Sarah Sturt's Blog

Theatre of the mind

Got a bit frantic on the Kent Life front on Friday, so didn't get a chance to regale you with my lunchtime 'mingling with the stars' at the celebration of the British Wireless for the Blind's 80 years of service to the blind community - and their move to new offices in Maidstone and launch of a bespoke new radio.

Despite wildly underestimating how long it would take me to leg it up to Albion Place (no change there, then), I was so glad I had made the effort - the place was packed with supporters, including the new Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Denise Joy, and our very own High Sheriff and Kent Life columnist, Richard Oldfield - who turned a little pale as I reminded him he was now very late with his homework, er column, for this month's edition.

And there, too, were those veterans of radio, Bob Harris (of Old Grey Whistle Test fame) and Ed (Stewpot) Stewart - younger readers can Google them! - their voices as distinctive as ever. I got to talk to both (and grab an autograph) for a nice long time, but sadly they couldn't come up with a single Kentish connection between them which would have enabled me to arrange a 'Kent character' interview. More important, of course, was their commitment to the charity and appreciation of what a lifeline the 'theatre of the mind,' as Bob movingly described the medium of radio, can be to lives lived in darkness.

And there was a reminder, too, that blindness isn't just the preserve of the elderly and infirm, it can strike at any age and can in fact be a tragic side effect of drug abuse, attacking a new and youthful age group.

Off to Worthing bright and early tomorrow, dragging my poorly Monkey with me - he's torn a leg muscle and is doing a very dramatic line in limps at the moment. Inevitably, it's a sporting injury on top of an old sporting injury: I do wish he didn't feel obliged to live up to his 'Action Monkey' status quite so regularly...

Sarah