Taken from the Impartial Reporter (Thursday 2nd October 2008).

By Rodney Edwards
e-mail: rodney@rodneyedwards.co.uk

Former Fermanagh man Lawson Woodside has had a difficult life.

His story is sad, heartrending but most of all, terribly poignant. Here is a man that was homeless for 14 years, sectioned in eight different mental hospitals and waited a staggering 29 years before he had his own place to live. And now after a lifetime of illness, his sad and lonely struggle with schizophrenia continues.

“I really want the voices to stop,” pleads Lawson, still haunted most days by voices in his head. “The voices scream my surname; ‘Woodside, Woodside, Woodside’ they say. I want them to go away, I really do.”

Lawson reacts to the voices; “Sometimes I talk to them,” he whispers, before getting louder; “Sometimes I shout at them to make them go away. I shout at the person next door; ‘I’ve never heard you say a word,’” I’d shout, to my 99 year old neighbour. “I’ve never heard you say a word since you came here, although I know you’ve spoken before in your flat but in a low voice.” I’d say things like that, you know, in hope that the voices stop but they don’t.” he said.

He lives alone in a tiny flat in Belfast now. He’s hardly old; just 55 but the effects of his deeply troubled life have taken their toll. He smokes 70 cigarettes a day and spends his days painting, “I hope to hold my own art exhibition one day.”

Lawson believes his schizophrenia will never be cured; “I don’t even think the doctors know what it is, it’s an incurable illness.” he says.

Born in Belfast in 1953, Lawson moved with his parents to Enniskillen in 1957.

Lawson’s father George was a “hard-drinking” civil servant in H.M. Customs and Excise, his mother Agnes (nee: Finlay) was an “old-fashioned” housewife.

“Mum didn’t drink herself and hated my father drinking. They would physically fight. Why was he so pathetic? My mother was hysterical. I didn’t understand what was going on. I was early teens, it spoiled my life. I just wished my parents were normal like everybody else’s parents.” he said.

As a young boy, Lawson struggled with loneliness and isolation from his mother; “She never said ‘I love you’ and never gave me a hug. I was the little nit that got custard to eat; she gave me the burnt offerings.”

Lawson attended the Model Primary School and Portora Royal School in Enniskillen and the University of York. “Times at the Model were tough. I didn’t just want to focus on the school work. I think at that age I wanted some sort of social life, I was lonely and wanted a friend.”

Witnessing trouble at home and rejection from groups at both schools had a big impact on Lawson’s life. “It made me become verbally violent - but I did physically hit my mother and father as well, I thought I could take them on.”

But Lawson has regretted hitting his parents ever since. “I felt I was full of mental illness and my parents were full of mental illness. I thought there was mental illness everywhere. When dad died, I helped bury him at his funeral. The twisted knotted rope slid through my fingers as the box was lowered into the earthy pit. Now there was just me and my mother. I regretted hitting her.”

Lawson entered St Luke’s mental hospital in Armagh in 1977 after an interrogation with police; “I was arrested earlier in the night for knocking on a vicar’s door but wasn’t charged. The police were called because some kids were throwing stones at his window. I was innocent. A Sergeant told a policeman to shoot me if I moved, the next thing I know, the police psychiatrist declared I was a schizophrenic, I was injected and woke up in a mental hospital.”

Lawson was to stay in a further seven mental hospitals for the next 14 years, including; The Downshire in Downpatrick, the Holywell hospital in Carrickfergus, the T&F in Omagh (twice), Springfield Hospital in Tooting, a hospital in Bradford and one in Canterbury.

“I was admitted to the hospital in Tooting because I was homeless and had a criminal record. I stole £3.97 worth of food from Liptons Supermarket when the DHSS wouldn’t give me any supplementary benefit because I hadn’t a proper address. I used to steal pork pies or cereal because I didn’t have any money.” he admits.

In one of the hospitals, an old man would urinate in Lawson’s wardrobe; “He fiddled around in the middle of the night, I awoke to find him urinating all over my clothes. In another hospital, a man came to visit his wife and she kept hitting his head off the wall. I heard the screams; there was blood all over the wall and bed. I was appalled by the people around me and company I had to keep. And I was scared of getting electric compulsive therapy where you would be given electric shocks through the brain.”

After further medical help, a much healthier Lawson was placed in Clearwater House, a hostel in Belfast in 1996 until 2003. He continued with hospital emissions for three months at a time before finally getting his own flat in 2004. He was then formally diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia. “I think I am better than I will ever be now, I don’t think there’s anything such as a recovery. I just hope for the best and hope that’ll I’ll be happy in my life.”

Lawson has found writing about his life therapeutic. His first book, called ‘Autobiography of an ordinary public schoolboy’ published by Shanway Press, is to be released later this year.

Taken from the Sunday Life, Sunday 3rd August 2008

e-mail: rodney@rodneyedwards.co.uk

Kian’s plea over knife crime

By Rodney Edwards

Westlife star Kian Egan last night appealed to Ulster youngsters not to get involved in knife crime. In an exclusive interview, the Irish singer became the latest big name to join the fight against the spiralling number of stabbings being reported in the UK and Ireland.

Pop pin-up Kian, who is engaged to gorgeous actress Jodi Albert, said: “I’ve just came back from a holiday and we turned on the news and saw that another young guy was stabbed in London.

“It’s disgusting and disgraceful that so many young people are being murdered. Whether it’s with knives or anything else, something needs to be done about it. Everybody knows that — something really has to be done to sort it out once and for all.”

Last month the PSNI revealed knife crime in the province has increased by almost ten per cent between last year and the previous year.

The figures were released as the police re-launched a campaign against knife crime here. The drive, which is aimed at boys and young men between 11 and 18, includes cinema, radio and poster advertisements.

Kian made his emotional appeal to young people, asking them to “just get away from it”, saying: “Picture something better for your life, don’t settle for second best. Find yourself a good hobby and good friends, go and make a career for yourself, look at yourself as someone who is up-and-coming in the world, who is going to have a good, long successful life.”

His band Westlife are on a year’s break but Kian added: “Westlife are not a political band but if there’s anything we can do to help, we would.

“We would sign our name to anything that helps sort out this mess. We would help with any worthy campaign that is for a good cause and this is something we think is worthy.”

In March 2001 Kian himself was a victim of thuggish behaviour when he was attacked, as he walked around Sligo with friends, by two yobs he had previously gone to school with.

Whether it’s relaxing in his Porsche, Jeep or brand new campervan the Sligo man is enjoying his break from one of the world’s biggest bands and spending more and more quality time with fiancee Jodi.

He popped the question on Christmas Day and the happy couple plan to tie the knot next year.

“We are simple people, it’s going to be a simple occasion. And we will have good tunes playing all the time.”

As the band enjoy their time apart, Kian is kept busy, having just teamed up with manager Louis Walsh to find the Irish equivalent of Girls Aloud. Last weekend the pair held open auditions in Dublin and his fiancee Jodi is already being tipped as one of the girl band singers.

Kian told us: “I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to do something different. My role is going to be very simple — I’m going to be helping the band themselves. I’m going to be with them most of the time, trying to show them the ropes of the music industry and guide them on their journey – hopefully to the top of the charts.

“Louis is going to be involved in the record label and all the decision making. This is my first project outside Westlife.”

But the search for Ireland’s new girl band will not be televised: “It’s going to be more a case of finding real talent and taking them away without anybody seeing them, before launching them as the next big girl band. I think going down the reality TV line is probably a bit common at the minute. I think to try and do what we’re doing on TV would just get lost and that’s not necessary how we want to do it. We want to find the next big Irish girl band,” Kian said.

Taken from the Impartial Reporter, 24th April 2008.

Alan’s Marathon Bid

e-mail: rodney@rodneyedwards.co.uk

After suffering a heart attack in 2003; Fermanagh man, Alan Patterson has been determined to change his lifestyle ever since and will run his fourth Belfast Marathon next month.

Through years of binging on unhealthy foods and drinks; the electrician from Clabby used to weigh a whopping 19 stone; “The foods I used to eat were awful, and it shames me to say. I wouldn’t have any breakfast. I’d have two packets of crisps every day with my sandwiches, chocolate bars and no fruit at all. For dinner I would eat carry out food really late at night. It would be 10pm, maybe 11pm before I would get the food and I would also fry my own food to eat along with this. I’d be eating a mountain of fried food around midnight every night. Burgers, chips - at least 2 portions, sausages and fizzy drinks – around 2 litres of 7up a day.

Alan’s weight was getting so out of control that it started to affect his work; ““Before the heart attack when I was so big, I used to get stuck in trap doors and inside roof spaces. This is a central part of my job and it began to worry me. I found it hard to climb the ladders and even at home, mowing the lawn I was really out of breath. I began to realise that my lifestyle wasn’t good but I just couldn’t get motivated to make any change.” he says.

Even Alan’s devoted family, couldn’t convince him to admit he had a problem with his weight – he was adamant that he didn’t need to change his ways; “My family were always at me to lose weight, always. I never really worried about being 19 stone to be honest. I knew I was big but it never worried me. It would just go in one ear and out the other.” says Alan.

In July 2003, Alan dropped wife Laura and daughter Alanna off at Belfast airport as they were flying to Australia to visit a relative. Shortly after returning home on his own, Alan suffered a heart attack; “I was sad to see them away. That night, I started to get pain in my chest which moved down into my arms. It became more severe – tighter and sorer. I was becoming out of breath. My mother rang to see if there was any word from Laura on her journey and when speaking to me she realised there was something wrong with me straight away. She knew it was my heart. She told me not to worry, that everything would be alright. She immediately rang the ambulance and told me to try to get to the door to make sure it was unlocked. Mum rang my neighbours to come round who were quickly followed by my brother and the doctor. By this stage I was feeling panicked and dizzy and just very unwell. I had such bad chest pain, I thought I might die, I was on my own and wasn’t sure what was happening. I felt more at ease the ambulance was here and I was in hospital, I knew I was in safe hands then. In the hospital I got injections, set up on a heart monitor and was there for seven days having tests to assess the source.”

He was then sent to Belfast City Hospital were further tests were carried out and he had an operation for a stent to be fitted; “It was difficult making contact with Laura and Alanna as they were still in the air flying to Australia – I didn’t know whether to tell them or not as I really didn’t want to spoil their holiday. I decided to contact them three days later as it was better they knew I was OK.”

Alan’s heart attack was his wake up call, he realised it was a sign to change and through a massive amount of determination, he really has changed his life for the better; “I’ve lost 7.5 stone now and I find my work much easier. I was told to take up some exercise for the good of my health and mainly to lose weight. I began with some gentle walking, five miles a day for about a year. Then this turned into jogging and running the five miles. Gradually as time went on, Alan could feel himself becoming fitter and more able to run further; “My weight came down as a result of this. I also changed my eating habits dramatically. I cut out all the fatty foods I was eating before and replaced these with salads, fruit and veg. I wouldn’t eat late at night and started to eat breakfasts”.

On May 5th, Alan, who celebrated his 50th birthday in November, will run the Belfast Marathon; “In early 2005 I started to train for the marathon. Everyone I knew thought I was mad and couldn’t believe I was going to do it. I trained every day, building up my hours and miles running so I could achieve my goal. I completed my first marathon in 4.5 hours and was very pleased but my best time was 3.43. I have now got the marathon bug!” laughs Alan.

Alan is running in aide of the Chest, Heart and Stroke Association and is hoping to raise a lot of money for the charity; “It’s very personal to me. I get such a sense of achievement from crossing the finish line – all 26.2 miles. I’d be really grateful if anyone could help this charity and sponsor my running. My diet and lifestyle nearly killed me until I had that warning. Not everyone is so lucky to get that warning.”

Sponsor Alan by picking up a sponsor form at Vibe FM, Intec Centre, East Bridge Street, Enniskillen or call 028 66 343 944 for more details.

I was interviewed in the Press Gazette last month by fellow freelance journalist Linda Jones.

The piece offers some advice for anyone thinking about getting into freelance journalism.

Ronan Keating on the record

By Rodney Edwards

There I was browsing the wide range of delectable breakfast cereals in a local grocery store when my mobile phone went.

Mesmerised by the abundant amount of oat based chocolate coated products in front of me, I answered the call with a disorientated grunt; “Eh, hello?” “Ock hello Rodney, its Ronan Keating here,” came the rather courteous reply; “Oh hello Ronan,” I whispered, sounding totally uninterested as I eyed up a packet of Coco Pops, “Do you want me to ring you back?,” asked Ronan, sounding concerned that something was actually up; “Em, aye, would you?” I said, without hesitation; “I’m a little preoccupied at the moment to be honest.”

And so that was that, and I made my way to the checkout with a packet of Choco Rocks under my arm and Ronan probably got back to watching Bargain Hunt or reruns of Top of the Pops from the 90’s. A few minutes later he phoned back again and it was time to talk – once the pleasantries were out of the way I wanted to know if Boyzone were getting back together or not because (ex manager) Louis bloomin’ Walsh won’t stop blathering on about it; “Boyzone are not coming back. No matter what is said in the press, I’d happily go down to the bookies in the morning and bet that it’s not going to happen.” said a defiant Ronan, quashing rumours that his old band are to return to the pop scene after much speculation in the press over the last year.

The Irish star also believes reformed Take That are the undisputed Kings of Pop; “Take That are the best. They are amazing, I went to see them when they played in Dublin and was just blown away by how phenomenal they were. Everything about them was just amazing and I was very impressed, not many bands can compare to them.”

Not even Boyzone? In just six amazing years, Boyzone knocked up 16 consecutive top five hits and six number ones - including “Words”, “All That I Need” and “No Matter What” and they even sold a staggering15 million albums worldwide. Boyzone were the biggest boy band on the planet and Ronan along with Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham and Stephen Gately were untouchable. “We made it up as we went along,” says Ronan. “It was rock ‘n’ roll. We weren’t throwing TVs out of windows but we’d be up all hours drinking every night. Next morning we’d get on the plane drunk. It was full on. There were parties thrown for us after every gig, money thrown at us - all sorts.”

But it wasn’t to last forever as Boyzone split in 1999 when Ronan walked out to go solo. Initially it was supposed to be a temporary break but after his solo career rocketed particularly following the massive success of “When You Say Nothing At All”, part of the soundtrack to Notting Hill, plus a hit album he never returned.

And why bother? His solo career has propelled him into mega stardom and shows no signs of diminishing, Clocking up a total of 14 top ten singles (most of them covers), Ronan has had big success with hits such as “Life is a Rollercoaster”, “The Long Goodbye”, and “If Tomorrow Never Comes”, as well as three number one albums in addition to his previous success with the group - plus he’s had no singles which have charted outside of the top ten.

He also believes his last album ‘Bring You Home’ is the best record he’s ever made; “I think my strengths in music are my ballads so I made the best record I could about love songs which I know I’m best at. It’s full of heart and soul and the inspiration came from my life and my imagination. I don’t need to do or say things to place me in a position where I look a bit cooler. I wanted to be Jon Bon Jovi and Bono. But I’m not that cool. I don’t need to be. I’m not a rock star. I am who I am.” He said.

In the past Ronan has collaborated with some big names in music, the likes of Yusef Islam, Leann Rimes and Lulu but wants to try and move his popular duets to a whole new direction; “The next time I do a duet I want to try something different. I’d like to work with Kayne West or Mary J Blige because of their diversity and how different they are to me - Kayne is just brilliant. I don’t want to work with the likes of Will Young because duets are about collaborating with people who are from a different world than you.”

When Ronan fell out with former manager and X Factor judge Louis Walsh it was one of the most spectacular celeb fallings out of all time. Ronan says the music mogul destroyed their close bond when he started talking about him negatively in the press, labelling him ‘a lot like Cliff Richard’ and accusing him of ‘not being able to sing,’ so it’s fair to say it looks like the ongoing feud will never be resolved; “I have no reason to want to go and meet up with Louis.” says Ronan. “If he comes up and says sorry then I’ll shake his hand and let bygones be bygones. He’s said a lot of things about me and I feel embarrassed for him. My music is doing well, my records are selling, my tours sell out and I’m back on top again and if he wants to keep saying those things about me then fine but I feel really sorry for him.”

With fellow Irish megastars Bono and Bob Geldof constantly trying to save the world, has Ronan any wish to set down his microphone and go and join them? “No. I wouldn’t know what to do but I do think what they are doing is great. Bono doesn’t care about the negative press because he’s helping save lives. Bono and Bob are incredibly intellectual and well educated and they are both using their privileged positions to try and help people so I think it’s better for the world we live in.” finishes Ronan.

Ronan Keating’s contribution to music is a lot like Natasha Kaplinsky – dull and lifeless; but he’s still a pleasant chap that’s made millions from old ladies buying his stuff, so he must be doing something right.

Heavyweight singer Beth Ditto caused outrage when she waded into the Lily Allen-Cheryl Cole war last month.

The Gossip star launched a foul-mouthed tirade in response to comments made by Cheryl Cole against Lily Allen.

And in this exclusive piece of audio, you can finally hear a bit of my interview with Ditto and find out exactly why some of it did (and didn’t) make headlines…

Warning: Contains strong language.

© Copyright 2007 Rodney Edwards (www.rodneyedwards.co.uk) all rights reserved