October already?

Believe it or not, this photograph in the sunshine was taken at 5ish yesterday while I was at the local fun fair.

Hubby and I went along because I'd been pestering him all week that I wanted to go and although we didn't stay long, we were there long enough to have the obligatory burger and for me to have a go on the grabber machines and a go on either the darts or the hook a duck (I went for the darts because at least there is some tiny bit of skill involved)


The grabber machines were a bit of a rip-off, in fact a lot of a rip-off. Normally, you put your pound in the slot and you get five goes for a pound, but at this fair, you only got one go for a pound - which was not very good.

So, I made my way to the darts and started talking to the stall holder about the unseasonal weather.

"We were here this time last year," she said, "and we were knee deep in mud but it's typical that it is like this at the end of our season."

While I was paying for the darts, she was telling me that she lived in Nuneaton, her next fair was at Kings Norton and then she had one at bonfire night.

So, chit chat was over and I was eyeing up what needed to be done in order to win a prize. For £2.50, I had 2 goes, that is 2 x 4 darts and with each dart in the set of four, I had to get an over 10 score.

My first dart scored 10, my second, a double 8, my third, a 20 and my fourth, 19 - I HAD WON!!!! She gave me the choice of which bear I wanted and I chose the one you see my holding in the photo.

Right, now I had the taste of victory, I wanted more.

I eyed up the darts again, just like Kevin Costner eyed up his target with his bow and arrow in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, the first dart - pinged out. The second dart scored 5, the third dart pinged out and hit one of the bigger bears on the head and the fourth dart, pinged out and went out of the stall and on to the gravel, barely missing the stall holder's husband!

OK, so I wasn't going to win again. Hubby said that he couldn't believe I could do so well with one set and so rubbish with another. I told him that I was just like his favourite football team, INCONSISTENT!

We walked around the fair and then decided to go for a meal. However, I didn't fancy taking the toy with me so I decided I would give it away to a little person and came across this little blonde girl who was walking around fair with her Mother.

"Excuse me but I've won this on a stall and don't want it and wondered if your little girl would like it?"

The lady looked at me with a big smile and said thank you and looked at her little girl and said "look what the nice lady has given you, what do you say?"

The little girl held out her arms for the cuddly toy and with a big grin, said in a shy voice "Fank you" - it made my day because she clutched it so tight towards her body and gave it a hug.

I felt good all night after that.

We had a lovely meal, went home and then watched the telly.

And that was my Saturday.

Magical memories in a photo box

I had a bit of a disaster at work this morning. I got in at my usual time (7.30am) and because I had not got the right key to open the grill, I set all the alarms off!

It was really embarrassing because I was the only one around, so there was no-one to let me in or switch off the noise. The thing is, with it being so early; I had to wait for about 25 minutes before someone came in to help me.

Because I had a couple of days off, I was anxious to get an early start, so being so far behind with my normal morning routine was not good at all.

I was a tad grumpy to one of my colleagues on the phone who had supplied me with the rogue key and once I was back at my desk, I was ok.

I went to the doctors yesterday to see her about my trip to A & E and she was really nice and kind to me and told me everything I needed to know about my newly acquired gallstone! She told me what I needed to do in order to manage the pain, stop it from coming back and ordered a scan for me to go to the hospital to check if there are any more there.

As I do NOT want to go through that sort of pain again, there is no way that I am going to risk it so I will have to put up with the blandest food going – which is going to be hard as it is hubby’s 50th Birthday at the weekend and he’s having a BBQ and I LOVE BBQ’s – wrong, I used to love BBQs!

Bushy had been busy sorting out the loft since we had a new floor put in it and he bought down all sorts of boxes which had lots of things in them that I had lost or forgotten about.

One of the things I was pleased to find was a box of photos that had lots of memories in them – some of my mate Sam Plank when he was doing a live OB about the cleaning of the Town Hall steps with a toothbrush – a task that the then afternoon programme presenter, Grant Leighton had said that he would do if a certain record went to the number one spot!

It was so funny and the photos bought it all back as if it was yesterday - see photos above. There is also another one of me on stage with Sam during one of our many performances together - such fun.

I found so much in the loft that sent me on a bit of a nostalgia trip. For instance, I found a box of stuff that related to my Mum’s death: order of service cards, letters of condolence from friends and cards, the cassette of the music that was played on the day etc and it all made me very sad.

I found a letter that my Aunty June wrote to me, which made me sob and I rang her and sobbed down the phone to her!

In another box, there were photos of my Dad’s funeral and rare family photos of the three of us together (my brother, my sister and me) and some photos of an old flame and me (those promptly went to the dumper!!!!)

It is amazing what crap you keep and what things you think will come back into fashion one day. I haven’t been through everything and I am sure there will be lots more chucking out to do before the year is out.

One of the things I would like to do is to listen to some of the old cassette tapes I found of past radio programmes – I am sure there are many memories on there waiting to be re-lived!

Work today was fun but also a bit of a groundhog day experience because so many people came up to me to ask me how I was feeling and what it was I had got and after my trip to the docs tomorrow, I know that I am going to have to buck up my ideas if I want to remain pain free.

Sam Plank loses battle

I couldn't write anything as I'm so upset and crying even as I'm typing this. I will leave it to Verity Hilton, a dear friend and the wife of a man about whom the word 'legend' is apt.

Moorlands Radio mid morning presenter Sam Plank has lost his battle with cancer. The former Focal Radio, BBC Radio Stoke and Signal 2 presenter overcame throat cancer in 2008 but was told secondary cancer had returned in September last year.

He died at home at ten past nine on Thursday evening in the loving care of his wife and family.

As well as hosting the City fireworks display and also Tunstall lights switch on in November, Sam’s last official engagement off the radio was raising money for Blythe Bridge Rotary at their annual race night. Over the years Sam has been heavily involved with the local lions clubs and rotary organisations..being one of a few non rotarians honoured with a Paul Harris fellowship award for his work in the community back in 2000.

Sam has received many awards including the Queen Mothers award for the media and a prestigious Sony award for local radio personality of the year.. He was also presented with Chat magazines most favourite radio presenter thanks to the enormous amount of listeners who tuned into his mid morning show on BBC Radio Stoke. At the height of Radio Stoke’s listenership 1 in 3 people who tuned into a radio in the area listened to Sam Plank.

Sam has always been synonymous with the City of Stoke on Trent, having led the Parks and Recreations team at the City Council as Terry Hilton.

He left school to go to work at Borthwicks and Wrists before moving to Steel and Cowlieshaw where he was a times and motions man. He joined the City Council as a planner to put in their bonus system and was recognised by one of three mentors in his life Bill Jackson who asked him to take over the Children’s play side of things. Sam said "Bill saw more in me than I did".

The other two people who had a similar effect on Sam’s life were his school teacher Arthur Wood, at Brookhouse Green, who said Sam could pass his 11 plus even though more intelligent kids in the class would fail. Sam was to later work with Arthur when he joined BBC Radio Stoke as Arthur was education producer at the time. The other mentor in his life was John Collard, his former Station Manager at BBC Radio Stoke who in Sam’s eyes was the only one who had a true belief in what local radio is all about – putting a foot in its community and keeping it there.

Together they raised money for BBC Radio Stoke’s RASCAL appeal – the first year raising the money in a weekend to keep Moorlands lass Emma Chell alive – her grandfather had pleaded for the stations help as her body switched off at night and she needed a machine to keep her alive and wake her up.

It was through his work at the council, trying to get publicity for the City’s bonfire or a local circus coming to one of the towns that his ability was recognised by engineer Simon Penfold and Sam started to present the Saturday Morning show when Bruno Brookes left to go to Radio 1. It was herein 1984 that he first met his second wife Verity who had started at BBC Radio Stoke 3 years earlier.

Sam continued with the show for four years and in 1988 at the age of 40 gave up his work at the council to take over the mid morning weekday show on BBC Radio Stoke.

At this time he was given the freedom of the City of Stoke on Trent by the then Lord Mayor Stan Bates – he later was awarded the ability to graze his sheep on a village green in Cheshire as well as an honorary citizen of East Liverpool Ohio and a Kentucky Colonel when he travelled with the radio station to Ohio to cover the bi-centeneray of people leaving Longport Wharf to settle over there for work – a journey he made in 1998 with Verity as his producer and engineer Kyle Evans from BBC Radio Stoke who is now head of presentation at GMG Radio.

Sam and Verity were asked to join Signal 2 in 2001 to add a local feel to their then regional output on the station. He thoroughly enjoyed his time at the station, and had recently renewed his working partnership with presenter Doug Wood when he joined Sam and the team at Moorlands Radio last year – the Wood n Plank brand was reunited.

Througout his work at the council and also at the radio stations he has made many friends, from the listeners who have followed his career to the youngsters with disability who he used to take swimming at Tunstall pool. One young lad wouldn’t get in the pool without Sam going in with him – and he still comes up and gives him a cuddle in the street now.

These listeners and friends, followed him to Focal Radio when it was launched in 2008 but it was short lived and Sam paid a lot of the staffs wages when it went into liquidation for a second time in May 2009.

Sam’s wife, Verity Hilton, worked with Sam for the majority of his time in Radio, and is currently the Station Manager of Moorlands Radio 103.7fm where he presented his last show in the middle of December. She paid tribute to her husband…

"I am so proud of the way Sam has had the courage to battle this illness, never moaning or complaining or asking why me – even though many of us around him asked that question. It has been a tribute to the man he is that so many people of all walks of life have called to see him or spoken to him over the past few days and weeks. Sam was passionate about the area he lived and the people in it, giving them every opportunity to be positive and giving them the ability to make things happen.

As well as family, close friends and colleagues he has been in deep conversation with MP’s, Business people and Football Chairmen who have all had to sit on his throne (or commode) by his bed.

Chairman for Moorlands Radio where Sam was continuing to sell airtime for the station until last week is Tony Mullins – he paid this tribute…

"I grew up listening to Sam on the BBC, he was one of my radio heros. When I got to work with Sam at Focal Radio in Stoke and here at Moorlands Radio it was a dream come true. Off the air Sam was just the same as his on air personality; a warm, friendly, generous man who had time for everyone. Sam’s passion for radio was infectious; at presenter and team meetings he would help develop our new presenters with advice and training, he always had time for our new recruits, even when they were a little starstruck!

I was always impressed at roadshows with the number of his listeners who would come up to Sam for a kiss and a cuddle, people he had never met! They were all friends to him, and that was the key to his success. Sam was truly a larger than life character both on and off the air. Sam worked for Moorlands Radio for over a year, helping to set the station up and doing his daily programme which was one of the most popular on the station, for this, he gave his time and expertise for free. He also looked after the sales at the station for no financial reward, just the will to see us succeed.

He was loved by the team at Moorlands Radio. Sam has left a big void in our lives and our thoughts are with Verity and his family."

Entertainment has always been Sam’s life, from 15 he was a drummer in bands such as the James Stone Pattern and later forming the duo SPARKY with fellow musician Norman Tempest ( MD of Royal Stafford). Not only did they tour around the country but also worked with a lot of the stars as support band at Jollies. Sam became one of the first "shock jocks" at the Vale Club, with he and Norman being resident DJ’s. In the early 80’s he started to concentrate on discos and also family entertainment enabling many to leave their hearts in SAM PLANKS disco!

For many years he was also responsible for bringing Santa in to town and many years enabled children to wake him up from his winter sleep at the Quality Hotel in Hanley.

Sam leaves behind his wife Verity 44, children Andrew, Mark, Thomas, Sophie and Josh and grandchildren Ben and Aimee.

Back ground information: Terry Hilton 22.05.1948

The eldest of three children born to Flo and Arthur in Middleport – dance
teachers who had their own school at the Odeon in Hanley as well as Stoke.

He moved to Bentilee with his Mum, Dad, sister Susan and Brother David when the sunshine houses were built in the early 50’s

Went to school at Middleport, Brookhouse and then Hanley High School.

An honorary member of the Staffordshire Regimental association raising money for them to go to Bayeux for the anniversary of D Day. He has had many listeners including the Queen when she toured Stoke on Trent with Sir James Hawley – as well as the late Sir Stan who used to call Verity to "tell Planky I am going out now"

Raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charities over the years.

Sam has planned his own funeral in recent days with his wife. … A friend of Sam’s has accepted Sam’s request to take his funeral service - Ashley Cooper from Swan Bank, Burslem. He hopes to have the Veterans of the Staffordshire regimental association to parade him in and has requested his son mark to play for his Dad – a tribute which will be recorded with his eldest son Andrew and the other half of the duo Sparky – Norman as well as other musicians Sam has known for many years.

I will be there, Sam. Love you . There's a bright star shining in the sky tonight.

Love,

Ali