It’s BBC Cleveleys today – why will become clear further on! I’m trying to find a subject away from coronavirus as I’m sure your heads must be rattling with it, mine certainly is.
I’ve never switched the TV off as much as I have done this past few weeks. Continual post mortems about every comment that’s been made, along with repeatedly asking the same daft questions over and over again.
It would be nice if some of you lovely people out there would give me an idea of what you’d like me to rabbit on about. Please! Not going out for eight weeks limits the conversation, if you know what I mean! No matter what I think of, it always seems to go back to the same old subject, the virus.
We were just saying that it seems like the way that we live now has become the new ‘norm’. How quickly you get used to adapting to new situations. It will be weird when we can go out again. Although I must say in our house the pace of life has slowed down a lot and it’s nice not to be on the treadmill that we’re usually on.
BBC Cleveleys
Anyway, still sort of on the subject of the virus, but not if you know what I mean, onto today’s subject. BBC Cleveleys.
The BBC contacted Jane a few weeks ago, looking for information about how our town and different people were reacting to the virus. Apparently there’s been a piece of academic research done which calculates it to be the place to be worst affected, economically.
At first, cynical me wondered if it was a spoof but no, they were serious. They wanted to interview Jane – for the BBC News at 6!
A few phone calls later, she was asked to put forward someone who was elderly and stuck in the house, to talk about how they were coping (or not). They also wanted a business owner who was affected by the blooming thing, so off she went with the task of finding people.
Fixer for BBC Cleveleys
After we all had our heads together, we came up with Steve, a friend of ours who is stuck in the house and getting more bored by the minute. He likes to get out and about normally, but being of wobbly health can’t.
The business was quite easy – we suggested Jakki from the Venue where our groups tend to hang out. They’ve been closed for a while now. It’s such a big place that the financial implications can’t be very good, to say the least. Of course, there are loads of small local businesses but we needed to suggest those who we knew well enough to know what the problems are. A few others were suggested to them too, but it was The Venue who they chose to go with.
The interviews were cancelled a couple of times due to them having to go off and do breaking news stories. But Friday was D-Day – they were definitely coming. It was still sunny and a bit blowy, but a lovely day for the country to see our area. On Thursday they’d been here filming the town centre and other areas, presumably the beach, and were amazed at how lovely the pace is. And how busy…
You didn’t tell me that!
They interviewed Steve first. He nearly fell off his chair in shock when he realised that it was on the National News and not the regional with a ‘you didn’t tell me it was on the main news’ look of horror. Then to The Venue and then they rolled up at our house. They couldn’t get over how near to the sea we are and how lovely it is. I suppose the kite surfers and sunshine added to the look, but it was nice to see through other eyes what somebody thought of the place.
There was a cameraman, a producer and Judith Moritz, the reporter from the BBC. Judith parked on our drive much to the curiosity of passers by. The BBC van with all the aerials and stuff on top also had people looking! When they’d finished talking, off they went to the beach to do the business.
It was interesting from our point of view – we were hovering about upstairs trying not to look nosey even though we were! Out came the tripods and all the rest of the gear, it looked very business like.
Have you done this before?
Then off Jane went, talking her head off as she does, so much so that Judith asked her if she’d done it before. I’m not sure what she said but I would have said just a million times, pardon the exaggeration. She’d said that it could all be re-recorded if Jane said the wrong thing, but it all went in one take.
Derek was bursting to go out and take pictures of them but suddenly became shy so off went Kevin, sneaking onto the prom with his camera to do the deed. We wouldn’t make good spies I might tell you, although with people stopping and staring at what was going on, I would have felt a right twerp if it was me. You would never believe she was once shy and quiet to see her now, but I know differently.
Hopefully it will be on the 6pm news tonight Tuesday 19th or Weds 20th, repeated at 10pm. That is unless something bigger comes up which they have to screen. Although if it’s moved as many times as the filming was it might be on three weeks on Wednesday!
Catch up with Cleveleys
So if you’re interested in what my dear daughter is up to now, tune in.
She never misses any opportunity to tell everyone what a great place it is, and has got to have made a huge difference to visitor numbers over the years.
It’s surprising how many people are watching her morning videos of her walks on the beach. Not from just round here but all over the place as it makes them feel they are here at the seaside which is brilliant. You can find them on the Visit Fylde Coast YouTube channel here.
