All change: surviving and thriving
20th December 2024
This has been a year of big change - stimulating, at times a bit scary but really enjoyable. I’ve not only survived, in a work sense, my first year since leaving the BBC but have thrived. That’s not to say that I don’t want to be busier! I’m keen for new challenges.
My final programme at BBC Radio Leeds, after 30 years on air, was on November 5th 2023. My first freelance booking was just under a month later on December 10th at Huddersfield Town Hall. The clock turned full circle when I was invited back to compère this year’s festive celebration with the excellent Colne Valley Male Voice Choir (http://colnevalleymvc.org.uk/) and their famous guests, the Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band (https://brighouseandrastrick.com/).
So what’s changed? Looking at photos on stage, taken a year apart, I notice the new glasses and the fact that I’m at least half a stone lighter. I’ve been running again regularly since August after a ten year gap for medical reasons. But what can’t you see are the positive mental changes. I’ve enjoyed working for myself much more than I expected and have been pleasantly surprised by how busy I’ve been. I’ve also learnt that some folk and organisations are rather keener on getting you to work for them, than they are on actually paying you for that work! It’s a good job I’d kept some cash in the piggy bank to buy Christmas presents.
I was in the fortunate position of being able to take my BBC pension a few years early so don’t have to worry about working every day. However I had no intention of stopping altogether. Taking voluntary redundancy from a job I loved wasn’t ever part of my grand plan but it felt, and still feels, the right decision. I did, however, really enjoy my limited edition return to the airwaves for the General Election: https://www.theandrewedwards.com/blog/election24
Event hosting and university teaching have turned out to be my main sources of employment. Steering unpredictable live events is rather like live radio, except you can see your audience! It’s (usually) fun thinking on your feet. Yes, you can prepare but you really earn your money when everything goes off-script. My most fascinating event was MCing a travel and tourism roadshow for the Consul General of India with senior officials from the government of Tamil Nadu in a posh Birmingham hotel. It came about as a result of me hosting a wonderful afternoon of debate and performance closer to home. I’ve written about that in a previous blog: https://www.theandrewedwards.com/blog/makingaconnection-66rkt.
Working with students at the University of Leeds for the Easter term was a challenging treat. I’ve spent much of my working life combining radio with teaching journalism and production. These young people were very bright, committed and with a keen eye on the employment market. A number of them are already working in impressive jobs and training schemes in radio and television, which is music to my broadcasting ears. Encouraging folk to go into the working world I love has always been a huge part of the motivation for my work in higher education. Lads growing up in Hull in the seventies and early eighties didn’t usually end up in the media (certainly not from my family!). I wrote about my return to teaching here: https://www.theandrewedwards.com/blog/back-to-teaching
Keeping my mind open to opportunities and realising that there’s no better advert than folk seeing you in action (provided you do a decent job) have kept me on my toes. I’ve ended up:
explaining to the online world why the government’s Disclosure and Barring Service have raised their fees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z09AhhpaNJg
putting on a joyful event “Christmas with Andrew Edwards and Friends” at Halifax Minster with my friend and former colleague David Crickmore. We were invited by the Vicar of Halifax, Hilary Barber, to stage something not a thousand miles different from the 25 plus annual Christmas services I hosted around West Yorkshire for the BBC. We had a musical ball and raised much needed money for the town’s historic Minster: https://hxminster.churchsuite.com/events/ymixubyl
running media awareness training for farmers and drug and alcohol workers: https://www.theandrewedwards.com/blog/training-with-fab-farmers
talking to a number of groups about my experiences with my late mother and dementia: https://www.theandrewedwards.com/blog/dementiamumandme. I’m currently in the foothills of writing a book about Mum and me based on the weekly audio diary I recorded until she died, but work seems to get in the way of time at my desk. I know, excuses, excuses: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p082m6hx
podcasting, but not making one of my own! I’d love to do more live radio if the right opportunity presents itself but have so far resisted the temptation to give the world another podcast which, if you’re lucky, half a dozen folk will listen to. I have, however, enjoyed being a guest. It’s a novelty talking about my life, rather than asking other folk about theirs. There were two very different highlights: speaking to former listener Craig Walker in LA (https://open.spotify.com/episode/6mQ68l8nWgBj2TZ3wMy73b?si=WPjy0_p9QOuUWSeELDOjXw&nd=1&dlsi=b2300726c3984b53) and discussing my belief that you don’t need to be a boss to be a leader. I was a junior BBC manager for about 10 minutes in the early nineties before being asked to present the BBC Radio Leeds breakfast show full-time (it took me about 30 seconds to say yes!). But I like to think I’ve done plenty of leading, inspiring and mentoring since. I was flattered to be invited to talk to leadership guru Anni Townend: https://www.annitownend.com/leaders-in-conversation-podcast/andrew-edwards
Whether it’s hosting an event, teaching, training, recording a voiceover, giving a talk or chatting on your podcast (or something entirely different), do please get in touch. https://www.theandrewedwards.com/contact
I’m excited to see what 2025 holds. Happy New Year!
