Andrew Batchelor

Our youngest ambassador is Andrew Batchelor – named by Digital Leaders as one of the top ten youngest digital leaders in the United Kingdom and named by the Courier as a ‘teen prodigy’.

Andrew set up a Facebook page called Dundee Culture in 2013 to help support Dundee’s UK City of Culture bid when he was just only 13 which originally started out as a ‘passion project’. Now, Dundee Culture has over 13,000 likes and followers combined on all social media platforms from over 45 countries around the world, over 5 million visitors worldwide and is now expanding out into a full-time business venture for Andrew.

Andrew was born with hemiplegia, a form of cerebral palsy with doctors telling his parents that he would never be able to walk or talk but defied all odds. He has battled through autism, anxiety, epilepsy, dyslexia and dyscalculia but that hasn’t stopped him from doing what he loves – showcasing Dundee to the world.

Andrew has had many achievements and accolades from his work with Dundee Culture, he became the youngest person in Dundee to hold the Queen’s Baton ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow at just age 13, he won the first Young Award at the 2015 Evening Telegraph Community Spirit Awards, named in Young Scot’s 4 Young People Who’ve Ruled the Tech World and was named in Digital Leader’s Top 10 Young Digital Leaders in the United Kingdom.

“My inspiration for creating Dundee Culture in the first place was from my auntie who sadly passed away – she had a real love and bond for Dundee and that passed on me as she took us over the city – from the Discovery to the Dundee Law, that shown me what a beautiful place Dundee was!”

“Dundee is going through exciting changes at the moment with the V&A and the continuous waterfront development which will irreversibly redefine the city for the future!”

“To any young person who wants to achieve their ambition – whether they are disabled like myself or not, they need to know that nothing is impossible, and anything can happen in the future, but remember to be patient and you will achieve what you want to achieve.”