The BBC One Show- and Craig-y-nos

Well, it's over - all of 30 seconds on the BBC One Show live television talking about Craig-y-nos, the children's TB sanatorium in Wales.

Some of my friends said I look nervous and uncomfortable. Well ,who wouldn't on prime-time television with 5 million viewers and an audience including a clutch of celebrities -we are on the sofa with Paul O'Grady and waiting their turn on the green sofa are
Angela Rippon along with pop stars Spandeau Ballet- you are expected to talk about dark secrets from your four years spent locked up in a remote castle all in the name of a cure for a disease which folk were terrified of?

Pamela Hamer, the other ex-patient with me on the show was totally unfazed by television - and determined to have her say.

Pamela told her rat story - how she woke up one night to find a rat in her bed and the night nurse comforted her when she screamed by telling her it was Joey the pet rat from the kitchen just come to say good night to her.
She was 8 years of age and encased in plaster only able to move her arms.

It was a blog, Craig-y-nos.blogspot.com ,that I started in 2006 in my search for the "lost children of Craig-y-nos" that eventually unearthed all these amazing stories and gave a collective voice to 40 years of missing Welsh history.

I just managed to get a plug in for the book The Children of Craig-y-nos .


Behind the scenes:
I am sitting in Make up getting the most amazing stuff put on my face when Angela Rippon comes in and sits in the chair next to me - in a similar pink jacket to what I'm wearing! OMG!

After the show Pamela Hamer and our partners go to a quiet, small Italian restaurant in Earls Court.

The folk at the next table lean over.
"We saw you on telly tonight!"
I reckon it's the pink jacket.

Photo: after the show we got our photo taken with the presenters Alex Jones, also from Wales, and Matt Baker.