In its first General Council meeting since its AGM in September 2007, the Celtic League has elected a new Assistant General Secretary (AGS).
Mike Chappell was elected unanimously by the League's Branch Secretaries and Officers to take up the position following the resignation of Aren Grimshaw in December 2007, for personal reasons.
Mike Chappell was born in Redruth, Kernow in 1959 and educated in Camborne & Redruth and initially trained as a history and English teacher. He later joined Devon & Cornwall Police and was a highly decorated officer during his 27 year service.
Mike describes himself as a committed Republican and an active campaigner on various issues, including nuclear disarmament, animal cruelty and homelessness. He is an avid traveller and has spent time with tribes of native Americans in Texas and has also worked on a relief mission in a Romanian orphanage.
Mike is a basic speaker of Kernuack and Castellano and currently the Kernow Branch Secretary – a position which he has maintained since 2005.
The General Secretary of the League, Rhisiart Tal-e-bot, commented:
"I am looking forward to working along side Mike, who has shown himself to be a committed activist and campaigner in Kernow. Despite a great deal of pressure that he and fellow Branch activists have been under in recent months, as a consequence of some high profile campaign work, he has shown considerable leadership and courage.
His election demonstrates that the League as a whole has a great deal of faith in his abilities and we all are all confident that Mike will continue to prove himself to be an asset in his new role."
J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
31/01/08