Undercurrent Stories

In today's show we hear the inspiring story of  Rick Long. Rick was the most successful sidecar passenger in the Isle of Man TT’s history with eight victories in total.Then in 2008 at the legendary Hockenheim race track, Germany, he lost his left leg and his driver, Steve Norbury in a tragic racing accident.Following his recovery Rick tells the story of rebuilding his body, his return to racing, becoming a personal trainer and how he discovered his new found passion for competing in top level World Strongest Men competitions.It's incredible how Rick is top of his game in not just one but two extremely challenging sports. I asked Rick where he gets his determination to succeed from and if it is possible for others to learn from his example.Discover Rick's advice in this unique episode!Rick's Links;https://www.facebook.com/rick.long.37https://youtu.be/NvFr7y-KpFA ( Taking the double at the 2000TT 🏁)https://spinal-research.org/ (Rick's fundraising)https://www.acu.org.uk/ (Auto Cycle Union)Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

With it's haunting and mesmerising guitar intro many listeners will be familiar with the Thin Lizzy hit, Whisky in the Jar which reached no. 6 in the UK charts in 1973.My guest today is the legendary former lead guitarist and founding member of Thin Lizzy, Eric Bell.  As well as playing on that famous song, Eric recorded 3 albums with Thin Lizzy,  'Thin Lizzy,' ' Shades of a Blue Orphanage' and 'Vagabonds of the Western World.'In our conversation Eric talks about;1) His introduction to the guitar2) Playing in Irish Showbands3) How a chance meeting with Phil Lynott and Brian Downey led to the formation of Thin Lizzy4) How the trio wrote songs5) The story of how Whisky in the Jar was never intended to be a single!6) Reaching success and how Phil Lynott developed his enigmatic stage persona7) His career after Thin Lizzy, including playing with Jimi Hendrix's bassist Noel Redding8)The Eric Bell Trio9) Valuable lessons about performing for other musicians10) Eric's autobiography, 'Remembering'11) Songwriting  and much more.If you are a Thin Lizzy fan I hope that you will enjoy this episode and for those listeners who may not be too familiar with the band but would like to hear a captivating tale from a true gentleman and one of the worlds greatest  guitarists, this is for you. Enjoy!Eric's links;https://www.facebook.com/EricBellOfficialhttp://www.oftheedgeproductions.com/index.htmlQuestion or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

This episode of Undercurrent Stories features a conversation I had with Geoff Holt MBE.I first met Geoff in 1984 at Salisbury Spinal Treatment Centre through a mutual friend, Tim Clare.The episode is one of the most inspirational conversations that I have ever had.On 5th  September 1984 eighteen year old Geoff dived into an idyllic tropical sea and his life changed forever. A broken neck cut short a promising career as a yachtsman and left him paralysed, with his horizons reduced to an uncertain future in a wheelchair.On 5th September 2007, after a journey of 109 days and 1,445 miles, Geoff crossed the finish line in the Solent off England's south coast and reached the summit of his Personal Everest - The first quadriplegic yachtsman to sail single-handed around Great Britain!In 2007 Geoff became the first quadriplegic yachtsman to sail single handed around Great Britain.Since then Geoff has gone on to receive numerous awards, completed a sail across the Atlantic and formed Wetwheels, an organisation that takes disabled people to sea.For more information about Geoff and Wetwheels please see links below;https://geoffholt.com/https://youtu.be/1_RQqVX88M8Geoff is available as a motivational speaker.Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

This episode features Stephen Bentley, who tells the story of how as a young detective in the hot summer of  1976, he went undercover as part of a large UK national operation called Operation Julie.Under the pseudonym of 'Steve Jackson,' he describes his life as a dope smoking, hard drinking hippy with the aim of tracking down the hippies and scientists known as the 'Microdot Gang,' who produced and supplied massive quantities of LSD from their base in  Tregaron, Wales.In his rich and varied life since leaving the police, Steve describes his career as a criminal barrister and his work now as a successful author of true crime and crime fiction.Steve's links;https://www.stephenbentley.info/ IG https://www.instagram.com/author_stephen_bentley/?hl=enFcbk https://www.facebook.com/stephenbentley47/Steve's books available through this link: https://www.stephenbentley.info/books-2/Link to KM Weiland who provides help for new authors as mentioned in interview:https://www.kmweiland.com/about-k-m-weiland/Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

Are you thinking about retirement? Have you just retired? Are you already retired? This episode is for you.In today’s show I am joined by Cate Gregory. Cate spent over 20 years as a marketing professional in the corporate world and now works as a coach helping individuals reach their true potential, through her company, Attain. As well as coaching people to develop their careers, set up their own business and many other desired outcomes she also helps individuals think through and plan for their life after retirement.I really enjoyed this conversation with Cate. I share Cate's enthusiasm on how retirement opens up some truly wonderful opportunities!Cate's links;https://www.attaincoaching.co.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/cate-gregoryFor more information about coaching;https://barefootcoaching.co.uk/Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

This episode  features one of Britain's greatest rock drummers, Clive Edwards. Clive is best known as a member of UFO, Wild Horses, ( Brian Robertson ex Thin Lizzy and Jimmy Bain ex Rainbow),  Back Street Crawler and many other rock acts. His drumming can be found on recordings with acts such as Phil Lynott, Pat Travers, John Cale, Lionheart, Toyah and many many others.The interview includes;The amazing story of how Clive first got into drumming from discovering his natural rhythm at school  and how he made his first drum kit by dismantling a banjo!How he developed his skill with many hours of consistent practice and how his playing was and still is, influenced by listening to a wide range of musical stylesFor any drummer listeners Clive talks through his current kit set upThe difference in approach from recording and playing liveHis latest project with Back Street CrawlerTo find out more see links below;https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085687968865https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_EdwardsTo listen;Spotify http://tiny.cc/6774vzApple http://tiny.cc/b774vzOr simply ask Alexa 'Play Undercurrent Stories'Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

Nestled safely behind  strong railings alongside the London to Edinburgh East Coast main line railway, just south of Grantham, lies a little known hidden treasure!In this on site live interview Dr Patrick Candler tells us the inspiring story of how 5 acres of woodland was transformed into an adventure playground . Once used as a source for local clay the land had been disused for a number of years and had become overgrown. From obtaining grants, determining land ownership and  researching archives,  what makes this story truly inspiring is how the team overcame the many challenges faced in bringing their vision to fruition.  Over the next few years glades were cleared and new native trees and shrubs planted.  The site boundary was fenced and a native hedgerow planted alongside the fence. A range of environmentally-sympathetic play equipment was installed, including a zip-wire, slides, swings, see-saw and a playhouse. More recent projects include establishing a living roof and rainwater harvesting system, planting a heritage orchard and creating a sensory garden.If you are facing challenges and want to be inspired in the face of adversity this episode is for you, a truly remarkable story!LInks;http://bythamspinney.co.uk/Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

In today’s show I'm joined once again by Quint Starkie. Quint is an English musician originally from Accrington, Lancashire now based in  Stockholm, Sweden. Quint is about to embark on a UK tour with Francis Dunnery's It Bites from 18th January '23.We talk about Quint's latest solo album, his recent UK tour with blues based Tombstone Dunnery, his musical career and how he ended up living in Sweden.Links;http://www.quintstarkie.net/For updates on all new episodes subscribe at;https://www.undercurrentstories.com/IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE PLEASE  SHARE WITH FRIENDS!THANKYOU.Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

James Cooper, a Christmasologist, (Yes there is such a word!), reveals the history of Christmas traditions in the UK over the last 1500 years.From the origins of the mince pie, the banning of Christmas and the secret of the mistletoe, James takes us on a journey of discovery as he shares the unexplained stories behind the celebration of Christmas.Find out more on James's website;https://www.whychristmas.com/Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

The amazing story of how a disused quarry was bought for £1.00 and is being transformed into a wildlife haven.Set in the English Lincolnshire village of Langtoft, Augy Harrison takes us on a guided tour of Penfield Nature Reserve. We hear how a team of village volunteers are working to maintain and develop the former quarry into an area where wild plants, insects, birds and animals can flourish.The 20 acre site already boasts an abundance of wildlife and throughout this interview, you will hear an assortment of birds acting as a backdrop to this educational and informative conversation - quite therapeutic!For those listeners that wish to become involved in similar projects, we hear how there are many opportunities throughout the UK and in other countries where giving a few hours a week can make all the difference.Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com