It’s been another really busy week as the countdown to Christmas continues.
Wednesday was very special for a ‘non-festive’ event as Swansea welcomed Kevin Sinfield to town for one of his 7-in-7 events. When his old friend and ex-team mate Rob Burrow was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Kevin decided he would try to raise money to support his friend and to raise funds towards research to find a cure for MND. It was November 2020 and the goal was 7 marathons in 7 days to try to raise £77,777.
By the end of his first marathon that goal had been shattered and by the end of the week he had raised over £2 million.
The whole country has been inspired by Kevin and his special friendship with Rob Burrow. This was especially true when at the end of the first ‘Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon’ Kevin stopped a little short of the finish line, picked his friend up from out of his wheel chair and carried him over the finish line before planting a kiss on his friends head.
This year Kevin decided to add Swansea to his 7 marathons. He started at the Swansea.com Stadium and ran right across the region meeting and greeting people everywhere and raising the awareness of the cruel disease that eventually took his friend.
I was asked to help MC the stop at the Army Reserve Centre just off the Mumbles Road in West Cross. I have driven past the centre all of my life, but this was the first time I had travelled up the drive, past the sentry and big gates, and entered the compound.
By the time I got there the crowds had already gathered. Children from Ysgol Llwynderw mingled with Forces personnel and local dignitaries as we waited for the arrival of Kevin and his team. As I walked with my guitar up the drive I was surprised by just how steep the path was and the amount of effort the walk took out of me.
I knew Kevin was getting closer, you could hear the cheering from way down the road. As he arrived at the top of the hill I noticed 2 things. Firstly, he didn’t look like he had broken sweat and secondly he wasn’t even out of breath!!!
The man is a machine, a top athlete and his motivation is undimmed after all these years and marathons later. He didn’t need time to gather his thoughts or his breath. I asked if he needed a microphone. He looked at me as if I was a little soft…microphone? Kevin Sinfield doesn’t need a microphone.
He spoke before taking a short break for a massage and a chance to meet some special guests including the family of Welsh Rugby legend Geoff Wheel who also had MND.
As he left, running through the crowds it felt almost like a spiritual experience. We all felt inspired by just seeing and being in his company. The man is no push over, no ‘softie’, you could see the grit behind his eyes, but I don’t think I’ve seen a better example of pure love than I saw that day.
The other major event this week has been a Christmas Carol Service. Years ago I would perform at any number of special events over Christmas. As well as the school carol service we had a carol service in our little Gospel Hall in Manselton as well as the Nurses Carol Service somewhere in Mount Pleasant where I always sang the duet ‘No Room For the Baby In Bethlehem’s Inn’ with my brother Gareth.
For a number of years I moved from the Christmas Carol Service to the Christmas TV special. I still remember one extraordinary night at the HTV studios in Cardiff. The Christmas special ended with a packed stage which included my band the Jacks, Dave Edmunds and Micky Gee on Guitars, Terry Williams as the second drummer and Bonnie Tyler joining Howard Jones on backing vocals. As the snow fell, and the audience left their seats to dance in between the cameras I knew it was a night we would never forget.
Kirstie Roberts, Mal, Naomi Hutchison, Karl Morgan
This year I’ve gone back to church for a BBC Radio Special. It does bring some of the elements of my childhood carol services with a touch of glamour from the TV days. It was back in the summer when Radio producer Jonathan Thomas popped down to Mumbles for a coffee and to discuss a proposal to record a Christmas special at All Saints, and would I be interested in presenting the show.
A coffee and custard slice later from Verdi’s and I was in. Over the next few weeks we chatted through a possible structure but also what atmosphere we wanted to create for the congregation on the night and for those listening at home as well.
For many years I’ve been asked to sing some carols for special events around the city. What I have realised is some of those old traditional carols work really well with a bit of a beat. When we needed a record to promote ‘Everyone Deserves A Christmas’ back in 2021 I settled on ‘Little Town of Bethlehem’ and that song has been in my Christmas set list ever since. After that I wrote a new version of ‘Away In a Manger’. Those carols together with this year’s song ‘Shine Your Light’ seemed tailor made for a new style Christmas show in a church.
Having settled on the carols I would sing and would also encourage the congregation to sing with me we needed to think of some special guests. This year I’ve been working with the ‘Mumbles A Cappella’ choir. They’ve had a busy year performing in Europe’. They have even sung choral Evensong in Westminster Abbey. When I thought about a potential guest list for this year’s Christmas record I was delighted when musical director Phil Orrin agreed to be a part of ‘Shine Your Light’.
Phil Orrin at the Piano, Chloe Orrin Conducting the Mumbles A Cappella Choir
As I was doing my research for that record I noticed Mumbles A Cappella always perform a special Christmas concert at the Brangwyn Hall in December. (This year they’ll be there on Weds 17th Dec.) Maybe they would already have carols rehearsed which we could include for the radio show?
Once I started chatting to Phil it soon became clear we would be spoilt for choice. The other great thing about the choir was when you included their Youth Section it would mean we could guarantee nearly 100 great voices who we could add to the congregational carols too.
Mal and Karl Morgan
Karl Morgan from Who’s Molly spends a lot of time each year travelling. I sent him a text more in hope than expectation. He text back, he was free, and he said yes. He decided to put together a really tender version of Silent Night.
Mal and Kirstie Roberts
I knew we needed a great female voice and there’s none better than Neath’s Kirstie Roberts. Kirstie has sung backing vocals for people such as Sir Brian May and Lulu. She chose ‘O Holy Night’ and I knew it would be a belter.
Jonathan suggested we needed some spoken word and invited Welsh born Naomi Hutchison to come home for the evening.
Mal and Naomi
We had an incredibly warm welcome from Rev Hugh Lervy and his team, and the evening just felt like a proper Christmas Celebration. In the old days you would have to wait until Christmas Day to hear the programme but these days with the arrival of BBC Sounds they can share the show anytime. any place, anywhere. They just need a first broadcast to start the process. That’s why a number of us who had been at the recording found ourselves listening to Radio Wales at 1am on Thursday morning. But you don’t have to wait until the show is broadcast again twice during Christmas week. You can just go on BBC Sounds, type in Christmas With Mal Pope And Friends, and sit back and relax into the Christmas spirit.
BBC SOUNDS
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002mvshOUNDS