Open Centre

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FRIDAY 16TH MAY 2008

(L-R) Jo and Stephen

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Jo Mawdesley makes writing this blog both very easy yet very hard at the same time. Regular readers will know about the rare degenerative genetic disorder which her sons suffer from. The easy bit is how positive she is – she’s an absolute marvel and listening to her exchange regarding Rainbow house truly inspires me. That, however, is also the hard bit – I have children and I know I would never be able to cope a tenth as well as she does.

You will note we write about panel members on these pages and we always paint them in the light they present themselves. They are always delightful and a pleasure to meet but this could desensitize things somewhat as superlatives lose their kick when used all the time. With this in mind I’m not going to write anything else about Jo… let’s just say she’s extraordinary – I have never met anyone quite like her and I could never get the right thing down on this page anyway…

At 11:45 Stephen Baylliss turned our radio theatre into a 50s dance hall, and in that split second hauled our audience back to adolescent times. This man has some serious pipes and when not singing and dancing with the admiring hoard he told us he has just got married. Playing a mean guitar with Stephen was Tim Chu, both these unassuming artists entertained the crowd and finished off a great week. They will both be around singing and playing stuff we love years after so called chart toppers are long forgotten.

Chris

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THURSDAY 15TH MAY 2008

(L-R) Pat and Sally

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The first of today's panellists was a little lady with a powerful voice - having worked with the likes of Bucks Fizz and Lesley Garrett.

Sally Jaxx now works for the Ministry of Sound and is a clubland legend.

The other panellist is Pat Roberts who is retired but used to worked as a lecturer, a nurse and a midwife.

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WEDNESDAY 14TH MAY 2008

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There’s a reason why I’m sooo happy...I ended up X Y rather than double X. One being tropical moments or hot flushes, there are times when I don’t know whether to hose sally down or post a letter in her mouth. Watching the redness spread from her neck up her face and into her forehead is amazing and something I’m delighted to say does not affect me.

Sally’s been having hypnotherapy from one of today's panellists - Lesley Graves - and things do seem to be improving. She might still be getting the episodes but they don’t bother her as much. Lesley went to the dentist and rather than the injection she hypnotised herself – they drilled and channelled and gouged away but she didn’t feel a thing! Remarkable stuff.

Lesley is soon to start studying to be a lawyer - she’s not the tallest lady in the world and painted us a picture of her being in a black gown looking like she’s on castors.

The second of today's panellists, Alma Stewart Burgess wants to be a journalist and starts her course in September. When asked what she couldn’t live without she said Markus – now either this is her other half or I heard wrong and she said markers, making her some kind of graffiti artist.

Back to the man women thing – it would appear that complimenting your wife or girlfriend is pointless – they either think it’s for ulterior purposes or just plain nonsense. Honesty from now on then....

Chris

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TUESDAY 13TH MAY 2008

L-R - Jackie and Kate

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Hangovers. Sent from the devil to make us pay for our fun, there’s no doubt about it. If you’ve never experienced one, lucky you…if you have suffered the after effects of a long night on the pop, then you’ll sympathise with today’s first panellist. Jackie Porter’s partner Dai is chairman of Kirkham and Wesham Football Club (soon to be AFC Fylde, although Jackie mentioned there is talk of the fans marching in protest about the name change).  As you can imagine, after last night’s civic reception the hooch flowed freely as the team celebrated their magnificent achievement – it’s not every day you win the FA Vase, after all!

Despite feeling a tad under the weather, Jackie joined our panel to share her experiences of one crazy weekend – and gave us a great insight into exactly what the triumph means for Kirkham and Wesham. For the team, it’s like winning the Premier League and the players (not full-time professionals, but lads playing whilst holding down day jobs like plasterers and teachers) have had their first taste of glory and adulation. Jackie was still hoarse from cheering at Wembley on Sunday, but managed to give us a taste of the club song…imagine - whilst some team from Manchester were securing their millionth League title, down south a faithful band of supporters were singing about butties, ale and family to the tune of “Amarillo”…

Of course, a good cup run generates a decent profit for a football club – and Jackie told us there are big plans for the money earned from their success. You might have noticed the players wear the number 2022 on their arms…well, the ultimate goal is for the club to be in the Premier League by 2022 – and if their current form continues, who’s going to back against them?

And we found out much about Dai’s past as well…Jackie told us the incredible story of how he came to be in Kirkham in the first place. Essentially, Dai’s was born in America but his mother had some troubles and decided that England would be the best place for him. So, Dai was brought to Kirkham – and has been resident for some 58 years. America’s loss was certainly our gain…just imagine, Dai could so easily have been into baseball or American football had he stayed in the USA. You really need to have a “listen again” to the programme if you missed it, if only to hear Dai’s fascinating story. Isn’t fate a funny thing?

Kate Burns returned to Ladies at Lunch as panellist number two – you might recall, Kate owns the feng shui hotel in Blackpool – and she brought along some homework! According to the Chinese calendar, we are in the year of the rat – and Kate had listed some of the characteristics possessed by someone born in such a year. Interestingly, Dai, Kirkham’s chairman, is a “rat” (in the nicest possible sense!). From Jackie’s reaction, Kate’s notes were fairly accurate – not surprising, as she clearly knows her subject.

Wouldn’t it be rubbish if your mother was psychic?! Imagine her knowing your innermost thoughts – yes, EVERYTHING! Most people would be mortified…I know I would…however Kate is a self-proclaimed “psychic mum”, and told us how this skill came in handy when her son had a spot of bother with drugs. His troubles are in the past now - and best left there; suffice to say Kate’s inner voice probably saved her son from himself.

Peer pressure is often cited as a reason for young people dabbling with drugs – so it was refreshing to hear from the students of Unity College in Burnley that they felt able to make their own decisions, rather than being led down the Devil’s garden path by their friends. A group from the College were in the audience as part of an educational visit, and gave us their views – isn’t it scary that even at 13 or 14, kids know where to get drugs from if they wanted? Maybe having a mystic Mummy wouldn’t be too bad after all…although you don’t have to be psychic – as one lad said, “If I took drugs my Mum would kill me!”

There’s something about Sally and Carole that encourages guests to bare their souls – must be something they slip in the coffee! Over the weeks we have heard jaw-dropping tales of real-life triumphs and tragedies, and today was no exception with both Jackie and Kate telling us about their previous relationships – stories which would not look out of place in the women’s weeklies. They say everyone has a tale to tell…how true of our panel today.

Another day, another lunchbox choc full of fascinating people and stories…join us tomorrow for more.

Garry

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MONDAY 12TH MAY 2008

(L-R) - Barbara and Philippa

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You might have noticed that occasionally on Ladies at Lunch, we invite food producers and cooks onto the panel. Contrary to popular belief, this is not because Carole could do with some cookery lessons (rumours that Carole was voted “Miss Takeaway UK” for the last 4 years running are unfounded and, frankly, cruel!) – it’s to reflect the amazing produce and culinary talents abounding within Lancashire. True, we do have the odd chef come in…and they don’t come odder than Philippa James, today’s first guest. Philippa is crazy – I mean mad-as-a-bucket-of-soapy-frogs crazy – and it’s hard to imagine anyone could be more passionate about Lancashire food and produce than she is. Of course, she is well-known to BBC Radio Lancashire listeners – but Philippa’s star continues to rise, because she now writes for Lancashire Life magazine no less! If you’ve never seen her in the flesh, Philippa is this month’s cover girl – get thee to a newsagent and have a nosey.

It’s always nice when Philippa comes in. She’s charming, eloquent, has food in her bag, lively, vivacious, she brings food in, she’s elegant, she brings us food…actually, when Philippa is on, Ladies at Lunch REALLY becomes “Ladies at Lunch”! On the menu today – possibly the richest, creamiest ice cream ever, and a lovely creation involving fresh strawberries, cream, meringue…and Cointreau…mmmmmm….see what you miss by not seeing the show live?

She’s always up to something new, and one of Philippa’s upcoming projects is to be filmed catching, preparing and eating her own food – not something our other panellist is keen on doing. Barbara Harrison can happily skin and prepare anything, once it’s dead! Her husband, Dennis, inherited the butchers shop in Waddington – and it was a case of all hands on deck, even though Barbara knew nothing about butchery at all. Within twelve weeks, she was a dab hand with the diced steak and a super sausage saleswoman and was working in the shop on her own – although Barbara attributes lots of this success to having customers who would happily eat whatever cut of meat she wanted to sell them! Sure, there was the odd mistake when she was preparing the meat…very edible mistakes, by all accounts (Barbara used to eat the evidence before Dennis got to know about it…)

Food issues are close to Barbara’s heart in other ways; hubby Dennis is diabetic, and in common with so many people affected by the condition this means managing what he eats. From a bloke’s point of view, we’re kind of used to eating and drinking what we like – and when we’re told no more beer, that can be a shocker! Barbara told us all about Dennis and his experiences; nowadays we understand so much more about Diabetes and there’s all sorts of medication and products available, but back in the day when Dennis was first diagnosed help and alternative foods were somewhat scarce. The couple faced many challenges, but they’re still batting today, and it was quite inspirational to listen to Barbara and realise there’s no bitterness inside her – no “why us?” mentality – when talking about Dennis and his condition.

Long ago – way before the advent of digital switchover – Waddington village was chosen to take part in a £3m experiment, designed to look into television’s crystal ball and predict what – and how – we would be watching in the future. As part of this scheme, the village was given its own local station – and Barbara hosted her own TV show! We heard all about how well her first episode went – and what part a bottle of sherry played in proceedings…cheers!

Elsewhere, the ladies reflected on the changing nature of shopping; today’s supermarkets are pantheons of produce, selling everything from bread and milk to hi-tech gadgets for the home, via clothing and medicine…all very convenient, but some people argue that they are so big that supermarkets have lost the personal touch. Barbara’s shop – like so many more family-run businesses across Lancashire - provides so much more than meat and provisions…it’s a meeting place and a community focal point where people come for a chat with their chops. It’s part of a way of life which seems to be disappearing, slowly but surely – and, some would argue, maybe something we need to nurture and support, if we value choice and variety.

With memories of school liver, questions about “what’s in your sausage” and the ladies talking tripe (the edible kind, of course!), it was quite a “foody” show today –and there’s another delicious portion of Ladies at Lunch tomorrow, so make sure you join us; 11am sharp!

Garry

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Don't forget you can be part of Ladies@Lunch. It's free to come and sit in the audience in our Radio Theatre...and you get to find out what goes on during the break!

Find out what the Ladies are cooking up at lunch next week...

Mon 19th May:

Anne Nolan…one of the famous Nolan Sisters. Last time Anne was on the programme she told how her father had abused her as a child and about life on the road as a youngster in the band.
Stella Lambrou…hairdresser from Lytham. Only a young lady but already has her own salon. She will be giving the Ladies some top tips for fab hair, too.

Tues 20th May:

Janet Broughton... a holistic therapist who will be telling us all about the colours you should wear and why.
Shelia Dibnah...the widow of steeplejack Fred. She will be telling us what she thinks of Fred's statue which was recently unveiled as well as what life was like with Fred.

Wed 21st May:

Anne Sebba…has written a book about the life of Jenny Churchill
Helen McGlasson…also an author and was a teacher
Jade Gallagher…a young singer who was classically trained through her teens before opting to sing and write songs with a slight country edge.

Thurs 22nd May:

Angelina Davies...a lecturer in anatomy and physiology by day and by night she is a fitness queen. She has taught all kinds of aerobics - mainly concentrating on Pilates - but she recently started to host pole dancing parties.
Grace Brown…who will talk about the Law of Attraction and Fusion healing

Fri 23rd May:

Jo Hallows…produced several episodes of Hollyoaks and has her own production company
MAN FRIDAY - Ross McWilliam has been searching  for a wife on the internet…we will find out how he got on
Will Martin …. A young opera singer from New Zealand. Driven by the emotion that classical music evokes in people, and the passion it inspires. Will intends to continue telling the beautifully emotive stories of the world’s greatest songwriters, whilst pushing the boundaries of the Classical Crossover genre.