Category Archives: My Blogs

 

Port Talbot is a surprising place sometimes.  It is known mainly for the steelworks and is an important industrial hub for South Wales.  For example Tata steel is one of the biggest employers in the area, and the steelworks have been the major employers in the area for generations.  The town itself is not a huge town, but it is very diverse.  It has sometimes been rather unkindly called Port Toilet, but I believe it deserves to be seen in better light.

You have the very densely populated area towards the seafront, Sandfields, and you have more rural areas like Baglan and Cwmafan.  Everywhere you go, though you stand a great chance of seeing the sea, and you are within easy travelling distance of some of the prettiest scenery anywhere.  The Gower peninsula is within 30 minutes easy drive and was Britain’s first Area of Outstanding Beauty.  Closer to the town you also have Margam Abbey, the castle and the grounds where I did my first public performance after winning Britain’s Got Talent.

The Afan valley stretches all the way from the sea at Aberafan to the Bwlch where it meets the famous Rhondda Valley above Treorchi.  All the way there is very pretty valley scenery, and a major mountain bike centre at Afan Argoed which is arguably one of the most challenging mountain bike centres in Wales.

I have lived in Port Talbot since my first illness at the end of 2002, and I have always felt welcomed and at home here.  There is plenty to do in the area and lots of walking to be done in the area, be it on the beach, in the hills or in the valleys.  The people of Port Talbot are friendly, and very down to earth.  They are very generous in spirit and they still have a number of choirs for which Wales is rightly famous.

I have travelled the world and am fortunate to still be able to do that.  For that I am grateful to people all around the world for supporting me.  Only one place that I call home and that is Port Talbot.  I don’t ever see that changing.  Thank you to the people of Port Talbot for making me feel part of the community since I emigrated there in December 2002.

 

(All photos by Paul Potts)

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I have always enjoyed going to New Zealand.  Of course it is such a long way to travel in the first place and this time was no different!  After a 26 hour journey from London, I made it to Auckland to be met by my good friend Elizabeth Marvelly with whom I have had the pleasure of touring with 3 times.  The concert, To Christchurch with Love was her brainchild and was the reason I had made the journey.  Elizabeth was there to welcome me with a camera crew from New Zealand’s public service broadcaster NZTV.  I think that I surprised Elizabeth by agreeing to come so far when I wasn’t coming that way at that stage.

I had no doubt in my mind or any hesitation.  For two reasons: a) because New Zealand is such a beautiful place, and it was the perfect excuse to make a trip and more importantly because b) because New Zealand was one of the first places in the world to take me in to their hearts.  I have always been a firm believer in karma – what comes around goes around.  So I was determined that if my diary was clear then I would come.

I arrived at the house at which I would spend much of the next week to be greeted by the sound of a dog sniffing the bottom of the front door, and by the volume of the sniffing, I was expecting a huge dog.  it turned out to be a tiny Jack Russell by the name of Bella, who greeted me by barking at me.  By the generosity of the house owner Seeby Woodhouse, I was given his master bedroom with its floor to ceiling openable windows.  The first few nights, seeing as we were by the sea, I decided to leave the windows open, thinking that the sea air would help me sleep.  it did the trick very well, but I was woken in the night by the sound of mosquitoes, for which I was a welcome (for them, at least) midnight snack.  I braved it for two and a half nights, enjoying the fresh air.  The third night, the high pitched buzzing, plus the itchy bites on my arms meant that I then kept the windows shut.  At this point I didn’t know that the mosquitoes would play havoc with me for the next week.

By the eve of the show, I found myself having some pain in my left ankle. It was enough to make me limp a little, but I didn’t pay it much heed.  The next morning after a good night’s rest with the windows firmly shut, the pain eased, and I thought it was just an irritation.  Things soon changed and by late afternoon, it became painful to walk.  Elizabeth kindly made some enquiries and a doctor she knew suggested me popping in to North Shore hospital in Auckland to get it checked.  Thinking it was probably just an allergic reaction to a bite, I figured I would just be given some strong antihistamines and allowed on my way.

On arrival after an examination by the emergency centre registrar, I was informed that what I had was actually cellulitis, a severe skin infection that could, if left untreated lead to septicaemia, or blood poisoning.  This quite shocked me.  They told me that I would need to be put on an intravenous drip to have some antibiotics given to me.  I feared that after going so far to perform at the concert that I would then let everyone down by not being able to make it to the concert, as the medical team was seriously contemplating admitting me for three days.  It all depended on me being able to take the drugs intravenously.

I knew that this would not be uncomplicated, as I tend to be a bit like a pin cushion as far as needles go.  I’m not scared of them in the slightest, it’s just that my veins tend to be terrified of them and go into hiding!  When I was in hospital having a 4 inch tumour removed the nightly blood test round would be a battle of wits with my veins.  When I was knocked from my bicycle 4 months later, the ambulance technician was unable to find a vein to give me pain relief for my severely fractured collar-bone so gave me nitrus oxide (laughing gas) which left me feeling drunk, a feeling I hate, so I refused it and just gritted my teeth.

The charge nurse Carole tried valiantly to find a vein but was unable to persuade any to be stabbed.  After an hour of trying, me making it to the concert was looking more and more unlikely.  Along came a friendly charge nurse from the intensive care unit who is used to finding unwilling veins, and after a few goes he managed to find one and within 30 minutes I was allowed to go to the concert.  On leaving, he thanked me for coming to New Zealand to perform for Christchurch as he had lost his mum in the CTV building (it was his first day back at work).  I made it to the venue just before the concert was about to start, much to the relief of Elizabeth, and myself.

I told the story of my hospital visit to the audience and dedicated my performance of Nessun Dorma to the staff of North Shore hospital and in particular to the charge nurse from ICU and his mum.  I enjoyed my performance immensely, and it was great to sing with Elizabeth again.  We had a fantastic response from the audience at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna.  So far about NZ$ 120,000 has been raised for New Zealand Red Cross, and it is a testament to Elizabeth’s hard work that such a great event was organised in only 5 weeks.

I would like to pay tribute to so many people not just to those involved in the concert.  There are workmen working 16 hours a day knee deep in raw sewage to keep the electricity flowing.  So many people are working flat out to make sure that people in the area have the minimum services to live a civilised life.  they continue to work through after shocks.

I was looked after very well the whole time I was in New Zealand, and I would like to thank Seeby Woodhouse for allowing me to steal his master bedroom, his business manager, Karen for looking after me and to everyone in New Zealand for giving me such a warm warm welcome into their beautiful country.  It is always a pleasure to come, and I always find I never have enough time there.

Tika Hoki, Aotearoa!

At the moment, I am in beautiful New Zealand, preparing for a fundraising concert in Auckland for the victims of the Christchurch earthquake on February 22^nd this year.  People’s generosity has been incredible around the world, and I ate at a lovely restaurant last night on the Waterfront in Auckland called Euro, which raised over NZ$100,000 for the New Zealand Red Cross.  I am not at liberty to divulge the amount raised by the concert I am taking part in, but rest assured it is huge!

In both New Zealand and Japan, the Red Cross organizations for each country are working tirelessly to help those in need.  I would like to pay particular tribute to those that are working very long hours and putting themselves in harms way in order to help protect people and restore basic services to them.  In Christchurch, power engineers are working knee deep in raw sewage in order to make sure electric power is kept to those living in the area.

In Japan many engineers have put themselves in real danger in order to prevent an even more major catastrophe occurring.  Make no bones about it; these are very brave people who are hardly seeing their families, some of whom who have lost families themselves.  The fact that the Fukishima plant is recovering is tribute to their efforts, and while there are still obvious concerns, there is confidence that things should return to normal.

The wounds run deeper than the physical damage, though.  Many people have been killed and are still missing, and the amount per capita is not so very different in New Zealand as in Japan.  My thoughts continue to be with both the people of Christchurch, Canterbury and Japan.  It will take a long time for things to be completely ‘normal’.

One thing I have noticed in the spirit of both New Zealand and Japan, is that people are being united and brought together, and old rivalries are being put aside to come to the assistance of those in their fellow citizens.  There is still a long way to go, but both countries have started their journey to recovery.

So what can we outside New Zealand and Japan do to help?  The most obvious way is to donate money to Red Cross in New Zealand and in Japan, and to that end, I will add links to both charities on this blog.  But how can we help in a more practical way?

Tourism is very important for both the Japanese and especially the New Zealand economies.  The countries’ ability to rebuild their shattered buildings and infrastructure will be reliant on the public purse to pay for much of the rebuilding and recovery.

In New Zealand, tourism has been hit hard by the earthquake of 6 weeks ago.  I have stated on Facebook and twitter that New Zealand is open for business and for exploring.  Much of Christchurch is still cordoned off, but there is still so much to see in one of the most beautiful countries on earth.  On the south island you have the mountains and lakes of Queenstown and routes down to Milford Sound.  You also have Napier on the coast, a city devastated by an earthquake in the 1930’s and rebuilt as an art-deco town.  You have the wineries of Otago and Marlborough, which produce some wonderful Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc among others.  On the North Island, you have the beautiful but windy capital city of Wellington with its many cafes and bars along a beautiful coastline, as well as many museums.  Further north you have the sulphur active (you will know by the smell!) mud pools of Rotorua with its lovely town centre serving wonderful pies in shops and a beautiful small museum that pays tribute to a volcanic disaster many years ago.

Further north again, you have the largest city in New Zealand, Auckland with its iconic harbour and skyline.  If you’re very brave you can come down the sky ride on the front of the building (not me!). Here you have even more wineries of Gisborne (if you have seen the wine Cloudy Bay in your supermarket, this is where it comes from) and the island of Waiheke also has quite a few wineries and restaurants to enjoy.

Japan is obviously more complicated.  North of Tokyo there are areas still fenced off for public safety.  But there are still places to visit.  Further south you have Osaka, you also have Kobe, famous for its massaged cows that make the most expensive steak in the world.  You then have the tranquility of Kyoto, and beautiful Fukuoka (the last time I was there last March it snowed!), which is on the south west coast of the southern island.  Further north you have the busy city of Kanazawa, with its temples and wonderful views of the Japanese Alps.

Yes please continue to donate money to charities supporting recovery and support in both New Zealand and Japan.  But we can do more.  Neither country is closed to visitors.  If you can, visit them.  Let’s let them know that they are not on their own, and explore their beautiful countries and help them move forward.  Some areas are out of bounds.  Some areas are dangerous still, and of course we should all take appropriate precautions and advice.  But if you had a trip planned to New Zealand or Japan and are reconsidering, do think again.  There are areas devastated by the disasters, but we can show our support for the people of these great nations by continuing to visit and let them know that they aren’t on their own.

http://www.redcross.org.nz/cms_display.php

http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

“NHS wheelchairs were not designed with self-esteem in mind.  The armrests were so high that my arms, draped over them, looked like those of a gorilla, and the position of the footplates was even more bizarre: my long legs were hitched up unnaturally high, my knees pressed together almost at chest height, while my feet – miles apart – looked like they had had a bust up and broken off diplomatic relations.  I looked like a rag doll who’d been dumped in a corner.  This would not do.  I tried a different tack. But pushing my knees outwards meant they flopped out so far as if I was about to give birth.  I realised I had only two choices on how I faced the world: I could either look like a Pippi Long-stocking or a porn star.”

This is a very good summary of the book for me.  I was moved many times while reading the book, and then caught off-guard by many moments of Mel’s incorrigible humour.  One thing shines out most in the book though apart from the humour: hope.

Mel was a headstrong 15-year-old girl (is there any other kind?) who in spite of her parents concerns went out with her 19-year-old boyfriend Aldo on his motorbike on a trip to Porthcawl on the South Wales coast.  Mel’s life changed forever when in a moment of testosterone fueled madness at being overtaken by a smaller bike, lost control of the bike resulting in a horrendous accident.

Never Say Die is a well-written book, one that I wasn’t able to put down at all.  There were many moments of laughter and moments of sadness, but never pity.  Mel has a sense of self worth and pride that comes out on the pages of the book.  Being someone that knows Mel through our work for her second child (the first being her dogs), Treat Trust, I can say that the person in the book is the person in the flesh.

You’d recognise Mel if she approached you.  Not just through her humour, not just through her passion for life, but with the flashing lights on the front wheels of her wheelchair.  Never Say Die is a real rollercoaster through Mel’s life, starting through the fateful day in 1980 and continuing through her rehabilitation in units that have inspired her to find something better for people in her position.  It follows her life through many difficult times, including an accident when she was driving that left her with both her legs being broken, and facing breast cancer and all the challenges and choices that that has put her through (she is now fighting cancer for the second time and in Mel’s typical attitude she is currently being fried – having radiotherapy).

I learned a great many things about people with disabilities through reading the book.  Every day things that most people take for granted can be huge challenges for people that are paraplegic or quadriplegic.

Mel is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met.  The book represents this very well.  In the book you can see what the driving force behind Treat Trust is: it’s not about making life bearable for disabled people.  That is not enough.  It is about enabling people to have a full life and to stop the barriers that we put up between disabled people and ourselves because we feel a sense of pity and shame that we are ‘fit’ and they are supposedly not.

What is loud and clear in the book, is that there is no place for pity: there is no time for regrets in life.  Mel feels grateful to have met the people that are important in her life and without the accident, she would never have met Mike, her husband who was surgeon who operated on her as a 15 year old scared of what life was to throw at her.

I certainly don’t pity Mel (I wouldn’t dare!) There is a person there that I couldn’t hold a candle to.  In the book she shows a huge amount of gratefulness to her adoptive parents who never once admonished her for going against their misgivings about her boyfriend and her being on a motorbike.  No “I told you so’s” just love without question.  This is Mel’s inspiration for carers being helped as part of the Treat Trust aims.

Do buy the book – not just because it is a great read that will have you moved and crying with laughter many times. It also helps raise money for Treat Trust as Mel is giving her share of the royalties to Treat Trust.

It was the first time I have ever performed at Brangwyn Hall, which is often used by the BBC and others to record music in.  It is a fantastic space and a place with wonderful acoustic.  It was a great honour for me to be performing at such a wonderful place and for such an important cause in South Wales.  Treat Trust hopes to provide a centre not only for those getting over and dealing with disability, injury and illness, but also a group of people all too often forgotten: the carers.  The concept behind Treat is innovative and will help to get people ready to return to life after an obstacle in their lives.  I enjoyed my performances which I will link a few of them below.

Forbidden colours

 

and Che Gelida Manina from Puccini’s La Boheme:

 

Performing with grammy award winner Rebecca Evans was a great honour and she perormed a wonderful set as well including an excellent comic song called ‘I’m Tone Deaf’ which had brilliant comic timing, and bearing in mind that many members of the BBC comedy series Gavin and Stacey, she added a brilliant impression of the Nessa character from the series part way through the song.  I was sat at the table laughing very hard and wishing I’d recorded it.

My final words on the evening have to be about the founder of Treat, Melanie Davies.  A Paraplegic with attitude, she hasn’t allowed anything get in her way.  Never losing her will and faith in life she is incorrigible and great fun to be around and very inspirational.  After two serious accidents and now having radiotherapy for cancer a second time, she doesn’t stop laughing and it’s always a joy to see her coming in her wheelchair which the flashing lights on the front wheel.  She has written a book on her life and about her relationship with her husband, Mike who used to be her orthopaedic surgeon.  It’s very appropriately called Never Say Die and Mel is giving all her royalties to Treat. This book and story are definitely deserving of the Hollywood treatment.  Faced with the difficulties that Mel has faced and got herself through, would we be able to do the same?  The truth is of course that we don’t know what we can face until we are faced with it and we are often capable of more than we think.

It’s been a couple of days since a devastating earthquake struck the beautiful New Zealand city of Christchurch.  Christchurch is an idyllic city in a beautiful country.  Christchurch was my first stop on my 2008 tour of New Zealand.  I remember the city well, with the beautiful river Avon flowing through it.  It has sometimes been described as little England because of the many street names inspired by the Old Country when the city was established in the 19th Century. Boasting a beautiful cathedral, very pretty riverside walks and some of the friendliest people I have met anywhere, I know that the earthquake this week will have hit them hard.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all affected by this disaster.  Kiwis are big-hearted people who are also rightfully proud of their beautiful country.  No one knows what the immediate future holds, but one thing is certain, this disaster will NOT defeat the spirit of the people of Aotearoa.  I hope to return to this beautiful city and the beautiful country of New Zealand again very soon.  It was one of the first nations to take me to their hearts and is one of my favourite places to go to in the world.

My thoughts will continue to be with the people most affected by this disaster, those who have lost loved ones or whose loved ones are still missing.

I am aware that a number of auditions are happening or about to happen, with X Factor Auditions about to happen in both the UK and the US.  This year’s Britain’s Got Talent stages will be moving on to its next stage soon also so I thought I would put together a few tips for those approaching an audition of any kind, not just for a TV show, but for auditions generally.

1. Perfect Preparation (helps) Prevent Poor Performance

Preparation is key.  You might think you know a piece that you wish to perform, but how well do you really know it?  If there are any doubts in your mind when you stand in front of an audition panel, this will be very easy to spot.  Do you really know the words? How comfortable are you with the song?  Remember also that you will most likely be pretty nervous too which will not help matters.  You need to know it well enough to perform the song not just sing the song.  Just singing the song will make people believe that you are just going through the motions and don’t really have the desire.  If it matters to you SHOW IT!

Save yourself some stress and decide early on what you want to perform, making sure you have at least one other song held in reserve.  With nerves if you aren’t very well prepared you could well go through that moment that all singers dread: that moment when your mind goes blank and nothing comes out of your mouth other than “a-a-a-a-h”.  Simon Cowell has said on many of his shows that he hates it when people forget words in an audition.  You need to remember that the audition may well be the only opportunity to get to show yourself off, so make sure that you equip yourself properly for it by rehearsing and when you’re done rehearsing, rehearse some more!

2. You WILL be nervous, but don’t be frightened of nerves.

This is your biggest opportunity in your life, so it will truly matter to you.  If you weren’t nervous, it wouldn’t matter to you.  It’s a feeling that will probably never leave you for as long as you perform on stage in any capacity.  It’s a horrible feeling, sometimes and you may wonder how you will get yourself through it.  Whatever you do, don’t panic.  It’s normal to feel nerves when you are about to go on stage.  What matters is how you deal with it.

I can tell you that I was absolutely petrified when I was waiting to go on stage on March 17^th 2007.  I was looking for the exit door and wondering what I was letting myself in for.  I still feel the nerves now, even after 250+ full concerts and thousands of TV performances.  Nerves are a double sided coin: You get that awful “Please don’t slip up, please don’t slip up” thought running through your head (and I do on many occasions), but you also get that buzz of excitement.  You don’t get one without the other, so get used to it!  Take some deep breaths, and don’t start start your performance before you are ready.  Don’t worry if this delays things a little, it’s important that you give of your best.  If you need more time, ask for it, politely.  This could be your one and only time.

3. Make Sure that You are physically ready

You might feel like you are too nervous to eat or drink, but you must sustain yourself.  If you walk up on the stage feeling nervous and hungry, you will leave yourself with little energy to give your best performance.  Allow yourself to become dehydrated, and you could find yourself in real trouble vocally.

Nerves will already make you feel dry in the back of your throat, so take regular sips of room temperature water.  Don’t over-chill your drinks as this can give your vocal cords a real shock.  Sipping water gives you something to do while you wait your turn.  Not eating at all on the day of the performance will most certainly not help your performance, and will do nothing to decrease your nerves.  It could, however affect your ability to think straight, and actually could make you even more edgy and nervous.

4. DO get as much training as you can afford.

It’s often seen as an incredible achievement to perform really well without training.  The media pays quite a lot of attention to this and it created quite a debate at the time that I was performing in the live rounds of Britain’s Got Talent.  Natural talent is fantastic, but its important to back it up with training.  I wish that I could have afforded more training but I had hardly sung at all in the 4 years prior to the audition and no training at all in that time.  I’m certainly not proud of that fact.

If you were looking to run a marathon, you wouldn’t just walk up to the start and expect to win the race with no training at all, and no-one criticizes anybody in the race for taking what coaching and training they can get in the run-up to the race.  Auditions are no different.  You have to prepare and equip yourself to perform at your best.  Take no training, and you could potentially damage your voice in very much the same way that a runner with little training can tear a muscle running further than they had trained for.  The difference being that the vocal cords are much thinner and don’t repair themselves in the same way.  Choose a teacher carefully and give them a trial to see how you get along with each other.

5. Be Yourself!

You’re unique! Make the most of it and be yourself.  It often helps to have a bright, bubbly personality, but not everyone is like that (certainly not sure that that accurately describes me!).  From the start and right the way through the process, no matter how far you go, stay true to yourself.  This is SO important, as it can be so easy to fall into the trap of being sucked in by positive words and compliments into believing that you are invincible.  Don’t rest on your laurels.  If you do people will think that you don’t care about it any longer or worse still they may well think that you have become arrogant and too big for your boots.

On TV shows you will have regular contact with the researchers and other members of TV crew.  Researchers look after lots of people in the run up to a TV show and work long, long hours.  Stage crew, sound engineers etc are there to help you look and sound your best.  Treat them with respect.  Realistically, the chances are that they will be in the industry longer than you.  Always remember where you started and be grateful for the opportunity.  If you go a long way in the competition, and get a career doing what you love, then you are SO fortunate and remember that so many people would love to be doing what you are doing.  It isn’t always plain sailing, but it’s very rewarding doing what you love.

6. Ooooops! I’ve messed up! Is that the end?

We are all human, and prone to making mistakes.   With the best will in the world, and with careful and regular rehearsal this will happen less often, but it doesn’t stop it happening.  In a live show, you need to be able to get on with it even if you make a mistake.  In audition, you don’t want to make a mistake, but how you deal with it could actually turn a negative experience into a positive one.  If it does leave you facing the end of the road, don’t give up.  Keep trying, keep taking the training and keep rehearsing.  You can prove to the panel when you return that the desire is there.  If the talent is there too, then eventually persistence and perseverance will pay off

7. Finally: ENJOY IT!

You will be feeling nervous, you may end up feeling happy or sad, but the joy of performing is infectious to your listeners.  Spread the joy around!

GOOD LUCK!

On Friday 25th February, I will be performing at one of the top venues in Wales, Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall. It is an event to raise money for Treat Trust, a charity funded by a very special and inspirational person, Melanie Davies. I have been patron for Treat Trust for about 6 months now, and will continue to take a fully active role in the charity. Joining me at the event is Treat trust’s president, Michael Sheen (Frost/NIxon) and some of Julz’s favourite films, Underworld and the Twilight saga. Also performing is the fantastic soprano, Rebecca Evans. There will be a number of special guests attending including Rob Brydon, so the Baglan area of Port Talbot will be well represented! (Michael comes from Baglan, as does Rob Brydon, and Paul’s home is also in the Baglan district of Port Talbot.

I think that a world class facility such as the centre that Treat are campaigning for will be a great thing or South and West Wales, and will be only the second such centre in the United Kingdom. Many people feel trapped in a vicious circle following illness, injury and operations, and I believe that the centre could well give people the opportunity for them to have a fresh start and a fresh outlook on life. For that reason, I don’t think it is just a medical centre, but also a social project.

The TREAT centre will benefit countless people in the local community – those living with illness, injury or disability, the support network of their families and friends as well as those who are fit and well and wish to remain so.

Key facilities will be a ramped-access, heated swimming pool, a modern gymnasium, and support such as physiotherapy and complementary therapies including music and art. The centre will be the first of its kind in Wales and the project is actively endorsed by the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board which has allocated a £1.5M site for the building.

The TREAT centre is the visiion of Melanie Davies who became paralysed after a spinal injury at the age of 15 and is battling breast cancer for the second time. Melanie knows first hand the difference such a facility will make to the people of South Wales and beyond and she has won the backing of a formidable group of patrons, trustees and supporters who will help host the upcoming Gala Dinner to officially kick off the fundraising campaign.

This event is not to be missed! Sponsorship and ticket details can be found at the TREAT Trust website. Any inquiries can be directed to Vicky Semple at Spot on Events & Communications, telephone 02920 450782 or email vicky@spotonec.com

click here to buy tickets!

Thank you very much for your support!

I have been walking for years. It started with walks with Bristol Catholic Players (a Gilbert and Sullivan Society I attended for some years) who used to do a bank Holiday ramble within the area surrounding the old Avon county and into Somerset and Gloucestershire. I still less than fondly remember a walk on Boxing Day some years ago crossing a stile and I (foolishly it turns out!) refused the hand of the walk leader. I learned my lesson very quickly as I slipped and landed head first in a pool of water and mud. I was reminded of that event every walk after that! In the 1990′s my younger brother Tony and I twice walked the beautiful West Highland Way, a 95 mile walk from Milngavie (pronounced Mull-Guy, and no I don’t know why either!) on the edge of Scotland’s largest city to the foot of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, the town of Fort William. We camped in a tent much of the way, and I would love to return to do this walk again, having walked some of it in February 2010.

A few years later Tony and I walked the 840 miles from John O’Groats at the North-eastern corner of Britain to the most South-Western point, Land’s End. We walked it in 24 days, an average of 35 miles a day and raised about £3,000 for Mencap, a children’s disability charity, that was associated with our employers at the time, the supermarket, Tesco. We had a huge sense of achievment at completing this, with some really tough walking days varying between 23 miles at the shortest end, and 45 on the longest day. We managed to negotiate an extra week’s paid holiday from Tesco (we had used all of our annual holiday to walk and to train) and we planned to go somewhere exotic to kick back and relax. In the end we went to the Lake District in northern England, and, yes you guessed it, we walked the whole week. We stayed in the youth hostels around the area.

That started a love affair with the Lake District for me, and I have returned there every year for the last 15 years. Although the mountains of the area are relatively low (Scafell Pike is the highest at 3210 ft) the scenery is stunning and with the lakes of the area combined, it has great beauty and some drama too. A camera is rarely out of my hand while walking, and I have used photography as an extra activity as I walk, even though it does sometimes, slow my walking progress!

I have often walked in the Lake District by myself*, having jumped on the train and used public transport to get to where I stay (something I still do today). The peace and tranquility of the area, is a great opportunity to be at one with yourself and to prepare for the challenges ahead. I have always valued solitude, and with the beauty of the area, it is a great place to be at home with nature and ones own thoughts. Walking and the Lake District have been friends of mine for many years, and in the area I have made friends, and have eaten great food, as well as having drunk some of the area’s fine ales. Some of my walking days can be very short, just taking in 7 or 8 miles of low valley walking. In good conditions and in summer they can be very long. Two of my favourite walks are in excess of 20 miles long, with serious climbing. One is from Ambleside to Scafell Pike and back. It involves around 5000ft of climbing and is in excess of 25 miles. The reward after the descent from Rossett Pike is a lovely pint of beer in the climber’s bar at the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, balanced of course by two pints of water! The other is to the top of Fairfield then descending to Grisedale tarn then climbing up Dollywagon Pike and across Nethermost Pike to get to England’s third highest mountain, Helvellyn. It’s a strange fact, that I hate ladders. They make me feel like I may fall. I can, however quite happily sit on the edge of a 1500 foot cliff eating sandwhiches looking in to the turqouise waters of Red Tarn, watching people scramble over Striding Edge, before I make my way down via the pretty village of Grasmere (where William Wordsworth is buried.

I did both of these walks in the week before I did my live TV performances on Britain’s Got Talent. Walking for me, is exhilerating, relaxing and I am constantly in awe of what nature has put together as the tapestry of land. I have often sat at the top of a hill and wondered how it all happened. It takes my breath away, both literally in the climb and emotionally. I am so very fortunate to be able to enjoy such wonderful countryside, and to be fit enough to enjoy it in all its glory.

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to the men and women of the Mountain Rescue teams who work tirelessly to rescue those in need. Although they are contactable through the Police on the 999/112 emergency services number, they are unpaid volunteers who risk life and limb. Please click the blue writing to see the website for the team for the area I spend time is here they do take donations and you can read their incident reports:

* Advice: Walking by yourself can be liberating. Do however take good care of yourself, and have maps, compass, spare clothing, food, drinks, and a torch. Walk within your capability and know both the weather forecast and the sunset times. Don’t rely on technology as your only means of rescue. Leave details of your route with someone with an estimated time of return, and make sure you don’t forget to call them to advise of your safe return. Many unnecessary callouts are as a result of the walkers sat in a pub blissfully unaware that they haven’t called in!

Julz bought me Simon Cowell’s book a year or two ago for Christmas, and it wasn’t until we left for our holiday to celebrate being together for 10 years that I got around to reading it (Sorry Simon!). There are plenty of pictures of Simon throughout different stages in his life in the book, and it is intended partly as an autobiography, but also partly as a guide to ‘making it’. It’s a story of Simon’s youth, and also a story of his rise, and eerrrmmm rise in the industry over the last 25+ years. It tells the story of his involvement in the music industry starting as a postroom boy in EMI. Through determination, and a bit of stubbornness thrown in for good measure, he eventually gets to where he is today.

There are a number of very good tips in the book, about how to face an audition in front of SImon and co (and I think they will also be useful in any audition. And the person in the book is the person I have come across in meetings and shows. Simon is straight forward (something I have always admired him for) both in person and in the book. He gives a realist view of the contestants in the original Popidol and American Idol Unfirtunately, the book stops while still going through Pop Idol 2, which was ultimately won by Michelle Mcmanus (I have been interviewed by Michelle on the STV show, The Hour: she’s a lovely person with a warm personality).

Overall the book is a good read, and it took me only a few days to finish it. I’m not sure about the Chapter endings which have Simon’s views about various topics including young people. These felt like they didn’t really belong, and while interesting they didn’t always fit the subject of the chapter just completed.

If you are about to face an audition, or are just mad about TV Talent shows, this could be a good choice.

Available from all regular stockists (no endorsements from me!)