The event, I’m pleased to say, was highly successful and all tickets were sold well in
advance. In fact, we had to organise extra seating on the night. The charity event for
Maidenhead Heritage raised over £800, plus the sale of over 40 signed copies of
MY FAB YEARS.

It has been a while since I have hosted such an evening and I was not familiar with the
venue. The Norden Farm Centre for the Arts was an excellent choice by Maidenhead
Heritage and proved to be very appropriate for the occasion. Fifty years ago, we first
began our puppet productions in a large house by the river in Maidenhead, just two or
three miles from the Norden Centre. It was a very nostalgic evening with members of
the original team present. It also enabled me to meet up with old friends who had joined
our company in the early days… People like Mary Turner, who headed our brilliant
puppet team, Judith Shutt, one of our talented puppeteers and Keith Wilson, who
later became our talented Art Director for later productions.

It was evident by the atmosphere of the evening that the audience had great fondness
for our shows and the era we were celebrating. I was able to present the showreel
going back to the early days of FOUR FEATHER FALLS up to the more sophisticated
Supermarionation shows, including, of course, THUNDERBIRDS and the two
THUNDERBIRD MOVIES. Richard Poad, the Chairman of Maidenhead Heritage,
was an excellent interviewer quoting passages from my book covering all the years,
right up to the present day.

The question and answer session gave me an opportunity to meet many of the fans
going back over the years. It was fascinating, the number of personal stories that
were related to me, including the couple who were living in the house where our original
filming took place. I jokingly asked them if the ballroom that acted as our Shooting Stage
had a blue plaque commemorating the birth of the Anderson saga! There was even an
original BRAINS puppet in perfect condition, inherited by a member of the production
team who was now living abroad, but lovingly stored by a relative.

At the end of the talk we had organised a book signing session of MY FAB YEARS
that gave me another opportunity to meet and talk with members of the audience,
who patiently stood in line for the signing. In fact, we sold out all the books we had
brought with us and took orders for a further batch of books!

On a personal note, I was touched by the warmth of the reception I received and the
obvious affection that still exists for our work.

Finally, a big thank you to those of you who braved the cold and supported me.

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