ANDREW BATCHELOR: 26 years of being a Dundonian, and half my life telling Dundee’s stories

I’ve just turned 26, which means I’ve now spent 26 years being a proud Dundonian. But there’s another milestone that makes this birthday particularly special.

I’ve now spent half my life running Dundee Culture.

When I started Dundee Culture at just 12 years old, I had absolutely no idea where it would take me. I was simply a young Dundonian who loved his city and wanted to share that passion with other people.

Thirteen years later, that little idea has grown into something I could never have imagined. And even now, I’m still discovering new things about Dundee, meeting incredible people and finding new reasons to be proud of the place I call home.

What makes being a Dundonian so special?

I’ve always believed that being a Dundonian means being part of something much bigger than yourself.

This is a city with an extraordinary story. A place that has produced inventors, pioneers, artists, scientists, campaigners and ordinary people who have gone on to do extraordinary things.

People who haven’t just changed Dundee, but have changed the world.

And in some cases, quite literally, helped us understand the universe.

That’s something I’ve always found remarkable about Dundee. For a relatively small city on the banks of the River Tay, its influence has reached far beyond Scotland.

From scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs to music, art, literature and video games, Dundee has contributed so much to the world.

But what makes me proudest isn’t necessarily the famous names or the big achievements.

It’s the people.

The Dundonians who care deeply about their communities. The people who dedicate their time to helping others. The small businesses taking chances, the volunteers keeping local organisations going and the countless individuals making a difference without ever expecting recognition.

Those are the people who make Dundee what it is.

A city worth shouting about

Of course, Dundee isn’t perfect.

Like every city, it has its challenges, and I don’t think loving somewhere means pretending those challenges don’t exist.

There are things that need to improve, decisions that deserve scrutiny and problems that shouldn’t be ignored.

But I’ve never understood why recognising those challenges should stop us from celebrating everything that’s brilliant about Dundee.

Because there is so much worth celebrating.

Dundee has character. It has history, humour, creativity and ambition. It’s a city that has reinvented itself time and time again, while somehow managing to retain that unmistakable Dundonian identity.

And I genuinely believe it deserves people who are willing to stand up, speak positively about it and remind others just how much this city has to offer.

That’s always been one of my biggest motivations behind Dundee Culture.

Half my life dedicated to Dundee Culture

It’s quite a strange feeling to realise that something I started when I was 12 has now been part of my life for more than half of it.

I grew up alongside Dundee Culture.

Through my teenage years, leaving school, finding my feet in the world and eventually building a career around something I genuinely love, Dundee Culture has been there through it all.

And what started as a passion project has opened doors I never thought would be possible.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet some remarkable people, work with fantastic organisations, visit incredible places and tell stories that might otherwise never have received the attention they deserve.

But perhaps the most rewarding part has been seeing the community that has grown around it.

Knowing that people enjoy discovering something new about Dundee, remembering a piece of its history or celebrating someone doing something brilliant in the city means an enormous amount to me.

Because that’s what Dundee Culture has always been about.

Not simply sharing news or photographs, but helping people feel connected to the city and to each other.

And after all these years, that passion hasn’t disappeared. If anything, it’s grown stronger.

The next chapter

Turning 26 also comes at a particularly exciting time in my life.

Over the last few years, I’ve started to realise just how far the work I’ve been doing through Dundee Culture could take me.

Something that began as a young boy sharing his love for Dundee has gradually become a much bigger part of my professional life.

And there’s a particularly exciting development on the horizon.

I can’t share too much about it just yet, but a major breakthrough in my career is coming, and I genuinely cannot wait to tell you all about it.

It’s something that makes me incredibly proud, especially when I think back to that 12-year-old who started Dundee Culture without the slightest idea of what the future might hold.

But no matter where those opportunities take me, Dundee will always be at the heart of what I do.

Because this is my home.

It’s the city that has shaped me, inspired me and given me so many opportunities to grow.

And even after 26 years, I still get that same feeling of pride whenever I tell someone I’m from Dundee.

So here’s to 26 years of being a Dundonian, 13 years of Dundee Culture and hopefully many, many more years of discovering, celebrating and sharing the stories of this brilliant wee city of oors.

Because there really is nowhere quite like Dundee.