User:Beejay2704

Biographical Details of Bryan J Allen Poet,Writer,Author & Radio Presenter

'His Early Years'

All his family came from Cullercoats, then a small fishing village between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay, in the North East of England. Some of the family had a long involvement with the sea, from fishermen to lifeboat crew, as well as with the mining industry in the region. A tradition that went back many generations, his Great Aunt Bess was the ‘Last of the Cullercoats Fishwives’, who on many occasions had been drawn, painted and photographed by tourists and professionals alike. His Great Grandma Bell and Aunt Winnie Stocks used to live in the old fishermen’s cottages that once were in abundance in this quaint old picturesque fishing village. He lived in John Street, Houghton Avenue at his Grandma’s, and in Eleanor Street at his Nana’s and went to Cullercoats Infant/ Primary School in Mast Lane and John Street before moving with his mother, father, brother and sister to Kenya, East Africa. Prior to his sister’s birth, they all stayed with his aunt and uncle in Morpeth Castle, which was then a Police Station and then at StobHill in Morpeth. It was whilst at the castle he played about the grounds, as most bairns did and was attracted to the flagpole. While swinging on the flag rope with his cousins, it became entangled and he was sped towards the pole, splitting his head, which needed stitches. Having no anaesthetics all he could do was grit his teeth and believe me he did. Once while waiting for his injections for abroad, he ran like hell out of the surgery before he was eventually brought back in and got them just like that.

Living in the area of Westlands in Kenya, he enjoyed the country and its people, making the most of this brilliant opportunity, as bairns* do. Waiting to come back to the U.K. the family stayed in a hotel, only to be told in the morning that lions were heard the previous night, at their old house and tracks had been found in their garden and on the veranda. Coming back home to the U.K., his father moved to Kuwait and it was whilst there that his brother and later on himself, went to school in Ewell, Surrey. During some school holidays, he stayed with aunts and uncles, Hilda & Mac and Margaret & Ted.

One incident whilst in Kuwait was when a lad on the beach saved him from shark-infested waters, which lay beyond the reef. This happened when they began an adventure, even though neither could swim, he and his brother made a raft and pushed it into the sea. Michael jumped off when the water was passing over the deep drop of the shelf, but Bryan gripped by fear hung on. Both scared and panicking, with the reef looming closer, danger lurked from the sharks. Seeing events unfolding a young local lad dived in and with feet to spare took hold of Bryan and swam to shore and safety. That stranger saved his life and he never forgot it, mind you neither did Michael when his dad found out and gave him a good hiding.

With his father moving to Africa, living in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi to name a few, Africa was like his second home. Family friends used to say, watch out for the Allen’s, because trouble seemed to follow the family around. This related to the fact that while in some of the countries, civil war or unrest occurred. Once when they were swimming, his brother shouted that a rebel plane was overhead, many laughed at him but on the front page of the national paper the next day was a picture of the rebel plane flying over Kaduna and actually bombed the outskirts of the city! His father used to tell him that Millie’s ‘ My Boy Lollipop’ was the unofficial anthem, it took him fifteen years when repeating it to his dad, for him to burst out laughing whilst telling him he had only been joking.

His interest in poetry began when at school, which like most bairns; he could take or leave it. Liking the flow of the words but not fully understanding or relating to them, he was taught many of the great classic poets, Tennyson, T.S.Elliot to name a few. His interest changed however when he read Wilfred Owen’s ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, he was mesmerized by the visuals springing up through the words. He could actually visualize the battle ground and the horrors and was moved beyond comparisons with anything previously experienced - it was more a case of ‘Wow where did that come from?’ etc. He then began to appreciate the power of the written word and became more enthusiastic of poetry and began to re read other major poets’ works. Throughout his school years his interests developed, regarding poetry and reading, which continued throughout his life. For many years his interests have included poetry from around the world, beyond any man-made borders, as far as he was concerned poetry had no boundaries other than our own.
 * bairns means children

'His Young Adult Years & His Early Works'

Many years ago, when he lived in the Isle of Man, an article in a Sunday newspaper so incensed him that he wrote to various figureheads and tried to make a difference. The article was a photograph of the body of a little boy being picked out of the River Spree, which went through East and West Berlin. The article was about how the West German river police, couldn’t go in to rescue the boy, in case it set off an international incident. Tensions were very high between the East and West Germans and it was thought if the police went in, shooting would start! Not believing what he was reading and seeing the injustice of the situation and most importantly a child’s life lost because of politics, he was the sixth child to have drowned in the river in recent years-defied belief. What the hell was wrong with people to let a child drown in front of them, without doing anything to save him? Getting replies from HM The Queen, Prime Minister, Burgarmeister of Berlin and other relevant world figures, information was that discussions were in progress to ensure that no more similar incidents occurred- thankful to report that since that time no other child has lost their lives, in and because of similar circumstances.

Over the years whatever event or news he thought was an injustice, he wrote to figureheads to try and get the wheels turning to undo that particular wrong. An unusual and somewhat poignant result from all this came about when receiving a letter from the Mayor of Berlin. Not able to read German, he tried to find someone on the island who could, taking several weeks; he eventually came upon some chef. Once he saw the seal of office he began to panic, but once calmed down explained that it was an update of the situation and also an invite to the City. Sadly unable to accept because of the time factor involved he resolved to improve his language skills. Through his childhood, with living and visiting on holiday’s many countries in Africa and the Middle East, from a young age he was able to speak and read a little, but most importantly be understood in seven languages - Swahili, Hausa, French, Arabic to mention just a few. Or so he thought until he ordered something and got the exact opposite of what he was wanting etc.

Having worked in the catering industry for most of his life, apart from his working abroad for a while, he worked in and around the U.K. and Bermuda. Whilst working as a Bars Manager, in The Isle of Man, he misjudged stepping over some pipes in the cellar and instead of stepping over he actually tripped and the caskets/barrels of ale etc came crashing down on top of him. Thankfully apart from a bit memory loss his injuries weren’t too serious but he got new glasses all the same. Always writing, he had a knack of capturing various emotions or events and as though putting his feelings away, placed these in a drawer. It wasn’t till much later that he came across them and re-reading them and asking for constructive advice, as to what others thought of them. It was at that point that he was directed into taking his aspirations further and getting them published. So more than 10 years after they were written, they were published amidst intense regional publicity and his only regret was that his mother and father weren’t here to share his achievement.

Since progressing his poetry, in the early 90’s, his works have been used by various media outlets at home and abroad. His first book ‘Feelings’ was published and dedicated to his parents and best friend Brian. They depicted emotions he observed from his group of friends, regarding relationships and from his own personal feelings from the mid seventies. ‘Seasons’ was published in the early nineties and was dedicated to his close friend Doreen Brown, Jaycee and to Aunt Ann, who was his sounding board for his poetry and gave him much constructive advice and sometime criticisms, which improved his writing. Over the years this special lady treated him as a nephew and confidant. Sadly in later life, Uncle Frank passed away and her memory became worse, he thought nothing of staying over to look after her, ensuring cover was there when he couldn’t be. Unfortunately her family had other commitments and as her condition progressed, it was getting more difficult to ensure of her safety and the inevitable happened and she was moved to a home. This had a profound affect on him because had those in authority listened to his concerns, that proud lady would have had more time at home, before she would have had to be taken into care.

‘Journeys’ was published in the mid nineties, dedicated to all travellers and to his friend Bobby. They depicted, differently this time, an adventure that we have all experienced at some stage in our lives.

 'The Person Behind The Mask'

Having the varied upbringing, in both England and abroad, moulded his outlooks, attitudes and began laying the foundation of his character. Although at the time he didn’t fully understand many of life’s situations he found himself experiencing, it wasn’t until his late teens and early twenties did he fully understand the reasoning behind his being at school in England and apart from his parents. Since then he appreciated what chances and experiences his parents wanted to give him and was grateful for them. Sadly he never got the chance to express this fully, as both his parents died within months of each other, when he was in his twenties. But they knew all the same, because of who he was

He always liked to help others, open to ideas and suggestions. Although sometimes he could be just as stubborn as the next person, he tried to keep his flaws in check. Seeing life and the real world, from an early age, had a profound effect on his outlook and enabled him to grow more perceptive to his surrounds and other people. Whenever he met people, he saw the person and not what they were or where they were from, he liked to be able to offer help to others when he could. His attitude was in trying to treat others as he would like to be treated, similarly he was brought up that if he saw an injustice or something was wrong, it was his duty to change it and act upon it, otherwise you were just as guilty as those who were doing wrong.

During his time working in restaurants for a number of years, when money permitted, he would anonymously contact a Dr. Barnados Home in the region to inform them that a Mr. Smith had left Pantomime tickets at the Theatre Royal, in Newcastle for one or two groups of bairns and staff at Christmas. However his last offering was for the bairns to have a meal before the show and, once again remained anonymous, when the group came into the restaurant. They ranged from about 5yrs to 16 yrs old and he saw at last the excitement/fun his simple gesture had given them. This tale always brought a lump to his throat because a little boy and girl, like a pair of china dolls, had gone up to the girl at the bar and in their little voices asked the girl to thank Mr. Smith, whoever he was for bringing this adventure to them, they would never forget it. They couldn’t understand how or why someone who didn’t even know them would do such a lovely thing-it had the girl in tears. He knew then that both he and the bairns had had their Christmas wish that would last a lifetime. And all of this because he wanted to give something back into life and especially for those who, for some reason, life had dealt a different hand. It wasn’t a patronising gesture, just a spontaneous one from one human being to another.

Later on in his working life, after a dear friend Doreen Brown, struggled and lost the fight against cancer, he volunteered with a local Cancer Group, who offered support etc. The reason was that, as his father died of cancer for years he couldn’t look anyone connected to cancer, especially if they were collecting in the street, he would cross over because he couldn’t cope with it being again in his face. Sadly many of his family have suffered from cancer, some winning and some loosing the battle.

For a number of years he helped, as a home visitor, telephone listener and a fundraiser, giving some support to whoever was affected by cancer. He sometimes got what some people might think of as the worst cases, but wherever he was asked to go, he saw the people and not the surrounds. It wasn’t all doom and gloom, especially with Sonia & Beryl who became close friends and had many hilarious adventures over the years. Wanting to maximise the services offered it was through his suggestion to link up with St.Oswalds Hospice in Gosforth, Newcastle. The reason was to obtain a higher profile for the Coping with Cancer, he organised the UK’s and possibly the world’s 1st 24hr Poetry Charity Marathon. The media coverage was national, as well as regional and the event certainly enabled both organisations to obtain an incredible profile throughout the region, so reaching the people who would need a helping hand. Everyone joined in and the support from everywhere was unbelievable, this warm gesture ensured the events and anthology success, raising over £10,000 eventually. He was always a firm believer that if you did something for the right reasons, it would work out and had very little time for those who had ulterior motives or had to think about what was in it for them, before they offered etc. Spontaneous was his usual reaction; if he could help someone he would, because that was how he was

 'Literary Achievements'

Previously a Member of the following Literary Societies' The Royal Society of Literature European Federation of Freelance Writers European Society for the Promotion of Poetry As Heard on Regional/National & International Radio Networks Radio 1 & 2, BBC World Service, Talk Radio UK, Metro Radio, Magic 1152(Great North Radio), BBC Newcastle & BBC Regional Network, Sun City (Wear FM), TFM, Radio Tyneside, Independent Radio Stations throughout UK, Europe & USA As Heard on Regional/National & International Television Networks Good Morning Show (BBC1), This Morning Show (ITV), Big Breakfast (CH4), Life Style (Cable), Wire TV (Cable), Tyne Tees Television and BBC North, BBC1 & 2, Regional Independent TV Networks throughout UK, Europe, USA, Canada, South America, Asia & Africa Published Works in Regional. National & International Newspapers Magazines & Anthologies First Time Magazine, North East Times, The Northumbrian, The Auteur Link, Fanzines, Poets Gallery, Charity Magazines. Works included in many Anthologies throughout the U.K & Abroad ’91-‘04, Cassells ’94 ‘How can you write a poem when you’re dying of Aids’, Poetry Charity Marathon ’93, North-East Anthologies ’92 -’96, Seasons of Cancer Anthology 2003. Various Regional, National, International Newspapers & Magazines use the ‘Comfort Poems’ & other works Achievements to date Feelings, Seasons & Journeys Collections Published & Broadcast Leaving first broadcast on Frank Wappat Show (BBC Radio Newcastle) and Joe Poulter’s Show (Magic 1152) Comfort Poems used Regionally/Nationally & Internationally by Various Voluntary/Charity Groups & Media Personalities Guest on Magic 1152(Great North Radio), Metro FM, Sun City (Wear FM, Radio Tyneside, BBC Radio Newcastle/Cleveland & all other Regional BBC/Independent Radio Stations, Various local radio stations Nationally/Internationally Works used in Candlelit Services/Vigils & World Aids Day Events Worldwide Works used by many Support groups in helping others (Cruse, Church’s, Hospices, Cancer Charities, Religious Bodies, Road-Peace, Media Personalities, Gay & Lesbian Bereavement Project, also used in ‘Undying Requiem’ in both Manchester & London ‘Field of Dreams’ used in and by various Sports & Stadiums Worldwide Honoured that his ‘Mother Teresa & Diana, Princess of Wales’ poems were used throughout the Regional, National & International Media Spectrum Works used on Greeting Cards Previously Co-Presenter/Presenter on ‘Wear in Focus’ at Wear FM (Sun City) Organised the UK’s & possibly the World’s First 24hr Poetry Charity Marathon Event & Anthology (highlighting two regional cancer charities, increasing profile to maximise effectiveness of services offered, therefore helping more people) Website highlighting the ‘Comfort Poems’ & his works and background Works used in ‘Poets Corner’ & translated into French, Italian, and Spanish bryanplentyful@hotmail.com