SPRINGWATCH STAR’S PLEA
Q What is your reaction to the terrible events in your home town of Manchester?
A MANCHESTER is a vibrant, creative, multi-cultural city full of warmth and northern wit. I have lived here for the past 10 years and the tragic events of Monday, May 22 were truly heartbreaking.
My thoughts are with the victims and those who lost loved ones on that terrible night. Since then, the outpouring of love on the streets of Manchester has been overwhelming. It is tangible, affirming and uplifting. I am proud to call this city my adopted home.
Q What did your parents teach you about money?
A NOT to live beyond my means. I have always tried to stick by that principle by only spending money I have got. They also taught me to be generous. The more you give, the more you get back.
My dad was a town planner for the local council while my mum was a French teacher. There was not loads of money around when I was growing up but we always managed to get by and had enough to do what we wanted. I certainly did not worry about money.
Q How much pocket money did you get as a child?
A NONE, so I came up with an ingenious scheme where I would do jobs around the home for money. I would charge £5 to wash the car but only 5p to hoover a room. I remember my sister had the bright idea of paying me to hoover her room too. She cashed in there.
Q What was your first job?
WORKING as a waitress in a A village pub when I was 15. I was paid £3 an hour. It gave me quite a lot of skills that I have carried on using to this day. I definitely have confidence in my ability to deal with things under pressure thanks to that job.
Q Have you ever struggled to make ends meet?
A YES, straight after university. I tried to get acting work and it was difficult. I ended up moving back home with my parents when I was 22 and signing on the dole. I am grateful for that. I think out-ofwork benefits should be there for people who need them.
It was a frightening time. None of my family are actors or presenters, so I did not have anyone around to advise me on the career path I should follow.
I was constantly aware of how much was in my bank account. You think: ‘I don’t know if I’m going to be able to make this career work.’ In the end, I wrote something like 35 letters to theatres and managed to get a job front of house at one of them.
Q Have you ever been paid silly money for a job?
A PEOPLE think that happens to presenters. Maybe later on in your career it does. It is true that, occasionally, I will do a speech or I will open an event and be paid a lot of money for that – say £1,500 for a couple of hours. But most of the presenting jobs I do pay an average wage.
Q What was the best year of your life in terms of money made?
A LAST year. It was a good year. I got to know my worth a bit more.
Q What is the most expensive thing you have ever bought yourself for fun?
A MY DRUM kit. I wanted to play drums all my life but at school they made me play trombone. So the first chance I had as an adult I bought myself an acoustic drum kit for £500. That was about a week’s worth of my wages but it was worth it.
Q What is the biggest money mistake you have ever made?
A BUYING a pair of counterfeit GHD hair straighteners on eBay for £120. It taught me: if it is too good to be true, it is indeed too good to be true. Do not buy it. You are throwing your money down the drain.
Q What is the best money decision you have ever made?
A INVESTING in my training at drama school which cost £10,000. At the time, it was money I did not have. But it was the right decision. I was investing in my future. I could not have done without that training.
Q Do you save into a pension or invest in the stock market?
A I DO save into a pension. It is only small but I think it is worth having. If I contribute, the BBC contributes as well. I started it three years ago when I was 28.
As for the stock market, the answer is no: I would rather keep the money under my bed.
I do have savings, though. I have opened a Help to Buy Isa – a taxfree savings account for first-time buyers that comes with a Government bonus – so that I can save towards a property deposit. I can only save sporadically though, it depends on how much income I earn from my jobs as a presenter.
Q Do you own any property?
A
NO. Like a lot of people of my age I have been priced out of the property market so I have to rent. Houses are too expensive. For people of my generation, property ownership can feel unreachable. I hope one day I will manage to buy my own home, but I think it will take years to get the deposit together.
Q Do you pay off your credit card in full?
A CERTAINLY. I hate being in debt. I will take money out of my savings to pay off a credit card if I need to.
Q What is the one little luxury you like to treat yourself to?
A EXPENSIVE netball trainers. They are bright pink and they are amazing. They cost about £120 and I buy a new pair regularly. They are the same trainers the England netball team wear. I love netball to an unreasonable degree. I play it at least twice a week.
Q If you were Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the first thing you would do?
A I LOVE nature and wildlife, so I would cancel all the subsidies to the oil and gas industry and reinvest it straight into renewables. We need to think about the future, not prop up polluting industries.
Q Do you think it is important to give to charity?
A YES. I definitely think you should give to charity. I give regularly to RSPB and Saint Gemma’s, a hospice in Leeds which has helped my family.
I am also one of the patrons of the UK Wild Otter Trust. I think it is important to give time, not just money.
I donate my time as a presenter and I also volunteer for an organisation called Manchester City of Trees. We go out and we plant new trees in industrial areas all around the city.
Q What is your number one financial priority?
A TO have enough money to live a comfortable life and support my family. Lindsay Chapman was speaking to Donna Ferguson.