Corinium Radio's Latest Coup

Author Susan Lewis

It’s A Literary Coup for Corinium Radio

Cirencester’s Corinium Radio has been moving in literary circles lately.

Presenter Sheila Lloyd-Graham notched up a coup for the local community radio station a few days ago when she interviewed celebrated author Susan Lewis.

Susan has a string of book titles to her name so if you want to have a read there’s plenty to go at.

On her website Susan points out she was born in 1956 in Bristol and, in her own words, her father was a Welsh miner, a poet, an engineer and a thinker.

Her mother was, she says, one of thirteen children who, at 20, persuaded her father to spend his bonus on an engagement ring instead of a motorbike.

Says Susan, “We were a normal, happy, nuclear family, living in a spanking new council house on the outskirt of town - my mother’s pride and joy.” 

Sadly her mother died of cancer when Susan was just nine years old and her brother was five.

Not surprisingly the years that followed were not the happiest of times for Susan.

But she landed a job at HTV in Bristol when she was 18 and went to work for Thames TV in London when she was 22.

She takes up the story as follows, “I began as a secretary in news and current affairs, then trained as a production assistant and moved on to light entertainment and drama.

“It was a love of drama, combined with a fierce ambition, which got me knocking on the controller’s door to ask what steps to take to become a producer.”

He told her to go away and write something, so she did.

Susan added, “Over 30 books later, my only regret is that none of them have yet made it to the screen!”

Truth to tell, there’s obviously much more to the life and times of Susan Lewis and in Sheila’s programme, called ‘Lady She and Friends’, she talks about many related aspects.

Said Corinium Radio spokesman Tony Coleman, “It is well worth keeping an eye on our programme schedules to catch the show.  You won’t be disappointed.”

During the last few days Corinium Radio has been involved in its own garden festival, linked to The Chelsea Fringe and thus the famous Chelsea Flower Show.

The grand opening took place on May 20^th with a pop-up garden in the bandstand in Cirencester’s Abbey Grounds.

And you might just be in time, depending when you’re reading this, to take part in the closing event of the festival – a Vintage Flower Tea Party the station has organised on June 4^th at the Fleece Hotel in Cirencester.

The event features free tea and cake, and much, much more besides.  It takes place between 3 pm and 5 pm.

Added Tony Coleman, “The garden festival is a really major event for the Station and was the brainchild of our chair Carole Boydell.

“We’re hoping it will be a great success and that it might become an annual part of local life.”

Meanwhile, don’t forget that Corinium Radio is always on the lookout for new volunteers.  Just give Carole Boydell a call on 07776 144033.
www.coriniumradio.co.uk