It is difficult to know exactly when the summer of 2002 began for me, but back in 1994 I had the great pleasure of visiting the 15th Commonwealth Games in Victoria, BC, Canada

I had won a bursary from the Commonwealth Relations Trust. My idea was to see how the Games were covered by radio stations in Victoria so that if the Commonwealth Games ever came to Manchester, then I would have an idea as to what was required.

Having seen all that there was to see in Victoria, I returned to the UK filled with the excitement of the Commonwealth Games and ready for the Games to come to Manchester.

Perhaps one of my best moments on that visit, was seeing Sir Bob SCOTT at the Opening Ceremony in Victoria. Sir Bob, who had failed in his bid to bring the Olympics to Manchester was planning to bid for the 17th Commonwealth Games to be held in the City and he was here in Victoria drumming up support for Manchester.

I asked him if he thought Manchester could host an Opening Ceremony like the one we had just seen. He was convinced that we could do even better.

With around two years to go to the start of the Games, I applied to Manchester 2002, as they were now known, for a position in the Press department. I received a reply telling me that there was nothing available. While disappointing, I told myself that it was because God had something better planned for me.

Little did I realise how true that was.

In January of 2002 I received a phone call from Tim PEMBERTON, a producer from the BBC telling me that the BBC were planning a special radio station in Manchester for the Commonwealth Games. He had heard about me and my visit to Canada and wanted to see me in Manchester to talk about it.

Within 24 hours, we were meeting in a restaurant opposite the BBC in Manchester. Tim was going to be Editor of the temporary station which would last 6 months and would broadcast on the FM waveband on 97.7 in Manchester and around the globe on the World Wide Web. It was anticipated that the station would launch in early March.

I spent the whole of the meal telling him about what I had seen in Canada and what I thought a radio station for the Games could achieve in Manchester. My suggestion was that we should try and build a station that people would miss if they didn't tune in one day. We must make the station the first choice for information on the 17th Commonwealth Games.

Fortunately most of my ideas were along the same lines as Tim's and we hit it off immediately. In the end, I was offered a contract for the 6 months of the station as breakfast presenter and I would also be responsible for compiling a playlist for the station.

The station was to be named BBC2002.

Tim PEMBERTON put together a truly awesome line-up for the station with a mixture of new and experienced presenters, producers and researchers.

The presentation line-up was

Mike SHAFT on RISE
THE BREAKFAST SHOW (6.30 - 10.00),

Chris MITCHELL and Jessie ARU
A BIT OF CULTURE each morning (10.00 - 13.00),

Phil HILTON
DEEP UNDER COVER (13.00 - 15.00),

Vanessa KIRKPATRICK
The RUSH (15.00 - 18.00).

The producer of the breakfast show would be Kaylois HENRY, with reporter James WEST and Researcher/Fixer Sharon TOBIAS. Sharon was also going to present the traffic on the RISE Breakfast show.

After much argument and discussion about what the first record should be, Tim PEMBERTON offered a bottle of wine to anyone who could suggest the perfect song to launch the station. In the end the song that was decided on was Shackles by MARY MARY. I have to admit that I won that bottle of wine.

So it was that on Monday the 4th of March at 6.30am I presented the opening link on BBC2002 Commonwealth Games Radio.

And what a first day we had on BBC2002.

Next time I'll tell you about the awesome line-up of guests the we had on the first day of RISE - The Breakfast show on BBC2002 Commonwealth Games Radio.