Hug Pool

“One small crack does not mean that you are broken, it means that you were put to the test and you didn't fall apart.” — Linda Poindexter.

Mark, the proprietor of HUG stakepool is a busy fellow. He is a fulltime IT professional and works as a network engineer for one of the largest NHS trusts in Europe. His extensive IT experience allows him to run a pool with the highest levels of security and energy efficiency. The pool was built from source on Linux bare metal servers to Cardano Foundation / IOHK specifications. The decision to build from source was made to better understand building the node using CLI and how it all fits together. This makes for easier troubleshooting and problem resolution. All HUGs nodes have dedicated hardware and are run from home. The benefits of this are full control, manageability, and reduced costs.

Mark fell in love with the premise of Cardano in 2021. He initially started the stake pool with the promise of a large pledge from a friend. Although that offer fell through, Mark decided to carry on, as he truly believes in Cardano and in its potential to help change the world. He is actively working on growing the pool through community outreach and delegator rewards. As an extra incentive for delegators, HUG pool runs a monthly raffle when a block is produced. Any delegator with over 100 ADA staked can win up to 300 ADA. Mark has run two raffles so far - with the first paying 200 ADA & the second 100 ADA.

Mark also coaches a youth soccer league. He believes that sport or other outside activity can help both children and adults maintain a positive mental outlook. An aspiration would be to use some of the pools profits for to buy kits for grass roots soccer clubs. Currently, HUG pool donates 20% of revenue to mental health charities. Past donations have been sent to CALM (Campaign against living miserably) and Young Minds. Both of these charities promote mental health advocacy in different ways. CALM offers a free and confidential help line and web chat for people who are feeling depressed or suicidal. They also run a bereavement group to support those who have lost a loved one to suicide. Young Minds offers support and advocacy for parents and young people who are trying to deal with mental health issues.

By Traveler Jo | CardanoArmy.io

You can find Traveler Jo somewhere close to the sea. She loves Cardano, kayaking and food - not necessarily in that order. She's busy exploring the world, always in the company of her husband, tired dog and indignant felines.