Month: May 2023

I’d love to be a race director for my own series of global running events. Having just completed a 110km race on the Isle of Wight, I’d say I have the necessary qualifications.

I cut my teeth as a salesperson in an Australian travelling show. I was consistently the top seller for one of the game stalls. I wish I still had the headset and microphone. Not that I need them. I’m very proud of my team of exceptional, talented salespeople. They’re experts at building relationships and finding creative solutions to keep us ahead of the competition.

I don’t buy it when someone says, “It obviously wasn’t meant to be.” That just sounds like excuses to me.

Why did the New York Bagel Company stop pre-slicing their bagels? It’s been eight years and I still don’t think I’ve perfected an even cut. Weekend mornings haven’t been the same since.

Running is like a religion to me. But I do enjoy a bag of pork scratchings and listening to Pink on Spotify.

I’m aware that my stock response to most things is, ‘no problem’. I remember Louis Theroux interviewing someone about the power of positivity, who suggested that ‘no challenge’ was a more suitable response. I’m not sure I’m ready to make that leap.

Some people would say it’s a good thing I’ve grown out of my Russell Brand look-a-like phase, but it was fun using it to my advantage as a cash-strapped traveller.

In my 20s I never imagined that I’d be going out to the garden in the mornings to check on grass seed and plants to see how much progress they’d made overnight.

I’m a problem-solver by nature, so seeing solutions being delivered is very rewarding to me. I’m an analytical salesperson, so any solution must be grounded in data, not just gut feel. The fast-talking, wheeler-dealer approach isn’t for me.

The flat structure at Sunday is actually flat. We’re independent and accountable only to ourselves, and you can feel that. I like our agency’s creativity and flexibility.

I’d encourage anyone to check out Tash Sultana, a one-person band from Australia who plays over 20 instruments. Watching the songs get created live was incredible. Start with MYSTIK (Live at Lonely Lands Studio) on YouTube.

I’ll make anything into a sandwich. The ‘bread’ can be anything that can structurally support the content. I’m convinced I invented those deli rolls with the cheese wrapped in ham or chorizo that you can buy in M&S. I should have patented the concept when I had the chance.

We’re always proud to take part in The Banham Marsden March, the charity’s annual fundraising walk in support of The Royal Marsden, which is one of the world’s leading cancer hospitals.

This year, our 18-mile challenge was a circular countryside route that started and finished in historic Henley-on-Thames. Setting off on their odyssey along the Thames Path, the team hailed the benevolence of the weather gods for the blue skies and warm spring sunshine. Those wearing shorts were feeling pretty smug, as the pessimists in thick trousers suffered from sweaty legs from the off.

Our canine companions, spaniels Ziggy and Pip, had the time of their lives, leaping in and out of the Thames and generally causing chaos, much to the amusement/annoyance of the rowing clubs on the river and the locals out for their mid-morning stroll.

We traversed fields full of lambs with red kites soaring overhead. We tackled boggy bridleways and mildly steep inclines that put our calf muscles into overdrive. We scrambled through woodlands full of bluebells and seemingly omnipresent stinging nettles (the shorts-wearing contingent weren’t feeling so pleased with themselves here). We even did a spot of foraging for wild garlic.

After a well-deserved Sunday lunch in a country pub garden, our marchers – now loaded with roast beef, beer and sticky toffee pudding – tackled the second leg. This is when the blisters started to kick in – the preppers who remembered to bring plasters were the saviours of the day.

After more than six hours on the move and an ascent roughly equivalent to four London Eyes, the team trudged back into town with tired limbs, sore feet and immense pride. Same again next year?

Thank you to everyone who sponsored us. Every donation makes a real difference to the lives of people affected by cancer.