Thought for today:
"A few days ago, an old friend of mine, the film star, Rosemary Leach died, aged 81. Rosemary was an acclaimed actress of world renown in her time and I shall never forget her roles in the films ' A Room with a View' and 'The Jewel in the Crown.' Nor shall I forget the impetus she provided to my career as a children's author in November 1990.
At the time I was a probation officer in Huddersfield who had just got his first children's book published, of which the proceeds of all sales went to the 'Children in Need' appeal. I had planned to hold special assemblies in primary schools in Kirlees every day of November with celebrities from local radio and tv, along with the Mayor and Kirklees' MPs etc reading from my book to help make the children feel special.
The poorest and most deprived area of Huddersfield at the time was Sheepridge Estate. As a probation officer, I knew Sheepridge as a place where high crime levels, frequent burglaries, mass poverty and unemployment, plus the absence of hope went hand in hand. Had I been any parent in the land, Sheepridge would have been the last area that I would choose to home, school and rear my children.
One night I read that the film actress Rosemary Leach was acting in a neighbouring county so wrote to her, inviting her to visit the primary school on Sheepridge Estate and read to the children. To my surprise, she agreed to come.
I will never forget the morning of her visit. All the teachers and school children were waiting in the school playground to welcome her. The most notable visitor the children had seen at their school previously had been a town councillor. At precisely 8.55 am, a white Rolls Royce was chauffeur-driven into the playground and out stepped Rosemary like a Russian Princess.
That morning was an eye-opener. Rosemary was a natural with the children and from all the famous names I would go on to meet over the following ten years,(over 860 national and international famous names), her speech was impeccable. After her reading, she spent time with the children looking at the many drawings they had done for her. She proudly told them a bit about herself at their age and specifically, when she was taken to see the 'Ironbridge Gorge' close to her birthplace in Shropshire. She was particularly proud to tell the children that the 'Ironbridge Gorge' was the world's first iron structure and had been built towards the end of the 18th century. When she left, I believed that would be the last of our contact.
Rosemary was very special in my advancement as a children's author and in my capacity to persuade hundreds of other famous readers to visit Yorkshire schools in the decade that followed. My first published book sold over 4000 copies in one month and raised over £10.000 for 'Children in Need.'
I was soon to discover that having had Rosemary Leach read for me was to be a great persuader in getting other famous people to read my books in Yorkshire schools. Before long, many hundreds of national and international stars of stage screen and film, along with artists, television presenters, politicians, archbishops, prime minister's wives, etc were added to my celebrity reading list. Mass publicity almost daily for ten years, brought my name and work to the attention of the late Princess Diana and President Mandela, each of whom phoned me; Princess Diana, to request that I send her two books of mine to read to her 9 and 7-year-old sons, Princes William and Harry at their bedtime, and Nelson Mandela to praise two books of mine that I had written about South Africa and Jamaica.
I would be writing for hours were I to list the many celebrity doors that were opened to me between 1990 and 2005. I was even asked to work in conjunction with the Minister for Education and Youth in Jamaica between 2000 and 2002 in a trans-Atlantic pen-pal project between 64 schools, the purpose being to raise awareness of racial discrimination between black and white pupils. To read about some of the celebrity contacts I had, please access on my website:
http://www.fordefables.co.uk/contacts-with-celebrities.html
After her visit to Sheepridge, never one Christmas went by when Rosemary and I didn't exchange Christmas greetings. Just like the character in the play, '84, Charing Cross Road' for which she won the 1982 Olivier Award for best actress, a friendship was born and maintained between us thereafter. She was generosity itself. One year when I was auctioning off for charity the autographed books that celebrities had written and sent me, Rosemary wrote back that while she'd never written a book, she had nevertheless signed and enclosed one of her drama books she had used in her days at Rada. She said it was the most important book in her life and was willing to sell it for a charitable cause. I didn't have the heart to deprive her of it, so I bought it myself at the auction by bidding the highest and presented it back to her the following Christmas with my love and appreciation. God rest your soul, sweet Rosemary." William Forde: October 24th, 2017.
"A few days ago, an old friend of mine, the film star, Rosemary Leach died, aged 81. Rosemary was an acclaimed actress of world renown in her time and I shall never forget her roles in the films ' A Room with a View' and 'The Jewel in the Crown.' Nor shall I forget the impetus she provided to my career as a children's author in November 1990.
At the time I was a probation officer in Huddersfield who had just got his first children's book published, of which the proceeds of all sales went to the 'Children in Need' appeal. I had planned to hold special assemblies in primary schools in Kirlees every day of November with celebrities from local radio and tv, along with the Mayor and Kirklees' MPs etc reading from my book to help make the children feel special.
The poorest and most deprived area of Huddersfield at the time was Sheepridge Estate. As a probation officer, I knew Sheepridge as a place where high crime levels, frequent burglaries, mass poverty and unemployment, plus the absence of hope went hand in hand. Had I been any parent in the land, Sheepridge would have been the last area that I would choose to home, school and rear my children.
One night I read that the film actress Rosemary Leach was acting in a neighbouring county so wrote to her, inviting her to visit the primary school on Sheepridge Estate and read to the children. To my surprise, she agreed to come.
I will never forget the morning of her visit. All the teachers and school children were waiting in the school playground to welcome her. The most notable visitor the children had seen at their school previously had been a town councillor. At precisely 8.55 am, a white Rolls Royce was chauffeur-driven into the playground and out stepped Rosemary like a Russian Princess.
That morning was an eye-opener. Rosemary was a natural with the children and from all the famous names I would go on to meet over the following ten years,(over 860 national and international famous names), her speech was impeccable. After her reading, she spent time with the children looking at the many drawings they had done for her. She proudly told them a bit about herself at their age and specifically, when she was taken to see the 'Ironbridge Gorge' close to her birthplace in Shropshire. She was particularly proud to tell the children that the 'Ironbridge Gorge' was the world's first iron structure and had been built towards the end of the 18th century. When she left, I believed that would be the last of our contact.
Rosemary was very special in my advancement as a children's author and in my capacity to persuade hundreds of other famous readers to visit Yorkshire schools in the decade that followed. My first published book sold over 4000 copies in one month and raised over £10.000 for 'Children in Need.'
I was soon to discover that having had Rosemary Leach read for me was to be a great persuader in getting other famous people to read my books in Yorkshire schools. Before long, many hundreds of national and international stars of stage screen and film, along with artists, television presenters, politicians, archbishops, prime minister's wives, etc were added to my celebrity reading list. Mass publicity almost daily for ten years, brought my name and work to the attention of the late Princess Diana and President Mandela, each of whom phoned me; Princess Diana, to request that I send her two books of mine to read to her 9 and 7-year-old sons, Princes William and Harry at their bedtime, and Nelson Mandela to praise two books of mine that I had written about South Africa and Jamaica.
I would be writing for hours were I to list the many celebrity doors that were opened to me between 1990 and 2005. I was even asked to work in conjunction with the Minister for Education and Youth in Jamaica between 2000 and 2002 in a trans-Atlantic pen-pal project between 64 schools, the purpose being to raise awareness of racial discrimination between black and white pupils. To read about some of the celebrity contacts I had, please access on my website:
http://www.fordefables.co.uk/contacts-with-celebrities.html
After her visit to Sheepridge, never one Christmas went by when Rosemary and I didn't exchange Christmas greetings. Just like the character in the play, '84, Charing Cross Road' for which she won the 1982 Olivier Award for best actress, a friendship was born and maintained between us thereafter. She was generosity itself. One year when I was auctioning off for charity the autographed books that celebrities had written and sent me, Rosemary wrote back that while she'd never written a book, she had nevertheless signed and enclosed one of her drama books she had used in her days at Rada. She said it was the most important book in her life and was willing to sell it for a charitable cause. I didn't have the heart to deprive her of it, so I bought it myself at the auction by bidding the highest and presented it back to her the following Christmas with my love and appreciation. God rest your soul, sweet Rosemary." William Forde: October 24th, 2017.
