Last updated 13:28, Tuesday, 21 October 2008

From renting out deckchairs on a beach in Acapulco to organising a film shoot in Carlisle with a 35-strong cast and crew – Sue Bellarby’s working life has never been dull.

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Nine to five schedules have been abandoned in favour of unpredictable routines and deskbound office jobs soon swapped for projects involving the great outdoors.

At the moment she is combining working for Bollywood movies with organising the tour for Carlisle singing sensation Andrew Johnston.

Sue has always trodden her own path, allowing her to enjoy some rich and varied experiences and now she has found her calling – at the age of 42.

“I’ve had some amazing jobs but have always had a niggling feeling that I hadn’t found my purpose. And now I have,” she smiles.

“I now know what I want to be when I grow up.”

The Penrith-based mum of two runs her own company, Artist Assist, which provides services to the film and music industry. She is currently shooting two scripts for acclaimed director Vikram Bhatt – who she describes as the Martin Scorsese of Bollywood – and is having a whale of a time.

“I prefer working for Bollywood films, though many people think I’m potty. They will work from 6am through to the following morning and it just isn’t as structured as the British film industry.

“It’s creative, spur of the moment, and even if there’s a schedule you never know what’s going to happen.

“Bollywood’s out of the box... and it’s me. It pushes you to the max and I love it.”

Her current job has involved travelling the length and breadth of the country, scouting for suitable locations.

“You organise the logistics of a location,” she explains. “The director has a picture of what he wants in his mind’s eye, and you need to find it. Then you deal with everything from security to catering to toilets. On big feature films you have crews of 150 to 200 people. It is phenomenal.”

On top of this, Sue is Andrew Johnston’s tour manager and also barmaid at The Kings Arms in Stainton.

“Well what better way to keep up on all the village news and goings-on than while working at the pub. Always kill two birds when you can, that’s what I say.”

Her workload means she doesn’t have a day off until December 31 – which would worry most people, but Sue seems resolutely positive about it, pointing out that she’s doing a job she loves and besides, she has to take the work when it’s there.

In January she will enjoy a long holiday in Thailand, visiting her son Ally who lives there.

Both her sons seem to have inherited her spirit of adventure – Ally is just 19, while 18-year-old Andy is just back from Canada where he attended film school.

Sue was even younger than that, however, when she found her wanderlust taking her to the other side of the world.

She grew up in Keswick, where her mum was a domestic science teacher and her dad taught P.E. “I think my parents realised I was different, and instead of fighting me they have always supported me. I’ve been very lucky in that respect,” she reflects.

“The traditional path, especially back then, was to get O-levels, then go to college or university but I was never like that.

“So when I was 17 I went to Mexico for 18 months, on an exchange trip, doing everything from renting out deckchairs on a gay beach in Acapulco, to building toilets in Oaxaca, in the south.

“We were living in a shack with no electricity there. I didn’t know life was like that for people. It was one hell of an education.”

Over the years she has worked as a holiday rep in Spain, run a company selling timeshares, a cleaning agency based in Penrith (Dust in Time), and for a PR firm – though the latter was too office-based for her liking.

There was also a period working in London, managing and promoting bands. On her return to Cumbria she joined radio station CFM with responsibility for sponsorship and promotions.

In 1995 she started working with Andrew Lennie at Rhythm of Life, which later evolved into Worldwide Events.

Some 20 staff are now employed and the company is behind events including the Whitehaven Maritime Festival.

“It involves organising everything from airshows to entertainers to rubbish collections. It’s incredible, and great fun,” she says.

“I love doing events. It’s a blank canvas, all about making things happen.”

Sue still works for the company when time allows, and was most recently involved with setting up Carlisle Live in Bitts Park this summer.

She has owned her house in Stainton for 20 years, and describes it as her bolthole. “I call Cumbria home. I love the beauty, the peace and quiet.

“I want to open this county up though. Cumbria has a hell of a lot to offer and we should be encouraging people to come here.”

As well as work, Sue likes to play too. In 2005, along with friend Kath Huddart, she took part in the famous Gumball Rally, a Wacky Races-style dash through 13 countries from London to Monaco over six days.

“I thought I’d worn all the t-shirts, but that was the craziest experience I’ve ever had, it was so surreal,” she explains.

At CFM Sue had worked with Mally Chung, who has worked his way up the film industry and was a unit manager on the new James Bond film.

It was through him she got her break in the film industry, working as a location assistant on Across the Universe, which was nominated for Golden Globes.

Then came the Beatrix Potter biopic Miss Potter. Sue didn’t meet Ewan McGregor, but describes Renee Zelwegger as “an absolute darling. She’s as lovely as she appears to be, very down to earth.”

She adds: “Miss Potter did wonders for tourism in the Lakes, and I want to do the same through Bollywood. Through films can come tourism, which can only be good for the area.

“There are amazing opportunities for filming here. Obviously there’s the Lake District, but the outside bits are so interesting: Barrow in Furness, the West Coast, Keswick, Cockermouth and Carlisle – Carlisle is a great city for filming in.”

Sue was location manager for Mr Bhatti on Chutti, which was filmed in Carlisle.

“That film was the shortest sharpest learning curve,” she says.

“I couldn’t have done it without help from people in this county, they all pulled together to make it happen. We had two weeks to prepare, then shot for a month.”

Earlier this year she took up the post of Cumbria film officer for Northwest Vision and Media, where she was based for just six months.

“I desperately wanted to bring film into this county and I liked the aims of NW, but once again it was too office-based.

“Also, I got this opportunity. It was quite a wrench to leave but I had to take it up.”

So once again she struck out on her own and so far has no regrets.

“I couldn’t miss the challenge and it is really something I can sink my teeth into.

“Working on two films at the moment is the best feeling in the world, I feel like clouds have lifted and I am having the most fantastic time.”

RGibb@cngroup.co.uk