Amy Louise Williams @nunnwilliams

Amy is an enthusiastic (amateur) cook, cake baker and eater.

Swadders: What's your earliest memory ?

Amy Louise Williams: Falling off a lilo into the sea in Ibiza. My mum was talking to someone and didn't notice for ages. I couldn't swim as I was very small. Sounds very dramatic but it wasn't really.

Swadders: Oh my ! That sounds like quite an exotic holiday destination for a child. Do you still holiday there ?

ALW:  No that was the only foreign holiday we ever took when I was little. After that it was the Lake District and Cornwall every year, can't remember much else about that holiday. Ibiza in the 70's must have been very exotic indeed.

Swadders:  I came from very humble beginnings and my first holidays weren a caravan on Canvey Island. But at least we got holidays. So where do you holiday now you're are all grown up ?

ALW: I still try to squeeze in a little jaunt to Cornwall though, it's one of my favourite places. Off there on Saturday as it happens.

Swadders: You lucky young thing. I love it there also. I once went on a ghost walk around St. Ives. Funny enough with a group of Croatians in tow. So you like to bake. What's your speciality ?

ALW: I try to bake, I'm no pro. I make a good Ginger Parkin, it's a traditional Yorkshire ginger cake. I cook a lot too.

Swadders: Are you from Yorkshire ?

ALW: No, my Dad is though. He moved to Stoke-on-Trent to attend art college and never left. That's where I grew up but I live in Wales now.

Swadders: Are you artistic ?

ALW:  Sore point. I have a degree in fine art but have sort of turned my back on my arty side. I may go back to it one day.

Swadders: Does your Dad still indulge ?

ALW: Indeed. He paints a lot of landscapes these days. He taught water colour painting a few years ago to a class of retired people.

Swadders:  That's splendid. Do you have any of his work on display at home ?

ALW: But of course. I have some lovely paintings of Cornwall he's done and a skyline of Stoke-on-Trent.

Swadders:  Does he have any work online ? I'd love to see it.

ALW: No he's not very 'with it' in a computer sense (he is 71) but I will happily send you some images.

Swadders: That would be most kind. Do you have a favourite 70's sitcom ?

ALW: Ha Ha great question, maybe Rising Damp or The Good Life. I can't decide between them.

Swadders: Ah fantastic. I once had a short game of dominoes with Frances De La Tour on a train to Torquay.

ALW: Wow I'm impressed.

Swadders: What would you be hoping to do over the next five years ?

ALW:  Maybe I should go back into doing something creative as my current job holds very little inspiration for me.

Swadders: What do you do ?

ALW: I work in the education department of a science centre.

Swadders:  So what would you love to do for a job ? Or would you rather sit at home all day watching ' Escape to The Country ' ?

ALW: I'd like to do more with food. I'd really like to run a little deli selling lovely cured meats & cheeses and the like.

Swadders:  Super. I have an excellent pair of ribbon cutting scissors should you ever open such an establishment.

ALW: Well I would probably invite an aristocrat such as yourself to perform the opening ceremony.

Swadders: I have my fingers crossed. Amy ... Thank You.

Amanda Stock @Amandastock1

Amanda is Chelmsford's No.1 Depeche Mode fan. She is a Mum, Wife and Dancing Queen. Tweets a lot and Talks a lot.

Swadders:  What's your earliest memory Amanda ?

Amanda Stock: Being Bridesmaid at my uncle's wedding, aged 4 :-)

Swadders: How cute. What else do you remember about that day ?

AS: That my nose was running when the photos were being taken and I was too shy to ask for a hankie. One pic I am "mid-sniff".

Swadders: Oh bless you. Did you receive a present for doing a good job ? I received a Noddy car at the age of 3 for being a page boy.

AS: I can't remember. I must've done but my memory is awful. Arw bless, do you still have it ?

Swadders: No unfortunately I don't and I feel quite sad about that. Was you a popular child or quite solitary ? 

AS: I was somewhere in the middle..as a young child I was quite shy but as a teen I hang round with a group of girlfriend.

Swadders: We have a lot in common. Did you have posters on your bedroom wall ?

AS: Oh yes. Adam Ant and Simon Le Bon. I had painful crushes on both. You ? 

Swadders: Erm ... Queen Victoria. Painful crushes you say ? What do you think of them both today ?

AS: Middle aged, I still have a soft spot for Simon.

Swadders: Adam wears a scarf on his head and has gone a bit tattoo crazy. Do you like a man with tattoos ?

AS: I don't mind the odd one or two but I'm not a big fan of those "sleeve" things.

Swadders: Me neither. Awful business or anything on the neck. I'm tattooless but have toyed with the idea of Steamboat Willy on my chest.

AS: Ha Ha , Am I still being interviewed or did that end ages ago ?

Swadders: I'm not sure. I'm new to this. What question would you most like me to ask you ?

   

AS:  I'll leave that with you, one more then I must turn the bed down for the night.

Swadders: Ok well its been fun. Last question then - What's your dream holiday destination excluding Swaddlington Manor ?

AS: Somewhere where the sea is so blue, The Seychelles or Maldives. Or Southend. Its been fun. Night Donald. 

Swadders:  Got to be Southend. Thanks Amanda.It's been a hoot. Goodnight .

Jo Haseltine @Jo_Haseltine

Jo is a Laurel & Hardy aficionado. She is also a former footballer, theatre manager, spasmodic actor and Vincent Price admirer.

Swadders: I'm sending out for more Cherry Bakewells. Supplies dangerously low.

Jo Haseltine: I have no idea how it started, but whenever I watch 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre' I eat a cherry bakewell sandwich.

Swadders:  In a sandwich ? A crime against almond based fondant surely.

Jo: It was in doorstep bread. A surprisingly pleasant marriage.

Swadders: Well doorstep bread is the King of Breads. Was the Bakewell sliced ?

Jo: The first attempt was precipitated by alcohol and was squashed in. Subsequent sittings have been more civilised and sliced.

Swadders: On this occasion alcohol appears to have opened the gateway to perfection. Something the midwife said to my mother.

Jo: You're just swell.

Nadine @DaisyMaisyLou

Nadine is trying to survive the wonders of life and all the **** that comes with it !!!

Swadders: What is Your earliest memory ?

Nadine: My 4th birthday when my dad dressed up in a devil costume. My nan wouldn't let me have anymore cadburys animal biscuits and I had a sweetie house cake.

Swadders: Wonderful memories. But why was your dad dressed as the devil ? Was it a work uniform ?

Nadine: God knows? He had this dress up outfit, a black cape with yellow horns. I don't really want to know. I was 4 and it was innocent lol.

Swadders: Was your Dad popular amongst the neighbours at the time ?

Nadine:  Yes he really was lol. My dads a bit of a comedien!

Swadders: He sounds it. Ha Ha . Does he have any other costumes ?

Nadine: Now that I'm not sure of lol he's 65 now ! I think id rather not know.

Swadders: Perhaps he wears them when your not there. What costume would you wear at a fancy dress party ?

Nadine: Oh god i don't know. I went as a fortune teller to the last one. Lol. Im gonna have to continue tomorrow. Need to sleep hun x

Swadders: Nadine .... Thank You for participating. Sleep Well.

TO BE CONTINUED ...

Stephen Etheridge @gtrombone

Stephen is a PhD candidate at Huddersfield University, examining the link between brass bands, the north and the working-class.

Swadders: What is your earliest memory ?

Stephen Etheridge: Playing with toy cars on the carpet in front of the fire.

Swadders: Were you ever tempted to throw them into the fire ?

SE: Can't say I did.

Swadders: Did you ever throw an action man from a bedroom window with or without a parachute ?

SE: Both, and without helmet.

Swadders: So you could be mischievous if required.

SE: Yes indeed.

Swadders: So what was your favourite toy as a child ? The cars ?

SE: Buckaroo.

Swadders:  An excellent choice sir. Hours of fun . What did you tell your careers advisor at school when asked what you'd like to become ?

SE: A music teacher.

Swadders: Did you become one ?

SE: I did indeed. But only part time.

Swadders: Well that is something. My dream of creating model villages from fudge for a living never came to fruition.

SE: Well it could have been a sweet career.

Swadders: Yes indeed sir. So you have more than a passing interest in brass bands and the north now ?

SE:  I played in several bands as a youth. When I was searching for a research project, it was write what you know.

Swadders: What did you think of the movie ' Brassed Off ' ?

SE: The band represents metonyms of the decline of industrial communities, but the personalities are spot on.

Swadders:  Can you recite ' On Ilkla Moor Baht' at ' without sheet music ?

SE: Now you are questioning my northerness, Sir, of course I can.

Swadders: Brilliant. I saw that on the one show once. So which part of the North are you most associated with ?

SE: The Southern Pennines, very hilly.

Swadders: Do Northerners generally dislike Southerners ?

SE: No, that's a bit of a stereotype, I think? The north is very cosmopolitan now, I think, Dave Russell's 'Looking North', is the best book.

Swadders: I'm always more excited when traveling north. What's the most Northern place you've been to ?

SE: Me and madam Gtrombone enjoyed Lindisfarne and the East Coast.

Swadders: Now Lindisfarne has always looked interesting to me. Was it a daytrip or did you stay overnight ?

SE:  We travelled Round for a week. Went to Whitby, and the abbeys of the East Coast plus a lot of Hadrian's wall.

Swadders: That sounds absolute bliss. What was the most memorable thing you ate on this trip of wonder ?

SE: It has to be the creme brulee in a restaurant in Whitby.

Swadders: Do you have a favourite sporting team ?

SE: I loved the Olympics. But I'm a bookish person. Not into sports as such.

Swadders: That's fair enough. Stephen .. Thank You.

Emma Berry @missberrystea

Emma is a cupcake baker living in the Midlands. She is also a vintage tea party hostess extraordinaire, a writer and a connoiseur of body art. She also loves rock and roll.

Swadders: What is your earliest memory ?

Emma Berry: Living with my Nan in Ealing and going to the butchers for sausages. I would have been about 2.

Swadders: A lovely memory. Are you still a visitor of butchers or did the experience turn you into a vegetarian ?

EB: Good question. I'm a meat eater of sorts but keep it to a minimum... But when I do eat meat, I like to support local butchers.

Swadders: As a small child my grandmama lived in Brixton, South London. I would follow her trail to the Butchers every saturday for a customary sausage roll.

EB:  And why not ? Grandmama's know best when it comes to the procurement if meat... Obviously !

Swadders:  I think that's why my grandpapa married her. Anyway back to you. Ealing ? A good place to grow up ?

EB: Perhaps ... I wasn't in Ealing for long, we moved to Somerset when I was 3. Which was a nice place to grow up.

Swadders:  How splendid. May I ask which part ?

EB: You may. It was Taunton. Not a nice reputation but undeserved I think, there is some good to be had there.

Swadders:  I once stopped there for coffee on the way back from St.Ives. So you grew up hoping to be ... ?

EB: Various things but the one thing that never changed was the desire to be an author.

Swadders: What was the first subject you wrote about with passion ?

EB:  Weirdly, I wrote a poem about a ghost aged six. I was morbidly obsessed with the paranormal as a child.

Swadders:  That's unusual . Are you still interested in that genre of writing ?

EB: Not so much. Still interested but not for writing. Though I like to think there is always a sense of macabre in what I write.

Swadders:  So tell me. Are you a published writer ? Do you have a full time job ? 

EB:  I am as yet unpublished! But hope to change that soon. I do work full time as a manager for Whittard. Amongst other things.

Swadders: Is that what brought you to Nottingham.

EB: It is not. Being a total girl I moved for love. Fell in love with a Midlands boy.

Swadders: Ah its that ole devil called love again :-) . Do you have tattoos ? I see you are interested in body art.

EB: Gets you everytime. Don't it ? Yes I do, I have 3 and counting. 2 dice on my wrist, an angel on my shoulder and script on my back.

Swadders:  Do you plan to have more ? Where do you host your vintage tea parties ? 

EB: I do. I have many many ideas for more. I host them ( the tea parties) wherever people want them, homes, events, fairs, gigs. Im versatile.

Swadders:  I sense you are a great hostess. If you could re-locate to any part of the country/world where would it be ?

EB:  Why thank you. Let the public decide. It would either be Paris or Berlin or somewhere picturesque like a cottage in the peaks.

Swadders: What sort of music do you listen to ?

EB: A huge variety. I'm a bit of a heavy indie/rock girl at heart but I love all types. Right from musical soundtracks to metal.

Swadders: Do you like Imelda May ?

EB:  Yes she's always good when I'm in a swinging rockabilly mood.

Swadders: What's your favourite musical ? Would you like to star in one or write one ?

EB: it's got to be either Miss Saigon or Les Mis... Not forgetting Cabaret. I think I'd be in one over writing one.

Swadders: Fabulous. What would be your ideal film role ? Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tifannys ? Raquel Welch in 1,000,000 years BC ?

EB: hmm good question! I would perhaps go for Liza in Cabaret or Audrey in Breakfast at Tiffany's. So many choices though.

Swadders: How do you think this interview is going ?

EB: I'm enjoying it. How about you ?

Swadders: Yes I'm enjoying it very much. 

EB: No pets. Had a lovely family cat for 13 years who sadly passed this year ... Don't think I will replace him. Do you ?

Swadders: I had tropical fish up until recently and I had cats as a whippersnapper. What's your favourite part of Nottingham ?

EB: Tropical fish. Very cool. I think it would have to be Broad Street in Hockley or the Arboretum, beautiful scenery.

 

Swadders: I know neither of those places, I will have to Google them. What's your claim to fame ?

EB: Hmmmm interesting... Well I've performed at the Royal Albert Hall where Jacko ( Michael Jackson) was said to have been in the audience.

Swadders:  So he may have seen you perform. Surreal. If you won an award, of any kind, who would you like to present it to you ?

EB: Hmmm not sure what the award would be but I'd go with either Coco Chanel or Emily Bronte. Failing that Kylie Minogue.

Swadders: Emma ..... Thank You.