News Where You Are

Acknowledgements

The BBC regional news programme Midlands Today is not the model for Heart of England Reports, and neither are the characters in this novel based on anyone working there past or present. I am, however, greatly indebted to the team for their assistance with my general research into regional news and their great patience in answering my dim-witted and at times bizarre questions. Special thanks to Naomi Bishop for acting as guide and to Sue Beardsmore for all her time and expertise.

Thanks also to MACE and Ian Francis of Seven Inch Cinema for introducing me to the 1984 Central TV documentary Reclaiming the City. Although Douglas Allcroft is not based upon John Madin or any other Birmingham architect, the 1965 BBC documentary Six Men about Madin was particularly instructive. Similarly the chapter entitled ‘What Went Wrong with Tomorrow?’ in Chris Upton’s A History of Birmingham (published by Phillimore & Co. Ltd) was essential and fascinating reading.

I am indebted to the website www.britisharmedforces.org and its webmaster Keith Petvin-Scudamore for sharing the wonderful National Service memoirs of William Hawksford. I am further indebted to Mr Hawksford’s family for their kind permission in allowing me to borrow from Mr Hawksford’s account of life in Port Said for background detail in Michael and Phil’s posting overseas. Neither Michael nor Phil are based upon the late Mr Hawksford in any way.

Mo’s attempts to improve the quality of Maureen’s life would not have been possible without the excellent Tips and Wrinkles by Mary Sansbury and Anne Fowler (published by Pan Macmillan).

The fictional Silver Street industrial estate was certainly influenced by my memory of the documentary Five Units on Fazeley Street, part of BBC Radio 4’s Lives in a Landscape series.

I’m grateful to Sandy and Don Fletcher for the insights they gave into care homes for the elderly. Their expertise was built up during daily visits to Sandy’s father Bill Hughes who sadly died during the writing of the book.

Thanks to Jim Hannah for early read-throughs, discussions and an amazing ability to follow the thread of incoherent, rambling spoken synopses. Thanks also to Francisco Dominguez Montero for introducing me to the wonders of the real Byron’s Common. I’m grateful to Luke Brown for much more than just taking care of discarded canapés. Thanks to Lucy Luck for her endless encouragement and support, to Kate Barker and to Helen Atsma for their belief, their comments and their understanding when the schedule was unexpectedly hijacked.

Thanks above all to Peter and Edie Fletcher for everything.