So, I have been observing the behaviour of the women in my work team over the last few months and it has been interesting to say the least.

We have had quite a few personnel changes, with three great colleagues leaving us, which I would like to highlight on before I start this post.

'PJ'

Our wonderful Chair's PA, 'PJ', left us for another role. When she left, we felt the pressure. She was the 'Oracle' and a fountain of all knowledge. Whenever we had a problem or needed an answer, we would always ask PJ. That proves beyond any doubt how vital she was to the setup of the office. The Admin team will never be the same again, seriously!

'Leads'

'Leads' was next to leave us. She was the life and soul of the secretariat. Despite not officially being placed within our team on the hierarchy, Leads was definitely considered to be a main cog in our working machine. She was bubbly, fun and showed us all how to make a 'real' salad at lunch time - Sainsbury's iceberg lettuce sales were up during her secondment period.

'Roondog'

'Roondog' departed from our team and the glue that held us together seemed to lose it adhesiveness. Her wedding checklist and housekeeping emails have been sorely missed and our team has struggled to get to grips with not having the benefit of a kick ass Office Manager around to look after our interests.

Ladies although you have gone, you will forever remain honourary members of the admin team. (I need a few minutes - ).

So, now I've dried my eyes, it's time to get on with the official first post.

I have updated you on the changes in my office but now it is time to move on to my observations, and my reasoning for why I am 'The Odd One Out'.

So this week's topic: the bizarre statements they come out with.

My Evidence

I have come across a series of strange and bizarre statements in my time with these women. I present my evidence for your judgement: (I have included the initials of my colleagues for their own amusement)

Does the lump on the back of my neck look big? (SK)

Believe me, I had to keep a straight face for this one because she was deadly serious.

Wedding shoes are expensive but can still be worth every penny. You just dye them black to get 'wear out of them' (KR)

Or you could purchase a cheaper pair of shoes and not have the guilt of the huge cost spent on them & the additional cost incurred to dye them black!

My friend is trying to lose weight. She is on the Pre Heart Op diet! (SK) - yes, someone actually said this to me.

***Speechless with a grin***

I'm going to take a cheeky trip to Wilkinson. Does anyone want anything? (RL)

I'm still trying to work out what a 'cheeky trip' is but it sounds amusing whatever it is.

I just sometimes do not know how to react. It takes me off guard and I have to just think of the first thing that comes to mind. e.g. 'What are you talking about?', 'Are you nuts?' 'Jess is exactly the same!'.

Don't get me wrong, they provide me with 5 day a week amusement but sometimes I am absolutely stunned at the information being portrayed to me. I also sometimes think that because I am the only man in our team that they forget I am pumped full of testosterone and not oestrogen. The things they say to me may fall on deaf ears because I am not a woman and do not have the working of a female brain.

Sometimes this can be a hindrance more than a help but most of time I seem to get away with it and we quickly move on.

Well I will give you a while to digest the last 3 minutes of your life that you have spent reading this blog that you will never get back!

Keep checking in on my blog, I still have plenty more to talk about.

"I AM THE ODD ONE OUT!"

Imagine my delight at being contacted on Twitter by the lovely owner of Love Is Boutique to ask if I would be interested in attending their Press and Bloggers night on the 29^th November?! Of course I said yes immediately and eagerly anticipated the delights in store – I do rather like something shiny and sparkly – whilst hiding my credit card (just in case, of course).

Having never been to the boutique before I was completely unsure what to expect so decided to take a friend along with me for moral support (and restraint). Having battled the usual Tunbridge Wells “rush hour” (a.k.a every hour) traffic we parked at the Trinity Theatre which is just 500 yards down the road from the boutique. We walked past the shop at first and then doubled back, having caught a glimpse of their fairytale front window display. Pushing open the entrance door our entrance was not marked by the sound of a bell but by a cheery hello and welcome. We were handed a glass of bubbly each (win), our coats were politely stored by the hostesses and we were invited to explore the four different rooms and try on whatever we fancied. I was interested to understand the reasons for the press night and the ladies explained that they were relaunching the store to head more in the direction of pre loved designer rather than simply vintage finds.

We took the invite to explore and play as literally as it was intended and delved right into the Aladdin’s Cave of treasures. Whilst I may not be able to differentiate between the stylings of Blahnik and Vuitton I could definitely find some gorgeous pieces: and not all of them would require me to disgrace myself financially, in fact, I would say that there was something to fit most fashionista budgets. Honestly I can say that once I realised one of our hostesses had worked for a big name in the fashion industry and I was the least fashion savvy person in attendance I expected a little bit of disdain towards my lack of label awareness: I couldn’t have been more wrong. We were made to feel very welcome and our hostesses emphasised their policy of not allowing a lady to leave their shop wearing something that didn’t look a million dollars on them (irrespective of the price tag).

I also found my stance on real fur vs. faux fur somewhat challenged by the concept of a vintage fur as opposed to a current fur trade. That’s not to say I intend to go out and get myself one but I am intrigued by the fact that the demand for real fur has raised considerably recently and I have been left wondering why. I won’t be getting stuck into this controversial issue today but I will be doing some research into this that I can share with you all at a later date.

We left the press night with a lovely goody bag each (ANOTHER win), a feeling of having had a serious (ly fun) girls night out with friends and an invite to return at any time to inspire my foray into fashion blogging. The BF was proud to discover that I hadn’t bankrupted myself that evening. Well, not yet, anyway....

Have I been swanning off round the globe? Have I contracted a horrific flesh eating illness that has prevented me from accessing my computer? Were my hands chopped off by rogue pirates?

Alas, no, dear readers, the reason I haven’t been able to keep you updated on my Wonderful Life of late is that I have simply been too busy spinning too many plates. We’re organising a charity fundraiser, you see: a Ball, in fact, (well, a less starchy affair than most people might envisage when we say ball) to raise funds and awareness for Macmillan Cancer Care Support. So many a sleepless night has been had fretting about how this event is going to pan out with lots of jolting awake at 5am worrying about floor plans and welcome drinks and I’ve been so busy persuading some lovely local businesses to support us that I simply haven’t had time to blog. But we’re just 16 days til D-Day now so I figured I had better let you lovely lot in on it in case you wanted to come along: I’ll be doing a speech and everything (anyone who knows me well knows this is likely to be comedy highlight of the year considering my track record with public speaking)! What will this ball of ours look like I hear you ask, well:

I haven’t ever seen anything like it.

I know that’s what you’d expect me to say. I know that’s what everyone says, but it genuinely is true.

Just after 9.55pm on Sunday evening, the world held its breath and waited for the gun to sound to start the Olympic 100m final.

The noise in the stadium was recorded at over 100 decibels. That is pretty much the same as a trans-Atlantic flight taking off at Heathrow.... and I was sat 20 yards from the runway.

I’d love to tell you it was the loudest thing I’ve ever heard, but I honestly can’t. I didn’t hear a thing. It was like a film, when the soundtrack just drops out. I was just in my own head, acutely aware of how I was in the very moment that my career would peak, determined to take in every detail, every smell, every sound, every sight. Time stood still as I drank it all in.

Not for very long though. The race began and then it was over. Just like that.

It was only when I watched it back on my phone – I took a video of the moment for posterity you understand,  because nobody is ever going to believe half the things I tell them about these Games – that it actually started to sink in.

I was cursing the work iPhone for messing up the video. It wasn’t playing properly, the runners were all in fast forward. They looked jerky and fake. Oh. It was.... real.

The third watch was the one that did it. Oh my God. I have actually never seen anything like it. I have nothing in my life to compare it too. I can safely say it was the most incredible men’s 100m Olympic Final I have ever witnessed, or am likely to. It was an absolute privilege to be present at the absolute pinnacle of sport, and it was fitting that Usain Bolt was able to produce a performance which fit the magnificence of these Games so far.

0o0

All this drama followed on about an hour and a half after the drama of Adam Gemili’s semi-final.

I will put this plainly. Adam was 0.04secs away from earning one of the eight places in the greatest 100m final field ever assembled in the history of athletics.

If I’d said that to you on June 1^st, you’d have said: “Adam who?” To be honest if I’d said that to him he’d have probably cracked that wonderful grin and been humble and said: “Psssh, nah, that would be a dream.”

Well dreams do come true. In truth, I think he was good enough for that final. Already. He would have been in the bottom half of the field, let’s be honest, but you just don’t know what that occasion could have brought out of him. I have absolute ZERO doubt that he would have run his fastest ever time. You just get that feeling from him. He rises to the occasion. And that was a pretty big occasion.

He might be a nice boy and polite and charming and just great to talk to, but I could SEE afterwards just how annoyed he was that he didn’t slip through the semis. Make no mistake, he is driven, ambitious and determined.

 I can’t wait for Rio, even if I’ll have to go as a punter and pay my own way this time! :(

0o0

Monday morning in the stadium there was a definite stillness. Like the hush after the echo of the previous night finally disappears. To be fair it was only nine hours later.

However the cobwebs were well and truly blown away when Lisa Dobriskey was introduced to the crowd before her 1,500m heat.

What a reception she received. And how deserved it was. Lisa is undeniably one of the most popular athletes in Britain and the crowd were genuinely thrilled for her as she powered through the field in the final lap like the Dobriskey of old to claim first place.

It tells you all you need to know about Lisa that SHE asked ME how I was, during the interview after her race, and her motivation for running was not for fame, or endorsements or sponsorship or money or anything other than.... making her nine-year-old nephew Joshua proud of her.

Her injury and illness problems are well documented, but it would just be such a fairytale ending to a nightmare year if she could win an Olympic medal and banish the memory of fourth-place in Beijing four years ago. Nobody deserves it more.

0o0

After the athletics session finished I had a decision to make. It’s not one I’ll really ever get to make again. Which amazing session of Olympic sport should I attend during a Kent-free afternoon? Handball, basketball, waterpolo, or cycling?

I chose the track cycling at the Velodrome. And I think I chose well. I experienced the best atmosphere I had at any of the Games venues – perhaps bar Saturday night in the OS – and saw Jason Kenny tie-up the gold medal in the men’s sprint and Laura Trott battle through the opening rounds of the Omnium which she would go on to win.

I then hot-footed it back to the Stadium to see if Dai Greene could add Olympic gold to his World Championship one. He couldn’t. It was a pretty disappointing night for GB unfortunately. But I managed to catch the last train home, which was significant progress based on previous nights and meant I didn't have to sleep in a chair.

Morning. Big day today. Not that every day at the Olympic Games isn’t big, just that this is possibly the biggest yet.

Yes Kent athletes have won a silver and bronze so far, which took Kent up to 27^th place in the medal table (if we were a country), temporarily level with Norway and Indonesia and ahead of Spain and NZ.

However this morning sees the start of the track and field events at the Olympic Stadium, and for many, that is when the ‘real’ Olympics starts.

Jack Green will be the first Kent athlete to hit the track at these Games in his 400m hurdles heat at 11.50am today.

He’s only 20, but he has the brain of a 75-year-old super-genius that you could quite easily envisage going rogue and ending up as a baddie in X-Men.

He’s got it all mapped out, everything, his entire path to the top. What he needs to do, how he needs to do it, how to boost his profile, how to get people to notice. He is an experienced head in the very gifted body of a 20-year-old athlete. These will be his first Games, I have absolutely no doubt they will not be his last.

He is a reporter’s dream, if I’m honest. Just this week he told the press ‘I’m here to win a medal, I don’t want to be a supporting role, I want to be the star.’

Now that might come across as cocky, arrogant, whatever, to some people, but he’s got the skills to pay those whopping bills he’s running up. He is deservedly the seventh fastest man in the world in his event this year, and anything other than an appearance in the Olympic Final on Monday night would be a big surprise and even bigger disappointment.

0o0

I last saw you at Eton Dorney on Wednesday, right? Well that was quite a day too. It pretty much summed up the Olympics for me.

Tom Ransley and his GB men’s eight mates left absolutely everything out there on that water. They were easily the second best crew in that competition, and we all know that should mean silver, yeah?

No, they could so easily have rowed tactically and secured a silver, but I reckon these are the type of guys who see silver as the ‘first loser’s’ position.

They did absolutely everything they could to try and win gold, and they made us all believe they could do that, leading 2/3 of the way through, but eventually, when those classy Germans found their extra gear (having been scared witless by GB, I should add) GB had nothing more to give, and I firmly believe at that point that it didn’t matter whether it was silver or bronze or fourth.

Yes, it’s an Olympic medal, but it should really be a reminder of the courage and bravery they showed in trying to win it all, against the odds, and how close they came. It’s a fantastic example to set to Olympians of the future. Go for Gold. Sounds simple, but it’s really not.

0o0

After Eton I rushed back to Big Smoke to watch Ashley Jackson and GB take on South Africa at the Riverbank.

What a strange game that was. Jackson smashed GB ahead with a trademark penalty-corner bullet, but then for some strange reason the momentum shifted and you could sense an equaliser before it arrived and then you just ‘knew’ that SA would go ahead.

In the end they took the lead five minutes from time, but Jackson’s scruffy, multi-deflected goal salvaged a point at least for the hosts with two minutes to go.

To say he was disappointed after the game was an understatement. It’s great fun watching people succeed here at these Games, but to see things go wrong – which is part of sport, we all know – is never a comfortable experience.

0o0

Thursday was my unofficial day-off at these Games, so guess what I did? I went to the Olympic Games. J

It was the quietest day  of the Games from a Kent perspective and a good chance to recharge my batteries before a hectic weekend of athletics, so I was given permission to stay in bed all day.

But it’s the Olympic Games. I went up on an early train with my family and friends and enjoyed the experience like a punter for the first and probably only time. I had such a good day.

You see I’m sort of isolated from the goings-on in the middle of the Park most of the time. I’m either stuck in a press lounge typing away, or on some crammed bus making my way from one venue to the next.

So just strolling through the throng of people enjoying the experience yesterday was really refreshing. The patriotism and pride of all the nations under the sun came together to hang in the air like an early morning mist.

Every few yards there was a group of colourfully-adorned foreigners draped in flags, hats, scarves, shirts, novelty glasses, anything and everything to show off where they were from and who they would be supporting,

And the best thing was each group would take pictures of each other... so the sight of some staunchly proud Lithuanians (I assume on their way to the basketball arena) stopping a squad of whooping Frenchmen to ask  them to pose for a picture was just fantastic. Bringing people together, I TOLD you!

Maybe even better was the group of Cuban guys walking toward the Velodrome with flags fluttering behind them. The one in the middle had an especially big grin and a T-Shirt which read ‘My son is an Olympic Cyclist’ next to a big picture of some Adonis in a lycra suit and a space-age helmet.

It might be just because I have not been sleeping enough, or it might be because I am a big pansy, but I am finding the whole experience of the Games very emotional.

There are just so many emotions floating on the air like the smoke after a spectacular firework display, and they are all magnified by the Olympic stage.

This is not your usual brand of despair, you haven’t just missed your bus, the lifetime dream which you have religiously dedicated yourself towards for years has just been dashed. That cannot fail to make an impression on the people present to see it happen.

And by the same token the levels of pride and joy are also hugely inflated. Imagine how proud you were when your kid won the egg and spoon race at sports day.... now imagine how proud that Cuban dad feels today. I can’t get my head around it.

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but this is a very special event. Just being in the Park allows you to soak it up.

So do what my brother is doing. He wasn’t particularly fussed about all this, but when he came up yesterday he caught the bug, and is now sitting at home, hitting refresh on the www.london2012.com ticket website, desperate to find another way to get back up here and get another fix of the Greatest Show on Earth.

Don’t leave it too late! I promise you'd regret it!

Hi Sarah! I’m so excited to see you perform live at New to This Solar System tomorrow night; thanks so much for finding the time to answer my questions

Q. Tell me, how did you get started?

A. Guitarist Ben Hood and I met at Southampton University and have been performing together with drummer Rob Austen since we graduated last July. For the Sevenoaks Festival, Ben and I will be performing as a duo.

Q. So, what you do for your day job?

A.  I live in East London and work as a professional singer. Aside from Ben’s solo work, he also works as a professional songwriter, singer and teacher.

Q. And, how did you get into music?

A.My Dad, Grandparents and Mum were all music lovers, so my sisters and I played music and sang from an early age. Ben has been a songwriter for many years; since watching blues-guitar band Divided by Three with his Mum in concert.

Q. Aside from the love of music, do you have any other creative outlets?

A. We both love cooking, Ben makes incredible paella and I bake most days. I love my knitting, painting and writing too.

Q. Do you have any particular musical inspiration?

A. We’re both big fans of Elbow; their music, lyrics and production are all incredible. I listen to a lot of the female jazz singers including Ella Fitzgerald and Julie London and am greatly influenced by music and instruments from China, India and Africa.

Q.   So, what’s your mission for your music?

A. I’d love to travel with my music, and learn to play more instruments and techniques from different cultures.

Q. Is there anyone in particular that has inspired you or given you great advice to get where you wanted to be?

A. I met an incredible musician called Rob Greenfield at my secondary school who encouraged my singing and song-writing, he will always be a musical inspiration to me.

Q.   Tell me a bit about your history as an artist?

A. I’ve led several acts and bands since school. Then, at University I began performing with Ben, we’ve been gigging, writing and recording together since. We play with friend and drummer Rob Austen and have begun rehearsals with bass player James Williams. We’ll be performing with cellists, a keyboard player and percussionist for some of the upcoming Summer gigs.

Ben joined a band at University and, since graduating, began performing his own material with them. He’s now recording his debut solo album with the same group of musicians.

Q. Are there any especially memorable gigs you have played?

A.Selling out Ronnie Scott’s Bar and the Jazz Club Soho earlier this year with Ben and Rob are two incredible gigs we’ll never forget. One of my most memorable performances however, was a spontaneous, wine-fuelled jazz gig in the crammed cellar of a piano bar in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The owner of Aux Trois Mailletz  invited me to sing with the world-famous house band, it was brilliant.

Q. Do you have any future developments my readers might like to know about?

A.We’re performing at a new festival in Benenden on 10th August called Jack’s Festival, and again at Local and Live Music Festival at The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells over the August Bank Holiday. We’re in the process of recording for release later this year. Ben’s also been recording his solo album ready for Autumn 2012.

Q.How did you end up involved in New to This Solar System and fundraising for Breast Cancer Care?

A.We met Steph when lead singer of The Find, Jay, invited us to perform for Breast Cancer Care earlier this year. It was a wonderful gig for a brilliant campaign.

This is the first time we’ve been involved in the Sevenoaks Festival so we’re really excited to be performing this year.

And I’m sure everyone is really looking forward to seeing, what is sure to be, a stellar performance tomorrow night at Sevenoaks School for the Breast Cancer Care Benefit Concert. It’s been lovely getting to know Sarah Lillie and I wish you all the best for tomorrow evening.

To all those that are thinking of attending, tickets are available on the door and you are guaranteed to have an amazing night of music whilst raising funds for a very worthwhile cause. I look forward to seeing some of you there!

As those of you who read my blog regularly will know, I have been interviewing the performers listed for the New to This Solar System concert at Sevenoaks School this Friday. Today, you can read my interview with Amy Coulshaw.

Hiya, Amy, thanks very much for giving up your time to answer my questions: I know you are extremely busy at the moment but it’s fantastic to have the opportunity to get to know you before the Breast Cancer Care Benefit concert.

Q. So, I would love to hear a bit about your background and how you got into music?

A. I live in Kent after moving up from Devon three years ago following a mixed bag of destinations growing up: spending the majority of my childhood in Brunei. It was here that I first started training classically as a singer at the age of six.  Having spent several years working professionally as a performer and singing teacher I have since begun a career in childcare which I love but I still take any opportunity I can to help out at charity events with my music!! I have always had an incredible passion for music, especially singing and have done since I was a toddler. I could barely speak but always managed to sing nursery songs!  This passion is even stronger today and I spend a lot of my spare time playing the piano, singing and writing songs.

Q. Is there any one in particular that has inspired you to keep singing?

A. My family have been the inspiration behind my music as, if it wasn’t for their love and support and belief in me, then I wouldn’t have been given some of the amazing opportunities that I have been lucky enough to have.

Q. So, having spent most of your life as a songstress, are there any particular stand out events that you have been asked to perform at; or anyone you have worked with that has been memorable?

A. I have been lucky enough to perform at some incredible events; the most recent being a spring ball at the Honorary Artillery Company house in London in aid of Help for Heroes. In terms of working with someone; as a classical singer, a real highlight for me was when I was given the opportunity to have a master class with Benjamin Luxon and perform with him!

Q. How did you end up involved in New to This Solar System and fundraising for Breast Cancer Care?

A. After moving up from Devon, I initially got a job working in Fatface in Sevenoaks which is where I first met Steph [for those of you that haven’t yet read my previous posts, Steph is the organiser of the Breast Cancer Care event that Amy will be performing at this Friday]. Steph is an inspiration for all women who suffer with breast cancer and is the reason I support and care about such an important and incredible charity. Steph soon found out that I was a singer and straight away put her faith in me asking me to perform at the annual BCC event, even though she hadn’t heard me sing (I did point out that I might be awful but she still went ahead anyway even asking me to do it the following year!) It’s because of these events that Steph asked me to perform at New to this Solar System, which I am honoured to do.

Amy, it’s been a real pleasure getting to know you and I’m very much looking forward to seeing you in action this Friday. Thanks again for your time. I hope some of my readers will come along and lend their support to your cause.

Once again, lovely readers, I have a fantastic blog guest for you! I interviewed Dan Clews to give you all an insight into the artist before he performs at the New to This Solar System event next Friday.  Dan is donating his time and his musical talent to help raise funds for Breast Cancer Care at the Sevenoaks Music Festival event. For anyone that wants to see Dan (or any of my other New to This Solar System guests) in action; I’ve been told there are still tickets available.

Dan tells me that his day job, fortunately, largely revolves around: playing music, teaching music and recording music. He also mentions that he sells the odd Christmas tree [I, for one, will be asking him more about this on the night]. Dan has always been surrounded by music as his father is also a musician and he tells me it was a natural progression for him to follow that path too. When I ask if he has any other creative outlets, Dan tells me that he has a huge interest in music videos.

Q. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Dan! So, tell us, who are your musical inspirations?

A. Paul Simon, Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan did I mention Paul Simon?

Q. What is your mission as an artist?

A. To play music that makes people feel like they’re not alone.

Q. Have you had any set backs in getting where you wanted to be?

A. Always, it’s not for the faint hearted, but I love what I do.

Q. Is there anyone in particular that inspires you or gives you great advice to get where you want to be?

A. My wife and my son – always.

Q.  Are there any especially memorable gigs you have played?

A. I’ve done Local & Live in Tunbridge Wells and I also played on the Arctic Circle once.

Q. Have you played at any particularly outstanding venues?

A. Definitely: playing at the Hammersmith Apollo and the Shepherd’s Bush Empire were real highlights for me.

Q. I’m sure my readers would love to know about someone amazing you have performed with?

A. I recently played a duet with Tim Minchin in front on 5,500 people! That was pretty amazing!

Q. Do you have any future developments my readers might like to know about?

A. Well, there’s the Secret Garden Party on the 21^st of July, Local and Live 2012 on the 25^th of August, Over The Moon Festival on the 16^th of September. Plus, as of recently, people can also find me on iTunes!!

Q. How did you end up involved in New to This Solar System and fundraising for Breast Cancer Care?

A. I believe Cancer is personal to everyone: I don’t know any adult that’s not been affected by it in some way. I met Steph at one of my gigs and we got chatting about her events. I’ve lived in Sevenoaks most of my life

Thanks, again, Dan for taking the time to answer my questions: I’m sure my readers are now all looking forward to seeing you in action at New to This Solar System on the 6^th July – and so am I!

As many of you will recall I covered an event in aid of Breast Cancer Care a short while ago: kicking off my coverage by interviewing the amazing lady organising it all. I have been asked again to cover Steph’s fundraising activities and am kicking off again with an interview with the lady herself.

Hello again Steph, thanks so much for finding the time to share with my readers again what you have been up to, we had a great response last time.

Q. What have you been up to since we last met about your In Conversation With.. . event?

A. Quite a lot actually. We did the Pink Ribbon walk at Blenheim Place which raised around £1500. This was a fantastic event: I even got to meet Denise Lewis and have my picture taken with her! The event was so well organised! I attended the Canadian High Commission a couple of weeks ago as a guest at the Breast Cancer Care meeting of the ladies Dragon Boat racers. I’ve been working with an American lady over here in her fundraising events and it’s proven pretty insightful for us both as our fundraising and charity systems are quite different. I’ve been doing a lot of work with the Breast Cancer Care headquarters. I recently helped open a new Cancer Research shop in Sevenoaks. I’ve actually written a piece for the volunteer section on the Breast Cancer Care site – I’d never blogged before so that was a whole new experience for me! Otherwise, it’s been a whole lot of organising, coming up with new ideas and lots of meetings. Oh and lots of canvassing for this event over the weekends. It’s like a full time job, but I love it and the potential for all the good we can do!

You certainly have been incredibly busy! I think we’re all keen to find out what New to This Solar System is all about so I guess we had better not keep the readers waiting.

Q. So what IS New to This Solar System about?

A. This event is a benefit concert to raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer Care. This event also presents the opportunity to introduce four local, unsigned [as yet] acts to the people of Sevenoaks. All of these acts have very kindly agreed to donate their time and their talent to this wonderful cause.

Q. So how did you go about getting all of these acts on board?

A. Well, I had seen The Find in concert as we held a small event a while ago where Jay invited Sarah Lillie as a guest. It was so good we knew we could do something more with it. I am frequently being asked at events if I could get Amy Coulshaw to do a set so this was the perfect opportunity. Electric isn’t feasible at this venue so, bearing in mind the need for a really great acoustic sound, we stumbled across Dan Clews who fits this perfectly. Everywhere I go, I find myself talking about these guys.

Q. So, what marvellous venue have you managed to secure this time and what are the details of this event?

A. Well, Sevenoaks School have actually been kind enough to allow us use of their facilities for this event: this place is absolutely beautiful [she says this knowing how much I fidgeted in my attire at the Tonbridge School because it was so grand] and it holds 420 people. New to This Solar System is actually a part of the Sevenoaks Festival.  The concert is being held on the 6^th July in the Pamoja Hall, The Space at Sevenoaks School. The doors will open for guests at 18.45 and the concert will begin at 19.30. With ticket sales and drinks purchases on the night we are hoping to raise around even more for Breast Cancer Care this time around.

Q. What’s prompted you to organise this event?

A. Well, we know how much people are struggling with the economy being as it is and we also know that charity fundraising is also really struggling because of it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter whether the economy is bad: Breast Cancer doesn’t go away just because we can’t afford it! Breast Cancer Care doesn’t stop working just because people are hard up and it’s really important to me that they continue getting the funding they need for their outstanding work.

Q. I know from your previous events that organising a concert is a fairly new thing for you. Have you had many difficulties?

A. Well, we’re finding that a lot of people aren’t really sure what the event is about and that people aren’t buying their tickets straight away which inevitably causes us a bit of worry that we won’t actually be able to deliver for Breast Cancer Care on this event. The difference with this kind of event is that usually I make all the decisions on what’s happening, when whereas this time I’m working with groups of people who all have different agendas and workloads. We’ve still got a lot to do but, well, it’ll be alright on the night! We just really want people to come along and have a drink and enjoy the music: it’s all about having a really great night whilst raising money for a worthy cause.

Q. So, how can people find out more about the event or get themselves a ticket to this great occasion?

A. We’re doing a poster drop over the Kent area, we’re advertising the event on the Breast Cancer Care online site, we’re listed in the Sevenoaks Festival line up, we’ll be out in Sevenoaks telling people about the event and we have a Facebook page [http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-to-this-Solar-System/125336894270462]. For tickets you can also call: 01732 450175.

Well I, for one, can’t wait for this event because I’ve looked up all the acts and they are genuinely amazing. I’ve got my ticket, have you?