People behind the Salon

Simon Belt - Salon Coordinator

Simon Belt started his career in the technology industry in the rather restrictive environment of the civil service, moving into the more flexible and innovative international outsourcing world. Looking to implement technology the way it should be deployed, rather than what suits any given contract, Simon established his own IT Consultancy in 1999 - Simply Better IT. His passion is to help improve the way small businesses use technology, by matching its use to the way they work best and delivering end-to-end IT solutions, to those best suited for engaging larger businesses and institutions as equals.

Born and brought up in Yorkshire, he moved to Lancashire on a civilising mission some 25 years ago. After some success there, he’s moved on to sunny Derbyshire where he’s now based. From the delightful surroundings of New Mills where he plays golf at probably the friendliest golf club in Derbyshire, Simon plans and coordinates the Manchester Salon - preparing discussions, booking venues, promoting via the website, Email notifications and management of the Salon's Facebook Group. Always keen to take on new themes to discuss, formats to experiment with and collaborations to explore, please complete the Contact the Salon form with suggestions of your own.

Reviews: Mysterious Skin, Female Transport, From Nags to Riches, David Copperfield, Asylum of Grace, Mad for IT, Clare Allan, Engaging Audiences, The Bishopsgate, Gargantua, Weirdo. Mosher. Freak, Shades of Diva, Omid Djalili, The Iron Lady, The Straits, Young People, Project Nim, Neoliberals and Democracy, Radical Gardening, Entitled, Design The Future, Wizard, The End, Epic, Emotional Philosophy, George Monbiot, Communicative Capitalism, CING Lecture, The Social Network, God is a Manc, Mancunian Meander, 1984, Total Politics

Jane Turner - Reviews Coordinator

Jane Turner has been a long-time campaigner through work as an "un-civil servant" union rep and outside of work where she was involved in many campaigns. She extended a degree in Political, Economic and Social History at the University of Liverpool, with a post-graduate certificate in Education at Manchester Metropolitan University. Jane's classroom has included teaching some young offenders how to read and write, as well as teaching ICT in secondary schools, subsequently training teachers, and working as a consultant to local authorities. She currently works as an education consultant, part time lecturer and freelance proofreader and copywriter.

Jane helps to coordinate the reviews section on the Manchester Salon website, writing reviews herself and cultivating budding new reviewers to write on a variety of topics and activities around the North West. Her aim is to develop the reviews section of the site to have some of the more critical and insightful reviews of contemporary life around Manchester. Recently, Jane has started to contribute to the Institute of Ideas schools Debating Matters competition - on judging panels to put some aspiring school student’s debating skills to the test.

Reviews: Prison, To Kill a Mockingbird, Arabian Nights, A Government Inspector, Long Distance Runner, Rolf Harris, Does Size Matter?, Saturday Night Sunday Morning, Streetcar Named Desire, Good, All the Way Home, Echo & The Bunnymen, Like you've never been away, Jobs Not Therapy, View From The Bridge, Buena Vista, Welfare State Reforms, Mogadishu, A Christmas Carol, Spend Spend Spend, Musings on Transport, The Christians, Les Misérables, Picasso: Peace and Freedom, Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Shaped by War, Being Earnest

 
Mark Iddon - Current Affairs Coordinator

Mark Iddon is a freelance architect, at Urbanization, who has been working in Manchester since graduating from Oxford Brookes and Brighton Universities. He is interested in the pursuit of freedom and democracy, economic growth and progress and development of the built environment.

Mark is a council member for the Manchester Society of Architects. He is also a writer / reviewer and a regular participant of the Manchester Salon and is an associate member of the Institute Of Ideas. He lives in Salford with his wife and daughter, and is a Manchester United Season Ticket holder.

Reviews: Plans for Library Walk, Exemplar, Norway Massacre, The Durutti Column, Painting from Life, Do Stuff, Ferraris For All, Dr Faustus, Alcohol Pricing, Greenbuild Expo, Freedom and Fun