Sean Fletcher 3 Lle

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-Here we are, Widford Lodge. Wow!

-I went to Widford Lodge school

-in Essex when I was seven...

-..and left when I was 13.

-I have very happy memories

-of the school.

-You could stay here for a week -

-a weekly boarder.

-I didn't stay here

-until I was 12 or 13.

-I was a day boy at first.

-It was a small school -

-around 150 pupils.

-I think that's why it felt like

-a kind and happy place.

-I made friends for life here.

-This was my first classroom.

-The year was 1981.

-I was seven.

-There was a large blackboard there.

-A lot more desks.

-They were wooden desks, I think.

-Mrs Kay was the name of my teacher.

-She was like a great-grandmother -

-very old. But she was very kind.

-There weren't many mixed race

-or black people in the school...

-..in the '80s,

-but I didn't feel different at all.

-That's great on the school's part.

-I didn't experience any racism

-at the school.

-Actually, I didn't experience any

-when I was young.

-My parents thought that

-good education was very important.

-It was very important to my mother

-because of skin colour.

-The best way for them

-of doing that...

-..was to send me

-to a traditional English school.

-My mother came from Zimbabwe.

-My father was from London.

-They met in Cambridge.

-My father graduated in Mathematics

-and my mother trained as a nurse.

-After that,

-he started to work in computers.

-An opportunity came to move

-to New York to work for Reuters.

-They moved to New York in 1972.

-I was born in 1974.

-We lived in Brooklyn, which is

-trendy now but was rough back then.

-We moved from New York

-when I was two to Essex...

-..because my father

-got a job in the City in London.

-It was easy to travel to work

-from Essex.

-I think my parents were very brave.

-In Britain in the '60s and '70s...

-..there was a lot of racism

-compared to now.

-They fell in love...

-..and they weren't going

-to let anything stand in their way.

-Wow!

-Wow.

-I remember this as a dormitory.

-There were bunk beds

-there, there, here and here.

-There were ten of us

-in the dormitory.

-We were naughty.

-I think we stayed up quite a lot.

-But we had a lot of fun.

-It was perfect for me to be honest.

-I could stay with friends all week

-and play with them...

-..and then go back to see

-Mam and Dad over the weekend...

-..so I didn't miss them

-or my friends.

-It was the best of both worlds.

-This is the school magazine.

-It looks so old!

-My name is in here.

-1986-1988.

-Effort Prize - Sean Fletcher.

-Form 6.

-Richard Kendrick too.

-He's my best friend now.

-We both tried hard!

-I would win the Effort Prize.

-I didn't win any other awards!

-Actually, it says Music Cup -

-Sean Fletcher.

-Autumn Term and Spring Term.

-I won a Mathematics prize!

-That's probably a mistake.

-1982-1984

-so that's way back in the day.

-Sports Day, 1984.

-Sean Fletcher - Victor Ludorum.

-That shows I'm an all-rounder,

-I think.

-So I did well in the 100 metres,

-the long jump and high jump.

-I got joint first

-with Tristan U'Glow-Jones.

-It is odd seeing it again.

-It's like someone else's life

-because it's a long time ago.

-This is the hall.

-That's where I ate...

-..and had choir practice.

-Nothing's changed! The flooring

-and the radiators are the same.

-The wood block on the stage

-is the same.

-Everything's stayed as it was.

-There were two things

-I really enjoyed at school.

-Sports - I played rugby

-for the first team and football.

-I wasn't good at cricket

-but I liked running.

-The other was music.

-I played the violin and enjoyed it

-but I didn't practise enough.

-After taking up the violin,

-I joined the school choir.

-I was the lead chorister...

-..so I wore a red cassock

-and a white ruff.

-I stood out to be honest...

-..because I was a black child with

-different clothes to everyone else.

-At Christmas time, the

-lead chorister would sing a solo...

-..in the carol service

-at Chelmsford Cathedral.

-I sang Once In Royal David's City.

-I remember looking at my mother

-when I sang.

-She was crying loads.

-Crying non-stop.

-It's quite emotional

-when you think about it.

-My mother's no longer here.

-Looking back now, when I think about

-her crying when I sang the solo...

-..I can see in her eyes...

-..that she was glad

-that she made the decision...

-..to send me to that school.

-# Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau #

-It was a peaceful school...

-..but sometimes, just sometimes...

-..you'd hear everyone say,

-"Scrap, scrap, scrap!"

-Then everyone would run here...

-..to see two boys

-fighting in the bushes over there.

-It didn't happen a lot.

-Over here...

-..was Class Two.

-French, History and Geography.

-There were two donkeys over there.

-We fed them.

-That's the swimming pool.

-It was nice in the sun

-in the summer.

-Nice and warm.

-In the winter, it was very cold.

-It's interesting

-to return to a school...

-..where I spent

-six years of my life.

-It's heart-warming.

-I was happy here.

-This school's

-given me the confidence...

-..to try lots of different things.

-This is Tor Bay in the Gower.

-When I reach the top of the hill

-and walk down to the beach...

-..I feel like I want to breathe.

-When you come here,

-you feel cleansed.

-It's clean and pure.

-It's lovely here.

-It feels like a spring clean

-for your body.

-Tor Bay

-I chose Tor Bay

-as one of my three places...

-..because it's where a lot of things

-that are important in my life now...

-..started and developed.

-It's where I had one of

-my early dates with my wife.

-It's where I fell in love

-with Wales.

-I was raised in Essex.

-My wife was raised in Hendy

-in Wales.

-I hadn't heard of Welsh

-before I met Luned.

-No-one asked me to learn Welsh.

-I just wanted

-to speak my wife's language.

-It's important.

-It's an important part

-of her identity...

-..so I felt it was important

-for me to learn the language too.

-I started with the Wlpan course

-at Cardiff University.

-Then I thought, "It's fun."

-So I did the next course

-and the one the year after.

-I spent five years learning Welsh.

-After that, I felt I was OK.

-I could speak Welsh to the kids.

-Their Welsh improved

-and they helped me to learn more.

-Since turning 40...

-..I've understood it's important

-to spend more time with family.

-More time

-with the people important to you.

-My daughter is 19.

-She'll be leaving home soon.

-It's important

-to spend time with her...

-..before she

-has a family of her own.

-My son is ill with OCD.

-It's important to me

-to spend more time with him.

-OCD is awful.

-It's like a bully.

-He has thoughts which go round and

-round and he can't get rid of them.

-He couldn't do basic things

-like brush his teeth and write.

-He had to stay home.

-He's 14,

-so it's really affecting him...

-..when it's very important to be at

-school learning and seeing friends.

-We're learning to live with it

-but it's hard.

-It drags everyone in the family

-in too.

-It causes everyone stress.

-It makes us argue with each other

-but then we think...

-.."Actually, it's the OCD."

-But the OCD uses Reuben to make

-thinks difficult within the family.

-He's undergoing treatment

-but it's a mental illness.

-It's a problem that's in Reuben's

-head that he'll deal with, I think.

-We're doing everything

-we can to help him deal with it.

-If you looked for

-a silver lining, a small one...

-..it's made him a lot more open.

-He talks a lot more

-about his feelings...

-..what he wants to do,

-what he has done...

-..and how he deals with the OCD.

-I'm very proud

-of how he's dealt with it.

-He still has a lot of work to do.

-A lot of work.

-He may have to work at it

-throughout his life.

-But, I'm very proud that he's trying

-to fight the bully in his head.

-I ran the London Marathon

-for two charities...

-..Young Minds and Heads Together,

-because they helped us with Reuben.

-Heads Together

-is a royal charity...

-..so I met Prince Harry,

-Prince William and Kate.

-They're really good - they help

-to raise money and awareness...

-..for mental health charities.

-They do a lot of important work.

-The London Marathon is fantastic.

-The atmosphere's amazing.

-A lot of people

-are there supporting you.

-There are thousands of runners...

-..raising money and awareness

-for charities.

-It makes you feel good about people

-running the London Marathon.

-I've had a lovely day on the Gower.

-The beach was empty

-and the sun was out.

-I've had a chance to run and

-keep fit, which is important to me.

-It's also been a chance

-to come back to Wales.

-I don't come back as often as

-I'd like, so it's been really good.

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-London

-Hi, a latte, please.

-This is King's College London.

-I went here in 1993

-and stayed for three years.

-That should get me going

-in the morning. Thanks.

-I enjoyed Geography at school...

-..so I wanted to study it

-at university.

-I really liked London.

-I wanted to go to London.

-It was like a magnet

-pulling me to the capital.

-I was very lucky

-to get a place at King's.

-They'd probably want 3A*s.

-I didn't get that.

-I wasn't top of the class

-at school or here.

-I matured, to be honest.

-Things were starting to fall

-into place.

-I had an excellent tutor

-in the second year.

-She told me I had to work hard.

-I listened to her.

-I began to grow academically.

-I discovered I could perform well

-academically when I was here.

-Something important happened too -

-I met the love of my life here.

-Here it is.

-It's pretty, isn't it? This is

-the chapel in King's College.

-It's a good place

-to meet your future wife!

-Luned and I

-were in the King's Players...

-..an amateur dramatic society.

-She was an actress

-and I played the violin.

-I was in the orchestra.

-Her housemate wrote a musical

-and we rehearsed here.

-She came in,

-in a grump to be honest!

-It was nerves.

-She was nervous and shy.

-I got to know her during rehearsals.

-We got on well. We had a lot of fun.

-We went out socially quite a lot

-in London - gigs, bars, clubs.

-We also went to the King's College

-bar, Waterfront, quite a lot...

-..to have sandwiches.

-This is the Waterfront bar.

-I spent a lot of time

-with Luned here.

-Since then, we've moved to Cardiff,

-had two children...

-..and moved back to London.

-That's the young version of me.

-The university version, with hair,

-which has gone now.

-I had a nose ring too.

-I had to lose the hair and nose ring

-to get a job.

-It's strange

-that he worked across the river...

-..in that tall building behind me.

-This is the Good Morning Britain

-studio.

-For the last three years, I've spent

-almost every morning here.

-I started presenting on BBC Wales,

-on 2W News and Sport.

-I moved to London to work on

-the news channel and BBC Breakfast.

-Then, I moved to Sky

-to work on Sky Sports News.

-After three years, I moved to ITV.

-I've been living in London

-with my family for over ten years.

-The worst thing about working

-on Good Morning Britain...

-..is waking up early -

-4.00am five days a week.

-I have to go to bed so early.

-The kids put me to bed!

-It's a role reversal in my family.

-The best thing is winning an

-argument with Piers Morgan on air.

-It doesn't happen a lot

-but when it does, I feel happy.

-It's important as he's so confident

-and he needs to be put in his place.

-There is quite a lot of sexism in

-sport, it sits really uncomfortably.

-It's an interesting debate.

-I know Chris Gayle very well.

-That tells me what I need to know -

-that's why you support him.

-Piers has a huge personality

-but everyone's very confident.

-It's important that you're confident

-and determined...

-..and also to have skin

-like a rhinoceros - very thick.

-It was exciting

-to work on Good Morning Britain...

-..because it was a new show.

-It was really nice

-to shape the show.

-I don't think there are enough black

-people on television in Britain.

-In terms of numbers,

-there aren't enough.

-However, my own personal experience

-is very positive.

-Thinking about three places has made

-me realize one important thing.

-There's not one place

-which defines me.

-I'm a mixture

-of all the places I've lived.

-That's interesting because

-I'm from a mixed-race background.

-From starting in New York

-to Essex, to London...

-..and Wales...

-..every place

-has made me who I am now.

-My home is in one place -

-where my family lives.

-It was in Wales

-and now it's in London.

-I'm happy here. That's where

-I'm at now - very happy.

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