HAVING recently set up his own business, with help from the government’s New Deal for Disabled People scheme, 50-year-old Glenn Willis is enjoying life in Lyme where he lives with partner Catherine and their seven-year-old Staffy, Buster.Having had a variety of jobs during his life, mainly in the electronics or engineering industries, the internet DJ has also been a key figure in Lyme’s youth work, a sector he has been part of for the past 25 years having started as a volunteer in youth café.
From there he ended up running all 14 Information, Advice and Guidance Centres in Northamptonshire.
This experience has not only benefitted InSPARation, but the voluntary youth sector in the county.
AS chair of InSPARation Cafe, do you feel it’s important to reopen the youth club on Church Street?
I think it is important that we get some form of full-time youth facility open in the town. The Church Street premises would seem to be the logical option, given that that is what it is intended as.
IS there enough provision for the youth of Lyme Regis, especially after recent newspaper reports?
There is nowhere near enough youth provision in the town. The newspaper reports have highlighted what those of us involved with young people in the town have known all along. As well as a dedicated youth club, I’d like this to be the year that Lyme Regis gets the skate park that it’s been promised for 20 years. I’d also like to see a dedicated information, advice and guidance facility for the young people in town, in parallel to the youth club, servicing the physical, emotional and mental well being of the young people.
WHAT things would you like to see changed in the town?
Obviously I would like to see the young people of the town given better provision. It would be great if, as well as a youth club, we could put up some “Pods” for young people to congregate and meet in. I’d also like to see the Three Cups Hotel re-opened as a hotel. It’s a big shame that this beautiful building has been allowed to deteriorate.
WHAT is it you most enjoy about living in the town?
The main thing I enjoy about living in Lyme is the friendliness of the town and the people. In Kettering, where I come from, if you were to say hello to a stranger in the street, they would look at you like you have two heads! The people of Lyme have been very welcoming towards me, especially after my accident 18-months-ago.
YOU lost a leg in a motorcycle accident 18-months-ago but are keen to get back in the saddle. What draws you to the motorcycle?
I’ve been a biker since I was old enough to ride my first motorcycle. I enjoy the freedom that you get in the saddle and the camaraderie of bikers in general. Following my accident, I joined the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). A camping field full of bikers with arms and legs missing (I have the bottom part of my right leg missing) is not a good advert for biking, but it underlines the determination of bikers to just get on with life. Also, bikers do a lot of work for charity. Having that freedom makes you more appreciative of the good things in life and more determined to help those less fortunate than yourself.
YOU also host a weekly show on the internet for bikers. Can you explain a little bit about the show?
The show is a rock show on www.bikerfm.co.uk, on Tuesday evenings from 6 till 9pm. It’s not a heavy rock show, but it covers everything from Bon Jovi to ZZ Top. The ethos is that people can email or MSN requests in to the show and I’ll play what they want, as long as I have it. I do the show from my lounge and stream it on the Internet. We have listeners all over the world. Like-minded people who can get together online for a few hours. The station was set up by a chap from Chippenham and we have DJs all over the country. It’s one example of how computers have made the world a smaller, friendlier place.
WHAT is your favourite band and why?
That’s a hard one. I have so many ‘favourite’ bands, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be Meatloaf. I love his voice and I love the lyrics, written by Jim Steinman. Their songs have got me through a lot over the years!
IF you could invite three people from throughout history to a dinner party, who would you choose and why?
I would start with Albert Einstein. For a man with little formal education to begin with he achieved so much in his life and is a true inspiration to me. I would also like to meet Boudicca and find out first hand the truth behind the legend. Finally, I’d love to have met Erwin Hubble. Hubble was the man, after whom the famous space telescope was named.
IF you won the lottery, what three things would you buy first and why?
The Three Cups Hotel, to get it re-opened, the old Boys Club on Church Street, for the same reason and a new Harley Davidson, because I miss mine.
IF you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want to take with you and why?
My mobile phone, which has my life in it, some books because I can’t get by without something to read and my partner Catherine, who has been my rock since my accident.
I think it is important that we get some form of full-time youth facility open in the town. The Church Street premises would seem to be the logical option, given that that is what it is intended as.
IS there enough provision for the youth of Lyme Regis, especially after recent newspaper reports?
There is nowhere near enough youth provision in the town. The newspaper reports have highlighted what those of us involved with young people in the town have known all along. As well as a dedicated youth club, I’d like this to be the year that Lyme Regis gets the skate park that it’s been promised for 20 years. I’d also like to see a dedicated information, advice and guidance facility for the young people in town, in parallel to the youth club, servicing the physical, emotional and mental well being of the young people.
WHAT things would you like to see changed in the town?
Obviously I would like to see the young people of the town given better provision. It would be great if, as well as a youth club, we could put up some “Pods” for young people to congregate and meet in. I’d also like to see the Three Cups Hotel re-opened as a hotel. It’s a big shame that this beautiful building has been allowed to deteriorate.
WHAT is it you most enjoy about living in the town?
The main thing I enjoy about living in Lyme is the friendliness of the town and the people. In Kettering, where I come from, if you were to say hello to a stranger in the street, they would look at you like you have two heads! The people of Lyme have been very welcoming towards me, especially after my accident 18-months-ago.
YOU lost a leg in a motorcycle accident 18-months-ago but are keen to get back in the saddle. What draws you to the motorcycle?
I’ve been a biker since I was old enough to ride my first motorcycle. I enjoy the freedom that you get in the saddle and the camaraderie of bikers in general. Following my accident, I joined the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). A camping field full of bikers with arms and legs missing (I have the bottom part of my right leg missing) is not a good advert for biking, but it underlines the determination of bikers to just get on with life. Also, bikers do a lot of work for charity. Having that freedom makes you more appreciative of the good things in life and more determined to help those less fortunate than yourself.
YOU also host a weekly show on the internet for bikers. Can you explain a little bit about the show?
The show is a rock show on www.bikerfm.co.uk, on Tuesday evenings from 6 till 9pm. It’s not a heavy rock show, but it covers everything from Bon Jovi to ZZ Top. The ethos is that people can email or MSN requests in to the show and I’ll play what they want, as long as I have it. I do the show from my lounge and stream it on the Internet. We have listeners all over the world. Like-minded people who can get together online for a few hours. The station was set up by a chap from Chippenham and we have DJs all over the country. It’s one example of how computers have made the world a smaller, friendlier place.
WHAT is your favourite band and why?
That’s a hard one. I have so many ‘favourite’ bands, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be Meatloaf. I love his voice and I love the lyrics, written by Jim Steinman. Their songs have got me through a lot over the years!
IF you could invite three people from throughout history to a dinner party, who would you choose and why?
I would start with Albert Einstein. For a man with little formal education to begin with he achieved so much in his life and is a true inspiration to me. I would also like to meet Boudicca and find out first hand the truth behind the legend. Finally, I’d love to have met Erwin Hubble. Hubble was the man, after whom the famous space telescope was named.
IF you won the lottery, what three things would you buy first and why?
The Three Cups Hotel, to get it re-opened, the old Boys Club on Church Street, for the same reason and a new Harley Davidson, because I miss mine.
IF you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want to take with you and why?
My mobile phone, which has my life in it, some books because I can’t get by without something to read and my partner Catherine, who has been my rock since my accident.
www.viewfromonline.co.uk
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