Harry’s life story interview

SCOTT: What is your earliest memory that you have?

HARRY: My earliest memory that I have is that I was born in Addenbrooke in Cambridge.

SCOTT: So, you’re from Cambridgeshire.

HARRY: Yes, yeah.

SCOTT: Did you like where you lived in Cambridge?

HARRY: I was only born in Cambridge, and I like where my family lives in Ashwell.

SCOTT: OK. How old was you when you left Cambridge and moved?

HARRY: I was only one.

SCOTT: One. Do you remember where- Did your family talk about where you moved to?

HARRY: Yes, I do. And we moved to a nice cottage in Ashwell, and that’s in Hertfordshire.

SCOTT: Hertfordshire. So, most of your memories are in Hertfordshire, is it?

HARRY: Yep. And then I went to a primary school in Stevenage at Round Diamond. And then I went to secondary school at Moor House in Oxted. And then I went to further education college at St Mary’s in Bexhill-on-Sea. And after St Mary’s, I then went to Fox’s Academy, which is in Minehead. And that’s where I studied catering and hospitality in the hotel down there.

SCOTT: Fantastic.

SARAH, SERVICE MANAGER: So, with your schools, Harry, did you go home or did you stay there?

HARRY: I stayed at my boarding schools.

SCOTT: So, you stayed at a boarding school?

HARRY: Yes, I did.

SCOTT: In Stevenage?

HARRY: No, in Oxted in Surrey.

SCOTT: Okay, we’re going on at primary school. Did you have a best friend at primary school?

HARRY: No, I didn’t have a best friend at primary school.

SCOTT: Did you enjoy primary school?

HARRY: Yes, I did.

SCOTT: And then you went to secondary school. And is that where you stayed at the school, at secondary school?

HARRY: Yes, it was.

SCOTT: Did you like it there?

HARRY: Yeah, I really enjoyed it there.

SCOTT: Did you have many friends?

HARRY: Yeah, I had a lot of friends.

SCOTT: Did you have one particular friend that you spent most of your time with?

HARRY: Yeah, I had a best friend called John.

SCOTT: Do you still keep in contact with John now?

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SCOTT: That’s lovely.

SARAH, SERVICE MANAGER: So, did you live with John?

HARRY: Yeah, I used to live with John after we graduated from Foxes.

SCOTT: OK.

HARRY: And I lived with him for six years…-

SCOTT: Oh, nice.

HARRY:…in Batheaston.

SCOTT: Sorry, where?

HARRY: Batheaston.

SCOTT: OK.

SARAH, SERVICE MANAGER: And then what happened?

HARRY: And then afterwards, we then decided to move. And I’ve been living in Braddon Avon for nearly two years.

SARAH, SM: And that’s on your own, isn’t it?

HARRY: Yes, it is on my own.

SCOTT:  Okay, wow. So, when you stayed at your boarding school with your friend, did you get up to any mischief? Did you have fun? What would you do?

HARRY: Yeah, we had a lot of fun.

SCOTT: Yeah? Could you tell me a bit more about that? What you used to do?

HARRY: We used to do fun activities like fun swim in the evening.

SCOTT: Okay. Do you have a special memory about growing up that stands out from anything else? Like with family, holidays or time away with family or friends?

HARRY: Well, one of my most special memories with my family is when we all went camping in America together in an RV.

SCOTT: Oh wow. Could you tell me some bits about that? Did you do much travelling around in the RV? Did you go to special places?

HARRY: We visited Colorado, and Salt Lake City, and Yellowstone National Park, and we all went white water rafting together, and we went horse riding together as well.

SARAH: Who went, Harry?

HARRY: It was me, my mum, Linds, and my two brothers, Tom and Sam.

SCOTT: Okay, yeah, about your siblings. How many siblings do you have altogether?

HARRY: I’ve got two brothers.

SCOTT:  Are they older or younger?

HARRY: They’re younger than me. And Tom’s a barber in Manchester.

SCOTT: How old’s Tom?

HARRY: Tom’s 28. And then my youngest brother, Sam, he lives in Norwich and he’s a chef at Norwich City Football Club and he’s 25.

SCOTT: Oh, wow. Do you get to go watch the football for free if you want?

HARRY: Yeah, I could if I wanted to.

SARAH, SM: It’s a bit far, isn’t it?

HARRY: Yes, it is.

SARAH, SM: Do you want to explain who Lindsay is?

HARRY: And then Linds is my stepdad, and him and my mum met in 2009, and they got married together in 2009.

SCOTT: Oh, lovely. Do you look at him as your dad?

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SCOTT: Or as your stepdad?

HARRY: I look at him as my dad, and he’s very caring.

SCOTT: That’s nice.

SARAH, SM: Mention what happened to your dad.

HARRY: Yes, I will do.

SCOTT: Alright, I see.

HARRY: Well-

SCOTT: So, obviously you have a real parental dad. Do you get on with him or see him?

HARRY: Well, in 2006, he took his own life.

SCOTT: I’m so sorry to hear that.

SARAH, SM:  Lindsay really supported you.

HARRY: Yeah. Yeah, Linds has supported me and my brothers and my mum really well.

SCOTT: Was that a hard time in your life?

HARRY:  Yeah, it was a really hard time, but I got help by going to bereavement groups.

SCOTT: And that helped a lot.

HARRY:  Yes, it did.

SCOTT: Did you meet some nice people in them that you still talk to today, or did you just go get yourself into a headspace where you can cope and then let that?

HARRY: Yeah, we went and got help.

SARAH, SM: I think it was through the church, because Lindsay is a…

HARRY: Lindsay’s a vicar.

SCOTT: Sorry?

SARAH, SM: A vicar.

HARRY: Yeah, and he’s a retired vicar now.

SCOTT: And he really was a shoulder of support you could lean on.

HARRY: Yes, he was.

SCOTT: That’s nice. And you put that sad thing to bed now? Obviously, there’s going to be anniversaries and do you dread them days coming up?

HARRY: No, I don’t.

SCOTT: Do you embrace life?

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SCOTT: That’s the best way, yeah. So, Lindsay is your stepfather?

HARRY: Yep, he is.

SCOTT: And what’s your mum called?

HARRY: My mum’s called Melanie and she works in Addenbrooke’s Hospital as a receptionist, but she used to be a senior barrister in St Albans.

SCOTT: St Albans, yeah. So, are you closer with your mum?

HARRY: I’m close with my mum and Linds.

SCOTT: Yeah, that’s good.

SCOTT: So, obviously, do you mind talking about your disability?

HARRY: I don’t mind.

SCOTT: So, what disability do you have, Harry?

HARRY: I’ve got hemiplegia, so I’m weaker on the left side and stronger on the right side.

SCOTT: And how’s that affected you in your life?

HARRY: It hasn’t affected me that much in my life.

SARAH, SM: And what else have you got?  So, you have a mild learning difficulty.

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SCOTT: Mild learning difficulty.

SARAH, SM: And you have epilepsy.

HARRY: Yep, I do.

SCOTT: I understand epilepsy. I have epilepsy myself.

HARRY: But my epilepsy is controlled with my medication.

SCOTT: This is my answer now. But it was trying to get that balance. Did that happen to you? Did you have to find the balance…?

HARRY: Yes, I did.

SCOTT: … with medication. Yeah. So, what did you want to be when you grow up, when you were a child? Did you have any like, “I want to be like a fireman, astronaut or anything”? What was your dream to do when you grew up?

HARRY: My dream was to work in the public sector, like work in catering hospitality and when I went to Foxes, I got trained in working in the hotel, and when I left Foxes in 2017, I got a position at the Hilton in Bath…

SCOTT: Wow.

HARRY: … and then a few years ago I got promoted to Junior Supervisor at the Doubletree by Hilton, and my role was making sure that breakfast and dinner are all set up properly, and making sure that the floor walk’s all done and that the room surface trays are all reset.

SCOTT: Oh. Big responsibility.

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: How did that make you feel?

HARRY: That made me feel really proud and confident in myself.

SCOTT: Yes. Definitely. So, what are your hobbies, Harry? Do you have hobbies?

HARRY: I like going swimming, and badminton, and karaoke,

SARAH, SM: Gym?

HARRY: And the gym.

SCOTT: Wow.

HARRY: And bowling.

SCOTT: And do you fit all these in in a week or…?

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SCOTT: Yeah. So, do you have specific things you do on specific days?

HARRY: Well, on Mondays I work at the Hilton and then I do the gym. And then Tuesdays I volunteer at Bath City Farm.

SCOTT: At the farm?

HARRY: Yeah, and I do things like gardening and feeding the animals. And I also walk the alpacas and the sheep. And then on Wednesdays I go swimming and then out and about in the evening. And out and about is the club I do in Bath and we go to different venues like Mansford Street Cafe where we do quizzes and karaoke. Yeah, and then on Thursdays I do Mencap sports. So, I do badminton and swimming. And then Fridays I go to the gym and then bowling.

SARAH, SM: After work.

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: Saturday?

HARRY: And then Saturday…

SCOTT: Resting?

HARRY: … I go out to wherever I choose to go to. And then…

SCOTT: So, it’s like a free day you can just chill.

HARRY: Yeah. And then Sundays, I go to church, and do the cleaning, and do my shopping list.

SCOTT: So, when do you rest?

HARRY: Yeah.

SARAH, SM: (GIGGLING)

SCOTT: So, do you enjoy all that? That’s your…

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SCOTT: Your routine. So, do you look forward to Saturdays where you can just do whatever, like there’s no specific things, you can go off wherever you want to go?

HARRY: Yeah, I enjoy Saturdays.

SCOTT: (CHUCKLES) So, would I. Could you tell me a little bit how United Response helped you and how long you’ve been with United Response, them helping you?

HARRY: I’ve been with United Response since 2017 and they help me in my day-to-day life with my budgeting, and also my food shopping, and making sure that I’m eating healthily, and going to the gym and staying fit and active, and helping me with my social life.

SCOTT: Are you one-to-one or are you independent?

HARRY: I get support one-to-one. So, like… yeah, so, one member of staff with me all the time.

SARAH, SM: So, when Harry goes to work, he’s independent.

SCOTT: He’s independent.

HARRY: Yeah.

SARAH, SM: So, Harry gets support every evening from about 4:00.

SCOTT: Onwards.

SARAH, SM: And then he has somebody sleeping because of his epilepsy.

SCOTT: Yeah, sure.

SARAH, SM: All over the weekend you have support.

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SARAH, SM: And then Wednesday, Thursday, you get 24 hours support because he’s not at work.

SCOTT: Okay. So, when you’re not at work, you get 24 hours.

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SCOTT: And do you… Obviously you’re independent living with your support, aren’t you?

HARRY: Yes, I am.

SCOTT: Do you cook yourself or do you get help with cooking for yourself?

HARRY: I get…

SCOTT: Someone to watch over you.

HARRY: I get help cooking for myself so that I don’t burn any of the food.

SARAH, SM: Harry cooks everything on full heat.

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SCOTT: Quickly. It’s like you rush through things.

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: You’ve got to get it done, yeah?

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: Okay, so United Response helps you with your living, your budgeting.

HARRY: Yes, they do.

SCOTT: Do you save up for anything special sometimes?

HARRY: If I want to go to concerts or big day trips.

SCOTT: You save for them?

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SCOTT: And when you’re working and you’re independent, do you enjoy that independency on working?

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SCOTT: Yeah, and you feel like you’re the same as other people, because that’s how I feel.

HARRY: Yeah, I feel like I’m the same.

SCOTT: Yeah.

SCOTT: So, with your work, Harry, you do a lot of volunteering as well, don’t you?

HARRY: Yeah, I do one day’s work of volunteering.

SCOTT: And what’s that doing, Harry?

HARRY: That’s at Bath City Farm.

SCOTT: Okay, and that’s looking after the animals.

HARRY: Yes, it is.

SCOTT: And then you have a… Do you get a paid job for your Hilton? What do you do at Hilton? Do you get paid?

HARRY: Yeah, that’s a paid job at the Hilton.

SCOTT: Do you have many friends there, Harry?

HARRY: Yeah, I’ve got a few good colleagues.

SCOTT: That’s good.

SARAH, SM: You were a mentor as well for somebody, weren’t you?

HARRY: Yes, I was.

SCOTT: Can you tell us a bit about the way you mentored him and how you helped him?

SARAH, SM: Was that her?

SCOTT: Her. Sorry.

HARRY: Yeah, I was a mentor for someone from Foxes, and I showed them how to do their job, and I showed them what I had learned.

SARAH, SM: Do you want to explain what Foxes is?

HARRY: Yeah, Foxes is a catering college in Minehead.

SCOTT: In Minehead.

HARRY: Yeah, and it’s where we get trained in the hotel down there. And then they help us go into employment to work in the hospitality and catering industry.

SARAH, SM: So, it’s for people with learning difficulties and disabilities, isn’t it?

HARRY: Yes, it is.

SARAH, SM: You lived there.

HARRY: Yep.

SCOTT: How would you describe your disability if you want to describe it in a way?

HARRY: It doesn’t affect me with my day-to-day life.

SCOTT: Do you like it? Because some people don’t like saying they have a disability, so I didn’t. I said I have a condition which made it easier for me to accept. Is there anything that’s easier or you just don’t mind?

HARRY: I just don’t mind.

SCOTT: You’d say “I have a disability”, like that? Has anyone picked on you for that in your life?

HARRY: No, they haven’t.

SCOTT: That’s really good, that, because some people do. So, what is your projection now, what you want to achieve in life? Do you want to go further in the chef-ing that you’re doing? Do you have a dream, like maybe running somewhere yourself or earning something?

HARRY: I’d like to be an Assistant Manager one day.

SCOTT: That’s good. One day. So, that’s what you want-?

HARRY: Yeah, that’s my dream goal.

SCOTT: So, we’ve covered quite a lot actually. So when… We’ll go back to your childhood with spending time with your family. And like you said, the camping. What other trips did you do that you enjoyed?

HARRY: I went to Canada a couple of months ago. And that was for my 30th birthday with my mum.

SCOTT: Was it just you, your mum, or was it…

HARRY: Was just…

SCOTT: …with Lindsey, Lindsey’s your stepfather, isn’t he? Was it Lindsey?

HARRY: Yeah. It was just with me and my mum.

SCOTT: So, you just had that one to one?

HARRY: Yes, we did.

SCOTT: How did that make you feel?

HARRY: Amazing.

SCOTT: Yeah.

SARAH, SM: You do quite a lot with your mum.

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SARAH, SM: You’ve been to New Orleans as well.

HARRY: Yeah, and I’ve also been to San Diego as well.

SCOTT: Lovely. You like America, then?

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SCOTT: So, how is it? Was it like… Did you go into the Rocky Mountains and stuff? Because it’s meant to be beautiful.

HARRY: I went into the cities and I visited Niagara Falls and that was amazing. And we went on the train to different cities. So, we stayed three nights in Toronto.

SCOTT: Which is the main city, isn’t it, Toronto?

HARRY: And then three nights in Ottawa.

SCOTT: OK.

HARRY: And then three nights in Quebec City, and then three nights in Montreal.

SCOTT: Oh wow, that’s mostly Canada then, isn’t it? There’s like- they have police on horses, what they’re called? Do you remember what they’re called? It’s mantis, is it or something? I don’t know, I’ve seen it in films.

HARRY: I didn’t see any police on the horse.

SCOTT: No. No. OK.

SARAH, SM: They are the mantis.

SCOTT: They are the mantis. Yeah, I’ve seen it on films of the mantis. But you didn’t see any of them.

HARRY: No, I didn’t.

SCOTT: OK. You have been to New York?

HARRY: No, I haven’t.

SCOTT: Would you like to go?

HARRY: Yeah, I’d love to go to New York one day.

SCOTT: Where would your favourite place in the world to go be? What’s your dream holiday? Do you have one?

HARRY: Yeah, I’ve got a dream holiday.

SCOTT: Okay, can you tell us a bit about your dream holiday?

HARRY: Yeah, my dream holiday would be to go to Australia and Japan.

SCOTT: What makes you want to go to them places, Harry? The culture, or is it the food, or the scenery?

HARRY: It would be the scenery and the culture and all the different food.

SCOTT: In Japan or both?

HARRY: In both.

SCOTT: Okay, where would you go in Australia? Would it be Sydney, like the big city or Melbourne or?

HARRY: I’d go to Sydney.

SCOTT: Sydney.

HARRY: I’d love to go to Sydney to see the Opera House.

SCOTT: Yeah, I’d like to go and see the Opera House. I like opera music, you see.

HARRY: Yeah, I’d like to go and see the Opera House as well.

SCOTT: Yeah. It looks fab on the tv, doesn’t it? So, Japan, that’s a strange one. Do you like their culture in Japan, all sorts?

HARRY: Yeah. I like their culture.

SCOTT: Yeah. And food? Do you like Japanese food?

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SCOTT: Do you eat any Japanese food over here in the UK?

HARRY: I eat sushi.

SCOTT: Sushi. Do you enjoy that?

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SCOTT: That’s fantastic, Japan. Wow.  So would you… Do you think you’ll get to there?  Dream holidays, is that what you’re working towards?

HARRY: Yeah, I’d like to go on those dream holidays.

SCOTT: OK. Do you get support when you go on holidays with…?

HARRY: No, I don’t.

SCOTT: … United Response or do you just go on with family?

HARRY: Yeah, I just go with family.

SCOTT: So, you’d go to Japan with your mum or your dad or siblings, yeah?

HARRY: Yes, I would.

SCOTT: Yeah. So they can enjoy it as much as you can.

HARRY: Yep.

SCOTT: You were saying you do a lot of things with your mum and you’re close. What kind of things do you do with her? Other than holidays, do you like… At times like birthday, do you take her out for lunch or Mother’s Day? Do you get to see her?

HARRY: No, I don’t get to see her for Mother’s Day or her birthday.

SCOTT: Not all the time.

SARAH, SM: It’s the distance.

HARRY: Yes, it is.

SCOTT: Are they still up here in Cambridge?

HARRY: In Hertfordshire.

SCOTT: Hertfordshire. Sorry.  It’s a lovely place, Hertfordshire. St Alban’s is lovely. You spoke about St Alban’s earlier.

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: Did you enjoy your time there?

HARRY: Yes, I did.

SCOTT: Yeah.

SCOTT: So, do you enjoy your own company? What do you do when you’re home for your own company? Do you watch TV?

HARRY: Yeah, I watch TV and listen to music.

SCOTT: Yeah, you’re big on music.

HARRY: Yes, I am.

SCOTT: But you like to go to the gym, you say?

HARRY: Yes, I do.

SCOTT: What do you like doing at the gym? What’s your favourite workout?

HARRY: I like going on the rowing machines and the treadmills. And the cycling machines.

SCOTT: So, you do more cardio than weights?

HARRY: Yeah, and I do a few weights as well.

SCOTT: But not as much as cardio.

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: So, and how often did you say a week you go to the gym? Twice, was it?

HARRY: Yeah, Mondays and Fridays.

SCOTT: Like you said, nicely. And you’re always busy either volunteering or working.

HARRY: Yes.

SCOTT: Like your days are planned. So, what happens when you go on holiday? Do you miss that or do you just think, “yes, I’m on holiday”?

HARRY: I think, “yes, I’m on holiday”.

SCOTT: And it’s a great.

HARRY: Yes, it is.

SCOTT: That’s nice.  Well, Harry, –

SARAH, SM: Do you want to tell Scott what you’ve done through COVID?

SCOTT: Yeah, could you tell me what happened with COVID?

HARRY: Well, in COVID, me and my housemate John, we wanted to do something for the local community. So, we baked cakes for the NHS staff and for our neighbours.

SARAH, SM: And the local community hub wasn’t it?

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: That’s really kind. Like giving something back to the community.

HARRY: Yep.

SCOTT: That’s really nice, Harry.  Did they…

HARRY: Yeah, they really enjoyed it. And we were on the local news and in the newspaper as well.

SCOTT: Oh, fantastic. Do you have a cut out of that? Have you kept it as a souvenir like a cut out?

HARRY: No, I haven’t.

SCOTT: That’s a shame. But you were on the news as- like on TV?

HARRY: On the radio.

SCOTT: On the radio news, okay. And did they all thank you?

HARRY: Yes, they did.

SCOTT: For the lovely cakes. What kind of cakes were they you baked?

HARRY: They were like Victoria sponges, and blueberry muffins, and banana loaves.

SCOTT: How did they distribute that? Did someone come and pick them up from you or did you distribute?

HARRY: We delivered them.

SCOTT: You delivered them.

HARRY: Yes, we did.

SCOTT: That’s really kind. Did you have a bike or did you walk delivering them?

HARRY: We walked and delivered.

SCOTT: Was it long walks?

HARRY: They weren’t that long walks.

SCOTT: Right.

SARAH, SM: So very close to where they lived is a little hub…

SCOTT: Right.

SARAH, SM: … because there was a lot of elderly and disabled people that live in that village. So, you used to take it to the hub, didn’t you?

HARRY: Yes, I did.

SARAH, SM: And then word of mouth got out and then they used to have queues to go in and the elderly… There was one elderly lady. She absolutely adored it.

HARRY: Yep, she did.

SARAH, SM: So, we used to slice them up and then they could all just come and take a little feast.

SCOTT: That’s so good, isn’t it? Because lockdown was a struggle for most people, wasn’t it? Like, you had to be in your own bubble and obviously your bubble wouldn’t have been your mum at that point, would it?

SARAH, SM: No, it was staff.

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: It was just staff. So, how did… Did you FaceTime your mum through COVID?

HARRY: Yes, I did, and we did regular Zoom catch ups.

SCOTT: Zoom, yeah?

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: Did you do like quizzes and stuff through Zoom?

HARRY: Yeah, we did.

SCOTT: Yeah. I think that’s how people got through it because having your own bubble… So you just had you, your friend, John, and the staff?

HARRY: Yep.

SARAH, SM: It was a difficult time, wasn’t it?

HARRY: Yes, it was.

SCOTT: Did you have different staff like?

SARAH, SM: No, we had a core group of staff…

HARRY: Yeah, we did.

SARAH, SM: …that they knew from the start.

SCOTT: That’s good.

SARAH, SM: But because Harry’s very active and he’s active to try and maintain epilepsy as well, isn’t it?

HARRY: Yeah.

SARAH, SM: Because the more active he is, the less seizures he has having to stay. But he went for quite long walks.

HARRY: Yeah, I did.

SARAH, SM: (LAUGHS)

SCOTT: Yeah. Do you like walking?

HARRY:  Yes, I do.

SCOTT: Do you like doing like trails? Like they’ve got National Trails and stuff.

SARAH, SM: No, it’s around Batheaston. You’ve got the canals.

HARRY: Yep.

SCOTT: That’s a beautiful place to go.

SARAH, SM: And lots of places to walk, wasn’t there?

HARRY: Yes, there was.

SCOTT: Yeah? So, that was your exercise…

HARRY:  Yes, it was.

SCOTT: …through COVID? Did you work through COVID because you were doing food? Did you still be able to go to work or did you have to stay at home?

HARRY: There were a couple of times when I could go to work.

SCOTT: Did you ever catch COVID yourself?

HARRY: No, I didn’t.

SCOTT: Which is nice. Did any of the staff that were looking after you catch COVID?

HARRY: Yeah, a few of them did.

SCOTT: Yeah, so they obviously couldn’t come in.

HARRY: No, they couldn’t.

SCOTT: Do you have a favourite carer that looks after you?

HARRY: All of them.

SCOTT: You like all of them?

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: Not one special that you think, “oh, she’s coming”.

HARRY: No. No.

SCOTT: How old are you, Harry?

HARRY: 30.

SCOTT: 30. big 3-0, eh?

HARRY: Yep.

SCOTT: So, you’ve been independent since the age of what?

HARRY: Since the…

SCOTT: Like, independent from your mum.

SARAH, SM: Well.

HARRY: Yeah, when I was twenty-two.

SARAH, SM: Yeah, came out of Foxes.

HARRY: Yeah.

SARAH, SM: Been in Boarding schools and then Foxes. Mum really hasn’t been involved since… Not lived at home since you were about 13, isn’t it?

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: You’ve been gone from the family home since you were 13.

HARRY: Yes, I have.

SCOTT: Was that a hard time when you had to leave your home? Was it sad?

HARRY: It was exciting.

SCOTT: Oh, it was?

HARRY: Yes, it was.

SCOTT: You know, you could be excited instead of sad. Did you ever think, “why am I at this place? Why can’t I be with my mum and my brothers?”

SCOTT: No, I didn’t.

SCOTT: So, you always knew that you were different.

HARRY: Yes.

SCOTT: Yeah. How do your brothers feel like when you left? Were they-

HARRY: They thought… They were excited for me.

SCOTT: They were excited.

HARRY: Yes, they were.

SCOTT: How was boarding school? Did you enjoy boarding school?

HARRY: Yes, I did.

SCOTT: Were you a good pupil in boarding school?

HARRY: Yeah, I was a really good pupil.

SCOTT: You were a good… Were you up to any mischief in boarding school?

HARRY: No, I didn’t.

SCOTT: Done as you were told. It was just when you moved out with John, yeah?

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: Were you both in the same boarding school, you said?

HARRY: Yes, we were.

SCOTT: So, you’ve been friends all most of your life?

HARRY: Yep, we have.

SCOTT: Did you have any girlfriends at boarding school or was it an all-boys boarding school?

HARRY: We had a few girlfriends.

SCOTT: So, it was a mixed boarding school?

HARRY: Yes, it was.

SCOTT: So, you had a few girlfriends at boarding school.

HARRY: Yep.

SCOTT: Was that encouraged or discouraged from the teachers? Do you understand-

SARAH, SM: Were you allowed?

HARRY: Yeah, we were allowed to do that.

SCOTT: You were allowed.

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: That’s nice. Did you have little parties at the boarding school and stuff like at Christmas or-

HARRY: Yes, we did.

SCOTT: Discos?

HARRY: Yep.

SCOTT: So, when you do karaoke, you sing just Ed Sheeran songs?

HARRY: I sing a mixture of songs.

SCOTT: What’s your favourite? It’s Ed Sheeran?

HARRY: Yeah, and I also like singing Taylor Swift.

SCOTT: Yeah?

HARRY: Yep.

SCOTT: That’s good. Have you done any competitions? Because sometimes I hear karaoke, they have singing competitions sometimes?

HARRY: No, I’ve never done karaoke singing competitions.

SARAH, SM: What about that thing you did?

HARRY: But back last year…

SCOTT: Yeah?

HARRY: … I released an album and I did that as part of my music therapy that I used to do. Because when I first moved to Bradford-on-Avon that was a really stressful time.

SARAH, SM: It was.

HARRY: And I had to have a lot of help and then my mum found somewhere in Corsham called The Rhythm Practice and that’s when I started doing music therapy with Will and on my first session with Will, Will said, “what would you like to do?” And I said, make an album. So, that was our goal for the year, to make an album and release it.

SCOTT: Have you released it?

HARRY: Yeah, I released it last year.

SCOTT: Oh, fantastic.

SARAH, SM: And you’ve done a show, didn’t you?

HARRY: Yes, I did.

SCOTT: You did a show?

HARRY: Yep.

SCOTT: How did that make you feel?

HARRY: That made me feel proud.

SCOTT: And was there a show on a stage with lots of people?

HARRY: Yeah, it was a show with my closest friends and family…

SARAH, SDM: It was on the stage.

HARRY: …and staff.

SCOTT: And on the stage?

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT:  Where was that?

HARRY: At the Pound Art Centre in Corsham.

SCOTT: Okay. So, there’s other people there, not just family then?

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: Did they all wave and clap?

HARRY: Yes, they did.

SCOTT: Shouting?

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: And did that make you feel inside warm?

HARRY: Yeah, it made me feel proud inside.

SCOTT: So, obviously you released it. Where’s that? Is that on YouTube or…

HARRY: It’s just on a CD.

SCOTT: On a CD.

HARRY: Yeah.

SCOTT: Did they buy like… You sell the CDs to other people?

HARRY: Yeah, they bought it.

SCOTT: Yeah, people bought it to you.

HARRY: Yeah, they did.

SCOTT: Did you get paid for that or did you do it for a charity or something? Or did you get paid for the CD?

SARAH, SM: No.

HARRY: I did it for free.

SCOTT: Oh, fantastic.