I am currently listening to the wonderful Andy Serkis as he reads me The Hobbit in his inimitable way. Such a wonderfully written tale by a clever author, and told by a man whose skills as an actor are superb. The Hobbitathon, as it’s being heralded, is being performed in aid of charitable causes – one of them being our splendid and unique NHS.
Our NHS! If anyone ever had any doubt of how amazing it was before this horrid Corona virus hit, then they will no doubt be aware by now of its brilliance. And I for one hope that any talk of privatisation or scrapping it or simply just not prioritising it in the future will be a distant memory. Surely now, after all this, we British people would fight to the ends of the Earth before the NHS is lost.
The outpouring of support for the NHS has been huge in recent weeks. Millions of pounds have been raised by charity efforts large and small. And this has not only made me happy, but has made me feel secure. We all know the NHS struggles with its funds, but now, those funds have been topped up. There is more money for health care! I’m probably being naive, and I know the extra won’t go very far, but Captain Tom’s £32,795,065 must surely go a long way towards helping out. That amount is simply staggering.
And in this spirit of having a go, I’ve tried to come up with a fundraising idea of my own. I don’t feel I have much to offer. Nobody would want to buy my cakes, I can’t sew and any physical activity I’d endeavour would probably have to involve four Little Seymours, and would thus be stressful and sweary. And so I am left with one option: I plan to do a readathon of my very own!
Storytelling is my passion. I’m not saying it’s my art – to be honest, the more time that passes without any of my “work” getting published, the more I think I should maybe just stop trying.
But I love reading stories! Whether it’s quiet or out loud, to the kids or to myself, or to my travelling companions as I travel round Alaska, reading has always been such fun! But upon deciding to do a readathon, I came across a problem: copyright.
Sadly, I am not Andy Serkis. I’m not in a position to just pick a classic and crack on, making buckets of cash for a great cause. I’d be breaching all kinds of laws if I tried. And so there is only one thing for it. I shall give myself permission to read aloud my own story! There is nobody who can stop me doing that!
I’m in the process of trying to work out how to do it, and if I succeed, I will attempt to read The Long Room, complete with voices, from start to finish on Sunday Night. I am scared – this story comes from the depths of my weird mind, and is clearly not good enough for publication, as it has been rejected many times, but it’s something I am proud of – because for one thing, I finished it! I have started so many tales and seen very few through to the end…
I hope I can achieve this – even if only to see if my technological skill is up to it. I’d love some watchers, if you’re at a loose end. And I’ll set up a JustGiving page, so that anyone who wants to donate a few pennies can do so. It all adds up! Yes, I admit, I am unashamedly trying to copy Andy Serkis without any chance of much of a following, but this idea appeals to me, and I am being brave.
I may chicken out between now and then, though. Or postpone. Or be let down by my old laptop. But in any case, I will keep you posted.
PS What does one wear for such an occasion? I might brush my hair for the first time in seven weeks. And change my top. The number of Seesaw videos I have popped up in wearing my old faithful blue nylon jumper are too numerous. Trinny would be so disappointed.
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