| It's 4pm on Wednesday the 5th September; I am expecting Nick Hancock to arrive in just 18 hours time and I have nothing to wear!! My mother is frantically searching the shops for a top suitable for the unpredictable early Autumn weather, one which, I hope, will compliment my - how do I put this? - rather "pasty" complexion! Meanwhile, at home, my father and I are bathing a very grey and uncooperative puppy in preparation for the occasion-she is not impressed!
9pm: I have my new top, the dog is white once more, I have just written the questions I want to ask Nick, the press releases were sent out a couple of days ago and I have spoken to the journalists - all I can do now is sit back arid hope that all goes according to plan. Will any photographers turn up?!
Thursday 10:15am: I am alone in our sitting room with three strange men (well, photographers!) and they are all talking to me - what attention, this is fabulous! They arrived early - Nick isn't even here yet!
10:30am: A Jaguar pulls onto our drive- he's here! As I open the front door I take a deep breath but I soon find there was no reason to have been apprehensive. Within minutes I am standing with Nick in the hall chatting about pets and small children! Sadly it turns out that Nick is allergic to dogs - poor Bella, her bath was in vain; she will not be able to make an appearance! He tells me that his young daughter would dearly love a dog (obviously not possible) so he regularly takes her to the pet shop to see the animals (he immediately reassures me that this is not cruel she enjoys the trips!). So, he's kind and funny- things are going well!! We move into the garden for the 'photo shoot'. (Nick ensures that my wheelchair is on hand should I need to rest.) And we take up our pose. Nick whispers jokes to me while the cameras flash. The photographers each call out to us in turn so that we are looking in their direction when they take a picture- it's just like being a film star... well, sort of! But within minutes it is over and we're saying goodbye to the photographers. No more paparazzi for me!
10:45am: Time for the interview; I tentatively ask Nick if he would mind answering a few questions for CHEERS! He seems keen to. I pass Mum the notepad so that she can jot down his responses (my hands are still shaking from standing while the photographs were taken). Nick begins to pace the room - is it really that scary to be questioned by me?! I begin...
All ambassadors for Millennium Volunteers have themselves done voluntary work. What have you done and how did you get into it?
It wasn't until I was an adult that I did voluntary work; as a teenager I spent most of my time lying in bed contemplating my navel, but when I became a teacher I saw what a difference volunteering can make to the confidence of young people. So as an adult I've done voluntary work for Millennium Volunteers and Comic Relief. (Of course, all this presupposes that I am an adult!).
I point out a few volunteering statistics, Three quarters of employers prefer to recruit people with experience of volunteering. At any point in your career, do you feel that volunteering has helped you?
It always affects your career to learn from new situations, to meet different sorts of people arid, in my case, new countries as I have been lucky enough to travel with some of the voluntary work I have done. It affects your state of mind and approach to a task. From the employer's point of view, when you see voluntary work on a CV, you see that a person is self-motivated and resourceful and things like that make a difference over just having exam results, for example.
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Why are you supporting the Millennium Volunteers Initiative?
Because I was a teacher and this reminds me of how much I enjoyed working with young people. It also salves my conscience- having been trained as a teacher; / feel I am giving something back.
So what made you change the direction of your career and how did you get into television?
I didn't leave teaching because of the young people, but because of the teachers!! But, it wasn't actually a massive career change. Standing up in front of a class of secondary school kids is much like doing stand-up comedy... in both you have to win over your audience! I got into television through stand-up. Someone sees you and then tries you out. The first thing I did on television was Saturday Night Live. I then did a couple of episodes of Mr. Bean (They are still shown in countries throughout the world - I get cheques for 3p from Malaysia for repeat fees!!).
What do you feel has been the highlight of your career so far?
You don't always see your life in those terms. What has given me the most pleasure was getting together with a group of mates and writing and performing a play An Evening with Gary Linneker which started off in a tiny little studio and ended up in the West End. It is a/ways a dream for something like that to happen but you never really believe that you will end up in the West End! It was televised later, but with other actors. Only Caroline Quentin was in both.
I cringe as I start to ask him the next question as I am sure he has been asked it on hundreds of occasions, but he claims not. Despite this he answers without hesitation.
What is your favourite sporting memory?
March 4" 1972, 3-4:4Opm. Banks, Marsh, Relic, Barnard, Smith, Bloor, Conroy, Greenough, Richie, Dobbing, Eastham: Stoke City 2, Chelsea 1 - League Cup Final, Wembley.
Nick peers over Mum's shoulder to keep an eye on her spelling, pointing out that she had better get it all down correctly as he will be telephoning her this evening to test her on all his answers!! My father just has to embarrass me by saying that he bets Nick doesn't know who the referee and subs were for the match- of course, he does!
What message do you have for AYME's other MVs?
Keep at it. It's a fantastic job that you are doing.
And to those members who perhaps are not well enough to be on the Millennium Volunteers Scheme at the present time?
The sort of thing you do as a volunteer doesn't have to be formal. Do whatever you can. You should think of everything you do as worthwhile.
All that was left was a few thankyous and goodbyes - my hour with Nick Hancock really was over!!
With thanks to Nick Hancock and Millennium Volunteers |
They Think It's All Over!