It was almost like being at college.

Cubicle 2 at BBC Radio Lancashire

I'd forgotten how beige it was.

At Darwen Street I began to learn my craft. I'd picked up the mechanics at King Street, and had coped with Saturday Sport and Children in Need. But at Darwen Street in these new studios I began to learn how to do it better, how to communicate as part of a team. I discovered that just because you could peak six all of the time, you probably shouldn't. I worked with Joe Wilson who would relentlessly churn out ideas. He always had something new on the go, and always had something that could occupy a few freelance hours. Somehow he also found some budget to pay for those hours.

But what I was learning was worth far more than £4/hour. The person I learnt most from was Gerald Jackson. Gerald has mentored more people into our industry than just about anyone else. I bet there's someone who's been helped by Gerald, or helped by someone who was helped by Gerald in every BBC local radio station. You could follow him round all day picking up new bits of information, learning new skills. Gerald has an incredible depth of knowledge, and can not only tell how to do something, but why you should do it that way. The last time I met Gerald was two years ago, and I still found myself learning from him.

The staff members in BBC local radio at the time clearly felt no threat from eager freelancers, and were willing to pass on all they knew. In fact it seemed like they felt it was their duty. For the likes of myself, Paul, Alec, Gary and the others who passed through it was almost like being at college.