators of the largest drag king cabaret outside of London, The Kingdom Come, and queer party and cabaret, A Reyt Queer Do. We also host immersive film screenings and deliver workshops exploring gender as performance and the art of drag kings. 

Andro and Eve's interaction with Sheffield as a city has been one not focused in any particular area, with our events initially running out of bars, cafes and community centres across the city. We have now established relationships with some fantastic venues in Sheffield such as Theatre Deli Sheffield and Abbeydale Picture House, and have a loyal fan base across the city, South Yorkshire and nationally. Andro and Eve is regularly supported by local independent businesses, and we love shouting about the good stuff that is here. We have a team of 10 volunteers and are firmly rooted within the community which we serve. 

Sheffield is a special place because it has embraced our endeavour to celebrate margnisalised voices within queer culture and supported schemes such as our Pay it Forward Ticket fund, enabling us to provide cheaper and free tickets to those who need them for our events. Sheffield is also a place where you can make real time to relax and take time out, which when you run your own enterprise, is as vital as the creative and business networks to make things happen.