Helen Young has been the Lead Presenter at the BBC Weather Centre since August 2002 and leaves after 12 years of TV weather forecasting. As Helen says farewell she explains how she first became interested in weather forecasting; how she started working for the Met. Office and the BBC Weather Centre, also remembering fond times at BBC Weather, including what her first TV weather broadcast felt like to do.

Helen Remembers
It was a wet and windy day outside Mrs Jones' A-level geography class, when it dawned on me; I wanted to be a weather forecaster. Perhaps it was the enthusiasm of Mrs Jones, or the interesting way she explained the different types of fronts, holding up first a warm front, followed by a cold front, then not having enough hands to hold up an occluded front that first caught my attention. I knew then it was clouds I wanted to follow.

I think I was unusual in that I knew what I wanted to do before I left school. Many of my friends were keen to go to university, but were unsure of what they wanted to study. I chose meteorology and Bristol as my study home for three years.

The favourite elements of my degree continued to be the weather. During field trips I often found myself revelling in the cold, wet and windy days out on various mountains collecting soil samples! Having said that a field trip to Majorca was spent doing experiments on the beach! My fascination of cloud formations and the sheer power of the weather have never ceased to amaze me. In 1990 I gained a BSc degree in Geography.

In the last year of University I applied to the Met Office for a job and at first they refused me an interview as a Geographer citing the need for Physicists and Mathematicians.

In those days of the 90's you entered the Met Office and then a job was found for you. Mine was in 'The Building and Land Transport Consultancy Unit', this involved such things as advising on the climate for the location of new roads and I even helped advised on football stadium roof design so spectators don't get wet. I also wrote one of the first reports addressing the problems of leaves on the line for National Rail. Quite apt really when I turned down a PHD in soil studies to take the job!

Despite enjoying this job, at heart I still really wanted to be a weather forecaster. My manager at the time sent me for a TV audition to help fast track me on to a forecasting course. Until he made this suggestion I had never even thought about TV, I never thought I'd appear myself.

It was very nerve wracking doing my screen test at Elstree studios. The most I'd ever done in front of an audience was as a bit-part actor in the school plays! Bill Giles interviewed me sitting in Wogan's big black chair. But despite my nerves he seemed to think I'd got it. Soon I found myself at the Met Office College learning the skills of a forecaster. During the course as part of my training I was posted to Bristol Weather Centre.

As fate would have it this is where I ended up first appearing on television. It was one Friday when the Weather Centre took a call from HTV asking for a presenter. They'd heard I had potential and before I knew it I was asked to step in to be the TV weather presenter for the Monday. I spent the whole weekend panicking about what to wear, I'd never been on television before. Following this I was hooked on presenting, I got a real buzz and I was lucky to present for BBC Bristol for a short time before finally making the step to BBC Television Centre in London.

I was the youngest TV forecaster at the time only 24 and one of only 3 females to appear on national BBC One television. I can remember my first day as if it was yesterday; a daunting experience. Suddenly I was in the same room as some of my childhood heroes like Ian McCaskill, Mike Fish, John Kettley and not only that, now they were to become my colleagues.

My first performance is one I have never been able to watch back. I can remember being wracked with nerves; a high pitched voice and speaking far too quickly just so I could get it over and done with. But I soon settled in, found my feet and began to enjoy the role.

Helen says Goodbye
It's been a fun 12 years here at the BBC Weather Centre. In that time I have been the Deputy Manager, Broadcast manager, Lead Presenter and one of the main presenters of the Weather Show, conducting interviews with the likes of the England Rugby team and Patrick Moore and doing dare devil filming at the top of a 200 foot tower-crane above the Covent Garden Royal Opera House.

When I joined the BBC Weather Centre I never would have dreamt of presenting on primetime TV for over 12 years or for all the opportunities I would be given along the way. It really has been a dream job. I've been able to talk about a subject I'm fascinated with and I've been able to forecast and witness the unique British Isles weather at close quarters. I will miss it and my colleagues, but sometimes family life has to come first. It has been an enormous honour and a privilege to bring the weather to the British public; I hope I will never forget that.