yesterday it was usdaw's national respect day www.usdaw.org.uk at the llanelli branch meeting the other week i had provissionally booked to attend an activety with the area orginsor at a venue in neath.

i had agreed that he would ring me to confirm details closer to the date, which he had done leaving a message on my answer phone, i had turned my phone off during filming of the hendy pool with the bbc, i had also turned my phone off when i was in the studio of the radio station and my phone was off during the pool committee meeting

i popped up to white springs yesterday for an hour and whilst there i started deleting and picking up my answer phone messages, had ten unread since monday afternoon and the area organisor had left me a message planning the event, (he had rung me during the radio presentation) asking for me to return the call, unfortunately i was about two hours late for the event and after three attempts to ring him, i left my appologies on his answer phone

had the western mail not run the story and the tv and radio not been chasing for coverage, i would have turned up at the neath event because i was looking forward to attending the stall with some neath union colleagues

but i'm sure they will understand and it went well all over the country http://www.usdaw.org.uk/politics/news/1184234493_26963.html