If BT & Pipex can keep their act together long enough for me to create a new post we might have some new piccies!! My apologies to Michaela Strachan if I have spelt her name wrongly, I was never really a fan of children’s TV, even when I was young. For those of you who might know her from “The Really Wild Show”, or (in Wales only?) “Country File”, I had the privilege of meeting her earluer this year while filming in Swansea. She is a really lovely, genuine person – who is certainly not timid about getting stuck in. The easy bit was being filmed by the monument to “Swansea Jack”, to be found on the Oystermouth Road on Swansea Bay. Jack was a dog who famously rescued a number of people from drowning.

Our illustrious MVS Head of Unit – known as Hornblower, and Samantha (no nickname so far, but suggestions are welcome!) feature above with Michaela at the monument dedicated to Swansea Jack.

Talking of dogs…the next call was to the cold waters of Swansea Marina, where Michaela gets to meet the Newfoundland dogs. These huge dogs, with webbed feet, are bred to rescue fishermen who fall overboard. Michaela was given a lifejacket, and was assured by one of our crew – no names mentioned at this point! -that it was NOT the self-inflating variety, which promptly exploded in to action as she hit the water!

In the first photo Hornblower becomes a very shy person in front of the camera (who is this man?), and blows his chance at fifteen minutes of fame. The second shows one of the dogs aboard a RIB – it is heavier that the other crew members. … and in the third are some of the crew members with Michaela before they were returned to the ward.