Tracks Of My Life: Recent Episodes
RNIB Connect Radio
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Due to copyright reasons these versions have most of the music removed.
Other great podcast channels from RNIB Connect Radio
Connect (https://audioboom.com/channel/weeklyconnect) - Our main channel with news, features and articles on sight loss.
Conversations (https://audioboom.com/channel/conversations) - Blind and partially sighted people speaking about a wide range of topics.
Read On (https://audioboom.com/channel/readonair) - The Audiobook show all about accessible reading.
Tech Talk (https://audioboom.com/channel/techtalkpodcast) - Technology for blind and partially sighted people.
Sport (https://audioboom.com/channel/sport) - See sport differently.
The Happy Hour (https://audioboom.com/channels/5022411) - Mental health, mindfulness, and overall wellbeing.
Support (https://audioboom.com/channel/rnib-support) - Other podcasts from RNIB.
TV Guide (https://audioboom.com/channel/tv-guide) - Daily audio TV listings
Welcome to episode 10of the RNIB NI Podcast ‘Setting sail with Dan Fisher on a ship they call RNIB’
Listen up, speak up, break down barriers. Search and subscribe via your preferred podcast provider today!
In this episode, we sit down with RNIB’s Chief Strategy and Public Affairs Officer Dan Fisher as he chats through some ideas and future direction of RNIB’s work, Paula Beattie from the NI Policy and Campaigns team is back talking to Allan Russell, updating us on what’s occupying her team’s agenda at the moment, and local man and water sport adventurer, Tony McKillop, shares his own sight loss story and how he balances a demanding job with a busy family life, and what he’s learnt along the way.
If it matters to people affected by sight loss, then it matters to us.
If you have feedback for the team or have an idea for future content, just email: RNIBNI@rnib.org.uk
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Welcome to episode 9 of the RNIB NI Podcast ‘REVVING It Up with our Volunteers and NaviLens’
Listen up, speak up, break down barriers. Search and subscribe via your preferred podcast provider today!
This month we catch up with CEO of BRM Group Stephen Kealy as the team get ready to welcome over 30,000 people to year three of REVVV It Up, the family friendly tractor pulling and music festival in Dungiven. RNIB are delighted to be one of two chosen charities at this unmissable event, running from Friday 17 to Sunday 19 July 2026. Joanne Wilson from our Volunteering team shares some great info on volunteering with RNIB and how you can join the party.
our Policy and Campaigns Manager Paula Beattie is back to talk with Connect Radio’s Allan Russell on what the team are up to in NI and following the official launch of NaviLens at Grand Central Station Belfast, we catch up with Translink CEO Chris Conway and we hear from Raúl Moreno from NaviLens. Then to top it all off, Torie Tennant who is blind and a frequent passenger at Grand Central Station Belfast, Joins Joe to share her experience of travelling with the support of measures such as NaviLens.
If it matters to people affected by sight loss, then it matters to us.
If you have feedback for the team or have an idea for future content, just email: RNIBNI@rnib.org.uk
Join the conversation on our NI social media channels
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Welcome to episode 8 of the RNIB Northern Ireland Podcast
, Listen up, speak up, break down barriers.
In this episode we have all sorts going on. Chair of Bangor campaigning group, Ken Carson, shares his reaction to a local win as a pedestrian crossing is finally installed on a busy stretch of Bangor road. We hear from RNIB NI Products Co-Ordinator Louise Kenny on her plans for a regular product testing group. The RNIB NI campaigns update comes by way of Policy and Campaigns Manager Paula Beattie and Connect Radio and medical student come Marathon runner, Niamh Kenny, speaks to us about her Belfast City Marathon fundraising adventure.
If it matters to people affected by sight loss, then it matters to us.
If you have feedback for the team or have an idea for future content, just email: RNIBNI@rnib.org.uk
Join the conversation on our NI social media channels
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Welcome to episode 7 of the RNIB NI Podcast ‘More than the eyes can see’
, Listen up, speak up, break down barriers. Listen and subscribe via your preferred podcast provider!
This month our Policy and Campaigns Manager Paula Beattie joins us to talk about Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS), and we report from the CBS Action event at Stormont on 9 March, we speak to Judith Potts founder of Esme’s Umbrella, a charity based in the UK that campaigns for better support for people living with CBS. We also grab a word with RNIB NI’s Community Social Action Manager Elaine Manson about how to get involved in Understanding Sight Loss Sessions both as a person with lived experience of sight loss or as a business, service or organisation in Northern Ireland.
If it matters to people affected by sight loss, then it matters to us.
If you have feedback for the team or have an idea for future content, just email: RNIBNI@rnib.org.uk
Join the conversation on our NI social media channels
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Welcome to episode 6 of the RNIB NI Podcast
Listen up, speak up, break down barriers!
This month we’re out and about with Colum Delaney from our Policy and Campaigns team. We’re talking about the types of barriers faced by the sight loss community to accessible and inclusive travel and what’s RNIB NI’s Transport Focus Group all about?
We catch up with the Accessibility Manager at Translink Danielle Campbell, on the recent partnership work between Translink and the sight loss sector around the opening of Belfast’s new Grand Central Station.
Did anyone say RNIB NI Tech Fair? Amelia Hilton from RNIB Connect Radio brings us a review of this year’s event in Derry/Londonderry with interviews and insight from some of the visitors.
If it matters to people affected by sight loss, then it matters to us.
If you have feedback for the team or have an idea for future content, just email: RNIBNI@rnib.org.uk
Image shows Danielle Campbell from Translink sitting in the RNIB NI studio with podcast host Joe Kenny
Join the conversation on our NI social media channels
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Welcome to episode 5 of the RNIB NI Podcast ‘Let’s Talk Strategy’.
Listen up, speak up, break down barriers!
In this episode, we meet Paula Beattie, RNIB NI’s Policy and Campaigns Manager who tells us all the ways you can feedback on the Northern Ireland draft Disability Strategy. We also catch up with RNIB’s Chief Strategy and Public Affairs Officer Vivienne Francis as she reflects on 2025 and what lies ahead for the charity in 2026.
Gary McGouran heads-up the Make the Call team here in NI and drops in to share details of how the Make the Call service can support you to claim the welfare benefits and other services and support that could be available to you.
You can Make the Call by phone on 0800 232 1271
Or text ADVICE to:07984 405248.
If you have feedback for the team or have an idea for a future podcast, just email: RNIBNI@rnib.org.uk
Join the conversation on our NI social media channels
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Welcome to episode 4 of the RNIB NI Podcast. Listen up, speak up, break down barriers!
In this our Christmas Cracker episode, we speak to Dr. Neil Black who leads on the Encompass MyCare project in Northern Ireland about some of the ways the MyCare patient portal can benefit blind and partially sighted people. We also get a whistle-stop tour of the RNIB NI Products and Advice Centre from Louise Kenny ahead of RNIB NI’s Christmas Open Day on 2 December.
There’s no stopping the Christmas shopping.
If it matters to people affected by sight loss, then it matters to us.
If you have feedback for the team or have an idea for future content, just email: RNIBNI@rnib.org.uk
Join the conversation on our NI social media channels
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We’re also on Bluesky
andLinked In
Welcome to episode 3 of the RNIB NI Podcast. Listen up, speak up, break down barriers!
In this healthcare special, Mike Farrar, NI Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health, joins us for a fascinating, wide-ranging discussion on challenges faced by blind and partially sighted people within health and social care in NI.
Also, as November is Diabetes Awareness Month, we spoke to Suzy Hull, Healthcare Engagement Manager at Diabetes UK NI about diabetes-related sight loss conditions and the importance of prevention and screening.
People always say, ‘your health is your wealth’, well this podcast is worth its weight in gold. We hope you agree.
If it matters to people affected by sight loss, then it matters to us.
If you have feedback for the team or have an idea for future content, just email: RNIBNI@rnib.org.uk
Join the conversation on our NI social media channels
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andLinked In
Listen up, speak up, break down barriers
It’s here, episode 2 of The RNIB NI podcast.
Did someone say new CEO, Announcing RNIB NI Technology Fair 2026, and What has the RNIB Policy and Campaigns team in Northern Ireland been up to since last we spoke? Find out in this month’s episode.
If it matters to people affected by sight loss, then it matters to us.
Get in touch with the team by emailing RNIBNI@rnib.org.uk
The image shows Laura Cummings and Joe Kenny sitting in the RNIB NI studio and smiling to camera.
Join the conversation on our NI social media channels
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We’re also on BlueskyandLinked In
You’re welcome to episode 01 of the RNIB NI Podcast
For people affected by sight loss living in Northern Ireland and beyond.
Listen up, speak up, break down barriers.
This monthly podcast is all about having a conversation about RNIB’s policy and campaigning work in Northern Ireland. So let us know what you want us to discuss. Our inbox is open.
To get in touch please email RNIBNI@rnib.org.uk
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing seven tracks that mark important moments in their life which bring back treasured memories to them.
Their chosen tracks might include the first track they ever heard or the first track they bought to other tracks that mark important memorable moments in their life with their final seventh track being one that they might like to pass on to others that may give people hope for the future or just inspire them.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Sir Robin Millar CBE an internationally renowned British Music Producer, Businessman, Campaigner for vulnerable people and the current Chair of disability equality charity Scope. Robin produced and arranged the legendary Diamond Life album by Sade.
Robin’s Tracks of My Life journey starts with him at the age of 17 a year after he had been told he was going to lose his sight, finding and being inspired by the music and lyrics of Joni Mitchell along with learning to play every track of her Ladies of the Canyon album.
Of course Robin has chosen some great music tracks and a couple that have brilliant intros too, including Jimi Hendrix’s cover of Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watch Tower and Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones.
It was being on stage watching the Rolling Stones perform at Knebworth behind Bill Wyman’s bass speaker and seeing 60,000 people waving their lighters in the air that really lit the fire for Robin to become a great musician, producer and want to make records that would sell millions too which he did achieve with many albums including the legendary Diamond Life album by Sade.
We will then have an insight into the time in the seventies when Robin was working as an apprentice audio engineer at the Le Chateau Studios in Paris while Bowie, Elton, the Grateful Dead and the Bee Gees were recording a number of classic albums and his one day a week studying for a post grad in music arranging at the Sorbonne being taught by Georges Delerou who arranged and recorded the theme from Robin’s favourite film Le Mepris.
Before we come to Robin’s final track we will hear how a visit he made with the UN to a refugee camp, meeting people who had nothing at all made him look outwards rather than inwards and start to give something back through getting involved in charity records, Live Aid, Oxfam and much more. Robin found the rewards from trying to improve other people’s situations was better, more important and more rewarding than making records that sold millions.
You can catch the full hour long version of Tracks of My Life with Sir Robin Miller CBE on RNIB Connect Radio, Good Friday, 29 March 8pm repeated Easter Saturday, 30 March 6pm and again on Bank Holiday Monday, 1 April 8pm.
To find out more about sir Robin Miller CBE do visit his website - https://www.robinmillar.org.uk
Image shows a black and white head shot of Robin wearing dark glasses, a shirt, tie and jacket
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing those tracks that mark important moments in their life which bring back treasured memories to them.
Their chosen tracks might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, more tracks that mark other memorable moments in their life with the final track being a track that they would like to pass on that might give people hope for the future or inspire them.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Ken Reid, a long-time volunteer and fundraiser for the RNIB and a number of other sight loss organisations.
Ken’s Tracks of My Life musical journey starts with him talking about his school nickname ‘Hank’ which was because of his glasses which were very similar to the famous ones worn by Hank Marvin from The Shadows although Ken only needed glasses at that time for correcting his sight.
Ken then will reflect on the time when he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and how he then began volunteering and fundraising for a number of sight loss organisations including his mammoth tandem bike ride to raise funds for the RNIB Talking Books Library.
Not forgetting the pleasures of reading for Ken whether it is listening to an audio book or reading a book in Braille with a track that brings both his love of music and books together named after a character from one of his favourite books too.
Before we come to Ken’s final track we will hear about what it means to Ken being able to be out in the countryside, walking in the Scottish hills with his partner and how good it is to be out on the hills in all weathers enjoying the fresh air, the sounds of nature and sharing that experience too.
You will be able to hear the full hour long version of Ken’s Tracks of My Life on RNIB Connect Radio, New Year’s Day at 3pm and then repeated on Tuesday 2 January 2024 at 7pm.
Image shows Ken in the RNIB Connect Radio studios wearing a pair of headphones and talking into a microphone with the RNIB logo on it and red tinsel wrapped around the stand.
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing those tracks that mark important moments in their life which bring back treasured memories to them.
Their chosen tracks might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, more tracks that mark other memorable moments in their life with the final track being a track that they would like to pass on that might give people hope for the future or inspire them.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Dr Amit Patel, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Author and Broadcaster.
Amit’s Tracks of My Life musical journey will begin with happy memories of school life for him and then to his first real experience of racism when he was in his late teens at college in London.
Then Amit will look back on the impact of the massive explosion of Asian music on main stream radio with the release of Cornershop’s Brimful of Asha and maybe a time when it was cool to be Asian in the UK too.
While working as an A&E Doctor Amit started to lose his sight and he will reflect on his life as an A&E Doctor from both sides of the hospital bed.
Before we come to Amit’s final track we will hear how losing his sight also made him lose his love of music too for a while but his love of music did come back and going to his first Asian gig as a visually impaired person was just as exciting and fun as it was when he had his sight.
You will be able to hear the full hour long version of Amit’s Tracks of My Life on RNIB Connect Radio on Christmas Day at 11am and again on Boxing Day at 1pm.
Image shows Amit smiling towards the camera with his guide dog in the park with trees in the background
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing those tracks that mark important moments in their life which bring back treasured memories to them.
Their chosen tracks might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, more tracks that mark other memorable moments in their life with the final track being a track that they would like to pass on that might give people hope for the future or inspire them.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Selina Mills, award-winning Journalist, Broadcaster and Author of ‘Life Unseen - A story of Blindness’’ which was published by Bloomsbury in the summer of 2023.
Selina’s Tracks of My Life journey will start with an early introduction to the music of Mozart and posters of Classical Musicians and Conductors on her bedroom walls.
Then to time studying in America and a track by a band made up of fellow undergraduates with lyrics that did change Selina’s outlook on life at the time.
After graduating from university in America, Selina moved to Rome and secured her first job teaching English to Italian Journalists which lead to Selina becoming a Journalist too.
Living in Rome for four years gave Selina the opportunity to hear great music being performed all over the city in churches and concert halls with wonderful choral singing too.
Before we come to Selina’s final track we will hear a great country music song which is dedicated to her late farther who did encouraged Selina to write ‘Life Unseen - A story of Blindness’.
You will be able to hear the full hour long version of Selina’s Tracks of My Life on RNIB Connect Radio, Thursday 21 December at 1pm and again on Christmas Eve, Sunday 24 December at 7pm.
To find out more about ‘Life Unseen - A History of Blindness’ by Selina Mills do visit the following pages of the Bloomsbury website - https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/life-unseen-9781848856905/
Image shows a photograph of Selina wearing a black top with a red and white pattern on it and pearl earrings with a bookshelf and a framed picture in the background.
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future.
In this special RNIB Connect Radio 20th Anniversary podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Jonathan Abro, a Freelance IT Professional who specialises in accessible technology for everyone. Jonathan is a Trustee of VocalEyes, a Tech for Life Volunteer here at the RNIB and a member of Retina UK. Although being diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa in 1992 this has not stoped Jonathan in his travels, exploring many parts of the world with his partner Annie.
Jonathan’s musical Tracks of My Life journey starts with life growing up in the South African country side and a move to Durban at the end of school life for him.
We then follow Jonathan to Johannesburg where he starts out on his career in computer programming and also working nights at the Roxy Rhythm Bar, oh and enjoying the music too.
Then we will join Jonathan as he travels around the world for the first time before a move to the more independent UK for him as a visually impaired person where he met his partner Annie.
Before we come to Jonathan’s final track we will hear all about his and Annie’s adventures as they travel from Antarctica to Los Angeles.
Image shows Jonathan sitting on the snow and ice of Antarctica with some penguins in the photo and snowy mountains in the background.
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future.
In this special RNIB Connect Radio 20th Anniversary podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by World Blind Sailing Champion and Commodore of Blind Sailing UK Lucy Hodges MBE.
Lucy’s Tracks of My Life musical journey starts with early life at home growing up as a visually impaired child with lots of support from her parents. It was only apparent to Lucy how different life was for her and her parents when she had a conversation with her Mother when she was in her early 20s.
We will of course hear all about how Lucy got into sailing, first with her Dad, then to taking part in organised blind sailing weekends and week long trips with fond memories of the occasional sing-a-long with friends at the end of a great days sailing.
Then to more competitive sailing for Lucy and taking part in her first World Blind Sailing Championships in Miami in 1999, winning many silver medals before winning her first gold medal in Japan in 2017 with mixed emotions on the winners podium as the closing ceremony of a championships marks the end of a week of great sailing racing.
Before we come to Lucy’s final track we will hear all about a time when Lucy was recovering from quite a serious illness and then to a happier time when Lucy met her partner Gavin.
If you are interested in getting in to sailing as a blind or partially sighted person and maybe a bit of racing too then do visit the Blind Sailing UK website where you will find out more about opportunities for you to start sailing and race training too -
https://www.gbrblindsailing.co.uk
Image: RNIB Connect Radio Bright Green 20th Anniversary Logo
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future.
In this special RNIB Connect Radio 20th Anniversary podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Dr Hazel McFarlane MBE, a disability activist and researcher who has worked in and alongside the sight loss and disability sectors for over 30 years.
Hazel’s contribution to the sight loss sector was acknowledged earlier this year when she was awarded an MBE for services to people with sight loss, in the King’s Birthday Honours List.
Hazel’s Tracks of My Life musical journey starts at home, growing up with her twin sister and two older sisters, going to a mainstream school which was quite unusual at the time.
Then to a powerful time for Hazel when she was involved in the Disability Movement in the early 1990s, campaigning for disability rights and along with many other disabled people helping to force the government to set up the Disability Discrimination Act.
After a track dedicated to her son Michael we will hear a track that marks the time in 2005 when Hazel gained her PhD and a validation that the education system that Hazel had gone through had got it wrong for her at the time with not the best support for a visually impaired young person.
We will then come to a beautiful piece of classical music that has a bit of a military connection which marks the time when Hazel met her partner.
And before we come to Hazel’s final track we have a track that holds great memories for Hazel of New Year’s Eve 2019 which her parents got up and danced to.
Image: RNIB Connect Radio Bright Green 20th Anniversary Logo
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby was joined by Itto Outini, a totally blind and multilingual journalist, public speaker, and Fulbright scholar.
Born and raised in the mountains of Morocco, Itto was deprived of education as a child. At 17, her uncle’s wife blinded her, and her family abandoned her in the hospital. Itto spent six years homeless before graduating from high school at 23 and, with support from an American couple, pursuing her BA in applied linguistics. In 2017, Itto came to the United States on a Fulbright scholarship to pursue a Master’s in journalism. Itto is now a permanent resident in the US and lives with her husband, Mekiya in Kansas City, Missouri.
You can find out more about Itto by visiting her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ittooutini/
(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby was joined by Richard Lane, a Medical Science Journalist who worked for the Lancet for 19 years and may be one of the only or if not very few blind wine Teachers having qualified as a Wine Educator with the Wine Spirit and Education Trust in 2021.
You can find out more about Richard by visiting his LinkedIn profile -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-lane-6ab71b219/
(Image shows a head and shoulders shot of Richard, a white man with grey hair, in a burgundy shirt with white dots, smiling towards the camera in his garden with some plants and a green shed in the background)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby was joined by Broadcaster, Author and Climber Red Szell who for six years presented Read On the Audio Book show here on RNIB Connect Radio and can now be found presenting the AMI show My Life in Books.
To find out more about Red’s AMI show My Life in Books do visit the following website - https://www.ami.ca/My-Life-Books/recent_episodes
(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by visually impaired Professional Artist, Contemporary Sculptor and sight loss charity Ambassador, Victoria Claire, who was first diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at the age of 19. This autumn will see a final exhibition of her work in Ireland as Victoria retires from the art industry to start a new chapter in her life.
We will start Victoria’s Tracks of my Life journey with Victoria at the age of 5 or 6 with the theme to that classic film and subsequent TV series from the early 1980s Fame, which was all about wanting to make it in the performing arts and to live forever with memories of the clothes style from that time including the leg warmers!
Then we move to Art College time for Victoria with fond memories of college life with a track from her favourite movie from those days, Top Gun. At the time Victoria and her best friend from college who also loved the film, gave each other nicknames from the film, Victoria was Maverick and her friend was Goose. Although having been diagnosed with RP at the age of 19 at this time Victoria was still able to drive and they both used to boo bomb their cars along with Danger Zone blaring out of their car stereos.
Next we will come to a track which is definitely a bit of a club anthem to mark those days of club life for Victoria with memories of going to clubs with a good group of friends during those College days and also dancing the night away at the Ministry of Sound and other clubs in London.
Then it is off back packing around America for Victoria with one of her best friends and a trip to do while Victoria had some good useful vision to take in all that was visually on offer from that trip.
Before we come to Victoria’s final track, the one that she would like to pass on to others. We have two very powerful tracks for Victoria one that helped Victoria get through quite a difficult time in her life when she felt lost and alone and another dance track that reminds Victoria that even in her darkest of hours music can lift her and make her want to get up and dance.
To find out more about Victoria do visit her website - https://www.victoriaclaire-beyondvision.com
(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by visually impaired Liverpudlian comedian and actor Chris McCausland, who you may have seen as a guest recently on many TV panel shows. Chris also took his topical comedy to the Royal Albert Hall for his first appearance in front of members of the Royal Family for the 2021 Royal Variety Performance. We will start Chris’ Tracks of My Life journey with his early life growing up in Liverpool and a love of the Back to the Future films which remains his favourite film trilogy today. The Back to the Future films also inspired his love of all things time travel related which got Chris into a very specific type of Sci-Fi which he still indulges in today. Then we will come to the first vinyl record that Chris brought aged 11 when he was at Worcester College which was Trash by Alice Cooper and Chris still has that same record from those early school days which actually still plays today. As Chris says at that age his musical tastes were more influenced by older kids at school and it was a lot of cheesy hair metal time for him back then. We then have a track by Chris’ favourite band Nirvana and one from their MTV Unplugged album which took his musical tastes down a more grungy American route. With memories of how back in Liverpool when Nirvana’s Unplugged show was on MTV, he asked a friendly guy in the street to tape the show on to VHS for him to watch again later and how that Nirvana MTV Unplugged record has been a bit of a comfort blanket for Chris over the years. We will then hear how Chris and his wife first met while he was performing up in Edinburgh and a track by Perl Jam that they used to sing along too together in the car and one that he proposed to his wife to at a Pearl Jam concert in Hyde Park with thousands of people around them and maybe not the best lyrics to propose to! Chris’ Tracks of My Life journey will then step back to University days and his time down in Kingston upon Thames, how a lecturer at the RNC encouraged him to apply to University, why he decided to choose Kingston, with again more widening of his musical tastes and how he has still kept in touch with some of his University friends from back then. Oh and not forgetting all the gigging he did during those University years to see many different bands too! Chris will then reflect on how the Covid Pandemic and all the lockdowns affected him as a Comedian and performer, not being able to get out there and gig, although he was lucky in many ways as he did a lot of radio and TV work during the lockdowns. It was hard for Chris not being able to go out gigging, but it was as he says good for his health and mind to have a break from touring for a while. More time at home gave Chris time to rediscover new music and again widen his album collection too. For his final track Chris will first talk about the track he would have liked to have chosen, a track by a blind rapper which we could not have played on the station due to the language, but he thinks people should definitely look him up though. His actual final track is one from the musical The Greatest Showman, a musical his daughter loves, and the track was performed by Keala Settle at last year’s Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall where Chris performed too. Chris was very lucky to be on his own in the Royal Albert Hall to watch a very moving rehearsal performance by Keala Settle too. This track certainly for Chris sums up so much of his life where he is now, his comedy career, his home life and a new found love of musicals too! If you would like to find out more about Chris, details of when he is next out and about gigging, sign up to his mailing list or just have a watch or listen to some of his comedy then why not visit his website for more - https://chrismccausland.com
You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm. Please note that there will be an extra repeat of Chris McCausland’s Tracks of My Life this Easter Bank Holiday Monday (18 April 2022) at 5pm too.
(Image shows Chris in a dark blue denim shirt with his hands behind his back, smiling towards the camera)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life, Toby is joined by Vision Australia’s Senior Adaptive Technology Consultant and all-round tech guru David Woodbridge. We will start David’s Tracks of my Life journey with a Simon and Garfunkel track that takes David back to life in his early twenties working as a Social Worker around direct drug and Alcohol crisis counselling which may have been a lot to take on at such an early age. A job that he was in a way pushed into as a good career for a blind person because all blind people are good at listening! Social work at the time was a job that gave David real job satisfaction as he did hear back from a couple of his clients who told him how much his counselling had helped them to turn their life around. We will then move to the early 80s with the theme music to the TV show Knight Rider although it was more of the technology that the car Kit had rather than the acting that impressed David at the time. It was around this time when David started getting into working with technology through a nun that he met at work who used to work on a computer that she labeled Moses and she would say to David let’s go up and chat with Moses! She also encouraged David to do what ever he wanted to do in life which inspired him to make a career change from social work to technology; which he had always wanted to get in to before he took the social work route. We then have a track that is for younger children and their parents or just people like David with a real passion for storytelling and making stories up for their children. Followed by a track that is dedicated to his second wife with David telling the story of how they first met on a commuter train late one night, not quite Brief Encounter but very much a chance meeting that was slightly helped by David’s Guide Dog at the time. Before we come to David’s final track we first have a track that very much reflects his out look on life and maybe a view that has been influenced by him becoming a Grandad. Then a track that will certainly spark people’s imagination and maybe make them think about how inaccessible the world can be but with a bit of thought and maybe just thinking for a moment the world could become a better place for everyone. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by visually impaired Artist Angela Blackwell who, as she says, ‘Came out as a blind Artist’ through her recent Arts Council funded exhibition ‘What are You Looking At?’. We will start Angela’s Tracks of my Life journey at the age of twelve at a very normal comprehensive school, starting to get into music and going to her first gig with a friend who’s Brother gave them tickets to see the Police in concert in Brighton. Her friend’s Brother offered cotton wool to protect their ears as the concert would be very loud but Angela refused the offer, she loved it all and a truly memorable experience that changed her life for ever. We will then move on a couple of years to secondary school for Angela, getting into art, the influences of the music, fashion and culture of the early 80s. An iconic performance by Julian Cope with Teardrop Explodes on Top of the Pops with Julian wearing a nightshirt and his frizzy blonde hair an image at the time that Angela could really relate to. We then move to Art College time for Angela at Worthing Art College when Angela was a Goth for a few years. A Saturday job at a bakery in Brighton which helped to pay for those Saturday night’s out along with maybe a gig in the week too. Then after Art College Angela started working at Our Price Records where she met her husband to be, buying their first house together in Brighton and a trip to New York with tickets coming from a free offer at the time with a purchase of a Hoover vacuum cleaner. The offer had very tight conditions for the tickets but thankfully as they both worked in the record store they could get the time off. After spending time in New York and before returning back home they went on to Vegas and LA too. Some of the experiences of that trip to America also fed back into elements of Angela’s paintings at the time. We will then have a track that marks the time when Angela and her Husband got married in a registry office in Bridport with the track raising a few eye brows at the time as maybe not the usual type of music to be played out during a service at a registry office. Next we come to a track that marks the time when Angela and her husband brought their beloved camper van which they have had many adventures in with Angela’s Guide Dog too and some trips to the beauty of the English Riviera. Before we come to Angela’s final track Angela will reflect on how, as she says, coming out as a ‘blind artist’ through her recent exhibition ‘What Are You Looking At?’, has in a way made her freer as an artist with people now knowing that she is an artist who just happens to be visually impaired too. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows Angela smiling and wearing a navy blue blouse with small white dots in front of a white wallpaper background with repeated illustrations in black pen of a woman posing wearing a raincoat and boots interspersed with bins with a drawing of a dog on them with red blotting over the images)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Mark Upton the first blind Chief Executive of OxEyes, the local sight loss charity supporting blind and partially sighted people in Oxfordshire. We will start Mark’s Tracks of My Life journey at the age of 14 with a rock album that featured many great guitar solos which could be described as the best air guitar album in the world and one that kick started his love of rock and heavy music. This album also started his discovery of, as he says, real music for him too with a certain Queen track that was featured famously in that classic 80s film Wayne's World. We then move to GCSE exam time for Mark and school days that were perhaps not the best for him with a track that takes him back to those spring days when he knew school was almost over and that sense of freedom which was just a couple of months away. Although with maybe a bit of an unknown future ahead for Mark.
Then to college for Mark which he says were his lost years in a way doing a practical course in wood work that probably was not the best choice thinking about a future career but a choice that his parents fully supported him in. Although Mark had a small group of good friends at college, in some ways he felt that he did not really fit in. College was very different to school and there was again that sense of freedom during this time marked by another heavy rock track from an album that Mark used to listen to and get lost in on the train journey in and out to college. We then come to a change in Mark’s musical tastes which was influenced by one of his house mates when he was living in Chichester working in retail for a short period of time before starting on his career in the sight loss sector. One day by chance Mark came across a job at 4Sight (formally West Sussex Association for the Blind) when browsing the internet and joined 4Sight as an Assistant Out Reach Worker. A job that Mark says he could be good at, he could enjoy and one where he felt he was able to give something back to other visually impaired people and an amazing start to his career in the sight loss sector. Before we come to Mark’s final track, we have one for his wife Erika who he met through a dating site when he moved to Oxford to join OxEyes and a track for their son who arrived in to the world in the autumn of 2020 from one of Mark's favourite films, 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' which mark used to sing to him when he was in the womb and as a baby too. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by easy listening music fan and presenter of Connect Radio’s Sunset Melodies show, Gary Moritz. Gary’s Tracks of My Life journey will start with his preschool days and time spent round at his Grand Parents home. Gary’s grandmother had a profound influence over the years on his musical taste and feeding his fascination with nostalgia which would later form the foundation for his Connect Radio show Sunset Melodies. We will then move to teenage years for Gary and his discovery of the music of Elvis Presley which then lead Gary to appreciate his Mum’s record collection and introducing Gary to easy listening vocalists. Then later to the discovery of Frank Sinatra which started with a track from what might be the very first concept album. With fond memories also of spending many hours in a local record shop collecting Rock 'n' Roll records and later of course Frank Sinatra records too. At the age of 16 Gary was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) which came as a shock to Gary and his Mum at the time. Being diagnosed at an early age and knowing that he wouldn’t be able to drive Gary decided to travel and at the age of 19 Gary along with a close friend went on an Elvis inspired trip to Hawaii. Sadly towards the end of their time in Hawaii a hurricane hit which forced them to stay in their hotel watching old films on the TV and seeing the musical An American In Paris really started Gary’s love of old movies.
Gary will then reflect on his time playing cricket at Stanmore Cricket Club under the captaincy of his Dad who was a pretty good Cricketer. Gary even played alongside a famous England cricketer and he has fond memories of great times in the club bar after the games listening to engaging stories from some of the older members of the club. Due to the deterioration of his sight there came a time for Gary when he had to give up playing Club Cricket which gave him the opportunity to spend his free weekends painting in his art studio which included painting portraits of Rock ’n’ Roll and Pop stars while listening to the Des Carrington show on the radio which furthered Gary’s love of easy listening music. Gary will then reflect on the time when he started out as a mobile DJ with 15 years of disco work which expanded his musical tastes further into 70's and 80's music and recalling how a certain disco track which was always a good floor filler! Before we come to his final track Gary will talk about the time when he decided to take medical retirement from his office job to bring up his children at home. With very fond memories of fun times with the kids and playing at full volume one of his easy listening tracks that his kids would also sing along to. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm. To hear Sunset Melodies with Gary do tune in to RNIB Connect Radio every Wednesday at 7pm repeated Sunday at 6pm.
(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Lord Colin Low of Dalston CBE,former Chair and now Vice President of the RNIB.
We will start Colin’s Tracks of My Life journey with an essay on the composer Hugo Wolf which won Colin a scholarship to Queen’s College, Oxford with fond memories for Colin of many good relationships made at the time and an ‘opening of his ears’ as Colin says in Oxford to a wider range of classical music and composers.
We will then focus in on a particular vivid performance for Colin at the regular English Bach Festival in Oxford of Messiaen’s Turangalila symphony that swept Colin up into the music of Messiaen. Colin feels that the Turangalila symphony is a great example of modern classical music which is very accessible and exciting to listen to and get immersed in.
Then we come to an uplifting performance of Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe and for Colin as someone who has played the piano it is not just the performance but the understanding of how the music has been put together that really enhances Colin’s enjoyment of music when it is being performed live.
We return back to the English Bach Festival in Oxford but this time a few years later with an almost three hour long enjoyable Sunday afternoon performance of another Messiaen piece but this time for solo piano which was heavily inspired by bird song and again for Colin, a bit of an insider's view of the music with his background in piano playing.
Then to fond memories for Colin of a trip to Bayreuth, the home of Wagner which was helped by some of that scholarship money Colin won to support him through his studies in Oxford and the trip really started Colin’s great love of Wagner. The more Colin listened to Wagner the more he became under the spell of this great composer.
Then time for a bit of Jazz and a track by a well-known blind American Jazz Pianist Art Tatum which Colin was very much swept up by when he was first introduced to Art’s great jazz piano playing.
Before we reach Colin’s final track, time for Colin to reflect on his work in the House of Lords and whether he feels life for blind and partially sighted people has got better over the years or is there still a lot more that needs to be done to improve society for visually impaired people and of course all disabled people too.
You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by actor Ryan Kelly who has been playing the character of Jazzer in the long running BBC radio drama, The Archers for over 20 years now and he was the first blind student to attend the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Ryan’s Tracks of My Life journey will start with what might be his debut as a performer singing ‘I Want To Be A Punk Rocker’ by Andy Cameron in church to the Priest at the age of 2 which his Mum was not too impressed with at the time, but he was only 2 then. Then we will move on a couple of years to when Ryan was 5 or 6 and an introduction to folk music on long taxi journeys to and from blind boarding school on a Monday morning and Friday afternoon with a track by Foster and Allen which was constantly played on the cassette player by the taxi driver Mrs Flanagan and Ryan was known to sing the song at home in an Irish accent. At school to fit in Ryan perfected an English accent but would revert back to his Scottish accent at home and maybe good practice for his chosen career as an actor later in life. We will then come to a track that is dedicated to his wife Sonya. Ryan and Sonya were childhood sweethearts at school for about a year and a half before Ryan went off to the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford to start his studies in the performing arts. It was not until a couple of years while Ryan was at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School that Ryan and Sonya got back together again and got married. Ryan will then reflect on his time studying the Performing Arts at the RNC with the support and grounding in the arts from both Amanda and John at Hereford who really helped Ryan to successfully gain a place at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School which not only provided Ryan with training in acting but also in living too. Then we will come to a track that is dedicated to Ryan and Sonya’s daughter Bethany and memories for Ryan of a phone message from Sonya, while Ryan was in Bristol acting in a play, to tell him that she was pregnant with Bethany and a real magical feeling for Ryan of not only the news of Sonya being pregnant but also an acting performance that had gone so well that night too. A feeling that he has not had before or since that magical night. Before we come to Ryan’s final couple of tracks Ryan will reflect on his time in that long running BBC Radio drama, The Archers playing the role of Jazzer. What it is like for him as a blind actor playing a sighted character which many listeners may not know about when they tune in to Radio 4 and get their regular fix of The Archers. How much Jazzer has changed and grown as a character over the years and whether there is a bit of Ryan’s own personality and character in his performance at all wen he is playing Jazzer. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm. Please note that for Christmas 2021 the normal Sunday 8pm repeat will be on Christmas Day Saturday 25 December 2021 at 9pm.
(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Steven Scott, who has just hung up his RNIB Connect Radio microphone and headphones to concentrate on other broadcast work and to launch his new channel Blind Guy Talks Tech. In Steven’s Tracks of My Life we will start with both his love of good quality sounding music and of course technology too with the first audio CD single he was given as a present from his mum and the first time he really sat down and concentrated hard on listening on headphones to music CDs on his dad’s HiFi system at his grandmother’s house and being blown away by the sound quality of CDs when listening through headphones. Steven will then share with us what life was like for him growing up in tenements in the east end of Glasgow and how music also played a big part in his early family life. Then we will come to school life for Steven with his mum fighting hard at the time for Steven to go to a mainstream primary school and how she worked hard to support him through those early primary school days. Next, we will come to high school life for Steven again at a main stream school but this time with a resource centre for visually impaired children. With Steven recalling how back then if there were classes that were felt not suitable for a visually impaired childlike PE then it was off to the VI resource unit for you. For Steven spending time in the unit gave him the opportunity to start getting into technology, sorting out the unit's computers and finding out how they worked which would prove good for the future. All set against the background of an iconic 1980s album track that Steven and his school friends used to sing along to! We will then hear the very first track that Steven played out on his first commercial radio show back in 2001 which was the starting point for his radio and broadcasting career and how maybe at that time not having such a very strong Glasgow accent may have helped him a bit to get into radio back then. Steven will then reflect on his early life growing up with his mum and sister as a single parent family before at the age of six his step-dad or as Steven says his ‘real dad’ came on board and took over. With a favourite track of his mum’s which was played on the radio back then which may have sowed the seeds for Steven’s love of country music later on in his life. Before we come to Steven’s final track, we will hear an exclusive RNIB Connect Radio recording from a British country music band which went on to be a very big hit for them. Over the years when they did hit the big time, Steven did keep in touch with the band and has even been invited backstage to meet up with them again when he has been to see them in concert. To find out more about Steven’s new channel Blind Guy Talks Tech do visit the following website - https://blindguytalkstech.com
You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows a black and white head shot of Steven wearing a dark grey polo neck shirt and glasses, smiling and looking slightly up and left into the camera)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Stuart Lawler, Head of Content Creation and Business Development Manager for Sight and Sound Technology Ireland. Stuart’s Tracks of My Life journey starts with ABBA winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with their track Waterloo which launched their successful pop music career and the same year that Stuart was born. Stuart also has a connection with Eurovision as he joined the Irish judging panel for the 1995 contest Early life for Stuart was spent growing up on his parents farm in Kildare, rural Ireland, being treated by his parents the same as his two sighted sisters which gave Stuart a great growing in life and work ethic too. Then Stuart will talk about his life at boarding school and then college life for him in Dublin and a track that is strangely on a lot of radio station Christmas playlist that takes him back to those boarding school days. While Stuart was studying Music Technology in Dublin he also spent time on community radio station NEAR FM (North East Access Radio) with fond memories of presenting his very first live music show with a certain boy band track that featured very heavily on the stations playlist back then. Before we come to Stuart’s final track we have a track that he has dedicated to two close friends who were work colleagues too who sadly suddenly passed away a couple of years ago which had a real lasting affect on Stuart’s life and his career path too. We will end with a very up lifting track which some people might think is a bit of a strange choice coming from someone who graduated with a degree in music technology but a track for Stuart that he will put on if he is not feeling great that certainly lifts his spirits.
You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by visually impaired Theatre Director, Writer and Actor Christopher Hunter.
In Christopher’s Tracks of My Life we will start with early life for Christopher growing up in India as his farther went out there to work on a tea plantation and met his mother in the 1950s. Although Christopher was born in England and went to boarding school in England, he spent his childhood growing up in India with fond memories as a child of flying to and from England to India. Christopher’s first language was Hindi as it was the policy among planters at the time to teach their children Hindustani, although he would speak English at home to his parents. Christopher then talks about boarding school life in England and spending his pocket money on his first single which was by Cliff Richard and the Shadows. Cliff Richard at the time was marketed as the British Elvis Presley and due to Cliff’s Indian heritage his records seemed to be the only ones you could buy out in India at the time. Then we will move to college life in Manchester for Christopher and his first steps treading the boards as an actor. With a track by the poet of those student years for Christopher and many others at the time who could encompass the feelings of a generation in a song. Christopher will then talk about his best friend Duncan Gibbins who he met while they were both at the National Youth Theatre School who went to Hollywood to make films after winning many awards for pop videos in the early days of MTV. Duncan tragically died in a wild fire that swept down Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles in the early 1990's. Then we will come to some of his Theatre work including the recent production ‘States of Mind’ for Extant where Christopher took one of Shakespeare’s poems and turned it into a live performance with integrated audio description. As Christopher says he is a child of the 60s and a lover of folk music and before we come to his final track, we have a folk track by a British artist who certainly puts a modern twist on to old folk songs. Christopher’s final track is one that demonstrates as a performer you can still be creative and leave a legacy even in those last few days of your life. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows a close up image of Christopher smiling at the camera in front of a blue sky. He is wearing a white beanie, knitted red jumper, a khaki shirt and a black backpack)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by BBC Journalist and Audio Producer Emma Tracy.
In Emma’s tracks of My Life we will start with a track by one of Emma’s Dad’s favourite Irish Artists Christy Moore and memories of going to see a Christy Moore gig with her Dad in Hammersmith not that long before her Dad passed, but a great gig, a beautiful evening, and a treasured memory for Emma.
We then move back to teenage life for Emma and as Emma says at 'School’ in Ireland, listening to the first album that Emma really got into the lyrics and music of on cassette tape and a track that Emma could play on the guitar back then. Then we come to late teens for Emma and entering talent shows in Ireland which were very well supported by her family. Emma's Brother even said at the time that if Emma made it as a singer, he would offer to be her manager!
We will then come to a track from a well-known Scottish duo that marks the time when Emma met her husband Robin who introduced Emma to Scottish folk music.
Emma will then reflect on a long friendship with her friend Ellie who she first met at an RNIB get together many, many years ago which started up a Braille pen pal letter writing correspondence and how good it was during those teenage years to be able to write to another young blind person and share experiences with each other.
Finally we will end with a couple of comedy songs that make Emma and her family smile including her two young boys.
You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Tokyo Paralympic Javelin Gold medallist Dan Pembroke who also smashed Paralympic records with his F13 Javelin 69.52metre medal winning throw. Through Dan’s Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey from early life at the age of 6 sitting on the sofa with his Dad and jamming along on the harmonica to a great Gary Moore track which as Dan says really showed the power of music to him even at such an early age. Dan will then recall some of the adventures and fishing trips he went on with his Dad along the Thames on his Dad’s fishing boat which with all the camouflage netting would blend into the river bank. Then we move to late teenage life for Dan and great party nights out with his best friend Joe and reflecting on life for Dan as a teenager at school which was not such a great time for him. Although Dan was diagnosed with the condition Retinitis Pigmentosa at an early age he had always been into sport and only missed out on competing at the London 2012 Olympic Games due to an elbow injury. After missing out on London and feeling quite down at the time, it was a track from the film ‘Into the Wild’ that jolted Dan to kickstart a burning ambition he had always had of going travelling to see the world while he still had enough good usable vision left. Then we will hear from Dan as to how he first ended up in Sardinia, spending time in the wild on his own, fishing from a kayak and sleeping on beautiful beaches. Dan returned back to Sardinia in 2015 this time working as a freelance personal trainer and massage therapist for the summer tourists. After a few months Dan met a local lady working in her family's supermarket who he was instantly captivated by and managed to pluck up the courage to ask her for coffee, they hit it off, started dating and ended up travelling around the world together. It was in Tasmania while on their travels that Dan realised that his sight was really getting worse, and they decided to come back to the UK for Dan to study at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford and it was meeting a few of his old athletics mates that inspired Dan to get back into competing but this time for the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Finally Dan will reflect on how taking up sport again as a visually impaired athlete has turned around his opinion and feelings about his eye sight 180 degrees which has certainly paved a pathway into the future for Dan where he feels free. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows a close-up of Dan in a white team GB jacket at the Tokyo 2020 Paralymic Games holding his gold medal and smiling)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by visually impaired Stand-Up Comedian and Actor Georgie Morrell who also presents Connect Radio’s movie music show Sounds of the Silver Screen. Georgie’s Tracks of My Life journey will start with early life for her. Although at the age of 3 being diagnosed with chronic arthritis and then a year later being diagnosed with glaucoma uvieyertus, Georgie was not raised as a disabled child at all by her parents and was treated exactly the same as her sighted siblings. Music has certainly played an important role in Georgie’s life, and one of her early memories is being given her first album on cassette tape by her brother which Georgie played until the cassette tape was almost worn out. Some of Georgie’s chosen tracks have meant quite a lot to her over the years and she is fascinated by how some tracks might have different meanings to other people and how those meanings may change over time too. We will then hear from Georgie about how important it is for her as a performer to go and see live performances whether it is a music concert or a theatre show. Georgie will also talk about the first time she got up on stage as a 10-year-old and made the decision there and then to become a performer.
Then we will follow Georgie as she moved from her suburban home town to the bright lights of London at the age of 18 and as Georgie says, ‘London is full of weirdos and you can blend in with them if you like!’ Then we will come to a track that says a lot to Georgie now and one that she would have liked to have had when she was going through all the stuff that we all go through as a teenager along with having to manage her disability at the same time too. Finally Georgie will talk about the freedom she gets from being up on stage performing whether that is as a Stand-Up Comedian or an Actor, reflecting on her career so far but with still so much to achieve and so much further to go too. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows a black and white photograph of Georgie under a spotlight on stage. She is holding the microphone to her mouth, smiling and looking into out into the audience)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Mike Wood who has spent almost 40 years as a volunteer with Talking Newspapers, joining his local talking newspaper, The Swindon, and District Talking Newspaper Association in the early 1980s and then heavily involved in the setup of the Talking News Federation in 2004/2005 and Mike is the current Vice President of the association. Through Mike’s Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey from early life at home for Mike with his parents and his Mother’s parents all living together in the same house. Fun times for Mike playing outside with his mates before having to go to school for the first time. At the age of 5. On that very first day at school Mike returned home after the first break at 11am to a surprised Mum who asked, ‘what are you doing at home?’ with Mike’s reply ‘well I have tried school for a day, and I don’t like it!’. We will then move on a couple of years for Mike and a bit of a battle for him between playing football on Saturday mornings with his mates and learning the piano with his Aunt where in the end he won the battle. Looking back now Mike would maybe have liked to continue the lessons to be able to play the piano like some of the musicians on his chosen tracks. As a teenager Mike’s parents would have preferred him to listen to classical music but it was Trad Jazz for Mike and following some of the jazz bands of the day with their toe tapping music. Then we will hear from Mike as to how he got involved with his local Talking Newspaper in the early 1980s, the setup of the Talking News Federation in the early 2000s and how Talking Newspapers have evolved and developed over the years with the introduction of new technology such as memory sticks and now online digital presence too. Mike will then share fond memories of some of the great Jazz concerts he has been to over the years and one at Ronnie Scott’s which included a classical music performance that Mike’s parents might have been proud of! You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Sharon Schaffer, who in July 2021 joined Saffron Walden based sight loss charity Support 4 Sight as their Chief Executive Officer. Sharon’s work in the sight loss sector began with managing the London Visual Impairment Forum, working with eye health networks across the East of England with the England Vision Strategy, and before joining Support 4 Sight Sharon was Service Manager for Sight Concern Bedfordshire. Prior to her work in the charity sector Sharon was touring the country as an Actor and running a very successful theatre company.
Through Sharon’s Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey from early teenage life with her best friend Ant and being in their minds the first teenagers to discover and listen to artists from the late 70s and the early 80s. Then off to studying the dramatic arts, joining White Horse Theatre Company, and 8 months of life in a van Touring around Southern Germany performing English shows to German schools and colleges. Then back to England with a period of time resting before performing with and setting up Kaos UK Theatre Company with her husband, and touring productions around England, Ireland and internationally including a very memorable performance of The Importance Of Being Earnest. Then a trip that took Sharon and her husband miles away to the Pinnacles in Australia for a pre wedding honeymoon before getting married on stage at His Majesty’s Theatre in Perth. Finally we come to the time when Sharon moved into working in the sight loss sector with fond memories of the London Visual Impairment Forum meetings which brought people from the Greater London sight loss sector together to share information and news with the Christmas gatherings always including a bit of festive cheer and live music to get everyone in to a festive mood ready for the seasonal holiday.
You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows a head shot of Sharon, smiling into the camera in front of a brown/grey wooden panelled background.
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by blind music producer, audio engineer and accessibility consultant Jason Dasent who has over 20 years in the music industry originally from Trinidad and now based in London. Through Jason’s Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey from his early life out in Trinidad and one of the first tracks he heard which he as a music Producer comes back to time and time again when producing lush harmonies for his music.
We will hear from Jason about how he got into music and music producing while still at school as a teenager and his fascination with the sound of early 80s Synthesizers including the Roland Jupiter 8 and Yamaha DX7 which formed the sound of many early 80s electronic bands. We will also hear a track by a certain Scottish singer whose career started out from a TV talent show who’s voice tics all the boxes for Jason as a music producer. Then there is a track that both Jason and his wife Sara sang at their wedding out in Trinidad during a hurricane which thankfully did not end up spoiling the day for them and their friends and family. Jason will finally reflect on his music producing career so far and his thoughts and plans for the future. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Guide Dog owner Paul Fuller who recently joined Scope as their Executive Director of Partnerships after a long career as a graphic Designer working for the BBC and then Sky. We start Paul’s Tracks of My Life journey with a track from his parents record collection which he has on permanent loan that takes him back to early childhood memories growing up in Kent and the start of his love of drawing and painting. After school Paul went to Art College and on graduation at the age of 21, he landed a dream job as a graphic Designer for the BBC. It was only a week after Paul started at the BBC that his parents rang him up and invited him home for supper to tell him that he had choroideremia a hereditary eye condition that would lead to blindness sometime between the ages of 30 and 70. Paul continued working at the BBC for a while before moving to Sky and it was at Sky that Paul met his wife Jackelyn and within a very short period of time they got married and started a family. Sadly during 2012 and around the time of the London Olympic Games Paul was diagnosed with cancer and spent quite some time at the Royal Marsden Hospital and it was a certain Bob Marley track that Paul would play every morning to help him get through the day. Thankfully with the treatment and care from the Royal Marsden hospital Paul battled through the cancer and decided on his return to Sky that it was time for him to leave Sky after a very successful and wonderful time working for the broadcaster. It was around this time that Paul’s eye sight started to deteriorate even more and he and his wife decided to go travelling around the world and it was on his return from their travels that Paul was matched with his first Guide Dog Bolt who has been life changing for Paul. Having taken early retirement from Sky for a number of reasons Paul thought about becoming a Trustee for either the RNIB or Guide Dogs but he did not feel that this was the right thing for him and maybe there was something else he could do in the 3rd sector and it was a recruitment firm that had aligned Paul to a Trustee role at Guide Dogs who asked him if he had really retired as they thought he might be the right person for a role at Scope. After a Zoom interview and meeting during the early stages of the Covid Pandemic Paul decided to take up the role of Executive Director of Partnerships at Scope. Finally Paul will reflect on his very positive glass half full outlook on life and like the title of one of his Tracks of My Life tracks - life is what you make it! You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows Paul sat on a wooden bench stroking his guide dog Bolt and smiling at the camera. He is outside surrounded by grass and wearing a dark grey hooded jacket, blue shirt and light grey trousers. A path passes past the bench and in the background there is a medium sized cascading waterfall flowing into a small lake or pond and behind that, a red brick wall with an archway built into it)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by visually impaired Chef Jo Parsons, who has worked in many professional kitchens over the years, now running her own catering business 'Jo’s Kitchen' from her home in South Devon as well as passing on her cooking skills to other visually impaired people through her 'Cooking with Confidence' classes.
In Jo’s Tracks of my Life we will start with Jo as a three-year-old little girl living in Castle Bromwich, Birmingham and Helping her mum to clean the beautiful large pram ready for collecting her 8 week old baby Brother Simon. Who was being fostered by Jo’s Parents. Like Simon Jo was also adopted by her very loving and caring Mum and Dad Joan and Jim. We then move to school days for Jo with happy memories of infant and junior school but not so happy times at senior school apart from Jo’s close group of friends. Jo will then share some of the happy memories she had at senior school with her friends listening to the latest pop records on the steps outside the music room and not forgetting the mad dash on a Tuesday evening to get home for 4.25pm to catch the Bay City rollers TV programme Sangalang. We will then move to Jo’s time at Catering College, forging good friendships again and of course the Classic French cookery training from Chef Bill Cahill. Joe will Then share some of the great catering jobs she has had over the years including time running the catering at a large private golf club in Birmingham and working as both Chef and Manager at the RNIB concept conference centre in Birmingham which was both very rewarding for Jo and lots of fun too. We will then hear from Jo about the first time she met her husband Brett back in 1980 in a Birmingham nightclub, dating for a while before they both went their own separate ways. Then meeting up again many years later, getting married, moving to South Devon and now enjoying their life together along with their four dogs. Finally Jo will talk about the pleasure that comes from passing on her cooking skills to other visually impaired people through her bespoke 'Cooking with Confidence' classes. Do visit Jo’s Facebook page for more details of some of her fabulous dishes and bakes - https://www.facebook.com/joskitchendevon
You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows Jo sat in front of a yellow/golden curtain at a brown table with her arms folded wearing a long sleeved navy blue top with navy blue flowers embroidered around the neck and half way down the sleeves. Her fingernails are painted burgundy and she is wearing a pearl necklace with matching earrings and smiling at the camera)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Nigerian born, London-based singer and acclaimed Soprano, Victoria Oruwari who has performed on many stages across the world.
In Victoria’s Tracks of my Life we will begin by joining Victoria as she boards a plane from Nigeria to New York as a six-year-old with her sister and the last time for Victoria as a partially sighted child. The trip to New York was for eye surgery which sadly did not save Victoria’s sight.
Then a family holiday in the Caribbean and the sounds of nature as Victoria woke up to the wonderful bird songs of the dawn chorus which was very different to the sounds of the city back home in Nigeria.
In her mid-teens Victoria moved to the UK to study for her A Levels at New College Worcester with great support for her musical studies from the College as Victoria started to realise her full musical abilities, both with singing and playing the piano. Victoria then continued her musical studies at Trinity College of Music with a performance in her final year that changed her life for ever.
Victoria will then reflect on the power of music not only to paint pictures in your mind and take you to other places but how music has helped Victoria battle through some of those curved balls that life throws at you from time to time.
If you would like to find out more about Victoria and hear some of her wonderful singing do visit her website - http://www.victoriaoruwari.com
You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows a head shot of Victoria with long wavy brown hair, a black sequinned dress and a diamond necklace with matching earrings. Her eyes are closed and the is smiling)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Guide Dog owner Tommy McInulty who had a very enjoyable career in the Merchant Navy before losing his sight overnight back in November 1983. Tommy has just retired after a very successful and fulfilling career in the sight loss sector first with Open Sight in Hampshire and then 12 years as Senior Regional Manager at the Macular Society.
In Tommy's Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey from childhood memories in Clydebank growing up with his Brother in a very loving and caring foster family. Then at the age of 16 joining the Merchant Navy, with a very enjoyable and happy life at sea working on the cruise ships until that night in November 1983 when Tommy lost his sight overnight.
We will then hear from Tommy about how he coped with losing his sight, time at Manor House in Torquay for rehabilitation and training before starting his successful and fulfilling career in the sight loss sector.
Tommy will then of course talk about the confidence and independence all his Guide Dogs have given him over the years and how their characters have maybe started to slightly influence his own character too.
Tommy will then reflect on how much his life feels complete now after meeting his partner Paul back in 2012 and how his career in the sight loss sector has been a way of giving back to other visually impaired people the support, advice, and kindness that he received from many organisations and individuals when he lost his sight overnight back in November 1983.
You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows Tommy wearing a white polo shirt with blue and green hoops and denim shorts, kneeling down next to his guide dog Toby. They are both facing towards the camera and they are on a patio with flowers and potted plants behind them)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Lloyd Coleman, visually impaired and hearing-impaired musician, composer, and Associate Music Director of the Paraorchestra. .
Through Lloyd’s chosen tracks we will go on a journey from early life growing up in South Wales, at the age of 14 while at comprehensive school completing his Grade 8 in the Clarinet and gaining a scholarship to go to Cheetham’s School of Music in Manchester.
We then move to London as Lloyd continues his music education at the Royal Academy of Music, then in 2012 Lloyd joins the Paraorchestra to play alongside Coldplay at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
We then take a trip to Worthy Farm in Somerset as Lloyd and the rest of the Paraorchestra perform the Hero's Symphony by Philip Glass on the Park stage at Glastonbury 2016 the same year David Bowie passed away.
Lloyd will then reflect on the support and help he received from the late musician, arranger, and orchestrator Larry Ashmore, who became a good friend while mentoring Lloyd when he was commissioned by UCAN Productions to write a piece titled ‘Breaking the Wall’.
And finally there are fond memories for Lloyd of a trip to Uganda as a young musician and a magical performance of Mozart’s Requiem with a choir made up of young Ugandan voices which will stay with Lloyd forever.
To find out more about the Paraorchestra do visit - https://paraorchestra.com And for more about Lloyd do visit his website - http://lloydcoleman.net
You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows Lloyd sat on a flight case for musical equipment against a black background. He is wearing glasses and a brown/green knitted jumper with a colourful blue and pink collar. His hands are clasped in front of him and he is smiling and looking in to the camera)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Mike Brace MBE. Mike is a former Paralympic skier, former Chief Executive of Vision 2020 and he was also part of the team that brought the Olympics and Paralympic games to London in 2012. In Mike's Tracks of My Life you will hear him chatting about his school days, forming, and playing in a couple of folk bands, what life was like in the lead up to London 2012 and what sport and music really mean to him.
Do visit Mike’s website for more about his sporting achievements work with the Paralympics, Vision 2020, his writing and of course his Guide Dogs too - http://www.mikebrace.co.uk
Please note Mike’s Tracks of My Life was first broadcast on RNIB Connect Radio on Christmas Eve 2020. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows Mike competing in a ski marathon wearing a purple ski suit with a red pattern, a knee brace, sunglasses and a headband holding a ski pole in each hand. There appears to be a Norwegian flag flying in the background)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by legally blind American artist and Arts Educator Elizabeth Castellano-Busnel, who was one of the blind artists featured in the recent documentary film Straight Off The Canvas. Elizabeth had to give up her teaching work due to a work accident although this has given Elizabeth more time to concentrate on her art work and family. Through Elizabeth’s Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey from early days at a mainstream High School where Elizabeth was one of only three other visually impaired students at the school, how Elizabeth took her first steps into art after being inspired by watching one of her close friends drawing and painting. We will then move to Elizabeth’s time studying art at Manhattanville College in New York and time out here in the UK at Lancaster University which was a slightly better experience for Elizabeth than her time at Manhattanville College. We will then hear all about Elizabeth’s time as an Arts Educator helping to encourage and inspire students to fulfil their creative dreams and ambitions through art. Finally we will hear from Elizabeth about the work accident that forced her to give up her Arts Education work although this has given Elizabeth more time to concentrate on her art and spend time with her family. To find out more about Elizabeth and view some of her art work do visit her website - https://www.castellanoart.net You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm. (Image shows Elizabeth wearing a black and white knitted jumper and silver leaf earrings, smiling and sat in front of one of her paintings; a greenish-blue female figure with shades of yellow and red, kneeling down in front of blue and orange triangular shapes. The figures hands are over her eyes and her long, swirling turquoise hair covers part of her body and sprawls into the background)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Andrea Begley, visually impaired Irish singer / song writer and disability advocate who in 2013 entered the BBC talent show The Voice and after wowing the judges at the blind auditions went on to be crown winner of the second series of The Voice UK.
Through Andrea’s Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey from her first performance aged 11 for a Children In Need event at the Ulster Hall, time at University in Belfast which took her early musical playing and performing down a different route, as Andrea picked up the guitar and started to write her own music and songs.
(Image shows Andrea in front of some stained glass windows wearing a floral dress, singing into an old fashioned 50's style microphone with an acoustic guitar by her side)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Historian of the Ottoman Empire and disability consultant Yusuf Osman. Through Yusuf’s Tracks of my Life we will go on a journey from school days at Dorton House School for blind and partially sighted children, feeling slightly out of place, being one of the only pupils at the school whose parents came from a different country. To then listening to cassette tapes of Turkish artists from his homeland on family car journeys including trips to and from boarding school at Worcester College with his Dad. Then we will come to a couple of rock tracks, one marking A level time at Worcester and the other a very powerful track that means a lot to Yusuf when he was going through a slightly difficult time while studying at Harvard. And finally to a track about a 9th century Greek Orthodox Abbess whose life still has meaning and relevance for us today. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image Shows Yusuf sat in a tree in a park, wearing a red jacket, walking trousers and boots and a red Manchester United cap whilst smiling happily at the camera)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Kirin Saeed. Kirin is a blind actor, activist and trainer, who in October 2020 with all the many Covid restrictions in place, put on her own play ‘Crossing care’ all about the relationship between a blind person and their support worker. Through Kirin’s Tracks of My Life we are taken on a journey from early school days at Chorley Wood College for visually impaired girls, watching 1970’s science fiction TV shows and life as a young Asian teenager growing up in the early 1980s. Then to Kirin moving in to her first flat as an independent young woman in her early 20s.
Kirin then reflects on her life in London and Scotland with her late husband Sandy who sadly passed away in 2014, and her life now on her own in Edinburgh where Kirin feels very much welcomed as an English woman in Scotland. Please note Kirin Saeed’s Tracks of My Life was first broadcast on New Year’s Eve 2020. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm
(Image shows Kirin wearing a red-brown dress and leaning on a chair holding a white cane, in front of some large windows with sunny, out of focus greenery behind her)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life, Toby is joined by Derry musician Richard Moore who At the age of 10 in 1972 was blinded by a rubber bullet from a British soldier’s gun as he walked home from school. In 1996 Richard set up the charity Children in Crossfire, in a way to give back and pass on the support and kindness that he received as a young blind man growing up in Derry to children who are caught up in the cross fire of poverty around the world. Through Richard’s Tracks of My Life we are taken on a journey from life as a young boy growing up in Derry before the troubles started, living through them as a young blind man, setting up his charity Children in Crossfire, reflecting on the forgiveness and compassion that he was shown by his parents, passing on those values to his two daughters who mean so much to him and not forgetting his love of music too. Do visit the children in Crossfire website for more details about Richard's charity - https://www.childrenincrossfire.org You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows Richard wearing a smart, navy jacket and shirt and dark glasses against a blurred background, smiling warmly at the camera)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Tiggi Trethowan, Guide Dog owner and host of the Draycott Diaries podcast, all about life in the Somerset village of Draycott on the Mendip Hills. Tiggi had an exciting career in television until she started to lose her sight due to an incurable eye condition which will eventually lead to total blindness. In Tiggi’s Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey from school girl crushes on 1960s pop bands, to a couple of highlights from her TV career, then to the arrival of her Guide Dog Jackie and of course not forgetting her podcast, the Draycott Diaries. Tiggi will also reflect on how important her close friends have been for her over the years, standing by her when she started to lose her sight. As well as fond memories of her pet dog Smash who helped her get through some tricky times and a tribute to her late Farther. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows Tiggi in front of a stone wall, smiling at the camera wearing a colourful jumper and purple Wellington boots with her guide dog Jackie, a Black Labrador Retriever)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Joe Kenny from County Armagh in Ireland. For about 20 years now Joe has been gigging around Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales. Through Joe’s chosen tracks we are taken on a journey from family car trips as a boy listening to folk music on cassette tapes, time playing in bands while at Jordanstown School for visually impaired children, going to rock gigs as a blind teenager to some of those tracks that have inspired Joe as a musician over the years. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows Joe at home with a keyboard next to him, playing an acoustic guitar using a unique technique with his hand over the top of the fretboard and singing into a microphone)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Joanna Wood, who in February 2021 took up the post of Chair of VocalEyes the national charity providing access to the arts through audio description for blind and partially sighted people. Through Joanna’s Tracks of My Life we will take a journey from her early family life growing up in the south east of England, surprising herself, her family, and her school by getting into Cambridge to read History. Gaining a place in the Cambridge ladies crew for the 2005 Boat Race which was a bit of a bitter sweet moment for Joanna at the time. Joanna will then reflect on the time during the mid-2010s when she first had a detached retina in her left eye and then her right eye which started her sight loss journey. Then an encounter with audio description at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in 2017 which was a turning point in Joanna’s new visually impaired life. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows a head and shoulders photograph of Joanna, a white woman in her mid-thirties with brown hair in a long bob, wearing a brown top, looking straight at the camera and smiling)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Columbian pianist and composer Kevin Satizabal who has performed on many stages in the UK and around the world as a soloist, accompanist and with orchestras including the Para Orchestra. Through Kevin’s Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey from his early life growing up in Columbia, to moving to the UK with his parents to begin his formal musical education. All set against the backdrop of those tracks, pieces of music and performances that have inspired Kevin to achieve his dream of making it as a blind musician. You can follow Kevin here on Twitter - https://twitter.com/kevinsatizabal You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows a close up image of Kevin, looking thoughtful with his hand rested on his chin)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them.
Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future.
In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by visually impaired DJ Aly Prince who can normally be found DJ’ing in clubs around London, festivals in Italy and of course on RNIB Connect Radio presenting the Folk and Roots show.
Through Aly’s Tracks of My Life we will certainly go on a world wide journey through his life long involvement in music from times as a Mod in the mid-late 60s and early 70s, through the 80s, 90s and then right up to today.
You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows Aly sat in the studio in front of a mixing desk and computer, smiling at the camera)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Dancer and Audio Describer Bridget Crowley who has just stepped down from describing dance after 20 years of travelling around the country describing many dance and ballet productions from - Scottish Ballet, Northern Ballet, Rambert to Mathew Bourne's New Adventures company to name just a few. In Bridget's Tracks of My Life we go on a journey from her early days as a dancer winning a highly commended dance prize, time as Head of the Dance Department at Arts Educational Schools in London through to reflecting on over 20 years of describing dance and ballet for blind and partially sighted audiences. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Tom Walker who is a freelance radio journalist/producer, PR Consultant and much more besides. In Tom’s Tracks of My Life we will start with his early school days at Wavertree Blind School in Liverpool, then off to Worcester College for the Blind (now New College Worcester) and then to his early career days in Guildford. If you have come across Tom’s podcast series ‘That’ll Be the Day’ you will certainly know how much music plays a part in his life. Through Tom’s Tracks of My Life we will certainly be taken on a musical journey, with a couple of great concert performances along the way too! To find out more about Tom and Walk on Water PR do visit his website - http://www.walkonwaterpr.com (Image shows a black and white photograph of Tom looking into the camera with the background out of focus, showing a grand building with neoclassical style collums)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Naomi Riches MBE, who is an Adaptive Rowing Paralympic Bronze and Gold medal winner 2008 and 2012 respectively and is now using her Paralympic rowing experience and achievements through motivational speaking to inspire professionals and others to reach their goals and be the best they can be in life. In Naomi’s Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey from slightly tricky times at a mainstream school, then to better times at New College Worcester before going on to University and then to the first time Naomi stepped into a competitive adaptive rowing boat in 2004. We will then hear from Naomi about what it was like for her competing in the first world adaptive rowing championships in Spain that same year. Then Naomi will reflect on how coaching young people to row helped her to recover after a very serious accident which could have put a stop to her competitive rowing career. Finally Naomi will share from an athlete’s point of view what it was like competing in the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and how Naomi ended up singing along with a certain new romantic pop star who’s track due to the many GBR gold medals was played quite a lot during 2012!! To find out more about Naomi Riches MBE, do check out her LinkedIn profile page - https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomiriches-motivationalspeaker/ Or why not follow Naomi on Twitter and Instagram. Instagram: @naomiriches_mbe Twitter: @NaomiRichesMBE
(Image shows Naomi stood in front of a red brick wall wearing diamond earrings and a matching necklace, a black top with white dots, looking at the camera and smiling)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Jonathan Huxley who is a very successful British Contemporary Artist who is also visually impaired. In Jonathan’s Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey from his early teenage school days in the 70s and 80s at a school for visually impaired people in Coventry. Jonathan was the first student from the school to study art, firstly at Berkshire College of Art, before studying Fine Art at Nottingham Trent Polytechnic and then at the Royal Academy of Art in London. We will then move from London to New York during the early 90s as Jonathan made a name for himself as a club visual artist firstly in London and then to New York City, including art work for Grace Jones' birthday party at the infamous Tunnel Club. Jonathan also shares memories of watching old Western movies with his Dad and how the genre has both influenced and appeared in some of his work. Finally Jonathan reflects on the strong relationship he has with his partner Jane and how he has also shared some of his life experiences with his teenage son. To find out more about Jonathan and to see examples of his art work do visit Jonathan’s website - https://jonathanhuxley.com You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows Jonathan in front of one of his paintings wearing a black roll-neck and black flat cap splattered with paint, arms folded and smiling at the camera)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Anna Tylor who is the current Chair of RNIB having joined the Board of Trustees in July 2020. Anna is a long-time advocate for greater inclusion of disabled people and especially blind and partially sighted people. Anna is visually impaired herself and in her personal blog The Blind Truth she takes a wry look at living a colourful life with limited sight.
In Anna's Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey from her early life growing up in the Home Counties to teenage life striking out on her own and taking the world on for size. Reflecting on life bringing up her son as a visually impaired single parent, her first experience of being actively involved as a campaigner, and working hard during the 80s and 90s to support her son. Anna’s love of Bulgaria and her connection with the work of the charity Karin Dom which supports children with complex needs and their families in Bulgaria. Finally, Anna shares why it is so important to keep those long-term friendships and relationships going over the years.
You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Preview image shows Anna in a Royal Blue Blouse smiling at the camera)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Blind Dave Heeley OBE. Dave Heeley is best known as Blind Dave to all those who know him and those who are aware of all his charity fundraising challenge sports events. Blind Dave's fundraising challenges have ranged from taking part in the ultimate World Marathon Challenge - 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents, the Top2ToeChallenge - running and cycling from John O'Groats to Land’s End The Great North Run and the London marathon to name just a few of his successful fundraising challenge sports events! Through Blind Dave’s tracks of my life we will go on a journey from his early days at school, at the age of 10 realising that he was losing his sight and becoming a sort of celebrity to his school friends. Meeting his wife Deb and sneaking off to Gretna Green to get married. Reflecting on some of those epic fundraising challenges he has completed over the years, with more to come too. And finally, we will take a peek into Dave's woodwork workshop to find out how Blind Dave is able to do most of the DIY jobs around the house as well as creating some wonderful pieces of woodwork. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm. Do visit Blind Dave's website for more about Dave and all his fundraising challenge sports events.
https://blinddaveheeley.co.uk/
(Photo shows Blind Dave Heeley when he was a torch bearer for the London 2021 Olympics holding a golden torch with a gold medal around his neck and smiling at the camera)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Katriona Taylor. Katriona Taylor is A very successful visually impaired British singer/songwriter who has performed with the likes of George Benson and the James Taylor Quartet, to name just a few.
In Katriona's Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey from her early life growing up in Portugal at her parent's tennis centre with the sounds of Brazilian music in the background.
Then to student life at Brunel University while studying law, after graduation then off to London to start her law career as a young Solicitor, working hard, enjoying London life, and dancing the night away at salsa bars.
Then after a few years Katriona decided to follow her love of singing, auditioned, and successfully gained a place at Central School of Speech and Drama.
Katriona soon became a singer with an established reputation for live performance, bursting on to the London jazz scene and selling out top venues such as Pizza Express Jazz Club and Cafe Royale as well as performing at international gigs and festivals.
Katriona has opened for the Grammy-winning soul legend George Benson in Europe as part of his world tour.
You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
Do visit Katriona's website for all her latest news, music, gigs, and details of her latest album titled Blind passion -
https://www.katrionataylor.com/about-katriona/
(Image shows Katriona singing to her audience in a jazz venue, looking happy and wearing and glamorous sequinned dress and red lipstick)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Joanne Roughton-Arnold. Joanne is a visually impaired Opera singer, Artistic Director, and co-founder of FormidAbility the world’s first opera company putting accessibility at the foundation of the creative process. Joanne is a New Zealander who came to the UK in the mid-90s to follow her musical career firstly as a violinist before training as a professional opera singer. Joanne has performed on many stages in Britain and across the world as a solo performer as well as with the Paraorchestra and her own company FormidAbility. In Joanne’s Tracks of My Life we will be taken on a journey from her New Zealand homeland to her life now here in the UK. Early memories of dancing around her Gran’s kitchen to her first chosen track and hearing the Nova Strings perform at school which inspired Joanne to learn the violin. We will then be taken back to New Zealand with a track that features the unique sounds of New Zealand forest bird song, followed by a concert recording by two people who have played a huge part in Joanne’s singing career before hearing a track that Joanne performed on from the soundtrack to the amazing and inspiring Netflix documentary film, Rising Phoenix all about the rise of the Paralympic games. It was watching the Paraorchestra performing at the 2012 London Paralympic Games and performing with them that inspired Joanne to set up FormidAbility. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm. To find out more about Joanne Roughton-Arnold and her Opera company FormidAbility do visit Joanne's website - http://www.joanneroughtonarnold.com/ or the FormidAbility website - https://www.formidability.org/ Photo of Joanne Roughton-Arnold by Rob Arnold - ‘Joanne smiles at the camera, her chin resting in her hand and her blond curly hair fall across her blue shirt.’
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Miles Hilton-Barber. Miles is a blind adventurer who has certainly travelled around the world, taking on many challenges and breaking records at the same time too. Since the age of 50 Miles has set numerous world records, undertaking extreme events across all seven continents of the world through mountaineering, desert and polar ultra-marathons, power-boat racing, scuba-diving, motor-racing and long distance, aerobatic and supersonic flying, to name just a few!
Through Miles Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey with him around the world. From his early life growing up in South Africa, hitch-hiking around Australia with a friend taking up 14 full-time jobs before the age of 21. Realising at the age of 21 that he was going to lose his sight like his brother, with not much support out there that Miles could see at the time.
And we will hear that after a bit of inspiration from a trip his brother did Miles decided to pick himself up and test his mind and body in many of the record breaking adventures and achievements he has done over the years. Challenges have included ultra-marathons to a trip round the world with two other disabled friends that notched up quite several modes of transport and broke a couple of world records on the way too. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm. For more about Miles Hilton-Barber do visit his website -
https://www.mileshilton-barber.com. Image shows- “Miles smiling in Antarctica during his bid to be the first blind person to manhaul a sledge to the South Pole.”
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Vidar Hjarding MBE, Vidar is currently the Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Channel Islands. Vidar is also a visiting Professor at Sunderland University. Vidar grew up in the North East of England with his English Mum and Norwegian Dad with frequent trips to Norway to spend time holidaying with his Norwegian relatives. Vidar studied French and German as an Undergraduate at Manchester University prior to graduating with a Post Graduate degree in Journalism from City University in London. Vidar is a great champion of the arts and especially accessibility of the arts for everyone with a keen interest in 19th century literature, mainly relying on and enjoying audiobooks as he travels round the country on account of his professional work. You can catch the hour-long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm.
(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing the tracks that mark important moments which bring back memories to them. Their chosen tracks of their life might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, a number of tracks that mark moments in their life and the final track, a track that they would like to pass on which might give people hope for the future. In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Maria Oshodi. As well as being a playwright in her own right Maria is also the Artistic Director and CEO of Extant - a British based performing arts company run by, and for, visually impaired people providing a performance space for inclusive theatre for everyone. Maria’s first play The S. Bend was produced as part of the Royal Court Theatre’s young writer's festival in 1984. Many of Maria’s plays and productions have been performed on numerous stages across Britain and in Europe too. In Maria’s Tracks of My Life we will go on a journey from her early life growing up in Nigeria with her Mum and Dad, moving to London with her Mum and life in the Capital as a teenager when her sight started to deteriorate. Maria will also reflect on life as a young person in London during the 80s and 90s, going to watch Madness and The Specials, club life in the 90s and reflecting on the success of the acclaimed Extant production Resistance in the mid 2000s. You can catch the hour long version of Tracks of My Life with Toby’s guest’s music tracks in full by tuning in to RNIB Connect Radio every Tuesday at 7pm, repeated on Thursday at 1pm and Sunday at 8pm. To find out more about Extant and all their great work do visit their website — https://extant.org.uk. Image shows — (Black and white picture of Maria sitting in a chair, head resting on a hand in contemplation)