We are excited to introduce a new weekly feature: Your Voice, where we explore handpicked topics and seek your opinions. Each week, we’ll talk with residents, capturing your insights, thoughts, and stories. The series aims to amplify your voice within our community, offering a platform for diverse perspectives and fostering meaningful, sometimes fun, dialogue. Join us as we explore the issues and ideas that shape our shared experience, one conversation at a time.

This week’s conversation topic is: "Have you ever met anyone famous?"

Valerie and Martin Chubb said: "We saw Bill Nighy in a fish and chip restaurant in Whitby. We didn't meet him, but we just saw him there. He was sitting at one of the tables, probably eating fish and chips, as it was a fish and chip restaurant after all. We were quite surprised to see him, but it didn’t feel right to disturb him while he was enjoying his meal."

Dave Roberts and Karen Hall said: "We met Suggs from Madness at a 1940s event in Bridlington. He was dressed in 1940s battle dress, just like everyone else, and as we were walking around, he tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Oh, you look nice.' At first, I had no idea who he was, and I turned my back on him! It wasn’t until a couple of minutes later that I realized it was Suggs. I was too embarrassed to turn back and apologize or ask for a photo, so I just stood there frozen."

Dave said: "We were all dressed for the part in 1940s outfits, so it wasn’t immediately obvious."

Karen added: "I remember thinking, 'You stupid woman, why didn’t you ask for his autograph?' But I was just too embarrassed to turn around."

Brian Cook said: "I once bumped into the famous snooker player Hurricane Higgins. It was at a hotel in Reading, and we were both staying there when a fire alarm went off in the middle of the night. Everyone had to rush out, including all the snooker players. Higgins looked incredibly nervous; he had no fingernails left from biting them! It was strange seeing them all running out of the hotel in the middle of the night, clutching their snooker cues."

Barry Hine said: "I’ve seen a few famous people in Maidenhead. I once queued up at the post office, and just a couple of people in front of me was Billy Connolly. It felt surreal seeing him in such an ordinary place. I’ve heard that the Spice Girls lived in Maidenhead for a while."

Bet and Rob Messent said: "We've seen Jenny Bond, the royal correspondent, a few times. I think she lives or used to live in East Prawle, which is a small village not too far from us. We’ve never really spoken to her, but we’ve seen her around. It’s strange, you don’t expect to see someone from TV living in such a quiet place."

Holly Berrigan said: "I once walked into Tamsin Greig, the actress from Friday Night Dinner, when I was in Stratford-upon-Avon. She was just going into a Costa coffee shop, and I recognized her immediately. I didn’t have the nerve to go up to her, but it was amazing seeing her in person. She looked exactly like she does on TV!"

Simon William said: "I saw Andy Gray, the football commentator, at the airport once. He was in the lounge, just sitting there waiting for his flight. Another time, I saw Kevin MacLeod from Grand Designs. It’s funny how you don’t expect to see these people going about their daily lives, but there they are, just like everyone else. Those are the only famous people I’ve seen, though."