David 'Syd' Lawrence: Race against time to write autobiography
The book, In Syd's Voice - The Extraordinary Life of Syd Lawrence, shares the highest points of Mr Lawrence's career and intimate moments and memories of his life. He took 625 wickets in 280 matches during a 16-year career at Gloucestershire that ended in 1997.In 1988, he became the first British-born black cricketer to represent England, he went on to earn five Test match caps for his country.After retiring from cricket, Mr Lawrence became a nightclub owner and amateur bodybuilder. He was diagnosed with MND last year and is now unable to speak or walk."It's a story about resilience, actually a story about character, and he had them both," Mr Wilson said."We did most of the interviews in October time last year and every day at 10am we would talk."
Mr Lawrence was joined by his son Buster at the event who said: "It was quite an emotional moment for Dad seeing the book, he put a lot of work into it with Dean Wilson."Me and my dad have always been close so there's not much I don't know, but there's a few stories in there that came as a surprise."It was a very special moment to show him the book for the first time."He also spoke about bringing the date of his wedding day forward to allow his father to speak at the celebration."It's actually probably one of the last times Dad would speak quite clearly on his own without the assistance of machinery or anyone else," he said."It was timed perfectly, it meant a lot to me and I know it meant a lot to my Dad."
Two teams full of famous faces - all friends of Mr Lawrence - took to the pitch to raise money for him and the MND Association.Fellow fast bowler Courtney Walsh described how he formed a formidable partnership with Mr Lawrence at the height of their careers."I think we sent a lot of shockwaves through the county circuit when we started bowling together," he said."He knows I'm not going to let him down so I'm just going to do what he always expects me to do, but the only sad part is that he won't be at the other end."
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South Wales Argus
26 minutes ago
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27 minutes ago
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Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The stars of the much-loved Wittering Whitehalls podcast on how a hearing check has changed their relationship
Michael and Hilary Whitehall have been married for 39 years and – as anyone who has listened to their podcast, The Wittering Whitehalls, knows – they love to disagree. As the parents of stand-up comedian Jack Whitehall, the former talent agent (Michael) and actor (Hilary) have found new later-in-life careers as podcasters, loved both for their amusing insights and for their gentle bickering. Which is probably why they didn't notice at first that Michael's hearing was causing some frustrations. 'I genuinely do think that our arguing has got worse in recent years,' admits Hilary. 'And yes, I would argue that some of it is perhaps to do with hearing loss, because it's quite a tricky subject to navigate.' Mishaps and misunderstandings It wasn't until Michael, 85, went to Specsavers for a hearing check that he was told that he had good hearing for his age but was struggling with consonant sounds. 'We have misunderstandings on an hourly basis,' laughs Hilary. 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'And then he comes in and immediately turns it up, so we're constantly battling with each other over the remote control. 'And of course there is an element (we've been married almost 40 years) of 'Is it selective hearing?',' laughs Hilary. 'Is my voice just a noise or is he actually not hearing me?' How a hearing check helped Neither could believe how easy the hearing check was, and they were immediately put at ease by the hearing expert. 'She was so reassuring, the whole thing was painless,' says Hilary. 'The hearing expert at Specsavers said, actually your [Michael's] hearing is pretty good for your age, a little bit of upper range hearing loss, but what you're missing is the consonants. 'You're hearing an approximation of what is being said and it's very interesting to have that pointed out to you by an expert, because that made me more understanding.' For Michael, the solution was as straightforward as the hearing check. He got two hearing devices, one for each ear. They were small and discreet and even matched to his hair colour. Now, Michael can simply pop them in and use them when he feels the need. 'The last time I saw what was then known as a hearing aid was with my grandfather. He had a whole apparatus with wires and a crackling box on the front, which he kept hitting all the time while saying, 'Michael, speak up!'. 'I imagined there had been an improvement, but hadn't realised it had improved quite to the extent it has – where you can hardly see them.' Hilary adds: 'At a wedding we went to recently nobody knew that he had them in; they are beautifully designed and very discreet.' Spreading the word The couple are now working with Specsavers to help encourage others to take action. Hilary explains: 'Michael always says that we're all happy to go and have a dental check, a sight check, but the one thing we don't do is have a hearing check, because there is a stigma about hearing loss. 'But I would say to anybody: go for a hearing check: they're very quick, very efficient and very accurate.' Couples say 'What?' more often than 'I love you' In romantic relationships, research for Specsavers found saying 'What?' is more common than 'I love you' for couples aged 55+*. Almost half (46 per cent) of Britons had bickered with a partner due to not hearing properly; 36 per cent said it happened weekly. And 15 per cent were misunderstood by their partner at least once a day. Hearing loss can impact how we experience and enjoy life, and our relationships with loved ones. It's what Michael and Hilary found, with small misunderstandings and irritations as a result of Michael's hearing loss. But Specsavers makes it easy to keep track of your hearing health, with free hearing checks in store, expert advice and a wide range of hearing devices to suit individual needs and lifestyles. How to book your check Simply book online at and choose your local store, or call them direct. Your hearing expert will ask some easy health-related questions, use a small camera to examine the health of your ear and will then play sounds at different pitches through headphones to check your hearing. Based on your results, the Specsavers hearing experts can then make recommendations and they'll help you find the best solution for you. Symptoms to look out for Changes to hearing can happen gradually, so hearing experts recommend booking a check if you're struggling to listen to conversations or the television, if speaking on the phone is difficult, or if you feel like you have to ask people to repeat conversations in groups can be challenging, and concentrating on listening can leave you feeling stressed or tired. There is no need to be embarrassed. Earlier intervention can actually mean you have a better chance of managing and improving your hearing. And with today's hearing devices connected to phones and even linked to appliances at home, they can be easier and more discreet to manage than ever before.
