TV's Jay Blades returns to Wolverhampton to fulfil a promise and raise money for charity
The Repair Shop's Jay Blades has fulfilled a promise he made at the Pride of Britain Awards to come back to Wolverhampton for a charity event.
Christine Cox got chatting with TV's Jay when she attended the Pride of Britain Awards with her mother Rosemary Cox, who won a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work campaigning for the introduction of the NHS Organ Donor Register in 1994.
A member of the Inner Wheel Club of Tettenhall, Christine asked Jay whether he would feature in a charitable event in Wolverhampton in support of the MS Therapy Centre in Newbridge.
Jay, who lives and works in Ironbridge and presents the BBC's The Repair Shop, was only too happy to oblige and made his promise.
Tickets for An Audience With Jay Blades completely sold out, with 170 people filling Linden House on Tettenhall Road.
Christine said: "He was so great, I interviewed him on stage for an hour and 10 minutes.
"He was brilliant, what a man, we think the world of him after that. During the talk, his love of family and community stood out as his passion for making the world a better place.
"The famous saying in Wolverhampton 'Out of Darkness, Cometh Light' really mirrors Jay's life. All of his experiences have made him the man he is today.
"We are confident we have raised at least £2,000 on the day."
And during the talk, Jay said he would be more than happy to do another event in the future.
Linda Francis, president of the Inner Wheel Club of Tettenhall, said: "We chose the MS Therapy Centre as they do a lot of good work in the community.
"Several of our members help out at the centre so that's where the link comes from."
Jenny Morrison, fundraising chairman, added: "I have organised the event itself here at Linden House.
"It has all gone very well, it ran like clockwork. He was a brilliant speaker and guest as a whole.
"We could've sold the tickets three times over, I was inundated with requests."
