After visiting a school a couple of weeks ago, I received a very exciting email from Maria Felix Vas, a producer at BBC Radio Lancashire. Maria’s daughter had gone home after my visit and explained what I’d told the children.
After lots of email replies and calls, we agreed a date for me to go live on the radio to talk about my writing adventure! My initial reaction was sheer delight tinged with nerves. I’d done a short phone call interview on the station when Impossible Tales launched, but an hour of live radio was completely unknown territory. Just as I found out from my first high school visit, sometimes it’s good to step outside the comfort zone.
After further calls and emails, Blackpool Library Service agreed to host the broadcast from Moor Park Library. This was a perfect venue as I’ve done lots of storytelling there, plus the libraries in my hometown have backed me from the start.
I had to pick eight songs to play throughout the show and that was a tough job! Eventually I narrowed down my picks and emailed them through. A final call the day before gave me an outline of the show and what I was to expect. Everything was set!
When I turned up at Moor Park Library, Maria was already there and was soon joined by Abigail. They both did a good job of calming my nerves as the clock ticked down to 11am! I’ve visited 90 schools and shared stories with huge groups of kids but I’ve never felt so nervous. Fortunately the nerves eased once things got going and the hour whizzed by – I loved every minute! I managed to squeeze in the key points, one of which was to credit Blackpool Libraries for the great work they do for our local communities. Some children even turned up and featured on the show which was great!
I’d like to thank Blackpool Libraries for hosting the event. The library staff were brilliant and did all they could to make the session run smoothly. Big thanks go to Maria, Abigail and BBC Radio Lancashire for giving me such an incredible opportunity. It was a fantastic experience and one which I’ll remember for a long time to come.
Thanks to Blackpool Library Service for snapping some pre-broadcast pics