The revival of the Telegraph interview we recently carried out for Alzheimer’s Research UK, one of the beneficiaries of the Telegraph’s Christmas charity appeal this year, continues and is very positive.
David Yelland, the former Sun newspaper editor wrote on ‘X’/Twitter: “Much love to the brave @AlStewartOBE – so striking that Alastair and the great John Stapleton are suffering at the moment…and all that that we read about damn Wallace. »
I was invited to lunch by two wonderful women from my ITN days, Sarah Vaughan Brown, who ran internal and external communications, and Lou Hammersley, one of the in-house lawyers who, along with the head of compliance John Battle, ensured we worked as broadcasters within the law and did not defame or wrongly condemn anyone.
We also worked together on a campaign to bring TV cameras into courts with the BBC’s Fran Unsworth and Sky News’ Simon Bucks. We had some success, I’m happy to say, and they were a very friendly team to work with.
We dine at the Savoy Grill, run by Marcus Wareing during my last stay. She is now part of the Gordan Ramsay empire. It was a delight in every way. Lou’s mother, a former nurse, suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and engages in a holistic approach and does much to retrain and exercise her brain; she learned French and loves word puzzles – just like me. Lou was full of confidence and had many great ideas to help me overcome my dementia, as did Sarah.
Alastair Burt, a former Conservative MP and Foreign Secretary, and an old friend, sent a message to send his warm regards. I have to meet him, because I would love to explore his big brain on South Korea and Georgia – both strange foreign stories. Zac Goldsmith also messaged to say how lovely it had been to see me in the House of Lords recently and how beautiful I looked, it meant a lot to me and was a confidence boost.
Adam Ingram, former Labor MP and Mo Mowlam’s Minister of State in Northern Ireland, also sent a wonderful email.
In fact, it’s so beautiful that I thought I’d share it.
Alastair Stewart describes how his memory is failing him in this week’s Living With Dementia
NEWS FROM GB
He said: “It’s been a long time since we’ve been in contact. I read the very nice article in the Telegraph yesterday. I can only guess how much this must affect you. I got in touch with our mutual friend Charles Clarke who told me he met you and John Reid last week in the House of Lords. It was Charles who gave me your contact details. The article brought back a happy memory for me though when I read that you can’t tie your own tie. Many years ago, in a bar late at night at a Labor Party conference, I commented on the sloppy knot in your tie. I started teaching you how to tie a Windsor knot – it doesn’t slip and stays in place. You were so overwhelmed (I made that up) that you gave me your Aquascutum tie in exchange for my Labor Party tie.
“I still have your tie, although these days I rarely wear a tie. When you were the master of ceremonies at Mo Mowlam’s memorial event, you introduced me, when you called me to speak, as the person who taught you how to tie a Windsor knot. It probably meant nothing to the audience, but I knew our two bonds were well established on that memorable evening. This is the best knot ever invented and I hope it jogs your memory. Otherwise, I have the Aquascutum tie to prove it.
I remember every part of Adam’s wonderful anecdote.
BT and our security company contacted us to say that BT no longer provided dedicated lines for burglar and fire alarms, so we needed to find an alternative to their ‘Redcare’ product. I told BT I was very disappointed, to no avail. It’s a complicated matter for everyone, but in the case of dementia, it’s a complex and worrying challenge. Our security providers are very helpful and we are safe again.
We are going to two charity singing events next week. Reading isn’t a problem for me, but remembering when and where they are is! Saturday is also the annual Home Start charity cake sale, which we both enjoy.
Unfortunately nothing positive in the report on the new duck, dealing with an administrative matter like Homebase turns out to be a real nightmare.