My Festival

If I wasn't lucky enough to be working here I would be camping in Gloucestershire somewhere!

I used to come, before I worked here, and camp literally in a house in the Forest of Dean.

I'd come up everyday and I'd walk and I can still understand the attraction of coming and moving (if you like) for that week down to Gloucestershire.

Professionally, it's a massive event. It's one of Britain's top ten sporting events however you calculate it; by the number of people who attend or the money we make.

How many years have you been in charge?

This will be my 29th festival - sounds ghastly that, but I arrived in 1980.

It has been a great honour to have worked here for this long and I'm determined one day to get it right!

Highlights?

Really all on the racing side - Best Mate winning three Gold Cups is fantastic, the Istabraq years, some of the Irish celebrations in the winners enclosure.

There was a moment when I prevented the man who has become one of the top trainers - Aidan O'Brien - who, when Istabraq first won here, chose not to walk through into the winner's enclosure.

He chose to jump over the fence and I of course saw a flash of green, as he was wearing a green suit, and I rugby tackled him. That has gone down slightly into folklore.

Strangest thing you've seen here?

Again it goes back to people. A few people will bring Grandad, who died a few months ago, and leave him lying by the winning post...the ashes I'm talking about, not the body.

I've had people walk into my office with a black sack, which I assumed was rubbish, and ask if we could put it somewhere safe overnight.

It turned out to be £80,000. I said "no, we're not insured to have £80,000 in our safe overnight - please go and spend it!"

What is 'My Festival'

It's a BBC Gloucestershire series, on the radio and online, reflecting how the annual Cheltenham National Hunt Festival impacts on the rest of the county.

How does it affect you? Whether you're planning on going or not, we'd love you to capture a snapshot of what it means to you and email that photograph to: gloucestershire@bbc.co.uk

Or simply just tell us in words by filling in the form below...

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