Life Stories with Ian Rutter artwork

Life Stories with Ian Rutter

64 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago -

Life Stories is a programme I present for Talk Radio Europe in southern Spain, where I live. In Life Stories, I chat to non-Spanish guests about their lives here in Spain. We discuss their lives here, what brought them here and what they did before they moved to Spain. Each guest can choose 6 pieces of music that best represent periods in their Life Stories. Each of my guests has a fascinating tale to tell, and each has that one common denominator - they all decided to come and live in Spain.If you enjoy this podcast, do please take a moment to review it in Apple Podcasts and subscribe for future episodes. No de Licencia SGAE: SGAERRDD/4/1317/1018

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Episodes

Life Stories with Lisa Francesca Nand

November 27, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 42.6 MB

Lisa Francesca Nand is a journalist, broadcaster, podcaster and travel expert who divides her time between homes in the UK and in Fuengirola on Spain’s Costa del Sol.  Lisa’s family moved to Spain when Lisa was 7, and the Costa del Sol became their home. Lisa’s first love was music, but a series of events resulted in a change of direction and Lisa became the first female presenter on the UK radio station, TalkSport.  Lisa has been published widely online and in the UK press and is a regula...

Life Stories with Hannah Murray

November 27, 2020 10:00 - 56 minutes - 38.7 MB

Hannah Murray moved to Spain in 2003 and after a couple of years she was offered the opportunity to work at Talk Radio Europe. Hannah now hosts the Breakfast Show and the Book Show on the radio station.  In addition to her radio work, Hannah has been hosting a weekly Quiz Night on the Costa del Sol for over 10 years and, with her husband and Manifesto Design Company, she produces the San Pedro Guide.  Having trained in Performing Arts, it is understandable that Hannah also sings and acts l...

Life Stories with Rowena Alderson

April 02, 2020 10:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MB

Rowena Alderson and her husband moved to Estepona, on the Costa del Sol, in January 2019. Meeting her husband in a pub turned Rowena’s life around, as she followed him to some of the world’s most turbulent corners, both as an aide worker and as a contracts manager.  Rowena worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the Rwandan refugee crisis, where she was held up at gunpoint on more than one occasion, and she and her husband were the last couple to get married in Bosnia in the last ...

Life Stories with Charles Hutchinson

March 27, 2020 10:00 - 55 minutes - 38.2 MB

Charles Hutchinson is one of the founding partners of Spectrum IFA, a company offering independent financial advice across 7 countries in Europe and with headquarters in Barcelona.  Charles initially joined the British army in the hope of undertaking pilot training, but as his commission came to an end, Charles decided to move into the world of finance. A slightly inauspicious start provided Charles with a second opportunity to become a pilot, this time on hovercrafts, and he spent some yea...

Life Stories with Andrew Linn

March 26, 2020 11:00 - 57 minutes - 39.2 MB

Andrew Linn has been living in Spain for nearly 50 years, coming over as a very young man. He is a respected wine journalist, writer on Spanish culture including Flamenco and Saint Fermin. He has a regular column in both local Spanish and English publications sharing his knowledge and passion for Spain, its wine and the places that he has visited over the years on his Wine Trail.  Andrew is also involved with charities caring for the mistreatment and abandonment of animals. After a successf...

Life Stories with Kim Chandler

March 05, 2020 09:00 - 57 minutes - 39.2 MB

Kim Chandler is one of the UK’s most successful session singers and industry vocal coaches.  During her 30 year career to date, Kim has recorded thousands of jingles, songs for Disney movies, backing vocals for performers such as The BeeGees, Bjork, Leo Sayer, Rick Astley and much more.  As an industry-leading vocal coach, Kim has worked with Jess Glynne, Birdy, Paloma Faith and Sarah Brightman among others.  Performing at the Seville Expo in 1992 began a long affair with Spain and, 5 yea...

Life Stories with Estelle de Courcy Mitchell

March 04, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 41.6 MB

Estelle de Courcy Mitchell is recognised as one of Spain’s leading consultant Physiotherapists, and she runs the Bodyworks Clinic in San Pedro de Alcantara on the Costa del Sol.  Estelle was born in Malaysia and for the first 12 years of her life, this was the place she called home. Boarding school in Ireland was something of a culture shock as well as being far too cold and providing ghastly food - the latter being partly to blame for Estelle’s exclusion from the school.  Not really keen ...

Life Stories with Peter Barron

January 30, 2020 09:00 - 57 minutes - 39.4 MB

Peter Barron is a journalist and writer. Starting his career writing for and editing The Algarve News in Portugal, Peter then joined the BBC as a News Trainee working his way up to become Editor of Newsnight.  Over a 20 years period, Peter worked for Channel 4 and ITN, and returning to the BBC before moving to Google as Head of Communications for the UK and EMEA. Peter remained at Google for 10 years before deciding on a change of life in Extremadura.  Peter and his wife spend half the yea...

Life Stories with Gary Mairs

January 22, 2020 11:00 - 56 minutes - 39 MB

Gary Mairs was born in Scotland and brought up in Cheshire. Having had what he describes as an idyllic childhood, Gary became addicted to alcohol while he was studying at university, and it took several years before he was able to shake off that addiction.  Now, Gary lives in Granada and works all over Spain teaching English as a foreign language. He has recently established a social media-based support group for young people who may be feeling lost, depressed or lacking in direction and Ga...

Life Stories with Jesse Lynn-Dean

December 20, 2019 13:00 - 57 minutes - 39.5 MB

Jesse Lynn-Dean describes himself as a punk rocker-turned publican-turned punk rocker.  Now aged 72, Jesse was born and brought up in Islington of London-Welsh parents, went to a good grammar school, was expelled and then started writing music. Armed with a cassette and a lot of nerve, Jesse marched into the offices of EMI and came away with a contract and his career in music took off, along with the rise of Punk Rock.  After 5 years of successes, and rubbing shoulders with the big names i...

Life Stories with Sue Wilson

December 05, 2019 13:00 - 57 minutes - 39.7 MB

Sue Wilson lives in Alcossebre, Spain, with her husband and five cats. She is a part time Project Manager, hoping to retire in the near future. Since the Brexit referendum, she has become better known as the Chair of Bremain in Spain, the pro-EU campaign group with over 5000 members, which represents British citizens living in Spain who will be affected by Brexit. Sue had no interest in politics before the referendum but now devotes 50-70 hours per week to what she calls her ‘obsession’ – fi...

Life Stories with Nina Plapp

November 26, 2019 12:00 - 55 minutes - 38.5 MB

Nina Plapp is an improvisational cellist and composer from the UK, who studied classical cello at Trinity College of Music, London. She has performed with major international artists including Rox, Angie Brown (Fatboy Slim, Bizarre inc.), and Alison David (Red Snapper), and has supported The Charlatans.  A seasoned traveller, Nina has worked with performers all around the world, from Cantopop stars and Irish folk bands in China to flamenco gypsies in Spain and a range of actors, artists and...

Life Stories with Sarah Donohue

November 25, 2019 16:00 - 54 minutes - 37.2 MB

Born and raised in Yorkshire, Sarah Donohue has enjoyed over 25 years competing as a powerboat racer and is currently the most successful female competitors in the sport. As well as racing, Sarah is a qualified personal trainer, international Tri-Fitness champion and created and ran the annual Miss Galaxy Universe fitness competitions.  In June 2018, Sarah published her first book, The World is Never Enough in which she recounts her own exploits as a racer, a powerboat stuntwoman on the Jam...

Life Stories with Emma Plunkett

November 21, 2019 14:00 - 59 minutes - 40.8 MB

Emma Plunkett is a London born practicing fine artist, videographer and graphic designer. Emma’s creativity includes stoneware sculptures, cyanotype prints, watercolours, oil paintings, poetry, photographic montages, video art, illustrations and vector designs. Emma’s work is uplifting and expresses something beyond words.  Emma creates art which is intended to be lived with, art that can enhance your everyday home and work life. She also provides original content for film, web and print an...

Life Stories with Alan Field

November 10, 2019 12:00 - 54 minutes - 37.3 MB

Alan Field bought a property as a holiday home in Olvera, Cádiz Province, some 16 years ago. 3 years ago Alan and his husband decided to make the move permanently from the UK to Spain with a view to retirement.  Having spent a career in corporate travel, telecommunications and then working on the UK railways, Alan has had plenty of opportunity to travel and is now enjoying taking the time to cook and travel around mainland Europe and explore as much of Spain as he can.  Support the show (...

Life Stories with Elizah Handley

October 12, 2019 11:00 - 58 minutes - 40.4 MB

Elizah Handley is young singer who lives with her family in Cútar, not far from Velez- Malaga on the Costa del Sol.  From an early age, Elizah wanted to be a singer and a performer. Growing up in Kent, Elizah attended a performers’ college before getting a break in a West End production of Chicago. The relentless hard work and poor pay forced Elizah to turn to busking as a way of supplementing her income, but playing gigs in towns around the UK resulted in an increasing amount of work as a...

Life Stories with Colin Gausden

September 22, 2019 13:00 - 57 minutes - 39.3 MB

Colin Gausden set up and runs Jive Spain, a series of dance classes across the Costa del Sol.  Despite having moved to Spain in the early 2000s with a view to retirement, Colin is quite possibly busier than he has ever been. As well as the dance school, he operates Marbella Cruisers, organising cruise holidays each year for a growing number of mature clients, and he has a dance/exercise club, again catering for the older client wanting to keep fit.  Not particularly academic as a child, Co...

Life Stories with James Sobers

September 05, 2019 11:00 - 52 minutes - 36.3 MB

James Sobers, also known as Blurum13, is a rapper and producer, born in New York City and raised in Maryland.  From 1998 to 2006, BluRum13 was closely associated with London-based DJ Vadim and the Ninja Tune record label when he toured as emcee for Vadim’s live group The Russian Percussion (also featuring beatboxer Killa Kela and DJ Mr Thing). The group was created to promote the album Life From the Other Side (Ninja Tune, 1999), for which BluRum contributed the track “It’s Obvious.” Vadim ...

Life Stories with Mark Koopmans

September 05, 2019 11:00 - 56 minutes - 39.1 MB

Mark Koopmans was born in the Republic of Ireland of Irish and Dutch parents. At the age of 18, realising that employment prospects were not great at that time in Ireland, Mark went to the Netherlands and started working in the hospitality business.  An opportunity arose that allowed Mark to apply for his green card to work in the United States and so began a love affair with that country; a life that resulted in marriage and children.  Mark’s career included a period as a print journalist...

Life Stories with Steffi Goddard

August 14, 2019 10:00 - 58 minutes - 40.2 MB

Many years ago Steffi Goddard and her husband stumbled upon a large old farmhouse in Andalucia, Southern Spain called Cortijo Las Salinas and from there on a love affair with the house, the country, the traditions and the people of Spain began. A major restoration project was necessary to turn the former run down rural farmhouse into the exceptional and spectacular rural villa it is today.  Steffi can often be seen out on location complete with paint, brushes and canvas and her studio doubl...

Life Stories with Ela Graves

August 09, 2019 09:00 - 55 minutes - 37.9 MB

Ela Graves has lived in or near Órgiva, in Las Alpujarras, for over 38 years and her family has been here for four generations. Ela teaches English and works as an official translator in the Spanish Court system, and she forms part of the Orgiva Consciente that organises events for all forms of Consciousness. Ela was the first woman to be seen riding a motorbike in Las Alpujarras, she sold Chris Stewart his property and is one of the Grandchildren of the author and poet Robert Graves. This...

Life Stories with Karen Considine

July 28, 2019 17:00 - 59 minutes - 40.9 MB

Karen Considine was born and brought up in rural Southern Ireland and it was a lack of family money that lead to Karen leaving Ireland to become an au pair in Paris. A love of languages and adventure resulted in Karen joining the Polo circuit, a career that spanned 30 years and took her to countries all around the world.  A second career in travel journalism took off when Karen had to leave behind the world of Polo due to injury and, following the death of her mother, Karen decided that sou...

Life Stories with Jeremy Ferguson

July 27, 2019 09:00 - 52 minutes - 36.2 MB

Jeremy Ferguson is a taxation, financial planning and investment consultant who has lived on the Costa del Sol since 2002.  His life has been divided between his career in the Financial Services industry and his other passion, racing cars. From an early age, Jeremy loved car racing and it was a serious accident and the need for serious investment that called a halt to racing as a career.  Jeremy talks about his long career in finance, his love of racing cars and the toll that moving to sou...

Life Stories with Scarlett Farrow

July 18, 2019 08:00 - 57 minutes - 39.5 MB

Apart from living in the countryside with easy access to a beautiful city and all that has to offer, amazing travel and periods of living all around the world, Scarlett Farrow’s key love is bringing people of different cultures together around one table, over a meal – to share stories and beliefs. It is the path to true tolerance.  Scarlett is, with her husband Chris, the owner of La Finca del Castillo Arabe, a small boutique hotel in the Valle de Lecrin, Granada Province. Having found a pl...

Life Stories with Kitty Harri

July 13, 2019 09:00 - 58 minutes - 40.3 MB

Kitty Harri is well known for her bestselling novels (writing as Kitty Sewell) and has lived in Spain for 15 years. With her partner Nick, Kitty has created a gorgeous Sculpture Garden in the very rural area to the north of Almuñecar on the Costa Tropical. The two acre Sculpture Garden is the culmination of many years of Kitty's sculpting and other work and, more recently with Nick, planting trees, building walkways and terraces. The garden offers an inspiring and beautiful Alternative Art...

Life Stories with Ann Jenkins

July 07, 2019 13:00 - 1 hour - 41.3 MB

Ann Jenkins is Canadian by birth and now lives in La Herradura on Granada’s Costa Tropical. It is here that Ann and her husband are building a home and from where Ann runs the not-for-profit organisation, Playa Patrol.  Ann talks about her very varied career in the film industry, in banking and then in research and academia. When Ann and her husband decided to quit the corporate rat race, but not quite retire, they discovered the microclimate that La Herradura enjoyed and embarked on anothe...

Life Stories with Jason Newton

June 18, 2019 10:00 - 59 minutes - 41 MB

Jason Newton is a musician, language teacher and positivity coach who lives in the tiny village of Lucainena de las Torres on the edge of the Tabernas desert in Almería.  Music has always been central to Jason’s life. He studied languages as a mature student at university and then had a career in event and marketing management with Virgin and London Transport. However, throughout his youth and adult life, Jason has been writing and performing as a musician.  The TV programme, ‘A Place in ...

Life Stories with Natalie Solgala-Kaz

June 14, 2019 15:00 - 58 minutes - 40.4 MB

Natalie Solgala-Kaz was born and raised in London to Polish Parents. During her 2nd year at university, Natalie saw flamenco being performed for the first time in a Spanish Tapas bar in Covent Garden, and it was a life changing moment! She fell in love with it instantly and went to classes in London for 5 years before making the leap to Spain (Seville) to study it professionally. Natalie was in Triana, Sevilla for 5 years, and moved to Granada (La Zubia) in 2017 . Natalie now runs Flamenco c...

Life Stories with Kitty Shepherd

May 26, 2019 09:00 - 55 minutes - 25.3 MB

Kitty Shepherd is a ceramic artist whose work is currently on show at the Contemporary Ceramics Centre in London, just opposite the British Museum.  Kitty specialises in slipware, the technique of painting on damp clay using coloured slip and through her designs she creates dynamic and joyful works of art that evoke feelings of nostalgia and joy.  Kitty arrived in Spain rather by accident, but the circumstances had a positive and direct effect on her work. Her upbringing might be considere...

Life Stories with David Wright

May 26, 2019 09:00 - 55 minutes - 25.6 MB

David Wright came to Spain with his first wife in search of his dream. Sadly, the new way of life in Spain didn’t work for David’s wife and she returned to the UK leaving David on his own, with a business that got hit by the financial crisis and a house that had to be sold at a greatly reduced price.  However, rather than giving up, David built up his carpentry business, took up dancing classes, tackled Spanish and met his future wife.  Based on his own experiences of living in Spain, Davi...

Life Stories with Gareth Lister

May 06, 2019 13:00 - 57 minutes - 26.2 MB

Gareth Lister was born in York, England where he spent his childhood. After moving to London aged 18 he completed a degree in fine art with a specialism in painting at Chelsea college of art, following this up with an M.A. at the same college a few years later. He now lives and works in Andalucia at the entrance to the Alpujarras high above the spa town of Lanjaron, Spain.  He has exhibited in a variety of shows throughout the United Kingdom and his work is in several collections in the Uni...

Life Stories with Iain Armstrong

April 25, 2019 16:00 - 57 minutes - 26.5 MB

Iain and his partner Amanda run the private yacht charter company, Force 4 Sailing, based in Marina del Este near Almuñecar.  Despite now having what many people might consider to be the perfect job, taking guests sailing along the beautiful Costa Tropical, Iain’s career has been a series of highs and lows. He didn’t excel at school, and had no clear plan as to what he could do for a living, but he knew that he loved sailing. After 3 years in the army, and having learned to sail, Iain spen...

Life Stories with Nick Fudge

April 18, 2019 13:00 - 59 minutes - 27.2 MB

Nick Fudge is a British painter, sculptor and digital artist. He studied at Goldsmiths College in London alongside fellow students such as Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas, Gary Hume and David Landy under the tutorship of Michael Craig-Martin and Jon Thompson. Such was the talent of this emerging group of artists, they attracted the attention of the top London Galleries and investors and collectively they became known as the Young British Artists - a movement that revitalised the contemporary Briti...

Life Stories with Lottie Nevin

April 04, 2019 23:00 - 59 minutes - 27.4 MB

Born in the East End of London but raised in Suffolk, Lottie Nevin was, by her own admission, very badly behaved at school and always in trouble. Her careers teacher said that Lottie would make a 'nice Hotel receptionist'. 40 odd years later Lottie took that teacher’s advice and now runs a B&B in Alcalá La Real, Jaén Province*. Lottie is, however, much more than a hotel receptionist!  She is a talented artist who, with her husband Pete, runs art and printmaking courses from their delightful...

Life Stories with Andy Weames and Juliette Barrett

March 31, 2019 23:00 - 55 minutes - 25.5 MB

Andy Weames and Juliette Barrett have only recently moved out to their new home in Lanjarón to start on their new life together. The young couple have set up the Mountain and Road Biking experience travel company, Ride Southern Spain, and have left the UK behind to live their dream. From as early as he can remember, Andy has always had a love of bikes and his passion continued alongside his career in the construction industry. However, whenever he looked at other biking holiday organisation...

Life Stories with Gym Halama

March 17, 2019 00:00 - 1 hour - 28.6 MB

Gym Halama’s life story is fascinating. Her father was British and her mother Polish, and her early years were spent in London, educated at the French Lycée school. At the age of 8, Gym found her mother’s dead body and this, clearly, had a profound effect on family life. After 3 months at Art School, which Gym found to be stuffy, a career in art and fashion followed boosted by the opportunities that presented themselves on Chelsea’s Kings Road at the time of the sexual revolution. Gym found ...

Life Stories with Jessica McGregor-Johnson

March 05, 2019 00:00 - 55 minutes - 25.6 MB

When Jessica was 31 she thought she had everything she ever wanted. She had the husband, the car, a successful stable job, the thatched cottage with the roses over the door, the multiple holidays. In short, Jessica had everything that was supposed to make her happy, but it didn’t. She felt completely stuck and alone and angry that after all the effort she was deeply unfulfilled and unhappy.  In July 1991 Jessica had the courage to say ‘enough’ to herself, that there must be more to life tha...

Life Stories with Jess Shepherd

March 02, 2019 00:00 - 54 minutes - 24.8 MB

Jess Shepherd is a botanical painter. When she paints plants she tries to become them. There is a great deal of observation involved even before her brushes touch the paper. Jess believes that a good picture is made using not only sight, but also touch, sound, smell and movement. One has to be aware of all of these elements in order to portray the plant well and describe the space that the plant is growing into, both over and underground.  Jess initially trained in botany before committing ...

Life Stories with Fran Rajewski

February 28, 2019 00:00 - 55 minutes - 25.5 MB

President of the palliative care charity, Acompalia, Sound Massage Practitioner, book writer, translator and book-writer.  On top of all this, Fran Rajewski is restoring her home near Jaén. A French born nomad from Italian and Polish origins by my grand-parents, Fran started to travel when she was studying at University, and this travels took her to Poland, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom and Ireland.  She spent 13 years at a conservatoire for music, and even became involved as the sing...

Life Stories with Tom Burns

February 25, 2019 00:00 - 53 minutes - 24.7 MB

Tom Burns is the Chairman of Age Concern Marbella and San Pedro de Alcantara. Tom was born in Donegal and educated in Belfast and it was here that he started his career and his family. However, having seen the ghastly impact and effects of ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland Tom took the opportunity to move his family to London where he schooled his sons and enjoyed a successful career in the insurance industry. In 2002, Tom decided to take retirement and live a life in the sun on the Costa...

Life Stories with Anna Kemp

February 19, 2019 00:00 - 56 minutes - 26.1 MB

Having left Oxford University with a degree in English, Anna Kemp went to Madrid, initially to teach.  With a huge interest in TV and Film, and an urgent desire to learn Spanish, Anna decided to take a video production course, specialising in continuity - the art of ensuring that scenes follow each other without inaccuracies.  Very quickly, this resulted in work within the Spanish TV industry and a very steep learning process, followed by work in film. By chance, whilst working on the film ...

Life Stories with Sarah Yuen

February 18, 2019 00:00 - 57 minutes - 26.3 MB

When Sarah Yuen was growing up, she wanted to be either a journalist or run an orphanage; she chose the former and at the age of 16 she embarked on what turned out to be an incredibly successful and action-packed career.  Talent and opportunity presented Sarah with opportunities as a foreign correspondent in the UK, the Far-East and throughout Europe and in her time as a television reporter, Sarah witnessed many of the world-changing events that took place in the last two decades of the 20t...

Life Stories with Jan Churchill

February 14, 2019 00:00 - 1 hour - 27.6 MB

Jan Churchill has a fascinating CV. He started his career as a car mechanic before moving into rally driving, and his driving career alternated with a career selling wood burning stoves at various times throughout his life to date.  As a rally driver, Jan had a number of brushes with fame in the industry, opened one of the UK’s most successful rally driver training schools in the hills and forests of Wales, and was given a huge business boost by Anneka Rice.  During the course of his caree...

Life Stories with Debbie Williams

January 28, 2019 00:00 - 54 minutes - 25.2 MB

Debbie Williams is the founder of the pro-EU campaigning organisation, Brexpats - Hear our Voice, and is a member of the steering committee of the coalition group, British in Europe.  Debbie was born and brought up in South Wales and she joined the RAF when she left school at 18. She met her future husband at school and the couple both had careers in the armed forces until Debbie’s husband decided to retrain as an IT contractor. The change of career resulted in couple living and working in ...

Life Stories with Russell Nash

January 24, 2019 00:00 - 55 minutes - 25.3 MB

The talent of Russell Nash was recognised at an early age, when he joined the famous Sylvia Young Theatre School. Perfecting his art with roles in television, theatre and as a model, he was a busy professional performer before he had reached fourteenth birthday. Lionel Bart personally cast him for the lead as Dodger in the highly acclaimed musical Oliver and many lead roles followed in both theatre and film. After further training at the Lee Strasberg Studio in the USA, Russell returned to ...

Life Stories with David Baird

January 23, 2019 00:00 - 55 minutes - 25.3 MB

David Baird, journalist and photographer, has worked on newspapers and magazines around the world. For the past 30 years he has made his home in southern Spain, reporting on the Iberian peninsula and North Africa for many publications. Newspapers and magazines which have published his work include The Economist, Boston Globe, Sacramento Bee, International Herald Tribune, Daily Telegraph, The Scotsman, Maclean’s Magazine, Toronto Star, South China Morning Post, Sydney Morning Herald. He has...

Life Stories with Debbie Skyrme

January 06, 2019 12:00 - 58 minutes - 26.7 MB

Debbie Skyrme is a Celebrant who lives in La Herradura on Granada’s Costa Tropical. Debbie and her partner, Jay, have lived in Spain since 2010, firstly renovating an old cortijo in the middle of the countryside before moving to the coast.  Debbie had two very different career paths back in her native UK, firstly as a successful IT Trainer who was once headhunted by Microsoft and then as a Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths. It seems that her empathy and love of a celebration, having...

Life Stories with Gary Williams - a Christmas Special

December 23, 2018 13:00 - 56 minutes - 25.9 MB

“Michael Bublé isn’t the only person keeping the Sinatra Flame alive” so said the London Times of Gary Williams, star of the West End’s “Rat Pack” and soloist with leading big bands and concert orchestras including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Melbourne Symphony, the BBC Big Band, Ireland’s RTE and the Lahti Sinfonia Finland.  Other work includes performing for The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace, ‘That’s Entertainment’ a tribute to the MGM musicals with the John Wilson Orches...

Life Stories with Alan Cuthbertson

December 18, 2018 12:00 - 55 minutes - 25.5 MB

A lifestyle TV programme inspired Alan Cuthbertson to persuade his family to leave everything behind in the UK for a new life in Spain. By his own admission, Alan is impulsive and this probably stems from a childhood during which he suffered from chronic illness. In fact, Alan’s health was so bad during his early school years that doctors feared he would not live beyond his teens. Alan took up karate to tackle his ill-health, and credits his fitness regime with the life he is able to lead t...

Life Stories with Jim and Jiab Wasserman

December 09, 2018 16:00 - 55 minutes - 25.6 MB

Jim and Jiab Wasserman left behind highly successful careers in the US to embark on semi-retirement adventures in Granada; the period in their lives they call their “Third Life”.  Jiab was a credit risk manager working for a major bank, is now semi-retired and a free- lance writer on personal financial. Jim was a former attorney who then taught Humanities (History, Government, Economics, Media Literacy) for 25 years. He is retired and also writes, with a three volume teachers' manual on med...