It still surprises and delights me that even in a world where we seem to be operating at 100 miles an hour there are still sights that can make you stop in your tracks, that can take your breath away.
It’s been another really busy week and it seems as if I’ve been rushing here and there, keeping my head down, trying to get to remember to get to the next event. My latest single ‘Electricity’ is doing well in the Heritage Charts and getting plays all over the country. That has resulted in lots of radio interviews at odd times during the day.
In the old days that would have meant driving up and down the country to the various stations. Maybe a 3 hour drive for 15 minutes on air time. These days, with the advent of high quality apps like Zoom and FaceTime audio you can do any number of stations from the comfort of your own laptop. You just need to be organised and have lots of reminders on your mobile phone to remember to log on in time.
Nation Radio Pride of Wales Awards
Then there are the in person events. Last Wednesday involved a visit to the Brangwyn Hall for the Nation Radio Pride Awards. I’d been asked to represent the Swansea Bay Health Board Charity Cwtsh Clos Appeal. The charity has been raising money to refurbish 5 two bedroom houses on the Singleton estate which are for the free use by families with babies in the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit. I have become an ambassador for the appeal because the unit was so kind looking after my grandson Gulliver.
These events are difficult because I have to tell our family’s story but as I always tell the organisers don’t worry if I cry, the more tears the more money the charity makes. As usual I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the audience who raised over £2000 on the night.
Celebrating with Sedgemoor FM
Friday was a special Radio Station event, the third birthday celebration of Sedgemoor FM in Bridgewater. Managing Director Dave Englefield, who also presents the breakfast show, has been an incredible supporter of my music since the early days of the station. It was during one of our Zoom interviews earlier in the year that Dave mentioned the station would be having a Big Birthday Bash on the 6th June and would I headline a special concert.
I didn’t realise Bridgewater was quite so far away. On the map it looks quite close, but on a busy and very wet Friday afternoon the M5 soon turned into a slow moving car park. A planned 2 hour journey soon turned into a 3 ½ hour crawl. Having said that the welcome on my arrival made it all worthwhile. The concert was a real Birthday party with some new young local artists as well as this old guy from Swansea. The most wonderful thing about the concert was that the audience were made up of committed Sedgemoor FM listeners. The station has playlisted most of my releases from the past 3 years which meant the audience knew the words to my songs better than I did.
Swans Supporters Trust Fans Forum Carmarthen
This week has been really busy again with radio and more talking about Cwtsh Clos. On Thursday night I headed down to Carmarthen for the Swansea City Supporters’ Trust Fans Forum. These events give the fans a chance to speak to the Club’s hierarchy about the current state of play and what plans are in place for the future. The event was hosted By Kev Johns and the panel included Alan Sheehan the manger, Tom Gorringe The CEO and Richard Montague director of football.
As I always say I used to play a bit myself but for this event I wasn’t there to chat about the football. The event is also a chance to raise some money for charity with the raffle, auction and guess the number of balls in the box competition. The funds raised on the night were going to 2 charities, The GO Jones Academy Scholarship and my charity Cwtsh Clos. I had been invited by Dave Dalton Chair of the Swans Trust to once again tell my story. It’s always an honour and always a dagger to the heart.
Anyway the tears came and so did the cash and once the Swansea Building Society topped up the funds so that both charities walked away with cheques for £2000.
Dave Brayley and Mal – Morgans Hotel
In between all of these events was a book launch at Morgans Hotel. David Brayley is an inspiration. He tells me he remembers my first concert as a recording artist in Brynhyfryd school back in 1974. After leaving school David went to work for Swansea City Council but he always had a dream to one day be a writer.
Maldwyn Pope – In Concert Brynhyfryd Junior School 1974
So he started. One of his oldest friends was Tony Cottey, a Swansea boy who played cricket for Glamorgan with the likes of Matthew Maynard and Viv Richards and football for Tosh’s Swansea City. The book got great reviews and was nominated for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year. That led to another Biography with Welsh Captain Ashley Williams and The Official Swansea City Quiz Book Volumes 1 and 2.
Eventually he realised something had to give and so David left the council to follow a full time career as an author and educator. It was in 2017 I went to the Mumbles Cricket Club for the book launch for David’s new book Champion of Champions. A few years later I got a call from rugby legend James Hook.
Dave Brayley, Tony Cottey and James Hook
James had taken his eldest boy to a book fair and wanted to find something about rugby that might capture his son’s imagination and inspire him to read more. There were plenty of books about soccer but none about the oval ball. James said he had an idea and wondered if I might be able to help. I said I could and that he should have a chat with David Brayley. We all met at my old café bar The Hyst on Swansea High Street. I think I bought the coffees. Anyway, I left them to it, and they got on famously.
It took some time before the first of the series ‘Chasing A Rugby Dream’ was published but in 2020 the book went on to win the Telegraph Sports Book of the Year. Not bad eh!!
50 years on and still singing for Dave Brayley!
On Thursday, I together with James Hook and Tony Cottey all went to Morgans Hotel for the launch of David’s new book ‘George’s Fateful D-Day’. The book is set in the Swansea area just prior to D-Day where the whole area is swarming with American GI’s preparing for the invasion of those Normandy beaches. Actor Richard Mylan also popped along to read some extracts from the book.
Towards the end of the evening I interviewed David about his life and work. At one point I stopped and asked him to look around at a full room of people, which included some real sporting stars, who had all come out to support him. It was quite a moment for all of us.
Maybe I was in that inspired mood as I drove along Swansea Bay heading for Mumbles when all of a sudden I looked across the bay and a literally had to catch my breath. I’ve seen many a moon over the bay, sometimes bright white other times dirty yellow. This moon was different. It was so big and strawberry coloured. I stopped the car and grabbed my phone.
It was only a little while later that I found out this was in fact a Strawberry Moon and one of the finest of its kind to be seen in Swansea for 20 years. I posted the picture online and as it stands the photo has been viewed nearly 200,000 times from people all around the world.
It’s been a good week, but it took a strawberry moon for me to stop for a moment to appreciate it all.