Had I been born in the USA, it is almost certain that I would have been aware of the programme "Mr Rogers' Neighbourhood" although, as I was 16 when it started, I would probably have been a little too old to have watched it.
The programme ran from 1968 until 2001 - that's an amazing 33 years on a very simple theme - being honest with children.
It was a good idea but on its own would have had limited appeal. The ace card was the presenter Fred Rogers, wonderfully portrayed by Hanks in the film.
Rogers has been described as "the kindest human being that ever lived" and, whilst that may need a massive leap of faith to believe it, there is no doubt that Rogers had a profound affect on the lives of thousands of children.
If you have watched the Hanks' film you might be forgiven for thinking "nobody could be that kind." Being the anorak that I am I wanted to know more about Rogers the person. So I watched numerous interviews with him and also a lengthy documentary and it appears that yes he was as good as he has been portrayed.
Family and former workmates all had the same message: "Fred Rogers was exactly the same off screen as he was on." Here was a lovely guy who adored children and found a way to speak to them on a human level, as though he was a trusted and loved uncle.
Apparently he answered every single letter sent to him, writing in his own hand and being upset if he fell behind with his correspondence. In the street when he was recognised (and that was all the time) he always stopped to have a chat and sign autographs.
There were also lovely stories of him phoning people up just to say hello, keeping in touch with virtually everyone he met. Fred loved to take photographs of everyone. He would then get them developed and framed and send them to those featured.
Apparently Fred was a tough man to interview - not because he was evasive or difficult but because he was so nice that he deflected questions about himself by taking a great interest in the questioner. One of the people featured in the documentary had a meeting with Fred to talk about what he thought was the funding levels for the show. "We ended up talking about our families, our friends and our lives. Money was never mentioned," he said. Mind you Fred got the money needed.
Even in my life I have people who listen and people who talk. Some just can't wait to put their own point of view, but others listen and want to hear what you've got to say. These are the kind people who I value. Often they have their own problems and fears but they just want to know how you are.
Fred Rogers dealt in tough subjects with his young audience. He talked about death, divorce, abuse and much more but he did it in language that they could understand using songs and puppets. He did it from the cosiness of a television set made to look like his home and every edition began with him changing from a jacket into a comfy cardigan and changing his smart shoes for trainers. It was felt that this "ritual" would resonate with young people and bring them a feeling of normality and calm. Above all Fred's message was simple "everyone is unique and should be loved for what they are."
We all need somebody who we feel speaks to us directly. For thousands (if not millions) of Americans growing up that someone was Fred Rogers and there's so much we can learn from him today - how to be kind, how to listen, how to communicate and how to care. Tomorrow I will tell you about a singer-songwriter who I feel speaks to me.
Sadly Fred Rogers' ideals of kindness, love and communication seem to be lost in modern day America where they have a president with apparently little moral fibre. At this difficult time we need more Fred Rogers and fewer Donald Trumps.
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I was delighted to have my feature on the medical condition Endometriosis printed in the Norwich Evening News yesterday. Since I wrote about the disease and put information on Facebook I have had numerous messages from women who have also suffered from this horrible condition. It really seems that it is pretty common and I just hope my article raised awareness of it and gave some hope to sufferers, knowing that they are not alone.
A cutting of my article is below.