"My 13th birthday was still two months away when I began writing weekly cricket reports for the long-lamented Abertillery weekly, the South Wales Gazette. I was still in short trousers, but nobody seemed bothered.

"My love affair with newspapers had begun, and it's never gone away.

"Being a Gazette reporter (the Gazette's only reporter, as it happened) demanded a willingness to assume a certain authority in all sorts of area where my knowledge was not exactly comprehensive: with weddings and funerals, in courts, councils, flower shows, operatic performances. Instant expert on everything!

"Then followed a few years with the South Wales Argus in Newport, study at the Baptist college in Cardiff - and long, and what seemed at the time very profitable, vacation jobs with the South Wales Echo and The Western Mail.

"For seven years, between 1971 and 78, I was minister of Penrallt Baptist Church in Bangor. Two thirds of the congregation were students from a wide range of countries.

"Then I came to Ararat Baptist Church in Whitchurch and stayed between 1978 and 1990, from where I joined the BBC full-time as senior producer of religious programmes.

"I went on to present many of the religious programmes produced for Radio 2, Radio 4, the World Service, and Radio Wales, and have been the presenter of All Things Considered since 1992.

"All Things Considered has won a dozen awards; a tribute to a very talented team. I've usually just provided the voice!

"All Things Considered... it's a great job!"