First person Nightclub founder and events organiser Carl De Moncharline, 34, is the man behind Brussels’ roller parades, which this year went national

I have either a crazy routine, or no routine at all. I sleep about five hours a night and go to bed between one and four in the morning. And I listen to the radio all night, or I start mulling ideas over in my head which drives me mad. When I get up I drink about half a litre of coffee and check my email. After that the day could go in any direction. The only deadlines I have are for specific projects I'm working on. My girlfriend is a model and works abroad most of the time, so my lack of routine doesn't upset her too much. When we're both at home I work on the computer until the early hours while she falls asleep in front of the TV. My life is about bringing people together. I don't like money and I don't like authority, I just love the idea that people come together, and help each other for no reason other than goodwill. That's been the thread running through all my projects, which have included setting up the Fuse and Who's Who's Land nightclubs, running a telethon for leukaemia research and organising street parties in May this year. I do a lot of community work for the Brussels branch of the Socialist Party. I thought up the roller parade idea as part of my electoral campaign for the 2000 communal elections. I wasn't elected, but went ahead with my plans anyway, partly to irritate the conservative minds that dominate Brussels. I have 15 years experience in events management, so it was easy to find sponsors and to persuade the authorities to organise the policing. When roller-blading came along I took it up straight away. I was ice-skating when I was six and would skate in all my free time until I was about 15. I'd go to the Poseidon rink on Wednesday afternoons and every evening and weekend. This is the second summer of the roller parade, which is a 20-kilometre tour of the city. I head the parade and set the tempo, followed by my team who provide the music. We play a mixture of dance, funk and soul, mainly because most people like it and it projects the sort of image we want for the parade. Police escorts have to stop the traffic at every crossroads for about 15 minutes to let the skaters through. We give waiting motorists sweets so that they don't feel too cross. The reaction is generally positive – people get out of their cars and cheer us along. Other people even bring chairs and picnics to watch us pass by. By the end of summer 2002 we had 10,000 skaters in Brussels alone, and this year we've gone national. Now there are parades every day of the week somewhere in Belgium. Hasselt and Namur are the most popular. The route in Namur is beautiful, while in Hasselt the burgomaster is really into getting away from road transport – the metro is free, for example – so people have welcomed it enthusiastically. I consider myself something of a matchmaker. People who have never met bump into one another at the parade. They have fun together, find common ground, and then go out together, all thanks to me. That's my inspiration. I'm still working on community events like Energy Week, which is coming up in October. We'll be encouraging people to use less energy and save money at the same time. I can't say any more: my plans are secret until they happen. Get your skates on and catch the last two Belgium Roller parades of the summer in Brussels on August 29 and Mons on August 30. For maps and more details, see www.belgiumrollers.com