Forum for former BBC staff

Forum for former BBC staff
http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> Notices, obituaries and tributes >> Sandy Martin http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1300715386 Message started by Administrator on Mar 21^st, 2011, 1:50pm

Title: Sandy Martin
Post by Administrator on Mar 21^st, 2011, 1:50pm

Tributes have been made to former GWR and BBC Wiltshire presenter Sandy Martin who has died at the age of 53.

Sandy was diagnosed with a brain tumour in November of last year and passed away on Thursday evening, and is survived by his wife, young twins and a grown-up daughter.

BBC Wiltshire editor Tony Worgan said: "Although we’ve known for a few months that Sandy has been seriously ill, it still comes as a great shock to everyone at BBC Wiltshire. One thing people always noticed about Sandy was his infectious, never ending enthusiasm.

"I appointed Sandy as a member of the BBC Wiltshire management team 10 years ago and since then he has been a great support and loyal ally and I shall miss him very much.”

BBC Wiltshire Assistant Editor Shaun Hodgetts: "Our thoughts are with his wife Sarah and their family. "Sandy has been a trusted & loyal friend for more than 25 years. "He was so popular, so full of energy and so passionate about his work.

"He brought the very best out of his guests, from the likes of Jamie Cullum and Justin Hayward to the man on the street he'd only just met."

Source:-
http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.6840.12

Title: Re: Sandy Martin
Post by Administrator on Mar 21^st, 2011, 1:53pm

This is from Ariel.

The popular presenter, who was married with two-year old twins and also had a grown-up daughter, was taken ill at the beginning of November and diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Station editor Tony Worgan said although the serious nature of Martin's illness had been known for some time, his death had still come as 'a great shock' to everyone.

'One thing people always noticed about Sandy was his infectious, never ending enthusiasm,' he said. 'He made thinking positively into an art form.'

Helen Boaden, director of News, said: 'All of our thoughts are with his family especially his young children and young widow... He was a very special broadcaster, a very special interviewer and story-teller, and a lovely man.'

Christmas special
David Holdsworth, controller, English Regions, said Martin was the kind of person 'everyone wanted to talk to' and that he had made a 'huge contribution' to the BBC and to local life in Wiltshire.

Even singer Midge Ure paid tribute, recalling how Martin had contacted him after seeing him perform his one-man act and asked if he would give a repeat performance so he could record it as a Christmas special.

'I don't know how, but he managed to pull off a very honest, relaxed, impromptu live performance because he was that kind of character - very easy going and he just had a way of pulling magic out of the bag when it was necessary.'

Book of condolence
Ure continued: 'He spotted things that were just great radio - and it was the sort of stuff that usually I would just dismiss. But he had this lovely enthusiasm that just rubbed off on me, and I'm sure on other artists he spoke to.'

Most recently Martin had been BBC Wiltshire 'Man with a Van', out on the streets gathering powerful, emotional interviews which were broadcast as 'Your Stories from Your Place'.

A book of condolence has opened in the reception of BBC Wiltshire in Swindon.

Source:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ariel/12789449