Inside Salisbury: Warning to protect loved ones + Get the scoop on The 39 Steps
Inside Salisbury interviews the cast of The 39 Steps
A story on SKY News today will likely resonate with some as it did with me as it outlined the vulnerability of the elderly or those requiring care.
The news piece revealed the story of a nurse who had targeted a patient to gain financially. While many carers or those in the medical profession are honest and committed to caring for others, there are those who use vulnerability as a way to gain.
We often think that these things happen to others, that it doesn’t happen in a place like Salisbury, but it does.
My mother was vulnerable. She had suffered severe rheumatoid arthritis, eventually had her lower legs amputated and was housebound, and in a wheelchair. She was dependent on carers coming in daily.
As much as I spent a great deal of time with her, helping her navigate the world of benefits and care packages, she was still alone for much of her time. She was physically disabled, but her mind was sharp.
When she told me she thought money was being taken from her, I believed her. Mentally, she could run rings around most people.
She had put the loss of £10 or £20 down to overspending or that carers may have been given the wrong change. My mother was all about giving the benefit of the doubt. She was honest, had deep integrity and still helped people despite her own ill health, that others could be stealing from her was unfathomable. Yet, it happened.
We needed evidence.
After our conversation, she monitored her weekly money and tried to be nearby if the carers needed to access the locked money box. Unbeknown to them, she kept receipts and made a note of her outgoings. The proof became obvious, she was losing a lot of money. Yes, it was £10 or £20 here and there, but over the month, it added up and these were funds she could not afford to lose.
As she had different carers, it was not easy to determine who was doing this.
I called the police and they marked her money so that it would be possible to catch the culprit. It didn’t take long.
The carer was employed by an agency but had already been in prison for stealing from vulnerable people in her care. The agency had not done its due diligence because it should never have employed an individual with a criminal record. Apologies were made but only because she had been caught out.
It made me think about those who do not have family members to support them.
Since that time, I have heard similar stories from other people who have been targeted. It is not just elderly people at risk, but those who are in pain, those who have lost control of their lives and who depend upon others for help.
It is a staggering abuse of power and I would urge anyone who has a vulnerable loved one to be vigilant.
If this resonates with you and you would like to share your own story, please email us.
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Annette J Beveridge
Email: contact@insidesalisbury.uk
A thrilling adventure awaits fans of intrigue and an abundant dollop of comedy
ALFRED Hitchcock’s spy thriller The 39 Steps will soon be wowing fans in a new hilarious stage adaptation at Salisbury Playhouse, but the pressure is on as the cast had just three weeks to polish up their performance.
Set in the 1930s, the production promises to be a thrilling adventure of romantic encounters and daring antics racing from the streets of London to the remote Scottish Islands.
With their schedule being so tight, it was a pleasure to have some time with them and to find out more about the action behind the scenes.
Mateo Oxley plays protagonist Richard Hannay.
He said: “I had seen the show before and the character really appealed to me. There’s so much movement, it is almost choreography. It’s his story, and he is almost conjuring the other characters to fill the narrative but he’s not a James Bond character. He’s not a spy, he’s a little bit innocent, but he becomes embroiled in the spy story and has to take up the mantle.
“But what makes him really interesting is that he is a fallible, relatable man who is not that slick.”
Mei Mei Macleod plays three characters including Annabelle Schmidt who is a German spy.
Mei Mei said: “He [Richard} is taken by her character, but he doesn’t believe that she’s a spy. He thinks it is some sort of game. The second character is Margaret, a Scottish farmer’s wife. She is Harry’s saviour, he’s on the run, and she saves him. The third character is Pamela and she loves him but hates him. There is something that keeps her close.
Mei Mei admitted that Pamela is fun to play.
“There’s a lot of bickering and blazing rows. I’m really lucky that I get to play these very diverse women.”
Phil Yarrow and Danielle Bird cover a multitude of roles within the show which means making seamless transitions between the characters.
Danielle said: “The concept of the play rather than the film is very theatrical and shows the backstage elements of it but we are honouring the romance, the thriller and the murder mystery and flipping it with a lightness of touch.
“You have to be playful big and bold immediately, and you have to work collaboratively and that forces you to arrive at choices and commit to them. As rehearsals go on, it becomes slicker. It should be a really good night out.”
Phil said: “Some of the characters we play are integral and some are there to make a noise. It has been a bleak time, but to come to the theatre, to have a really good laugh and to see us working our socks off, and appreciate that, it’s good.”
With a small cast, the actors must all gel with each other to bring the best performances possible for the audience. Director Ryan McBride mentioned it was something he considered when casting for the role.
Director Ryan McBryde explained the extent of his role.
He said: “We are often given the play by the venue. They ask if we would like to come and direct this. It is my job with the help of an amazing creative team to conceive the production, so I will make the decision about what the set looks like, I’ll bring onboard the lighting and sound designer.
“I will give it the vision and then we’ll bring the actors in. As you go along, you meet these incredibly talented people and it’s my job, I suppose, to sift for gold. I can read a script and see it jump off a page, and I do this with everything, even books.”
He added: “There’s a lot of discussion between us [assistant director] and finding someone you trust is really important.”
Assistant director, Fiona Munro agreed.
She said: “My role is to support Ryan. That might mean taking actors to one side and running lines with them while he focuses on a scene. I’m another pair of eyes in the room. I’m the sounding board.”
Every actor must work together for the greater good and perhaps one unsung hero who may never take to the stage is Charlotte Bloomsbury who is the offstage swing [understudy] who has to be word-perfect in all of the roles in case the unimaginable happens.
She said: “I’m covering all four parts. It is a lot to learn and feels quite daunting right now but I knew what I was taking on and wrestled with my decision.
“I do love a challenge.”
The 39 Steps opens on Thursday, February 13 until Saturday, March 8. It is available to all from the age of 7+.
Tickets are available here.
Photo One: Group Photo Two: Mei Mei Macleod and Mateo Oxley Photo Three: Danielle Bird, Phil Yarrow and Charlotte Bloomsbury Photo Four: Ryan McBride and Fiona Munro