October 22, 2024 • 47 mins
We’re in the Midlands for this episode with journalist, disability activist and raconteur extraordinaire Lucy Edwards plus her guide dog Miss Molly for a tour around Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham.
Lucy takes us to her childhood home, sharing the story of losing her sight and how she and her family have adapted both their space and their lives to foster her independence. We also visit her old running track, where Lucy opens up about how running made her feel 'beautiful' and helped her navigate mental health challenges.
Next, we stop by Highbury Theatre, where Lucy fondly recalls meeting her soulmate and now-husband, Oli and shares memories of their unique and unforgettable wedding. As we drive into Birmingham, Lucy reveals the everyday challenges she faces and her thoughts on raising awareness of visual impairments and the language around it.
You can watch Lucy’s drive and see gorgeous Miss Molly by heading to Auto Trader’s dedicated Show on the Road YouTube channel YouTube channel.
Special thanks to the RNIB for their additional advice during the production of this episode.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Lucy Edwards (00:02):
The day that I didn't have to look at Instagram was the day I
was set free. Oh, are we going into my cul- de-
sac now?
Alex Legouix (00:08):
We are.
Lucy Edwards (00:09):
My visual memory does kick in. If I don't, then
who is going to educate people on disability? People are
shocked when I say I love being blind.
Alex Legouix (00:22):
Today, I'm on the outskirts of Birmingham, en route to
pick up our next guest for Show on the Road,
the brilliant and inspiring Lucy Edwards- Cave. An award- winning
broadcaster, journalist, author and influencer, Lucy is an unstoppable force
of nature, driving change in the way we think about
diversity, equity and inclusion. And she's having loads of fun
(00:44):
doing it. Brought to you by Auto Trader, the UK's
largest automated platform, this is Show on the Road. In
this episode, Lucy is going to show us the places
where she overcame countless hurdles and ignorance to become the
role model she is today. Those experiences mean she has
loads of stories to share and an absolutely gorgeous guide
(01:07):
dog called Miss Molly, who's also coming along for the ride
and I cannot wait. I'm Alex Legouix, driving a 2008 red
Volvo Estate into The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield to
pick up Lucy from her front door. And here we are.
Lucy Edwards (01:25):
Straight to the car, Molly. Find the way. Good girl. Is this the car?
Alex Legouix (01:30):
Hi.
Lucy Edwards (01:31):
Hello, Alex. Oh, it's so lovely to meet you.
Alex Legouix (01:32):
It's so nice to meet you too.
Lucy Edwards (01:35):
Is it okay if you help me get in the car, Alex? Is that all right?
Alex Legouix (01:35):
Yes, of course.
Lucy Edwards (01:35):
Is it okay if you give me the back seat handle with this hand?
Alex Legouix (01:42):
Yeah.
Lucy Edwards (01:42):
Lovely. Come on, Molly. Hop up and wee. Oh, bless you. So
I'm wondering if you could plug her into the seat,
my love.
Alex Legouix (01:51):
Yeah, there we go.
Lucy Edwards (01:53):
And then I'm wondering if I could be guided to
the front now. Perfect. And then could you put my
hand on the bottom of the seat and then the back
of the seat.
Alex Legouix (02:02):
Okay.
Lucy Edwards (02:02):
So I know which way around. Amazing. Right. I'm going to duck in. Ooh.
Alex Legouix (02:07):
Okay.
Lucy Edwards (02:07):
We're in. Ooh, very snazzy. Loving it. It's a gorgeous sunny day. I can feel
it on my face.
Alex Legouix (02:14):
It is. It's really nice. So, Sutton Coldfield.
Lucy Edwards (02:24):
I know.
Alex Legouix (02:25):
A royal town.
Lucy Edwards (02:26):
Yep.
Alex Legouix (02:27):
None other, deemed by Henry VIII, I think it is.
Lucy Edwards (02:31):
Didn't know that.
Alex Legouix (02:32):
Really? Oh, there we are. Fun fact to start off with.
Lucy Edwards (02:34):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (02:35):
And your manor since birth, right?
Lucy Edwards (02:37):
Yeah, this is where I grew up. This is where I lost
my eyesight. This is where I was born into existence, figure.
Alex Legouix (02:47):
So, a lot has gone on around here then?
Lucy Edwards (02:47):
So much. So many visual memories and so many non-
sighted memories. Yeah.
Alex Legouix (02:51):
Yeah, of course. And you spent a good few years
in Walsall too, right?
Lucy Edwards (02:58):
Yes, I did. Yeah.
Alex Legouix (02:58):
What do you remember most vividly then about that part of your life?
Lucy Edwards (03:00):
I moved there when I was around two years old
and I was there till I was about eight. I
absolutely love hearing myself in family videos, going shoes, which
is very... Shoes. But I was very Black Country back then.
Alex Legouix (03:16):
Broad.
Lucy Edwards (03:16):
Yeah, very Brummie. To be honest, I adore the accent.
It very much reminds me of home and soothing. Whenever
I hear the accent I'm like, " Oh, that's my early
years." And I just remember that little house. Me and my
sister had bedrooms opposite each other and we both had
a bunk bed and my bedroom was bright orange and
Alice's was bright yellow. We're only 15 months apart. So
(03:39):
me and my sister are so close.
Alex Legouix (03:40):
Oh, lovely.
Lucy Edwards (03:42):
Alice and Lucy.
Alex Legouix (03:43):
And you're still really close now then?
Lucy Edwards (03:45):
We're still really close and we both have disabilities. So
she has autism and I'm completely blind and I feel
that it's brought us so close because she sees the
world with so much clarity. And for me as a blind
person, it being so overwhelming to, I guess, audio describe.
I know when I first went blind I was like, "
Can you just describe everything?," 'cause obviously I wanted all
(04:07):
that visual memory to come back into my mind and
flood it, but after a while it became so overwhelming.
But Alice just knows the exact things to describe to
me because of her clarity of thought. Autism is such
a special superpower.
Alex Legouix (04:21):
I love that. So we're on our way to your
old house now, which is just a few miles from
where you live now and it's hugely significant in your
life story. Can you tell us how?
Lucy Edwards (04:33):
So this house was the last house I ever saw
as I lost my vision completely at age 17. So
when I think about this house, it makes me feel
so emotional 'cause my parents have only moved from it
in the past three years. So when we sold this
house, it was such a thing for myself and my
family. Like my mum and my dad and my sister
(04:55):
and I were there for the very last night and
we all cried together in it because so much happened
in that house. I remember when I got my first
guide dog, Miss Olga, who's at home now, retired. We've
obviously got the gorgeous Miss Molly in the back. But
I remember being at the front door, shaking, holding onto
this harness for the very first time with Olga and
(05:18):
just thinking, " Why am I holding a dog's harness and
trusting them with my life? This is so weird. Who else does
this? This is such a unique experience." I remember feeling
so, so low and depressed when I first lost my
eyesight at 17, and she was the routine that got
me up. She was the thing that needed me. There
was so much of the world that kind of said
(05:40):
in my mind that I was a burden, that I
was the thing that needed to be fixed in this
kind of medical model of disability that we see. For
all of my teenage years. I was going to an
eye hospital appointment in London and they were saying, " How
do we fix your eyesight?" But suddenly this dog came
and she was like, " Well no, you don't need to
be fixed. You can do this, you can be independent,
(06:02):
you can have wings, you don't need your vision. You've
got me and I need you." Oh, we are going into
my cul- de- sac now?
Alex Legouix (06:14):
We are.
Lucy Edwards (06:14):
See this is the thing. I kind of know the turn
of it. So if you go right after this. It's
honestly just the turns of the car. My visual memory
does kick in, it's the house with a flat on the
front. So my parents actually built the flat on the
(06:35):
front of the house. There's a big couple of windows
at the front that my dad put in. We designed
it together. I don't know if they've still got the blinds there
on the front.
Alex Legouix (06:44):
Yeah. So we've got a bay window at the bottom
with four big windows within it, if you like.
Lucy Edwards (06:50):
Yeah. And then protruding out is the flat.
Alex Legouix (06:52):
That's right.
Lucy Edwards (06:52):
So that's where me and Ollie basically grew up 'cause
it got built when I was 18 and then we
had all of uni in there. Ollie went to uni,
I went to uni and dropped out, worked at the BBC.
Alex Legouix (07:04):
What color was the front door?
Lucy Edwards (07:05):
The front door was black and then it had a
keypad on it that spoke to me and I could
thumb in the keypad. Has it still got that keypad
on the front?
Alex Legouix (07:13):
Is that the grey box-
Lucy Edwards (07:14):
On the side.
Alex Legouix (07:14):
... to the left of the front door?
Lucy Edwards (07:16):
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. It's still there.
Alex Legouix (07:18):
That's still there. I feel quite emotional, so I'm like, "
Oh wow."
What was it like when you went in through the
front door?
Lucy Edwards (07:25):
I designed it actually, and it had tiles on the
floor, gray slate, and then the kitchen was kind of
to the left with a little breakfast bar. My bedroom
was a dark plum because that's the last color I
saw as well in my bedroom. And it took my
dad six coats to paint this plum before it became
(07:46):
nice to look at.
Alex Legouix (07:52):
So we're just turning around in the end of-
Lucy Edwards (07:53):
Yeah, the end one.
Alex Legouix (07:53):
...the-
Lucy Edwards (07:53):
I know exactly where we are.
Alex Legouix (07:53):
... cul-de-sac. Because of the time of year as well, we've got some pretty
flowers coming out, some lovely colors around. There's a yellow
flower to the left of you right now. If I
knew anything about my flowers, I'd give you a bit
more description but I don't have a clue.
Lucy Edwards (08:12):
Can I say though, the most gorgeous thing about audio
description is knowing through your eyes what you see in
your own way, which I absolutely love because if I
was with a florist, they'd probably tell me loads. But
I love the fact you've described it like that because
it's uniquely you. And that's what audio description does. I
feel when, if I'm interviewing someone on a red carpet or something
(08:32):
and I'm like, " Audio describe yourself," they're like, "Oh, well, I didn't
brush my hair this morning." And it's really lovely.
Alex Legouix (08:41):
I didn't brush my.
Hair this morning, actually. But I love that because it's a part of your personality of that day. It's a snapshot.
You didn't experience any sight loss at all until you
were eight. Is that right?
Lucy Edwards (08:50):
Yeah. So I went in for a routine eye check
at age eight, and the optician just looked at me and went, "
I can see something on the back of your eyes."
And they turned to my mom and said, " Mrs. Edwards,
I think you need to rush her to the eye
hospital." And my mom was so confused, but the ophthalmologist,
when we got to the hospital, linked it to this
skin condition that I had four years prior, and on
(09:13):
the backs of my legs. I had what only can
be described as blistered skin that went away when my mom
and dad put some cream on it. But it was
there for years and years and they diagnosed that as
incontinentia pigmenti. So then they monitored it for years and years.
But at age 11, I lost my right eye to
(09:33):
a retinal detachment. Not the actual eye, but the back
of the eye kind of just... It's almost like the
wallpaper of my eye pinged off. And then from 11 to 17
they just monitored it and there was just nothing they could
do. No way that they could make me not blind.
And then, yeah, it just happened. And I sat in
that hospital bed when I was 17 years old and
(09:56):
this consultant, Professor Moore, shout out to you, but he was retiring
on the exact week that I was losing my eyesight
and he'd been the consultant that had seen me since
I'd been referred to London. But he came to my
bedside and he was like, " Luc, we always hoped it
wouldn't come to this," and I think that is when
I reevaluated what hope was because I was like, " Well,
hope isn't me having vision. Hope isn't me needing to
(10:21):
be fixed or needing to be something that I'm not.
Alex Legouix (10:23):
Absolutely.
Lucy Edwards (10:24):
This is me now. I don't want a cure and disability
isn't this thing that should be seen as a taboo
because I was so scared because I saw no one
else around me living an amazing life with blindness. 'Cause
it is a scary thing, but when you know about
it is so less scary. I think people are shocked
(10:45):
when I say to them now, " I love being blind.
I actively adore my life. I don't hope for a
cure anymore. I live for today." And I think that is
the biggest gift that my blindness has given me.
Alex Legouix (10:57):
That is incredibly inspirational.
Lucy Edwards (11:01):
Thank you.
Alex Legouix (11:02):
So was secondary school a place of solitude for you
during that time?
Lucy Edwards (11:08):
I would say that secondary school was my place to
escape, my place with my friends. I'm still best friends
with them to this day. I don't think you can
go through blindness and not cling on to those people
that got you through that time. Yeah, my friends would guide me
in class. I remember my best friend, Connie, when I
(11:30):
could still see a little bit, but I whispered her
and I said, " Connie, I can't see the whiteboard anymore." And
she'd be like, " Don't worry babe." I was like, " I really don't want
a teaching assistant. I don't want to look different. So
can we sit at the front together and can you
write down everything that the psychology teacher is writing on
the whiteboard?" So she would be like, bless her, writing
so quickly. And then being, shout out for Connie, as
(11:52):
well, literally.
Alex Legouix (11:53):
Wow.
Lucy Edwards (11:54):
All these gorgeous people in my life. And then when
I was losing my eyesight, she audio recorded all of my A
level classes. Just divine humans and this is where I
learned braille. I didn't want to. I didn't want to
use my cane. My mom and dad were like, " You
can be independent. Come on, use your cane." I'm so
glad they made me, but oh my gosh, I really
(12:15):
didn't want to be different.
Alex Legouix (12:17):
Is it that that was holding you back?
Lucy Edwards (12:20):
It was holding me back. You're right. My own mental
health with it, like not wanting to be different. No
one wants to be different at school. Right?
Alex Legouix (12:28):
It's the hardest place to be different, right?
Lucy Edwards (12:30):
Yes. There's so many blind people that message me to this
day on my socials, like, " How are you so confident?" " I hate
being different at school and I don't want to get
my cane out." " It's so amazing that you put diamantes
on your cane," and, " You inspire me." And I think I
didn't want to be blind back then.
Alex Legouix (12:50):
We're right in front of Sutton Coldfield Town Hall, which
is a really cool - looking-
Lucy Edwards (13:02):
It's a gorgeous building with this tall tower, this part of Sutton right by
the town hall. Everyone always, on Strava, you see their runs
and it's always getting up this hill, it's like, " How
many minutes can you do it in?" It's like a big feat.
Alex Legouix (13:16):
It'll take me hours to get up there.
Lucy Edwards (13:21):
Yeah. Literally.
Alex Legouix (13:22):
We're just pulling into Wyndley or Wyndley?
Lucy Edwards (13:23):
Oh, Wyndley. Yeah. Perfect.
Alex Legouix (13:30):
Wyndley Leisure Centre.
Lucy Edwards (13:32):
Are we by the track now?
Alex Legouix (13:33):
We are, yes.
Lucy Edwards (13:34):
I remember when I just lost my eyesight and I was
applying for the BBC, I had a guide runner named Steve,
and we ran so many miles around that track, like
training together 'cause he was just learning how to guide
a blind person for the first time. And I remember we
went round that track so many times one way and
we were like, " Oh my gosh, why didn't we switch
(13:54):
directions? Because my knee's hurting on one side, not the other," doing five miles on the track.
Alex Legouix (14:03):
Physical exercise has always been a really good outlet for
you, hasn't it?
Lucy Edwards (14:06):
Yeah, it always has. Considering I didn't do PE, I
think finding exercises that were very much tailored to me
as a blind person, I think I've loved it. I remember
doing the marathon in back in 2017 and I was like, "
My mental health is so bad right now. I think
when I cross this finish line, it will be such
a feat for me."
Alex Legouix (14:26):
And what an achievement.
Lucy Edwards (14:27):
Yeah, I did it in six and a half hours
and oh my gosh, I couldn't feel my legs
Alex Legouix (14:32):
And how does running make you feel?
Lucy Edwards (14:33):
Oh, gosh. Just beautiful. It's a very all encompassing exercise. It's
mind over matter, especially when you're doing that many miles.
I found that my rhythm was about 12 to 15
miles, but I think running all the time most days,
that's how I cured myself of some of my mental health
(14:56):
problems. Yeah.
Alex Legouix (14:57):
There's something very non- defeatist about you, isn't there?
Lucy Edwards (15:01):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (15:01):
Is that something that you've always had regardless?
Lucy Edwards (15:04):
Always.
Alex Legouix (15:04):
Really?
Lucy Edwards (15:05):
Yeah. I've always tried to define myself by how I
get up from things. I really don't want to see things
as failures because I feel like we all have little failures that we
see as failures every single day. But I think it's
how we get up from it that defines what happens
to us. And honestly, I've had those moments where I
have let myself just kind of exist in the moment
(15:27):
and I think that's healthy when you feel so ill.
But I think past that, I think there's a point
where you have to be like, " No Luc, you have
to get up right now and you have to put
one foot in front of the other and do something for you,"
and that's what running was for me. I think after
that and me crossing the finish line at the marathon,
it gave me the confidence to then apply for the
BBC and do all of those other things that now
(15:48):
have made my rich tapestry of life expand.
Alex Legouix (15:53):
Good for you. We've just pulled into Sutton Park National
Nature Reserve.
Lucy Edwards (16:08):
Oh. So pretty. This is where me and Miss Molls
come on our free run walks.
Alex Legouix (16:12):
Oh, really?
Lucy Edwards (16:12):
So with Miss Molls, she has several free runs a
week where she just lets her doggy little ears down.
And she has fun running in the breeze with her
sister, Miss Olga. The amount of times where we've been
around Sutton Park and there's been cows just milling around.
Alex Legouix (16:29):
Really?
Lucy Edwards (16:29):
And we're running out the way and then they're following you
and it's actually scary.
Alex Legouix (16:36):
Wow. They can be a bit scary, cows randomly.
Lucy Edwards (16:36):
Yeah. I love them. I don't eat them. I'm a vegetarian. They can stay
where they are, but they just scare me.
Alex Legouix (16:42):
So we were tipped off that you particularly like sultanas
and McDonald's french fries.
Lucy Edwards (16:49):
I do. They're my comfort food. So I had those
after I had my eyesight operations. My mom would always
go and get them for me. She's just a cutie pie.
Alex Legouix (16:58):
She always got red cards, didn't she?
Lucy Edwards (17:01):
Always got red cars.
Alex Legouix (17:02):
Why was that?
Lucy Edwards (17:03):
Oh, okay. So when I lost my vision, I, for
some reason could still see the color red before I
lost all the rest of my color vision, probably like
18, 19. And I just could see her red cars. So
she'd always just get these red cars and we had
a bit of a conversation. She was like, I don't want to buy any other
(17:23):
car color unless you tell me that I can." This was
like two years ago when she got her new car
and I was like, " Mom, why don't we just cleanse
ourselves? You need to change the color of your car. It's time."
And she was like, " Okay, I'll go blue, 'cause it's another
primary color."
Alex Legouix (17:38):
Wow.
Lucy Edwards (17:38):
So it was a really big thing for her to change her color
car, and I know that sounds really silly.
Alex Legouix (17:42):
Doesn't think silly at all.
Lucy Edwards (17:45):
It was definitely like us saying bye to that section
of my eyesight loss. Cars mean a lot, don't they?
Alex Legouix (17:51):
They really can do. They're very nostalgic.
Lucy Edwards (17:53):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (17:55):
So today we are in a red Volvo V70.
Lucy Edwards (17:59):
Wow.
Alex Legouix (18:00):
And your dad, didn't he have one similar to this?
Lucy Edwards (18:03):
Yeah, he had a white Volvo that I always used to be like, "
Oh my gosh." Yeah, he was so proud of it.
Alex Legouix (18:10):
Now this particular one is from 2008 and since then
Volvo has actually stopped producing estate cars and there are 15, 000
Volvo estates still being listed on AutoTrader just in the last year.
Lucy Edwards (18:25):
Oh, wow. That's cool.
Alex Legouix (18:26):
Oh, yeah.
Lucy Edwards (18:26):
So you can still get one.
Alex Legouix (18:27):
Yes. We picked this one up nearby from Solihull Motor
Group and it's done a whopping 171,000 miles and counting.
Lucy Edwards (18:38):
Wow. And we're doing a few more today.
Alex Legouix (18:40):
We are. Well you can find thousands of cars like
this one on AutoTrader where they are ready and available
to drive away today. Should we carry on?
Lucy Edwards (18:50):
Let's do it, Alex. Let's do it.
Alex Legouix (19:00):
Okay. From Sutton Park, now we're going to go to
Highbury Theatre.
Lucy Edwards (19:07):
Oh, that's where me and Ollie met.
Alex Legouix (19:07):
Oh.
Lucy Edwards (19:07):
Oh, my hubby.
Alex Legouix (19:11):
All right, come on then. Tell me the gossip.
Lucy Edwards (19:14):
Shall I tell you all?
Alex Legouix (19:14):
Mm-hm.
Lucy Edwards (19:14):
Okay. So me and him we met at Highbury and we
went to an amateur dramatics club together, but the reason
that he came is because his family friend Jane went
over for dinner because she was obviously friends with Ollie's
mom and dad, and over a spaghetti bolognese Jane said, "
(19:36):
We need more boys for this production of Adrian Mole."
And Ollie was like, " Okay, I'll come." And she even
said over the spag bol, " Well, there's a girl there
called Lucy and I think she might like you and
I think you'll get on." I don't know what wizardry
she was conjuring up there, but shout out o Jane.
So she set us up and then to be honest,
(19:56):
the rest is history. We did loads of different plays.
And the one thing though that was screaming out about
him was his horrendous white trainers.
Alex Legouix (20:05):
Oh, boy.
Lucy Edwards (20:05):
I mean, I loved his outfits and everything, but his trainers
just had to go out when we got together. And
we did a production of Peace Pan and he was-
Alex Legouix (20:15):
And you were?
Lucy Edwards (20:15):
I was Wendy.
Alex Legouix (20:15):
Oh, of course.
Lucy Edwards (20:15):
And he was the pirate that tried to kill me.
So romantic. Also, I lost my eyesight in the middle
of playing Wendy. So we had to adapt the backstage
crew to guide me all around the stage and it
was just so sweet how that happened. I can't even
(20:35):
express in words how much I love him to this
day. It sounds really soppy. He is my soulmate and
I know that I am sitting here and I'm so
lucky to say that I met my husband at 15, 16 years
old at a club and our wedding was next level.
I still dream about the day. I want to relive it over
and over and over again. Can't believe it was nearly
(20:57):
a year ago.
Alex Legouix (20:59):
And something that I noticed on the video is that
Ollie wore a blindfold and all of your guests. Can
you talk me through that because that for me was
really powerful to see?
Lucy Edwards (21:09):
Yeah. Well, Ollie doesn't see blindness as a disability. He was like, "
Well, this is our world. This is our life. This
is what we deal with together. I want to make
that public stand that your world is lovely to be
in." And as a sighted person, he thinks that's really
important as a stand to just be like, " We're in
(21:30):
this together." And with that, we had gorgeous trailing flowers
up the aisle and the scents changed as you walked
up the aisle. So we knew where we were. We
had this amazing sound company that actually does the prompts.
We kind of spent a lot of our budget on
the sound and we had this 3D audio where Ollie
(21:51):
developed the track with the sound engineers to crescendo as
I got further towards him as well with the strings
and everything kind of going up towards the aisle. And
then just everyone from my dad having different kind of
scents on them with their flowers that were on their lapels.
I think scent is so guiding. So what I mean
(22:15):
by that is if I get a cold, I open
a jar of mustard and I'm like, " Oh my gosh,
I don't know what this is." It's really weird to
me that if I don't have a braille label on
something, I need to smell it. It feels so important
to me that I know what someone's perfume is like
because it's a sense of self. Memories for me were
(22:37):
made on my wedding day and that perfume will be
forever in my mind as something so important to me
as a staple of my memory. I think certain flowers
bring me back to moments of my childhood, like daisies
and buttercups. When you're on the field, when you're a
young girl and the smell of grass, it's so visceral,
It's so gorgeous. And until you put that blindfold on
(22:59):
or experience that one moment where you're just like, " I
am one with my body," you are not going to get
the same experience by seeing it. Because I do believe
that in this world that we live in, we are
also about the visuals. The day that I didn't have
to look at Instagram was the day I was set
free. I have no comparison. I have no ability to
(23:20):
have that kind of, I guess, jealousy and envy of
other people. And it set me free. It really has
the ability to just love my body and love the
way that I am. And I think that's why I love
yoga, but I love running so much because it's just,
you are one with yourself, aren't you? And I think sometimes blindness
can be such a lonely disability if I think of it like, "
(23:42):
Oh my gosh, I'm just in my brain." But then
if I'm thinking about different techniques that I use to
soothe my brain, like my lovely pleasant place, I can
sit here and just be one with myself and think, "
Oh my gosh, let's bring back all these scents and
think about my gorgeous bedroom." That's my pleasant place when
I think about all of the different things around me. Those
(24:04):
are techniques that really just make you breathe.
Alex Legouix (24:08):
Wow.
Lucy Edwards (24:08):
The world is so hectic, isn't it?
Alex Legouix (24:11):
Yeah. So we're actually sitting outside Highbury Theatre.
Lucy Edwards (24:15):
Oh, are we?
Alex Legouix (24:15):
Yeah. It's on our right. It's like a brown brick building.
Lucy Edwards (24:20):
Quite an old building.
Alex Legouix (24:22):
Yeah, it does look quite old.
Lucy Edwards (24:23):
I remember when you went in there, it smelt of old
wood and is there still a little brick wall outside the front?
Alex Legouix (24:30):
Yeah. And then there's a balcony.
Lucy Edwards (24:32):
I can't quite remember that. I think we always used to go in the side
of the building and it's such a cute little theatre.
I remember the back changing rooms being quite small, but
also because we were all teenagers was all getting changed
into all these different outfits. It just feels like my
(24:52):
childhood around here, the happy moments, the moments where I
was trying to find myself and find my voice again.
And I didn't have any moments where it's like I
didn't feel accepted. I felt like we were all the
kids that were kind of going through something at school
and made a bit of a theater group.
Alex Legouix (25:10):
Yeah, I can really relate to that having gone to theatre school.
Everyone came with a story.
Lucy Edwards (25:14):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (25:20):
The next spot that we're going to be heading to
is the Mailbox.
Lucy Edwards (25:25):
Oh, cute.
Alex Legouix (25:26):
But before we talk about that, your wedding, how did
yours compare to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex? Because
you were a guest at that, weren't you?
Lucy Edwards (25:37):
Yeah, yeah.
Alex Legouix (25:37):
What?
Lucy Edwards (25:37):
I know it was a bit cray. I was one of several hundred
people from the UK that were nominated to sit on
the lawn at Windsor Castle. The left lieutenant of the
West Midlands nominated me because I raised so much money
for them on my marathon journey for Guide Dogs UK. So
yeah, it was so awesome. But I'm going to tell
(26:00):
you a funny story. So we were with Miss Olga,
she was working at the time, and it was so
hot and I remember having Olga's bowl, but then being
so delighted when we were greeted with this goody bag
and in this goody bag there was royal shortbread and
royal... It was a big coin that actually I think
(26:21):
my in- laws still have in the back of their fridge. They're never
going to eat it 'cause it's like this royal big massive
chocolate coin.
Alex Legouix (26:26):
Wow.
Lucy Edwards (26:27):
It's so cool. And then a royal bottle of water that had a
stamp on the side. I mean all of this was
just, as you can imagine, just shortbread, but with a
crest on the side and a magnet, which was really
cool. Anyway, so we sit down. I had picnic blanket,
which was tartan, and I felt really cool and we
(26:47):
had to sit like that.
Alex Legouix (26:47):
How very apt.
Lucy Edwards (26:47):
And I loved it 'cause outside we saw everyone
walk past us. So the Clooneys and the horses and the
Royal Brigade and it was just so grand. It was
gorgeous. I was so proud to be British in that
moment. But the one thing about the day was me and
(27:08):
Ollie, we were sitting on the lawn and Olga was panting at
this point. I was like, " Oh, give Olga some water.
Put it in her bowl. It's fine. We can just
share one bottle. She can have the other one. So
we were drinking these bottles, we're cracking open the shortbread.
We had a gorgeous day. We sang the national anthem.
It was a beautiful day. Anyway, after we came home
(27:29):
to our studio flat in London, we opened the laptop
and it said, " So many people are selling these bags."
And I'm like, " Why would you sell the bag," to the
point where Ollie saw a video and a properly shot
photo of this bag on the lawn of Windsor Castle,
and they were selling them for like 50 grand on
E eBay.
Alex Legouix (27:51):
No.
Lucy Edwards (27:51):
And I was like, " Oh my gosh. Number one, I would never
do that. But number two, people were literally poised to
sell these bags. And I was like, " Olga, you're eating
like 50 grand shortbread."
Alex Legouix (28:07):
Makes me laugh. So there've been a few times throughout
this conversation where I will have mentioned how things look
and stuff, and I just wanted to have an open discussion,
I guess, with you about language and using certain words
and phrases around people with a visual impairment.
Lucy Edwards (28:26):
I love that.
Alex Legouix (28:26):
So where to begin?
Lucy Edwards (28:28):
I love that you've asked that question. I think a
lot of people are so worried when they first come
up to me and they go, " Oh, did you hear
that great TV show?" And I'm like, " No. I watched
it." And I think for me, as someone who has
acquired a disability later on in life, even though I
was only 17, I still grew up learning that vocabulary.
(28:53):
So when I watch something, yes, it may look different
to when you guys watch something, but because of the
advent of audio description, I still had that lovely experience where
I did watch it. My face was turned towards the
screen and even though I was using predominantly my ears
to have that experience, I still use the term, " Watched,"
(29:14):
because it's just how society... I don't want to be
that person who changes their vocab just because of being
who I am. When I say this, I'm only one
blind person and obviously I can't necessarily speak for a
whole community of people, but what I do know of, I
have a lot of blind friends and they do say that, "
(29:34):
Please don't change your vocab towards us because it's not
something that is necessary." Even though we technically are hearing
things and not necessarily watching them, it just kind of
ostracizes us to use othering language, I guess. And thank you
so much for asking 'cause I think that's so important 'cause there's been
times when I do go into different places and people
are worried about talking to me, they just do default
(29:57):
to talking to Ollie as the sighted person.
Alex Legouix (29:59):
Right, I see.
Lucy Edwards (29:59):
And say to him, " What does she want?" And he's like, "
Well, why don't you ask her?," and just looks at
me. And that's still today in 2024.
Alex Legouix (30:07):
Wow, that's shocking.
Lucy Edwards (30:08):
Yeah, I think that's shocking in so many ways because I'm so independent.
Alex Legouix (30:13):
And you describe yourself as blind, don't you?
Lucy Edwards (30:17):
Yes.
Alex Legouix (30:18):
But not everyone...
Lucy Edwards (30:20):
No, not everyone does.
Alex Legouix (30:21):
Would or does.
Lucy Edwards (30:22):
Yes, not everyone does and I think there's a definite
clear distinction because the whole of the blindness community is
a massive spectrum. Blindness is a spectrum. Even when you're talking
to a blind person, they might not be a total
like me. I mean, I say in jest, " I'm a
total." There's some people who are totally blind that might
not even use that. We're all so different. It's just
(30:43):
like any group of people that you put in one
room. Not everyone with blonde hair has the same story.
They've all rode on different transport and had different ways
of ending up in that room that are so different.
Even though they've all got one common trait about themselves
that possibly that they're all blonde, it doesn't mean that
(31:05):
we're all kind of the same. So when we talk
about blindness, we think, " Oh, they must be totally blind
like me." I would say that I'm possibly the stereotype.
You think blind, you think you can't see anything, black.
That's how I describe my vision practically. Whereas there's people
who are registered blind who can see six meters in
front of them. It's very blurry and they can't drive
(31:28):
a car and they can't necessarily read things up close,
but they might be able to see blurry blobs away
from them, or they might be able to have a
different condition that they can see things really in front
of them with really zoomed- in magnification. And then there's
also the visually impaired community. So what I would say
is, just ask. If you're unsure and you're not sure
(31:50):
how to help, I think the first question is, " How
can I help you?," or, " Is it okay if you
describe your vision to me? Would that help the situation?," possibly.
Or if they're not comfy with that, they can say, "
Well, actually, Alex, I'm not that comfy with describing my
vision, but what I will say is this is how
you can help me and X, Y or Z." I think
(32:11):
we are so over different tropes and I think what's
amazing is that we can have these conversations on such
a big podcast. I can have such a big platform
of two- point- eight million people and having a billion
views online and also filming shows for the BBC to
show that, yeah, I do travel and I do have
a life and I do have a husband and a house
(32:33):
and a mortgage. Because I lost my eyesight, it doesn't
mean that any of those things are not some things that
I want out of life. So it's interesting.
Alex Legouix (32:43):
The terminology could do with being updated.
Lucy Edwards (32:45):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (32:45):
'Cause I feel across the board we sort of haven't
adapted to or understood enough.
Lucy Edwards (32:51):
I totally hear you. And when we look at buildings,
they didn't need to be designed with steps in them
at all but we could have just designed the world
with ramps.
Alex Legouix (33:02):
Yes.
Lucy Edwards (33:02):
Suddenly wheelchair users don't need to request for ramps or
there needs to be this fight whether we can or
cannot get into buildings. This is what I preach. This
is my whole consultancy business behind the scenes when I'm
not presenting. I am talking to brands about how universal
design principles designed for any age, any gender, any sexual
(33:23):
orientation, any ability, any race. We are all humans. We are
all big blobs on this massive planet that we are
spinning around the sun. We all need to be seen
and heard. And if you design a product from the
ground up to say, " Maybe we should have everyone sitting
around this table of every different ability fighting to have
(33:45):
their lived experience heard," because that's what's so important. And
I think the more we do that with any podcast
or any production or any output that we see, we're
then going to see people that are representing the whole
of the population that look like us. And then we're
going to have little girls or little boys or little non-
(34:05):
binary people looking at their tellies and going, " Oh, that
is me, and I can aspire to be that thing that
I didn't think I could ever be because I've got
so much less self- confidence." So honestly, socially, we are
starting to get there, like with me as the Pantene
ambassador, we're seeing these portrayals of different abilities on our
(34:27):
screen, but we're just not there yet.
Alex Legouix (34:29):
So you advise companies? Pantene, you mentioned, Apple.
Lucy Edwards (34:35):
Yes. Oh, my gosh. So when we think about a
product like Apple, it fits around you. When I first
lost my eyesight, I could text back my friends. But
before that, blind people going blind in 2008, they didn't
have the ability to text their friends like I did.
I found so much solace and acceptance in just being
(34:56):
able to text people and having these products that truly
accept you and mold around you is amazing. And when
you say, " Other products," are there any? Not really. I
hate that I have to say that in 2024. I still
open my makeup bag and every product feels the same.
My makeup artist was saying, " How do you know what
(35:18):
product?" I learn. I have to spend hours labeling with
Ollie what makeup is this and that and the other. And I have
to get different brands and things to know what my
blusher is. Otherwise I'd put lipstick on as concealer. I've
done that before. I've known to walk out the door
like having done conditioner first before shampoo. But now that
we have a few labels on things such as this
(35:39):
NaviLens code, where I can scan this code that is
now printed onto Pantene packaging, I can scan it, I
can locate the bottle, I can actually know how much
it is and the ingredients in it and I burst
into tears. I physically was blubbering like a little baby.
Finally, being able to understand what a bottle was again, I'm
(36:00):
so happy to be the person to talk to about
these things because if I don't do that, then who
is going to educate people?
Alex Legouix (36:13):
Right now we're heading into the center of Birmingham, which
is where we will end up dropping you off. This
is horrible traffic on the road.
Lucy Edwards (36:22):
I know.
Alex Legouix (36:22):
Can you picture where we are?
Lucy Edwards (36:25):
Yeah, we're in the Queensway, aren't we? So we'll come
out on the Aston Expressway kind of area. My uncle actually
got his tractor stuck here.
Alex Legouix (36:34):
No.
Lucy Edwards (36:35):
And he was in the news, like, " Guy on tractor stuck in the Queensway Tunnel."
Alex Legouix (36:44):
I know you're a very proud Brummie.
Lucy Edwards (36:47):
I am.
Alex Legouix (36:47):
But tell us a little bit more about some of
the common issues that things like city centers pose for you.
Lucy Edwards (36:53):
Yeah. City centers for me are so all over the
place. I think initially what comes to mind is trams.
Their rails are often in pedestrianised areas, so you don't
know whether you're walking on the track or not. So
that's really scary for me as a guide dog user. Is there a
way that we can get more tactile paving and more
(37:14):
ways to differentiate in a tactile way, the demarcations of
those things so we're not on the tracks? Also, just
not having those signposts. So not being able to just
scan with my phone where I am or what I'm
doing. If I'm on Google Maps, I do often, in built-
(37:35):
up city center areas, lose my 3G signal. So Google
Maps is accessible and it's brilliant, but how is there
a reality where there is signage on actual real life
things that we're standing in front of. unlike everyone else,
I can't just see that there's Primark across the road,
but I would be able to if there was a NaviLens code there. And
(37:55):
I think it's just about making things more accessible in
that way.
Alex Legouix (38:00):
You've mentioned NaviLens a couple of times and I wondered
if you could just explain that to someone like me.
I don't know what that is.
Lucy Edwards (38:07):
Yeah, of course. So NaviLens is amazing. So traditional barcodes, they
don't really help, only because I would scan that baked
bean tin so many times and not know where that
code was because obviously there's no tactile indication that a
normal barcode is there. With NaviLens, you don't have that
tactile indication, but the code is made up of these
(38:30):
little tiny geometric shapes. It can be picked up by
your camera on your phone. It only has to be a
tiny pixel in your camera frame when you are pointing
the free downloadable app at that code. It's sensing it
all the time and it only has to see a tiny bit in the corner
and it will direct me to that code with 3D
audio. I will put my headphones on and it will
(38:53):
go left a bit, right a bit, up a bit,
forward a bit, and me and Miss Molly know exactly
where to go.
Alex Legouix (38:58):
That is clever technology. So we're heading to BBC Birmingham,
which is inside the Mailbox, which is where it all
began for you, didn't it?
Lucy Edwards (39:08):
It's amazing. I love around here. This is one of
my favorite spots in center of town.
Alex Legouix (39:13):
When did your ambition to work in the media come from?
Lucy Edwards (39:17):
So I started uploading YouTube videos back in 2014. I
said to my boyfriend, now husband, at the time, " Right,
I would love to start making YouTube videos, but I don't know how to edit.
Can we do it together?" And he was like, " Yeah,
of course." And back then when I turned on the
camera, they were some of the only happy moments I
(39:38):
had and that became my portfolio, my YouTube channel. I
had like 20, 000 subscribers. Someone posted my video on a
website called Tickled, which, I think it's just a kind
of different version of Reddit as far as I know.
And that basically formed the basis of me having a
bit of a platform and a portfolio online to the
(40:00):
point where I was like, " I want to do documentaries for a
living. I would really love to explore this," and that's
kind of how I started. That formed an application for
me. I applied twice and didn't get in and the
third time I did.
Alex Legouix (40:16):
All right, good For You.
Lucy Edwards (40:17):
Meanwhile, I was doing my work experience here and I
remember it really vividly 'cause my sister came with me
as my access worker, so she was guiding me around
for the day and I had Olga, and we went
out with this journalist who was ever such a nice
chap, and I remember we were filming this piece for
(40:38):
the six o'clock news and it was on this lovely
lady called Mimi Cesar. She was a gymnast and she
predominantly worked with batons with little lovely strings on the
end. So we were in this... I think it was somewhere in
town. Anyway, this place had a cat there, which initially
(40:59):
Olga was like, " Oh my gosh, there's a cat." And
then the next thing about that whole scenario was Mimi
and her batons... I was shadowing him doing a piece
to camera. She was throwing these batons. Olga, no joke,
she had a harness on. She was wanting to eat
these batons and started barking. I was like, " Oh my
gosh, I'm so sorry." And I just thought, " This is so typical.
(41:22):
This work has reached it's place where it's just not
going well." And the guy was laughing. He was so
fine with it.
Alex Legouix (41:27):
Love it.
Lucy Edwards (41:28):
So I loved it. But I think that's when I
truly knew that I was going to be accepted at the
BBC because he was just like, " No, it's honestly fine."
Alex Legouix (41:36):
That's just brilliant, isn't it?
Lucy Edwards (41:37):
It's just amazing.
Alex Legouix (41:39):
So what's on the agenda for you next, career wise?
Are you going to spend any more time with the
likes of Ryan Gosling? Oh, my word.
Lucy Edwards (41:48):
Bless him, He was such a cutie pie. Yeah, that's when I was doing a
press junket. I was hosting a Netflix premiere. It was
actually the first ever premiere that was audio described by Netflix,
which was really cool. It was The Gray Man premiere.
So I decided just like with everyone really, I'll ask
you to audio describe your outfit. I asked Ryan, so he was giving
(42:08):
it large, which I like. He's audio describing himself 'cause
I think the Barbie movie was about to come out
back then, or he was in filming for it. So
he was describing himself and he was complimenting my dress,
bless him, and he gave me a couple of extra
questions 'cause obviously you only get one question on the
press junket line, and I didn't really have anything else
prepared 'cause the girl was like, " Make sure he moves on quickly. Make sure." I was like, "Oh, okay, okay."
(42:31):
And he stayed and he was like, "I love your dress," and this that. I was like, " Cheers, babes."
And I think that was the first time that a
celebrity had ever done anything like that, like audio described
anything about their appearance on a red carpet, which I
thought was awesome. I honestly think audio description is the
gift that keeps on giving. It really is. And I'm
so lucky to have a whole portfolio online that I
(42:53):
have created my personal brand. I think that was why
I wanted to start TikTok really in the first place
that I had all of these little notes on my phone
about all the headlines that I wanted and all of the
ways that I could educate the world on blindness that
I hadn't done already, because we were in the pandemic
and I was like, " Right, I want to create my
personal brand. I want documentaries commissioned one day. How can
(43:13):
I show commissioners that I am a good presenter? I'm
going to go on TikTok." And then it's kind of spiraled
from there and I've presented two documentaries that have both
won RTS awards, which I can't...
Alex Legouix (43:23):
Incredible.
Lucy Edwards (43:23):
And I've just won the Breakthrough Presenter Award at the
Royal Television Society for my documentary on Japan, and I'm
so excited. I love documentary making. It is my passion, and
I'm just hoping to kind of forge my path in
kind of long- form documentary making, and that's what I'm
trying to do now. So yeah, really excited for the
(43:45):
future. I'm so lucky to do what I do.
Alex Legouix (43:47):
So, well now you are off on a date with Ollie.
Lucy Edwards (43:55):
Oh, yeah. I'm off on a date. Going to Elio.
Alex Legouix (43:58):
Elio, which is a Lebanese cafe very close to the
BBC. What's so special about that?
Lucy Edwards (44:05):
The Elio Cafe was those times when I came out
of that building, often having had an interview or having
met a commissioner for the first time or had a
training course that I was really excited about and all
of those key moments I can remember just going back
to that cafe and having that exact Lebanese dish with
(44:26):
flatbread. It's still there on the menu to this day.
It's got this special sauce on it and there's falafel
bits in it, and I just love having it. It's my
comfort food after any major bit of voiceover. I voice-
overed Kenya in there when I went to Kenya for the
travel show. Any BBC travel show bit. So yeah, it's
my home. I can't believe it's moving.
Alex Legouix (44:48):
Oh, no.
Lucy Edwards (44:48):
I know it's moving just up the road, but there's a
big home for it here in Birmingham, yeah.
Alex Legouix (44:54):
It's been such a pleasure to talk to you. You have
really inspired me.
Lucy Edwards (44:59):
Thank you, Al. I really appreciate it. It's been so
lovely being driven around my hometown by you and your
lovely car. It is so cool. And you've given me the space
to just be myself and talk about things that are really
important. Thank you so much.
Alex Legouix (45:14):
So awesome. Thank you. And have an amazing date with your amazing man.
Lucy Edwards (45:20):
Thank you.
Alex Legouix (45:21):
And he's at your door.
Lucy Edwards (45:22):
Hello, honey.
Ollie Cave (45:24):
Hey.
Lucy Edwards (45:24):
You going to get Miss Molls out?
Ollie Cave (45:25):
Yes.
Lucy Edwards (45:26):
Good girl. She's been so good.
Alex Legouix (45:28):
She was so chilled, isn't she?
Lucy Edwards (45:29):
I know. So lovely, Al. Thank you so much.
Alex Legouix (45:33):
My pleasure.
Lucy Edwards (45:33):
There you go, honey.
Alex Legouix (45:35):
Goodbye.
Lucy Edwards (45:36):
Bye.
Alex Legouix (45:40):
Well, that was just so inspiring. Lucy has achieved and
overcome so much to get to where she is today, and
she's clearly nowhere near done yet. Anyway, if you want
to discover any more about sight loss or donate time
or money to help those with little or no sight,
search for the Royal National Institute of Blind People. Thank
(46:03):
you so much for joining us. Show on the Road
is a fresh- air production for AutoTrader. If you enjoyed it
and you want others to enjoy it too, please spread
the word by leaving a quick rating in your podcast
app and a nice little comment. It really helps. You
can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where there's exclusive
footage of this drive. Everyone's drive in this series is
(46:25):
just so different. Whether it's in the North South or the
Midlands, there's always a journey to be had and a
story to tell about it. Choosing the vehicle you are
going to start your next story in, couldn't be easier
on AutoTrader. Thousands of vehicles to choose from with expert
reviews and videos to help you pick and loads of
(46:45):
options to buy used, new or leased so you get
the best for you each time. Find your next car
and start your next story on the AutoTrader app or at autotrader. co.
uk. In our next episode, we'll have a former I'm
a Celebrity winner in the passenger seat, showing us her
inspiring places as the conversation flings around from McFly to
(47:09):
motherhood to recording with royalty.
Giovanna Fletcher (47:12):
Oh, coming out here, actually I can remember kissing my
best friend's boyfriend at the time. We kissed around there.
It was all orchestrated by her-
Alex Legouix (47:20):
What?
Giovanna Fletcher (47:20):
... because I couldn't go to senior school without having
kissed a boy, so that actually happened. How's that for
a start?
Alex Legouix (47:27):
I'm Alex Legouix, until next time, see you.
The day that I didn't have to look at Instagram was the day I
was set free. Oh, are we going into my cul- de-
sac now?
Alex Legouix (00:08):
We are.
Lucy Edwards (00:09):
My visual memory does kick in. If I don't, then
who is going to educate people on disability? People are
shocked when I say I love being blind.
Alex Legouix (00:22):
Today, I'm on the outskirts of Birmingham, en route to
pick up our next guest for Show on the Road,
the brilliant and inspiring Lucy Edwards- Cave. An award- winning
broadcaster, journalist, author and influencer, Lucy is an unstoppable force
of nature, driving change in the way we think about
diversity, equity and inclusion. And she's having loads of fun
(00:44):
doing it. Brought to you by Auto Trader, the UK's
largest automated platform, this is Show on the Road. In
this episode, Lucy is going to show us the places
where she overcame countless hurdles and ignorance to become the
role model she is today. Those experiences mean she has
loads of stories to share and an absolutely gorgeous guide
(01:07):
dog called Miss Molly, who's also coming along for the ride
and I cannot wait. I'm Alex Legouix, driving a 2008 red
Volvo Estate into The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield to
pick up Lucy from her front door. And here we are.
Lucy Edwards (01:25):
Straight to the car, Molly. Find the way. Good girl. Is this the car?
Alex Legouix (01:30):
Hi.
Lucy Edwards (01:31):
Hello, Alex. Oh, it's so lovely to meet you.
Alex Legouix (01:32):
It's so nice to meet you too.
Lucy Edwards (01:35):
Is it okay if you help me get in the car, Alex? Is that all right?
Alex Legouix (01:35):
Yes, of course.
Lucy Edwards (01:35):
Is it okay if you give me the back seat handle with this hand?
Alex Legouix (01:42):
Yeah.
Lucy Edwards (01:42):
Lovely. Come on, Molly. Hop up and wee. Oh, bless you. So
I'm wondering if you could plug her into the seat,
my love.
Alex Legouix (01:51):
Yeah, there we go.
Lucy Edwards (01:53):
And then I'm wondering if I could be guided to
the front now. Perfect. And then could you put my
hand on the bottom of the seat and then the back
of the seat.
Alex Legouix (02:02):
Okay.
Lucy Edwards (02:02):
So I know which way around. Amazing. Right. I'm going to duck in. Ooh.
Alex Legouix (02:07):
Okay.
Lucy Edwards (02:07):
We're in. Ooh, very snazzy. Loving it. It's a gorgeous sunny day. I can feel
it on my face.
Alex Legouix (02:14):
It is. It's really nice. So, Sutton Coldfield.
Lucy Edwards (02:24):
I know.
Alex Legouix (02:25):
A royal town.
Lucy Edwards (02:26):
Yep.
Alex Legouix (02:27):
None other, deemed by Henry VIII, I think it is.
Lucy Edwards (02:31):
Didn't know that.
Alex Legouix (02:32):
Really? Oh, there we are. Fun fact to start off with.
Lucy Edwards (02:34):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (02:35):
And your manor since birth, right?
Lucy Edwards (02:37):
Yeah, this is where I grew up. This is where I lost
my eyesight. This is where I was born into existence, figure.
Alex Legouix (02:47):
So, a lot has gone on around here then?
Lucy Edwards (02:47):
So much. So many visual memories and so many non-
sighted memories. Yeah.
Alex Legouix (02:51):
Yeah, of course. And you spent a good few years
in Walsall too, right?
Lucy Edwards (02:58):
Yes, I did. Yeah.
Alex Legouix (02:58):
What do you remember most vividly then about that part of your life?
Lucy Edwards (03:00):
I moved there when I was around two years old
and I was there till I was about eight. I
absolutely love hearing myself in family videos, going shoes, which
is very... Shoes. But I was very Black Country back then.
Alex Legouix (03:16):
Broad.
Lucy Edwards (03:16):
Yeah, very Brummie. To be honest, I adore the accent.
It very much reminds me of home and soothing. Whenever
I hear the accent I'm like, " Oh, that's my early
years." And I just remember that little house. Me and my
sister had bedrooms opposite each other and we both had
a bunk bed and my bedroom was bright orange and
Alice's was bright yellow. We're only 15 months apart. So
(03:39):
me and my sister are so close.
Alex Legouix (03:40):
Oh, lovely.
Lucy Edwards (03:42):
Alice and Lucy.
Alex Legouix (03:43):
And you're still really close now then?
Lucy Edwards (03:45):
We're still really close and we both have disabilities. So
she has autism and I'm completely blind and I feel
that it's brought us so close because she sees the
world with so much clarity. And for me as a blind
person, it being so overwhelming to, I guess, audio describe.
I know when I first went blind I was like, "
Can you just describe everything?," 'cause obviously I wanted all
(04:07):
that visual memory to come back into my mind and
flood it, but after a while it became so overwhelming.
But Alice just knows the exact things to describe to
me because of her clarity of thought. Autism is such
a special superpower.
Alex Legouix (04:21):
I love that. So we're on our way to your
old house now, which is just a few miles from
where you live now and it's hugely significant in your
life story. Can you tell us how?
Lucy Edwards (04:33):
So this house was the last house I ever saw
as I lost my vision completely at age 17. So
when I think about this house, it makes me feel
so emotional 'cause my parents have only moved from it
in the past three years. So when we sold this
house, it was such a thing for myself and my
family. Like my mum and my dad and my sister
(04:55):
and I were there for the very last night and
we all cried together in it because so much happened
in that house. I remember when I got my first
guide dog, Miss Olga, who's at home now, retired. We've
obviously got the gorgeous Miss Molly in the back. But
I remember being at the front door, shaking, holding onto
this harness for the very first time with Olga and
(05:18):
just thinking, " Why am I holding a dog's harness and
trusting them with my life? This is so weird. Who else does
this? This is such a unique experience." I remember feeling
so, so low and depressed when I first lost my
eyesight at 17, and she was the routine that got
me up. She was the thing that needed me. There
was so much of the world that kind of said
(05:40):
in my mind that I was a burden, that I
was the thing that needed to be fixed in this
kind of medical model of disability that we see. For
all of my teenage years. I was going to an
eye hospital appointment in London and they were saying, " How
do we fix your eyesight?" But suddenly this dog came
and she was like, " Well no, you don't need to
be fixed. You can do this, you can be independent,
(06:02):
you can have wings, you don't need your vision. You've
got me and I need you." Oh, we are going into
my cul- de- sac now?
Alex Legouix (06:14):
We are.
Lucy Edwards (06:14):
See this is the thing. I kind of know the turn
of it. So if you go right after this. It's
honestly just the turns of the car. My visual memory
does kick in, it's the house with a flat on the
front. So my parents actually built the flat on the
(06:35):
front of the house. There's a big couple of windows
at the front that my dad put in. We designed
it together. I don't know if they've still got the blinds there
on the front.
Alex Legouix (06:44):
Yeah. So we've got a bay window at the bottom
with four big windows within it, if you like.
Lucy Edwards (06:50):
Yeah. And then protruding out is the flat.
Alex Legouix (06:52):
That's right.
Lucy Edwards (06:52):
So that's where me and Ollie basically grew up 'cause
it got built when I was 18 and then we
had all of uni in there. Ollie went to uni,
I went to uni and dropped out, worked at the BBC.
Alex Legouix (07:04):
What color was the front door?
Lucy Edwards (07:05):
The front door was black and then it had a
keypad on it that spoke to me and I could
thumb in the keypad. Has it still got that keypad
on the front?
Alex Legouix (07:13):
Is that the grey box-
Lucy Edwards (07:14):
On the side.
Alex Legouix (07:14):
... to the left of the front door?
Lucy Edwards (07:16):
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. It's still there.
Alex Legouix (07:18):
That's still there. I feel quite emotional, so I'm like, "
Oh wow."
What was it like when you went in through the
front door?
Lucy Edwards (07:25):
I designed it actually, and it had tiles on the
floor, gray slate, and then the kitchen was kind of
to the left with a little breakfast bar. My bedroom
was a dark plum because that's the last color I
saw as well in my bedroom. And it took my
dad six coats to paint this plum before it became
(07:46):
nice to look at.
Alex Legouix (07:52):
So we're just turning around in the end of-
Lucy Edwards (07:53):
Yeah, the end one.
Alex Legouix (07:53):
...the-
Lucy Edwards (07:53):
I know exactly where we are.
Alex Legouix (07:53):
... cul-de-sac. Because of the time of year as well, we've got some pretty
flowers coming out, some lovely colors around. There's a yellow
flower to the left of you right now. If I
knew anything about my flowers, I'd give you a bit
more description but I don't have a clue.
Lucy Edwards (08:12):
Can I say though, the most gorgeous thing about audio
description is knowing through your eyes what you see in
your own way, which I absolutely love because if I
was with a florist, they'd probably tell me loads. But
I love the fact you've described it like that because
it's uniquely you. And that's what audio description does. I
feel when, if I'm interviewing someone on a red carpet or something
(08:32):
and I'm like, " Audio describe yourself," they're like, "Oh, well, I didn't
brush my hair this morning." And it's really lovely.
Alex Legouix (08:41):
I didn't brush my.
Hair this morning, actually. But I love that because it's a part of your personality of that day. It's a snapshot.
You didn't experience any sight loss at all until you
were eight. Is that right?
Lucy Edwards (08:50):
Yeah. So I went in for a routine eye check
at age eight, and the optician just looked at me and went, "
I can see something on the back of your eyes."
And they turned to my mom and said, " Mrs. Edwards,
I think you need to rush her to the eye
hospital." And my mom was so confused, but the ophthalmologist,
when we got to the hospital, linked it to this
skin condition that I had four years prior, and on
(09:13):
the backs of my legs. I had what only can
be described as blistered skin that went away when my mom
and dad put some cream on it. But it was
there for years and years and they diagnosed that as
incontinentia pigmenti. So then they monitored it for years and years.
But at age 11, I lost my right eye to
(09:33):
a retinal detachment. Not the actual eye, but the back
of the eye kind of just... It's almost like the
wallpaper of my eye pinged off. And then from 11 to 17
they just monitored it and there was just nothing they could
do. No way that they could make me not blind.
And then, yeah, it just happened. And I sat in
that hospital bed when I was 17 years old and
(09:56):
this consultant, Professor Moore, shout out to you, but he was retiring
on the exact week that I was losing my eyesight
and he'd been the consultant that had seen me since
I'd been referred to London. But he came to my
bedside and he was like, " Luc, we always hoped it
wouldn't come to this," and I think that is when
I reevaluated what hope was because I was like, " Well,
hope isn't me having vision. Hope isn't me needing to
(10:21):
be fixed or needing to be something that I'm not.
Alex Legouix (10:23):
Absolutely.
Lucy Edwards (10:24):
This is me now. I don't want a cure and disability
isn't this thing that should be seen as a taboo
because I was so scared because I saw no one
else around me living an amazing life with blindness. 'Cause
it is a scary thing, but when you know about
it is so less scary. I think people are shocked
(10:45):
when I say to them now, " I love being blind.
I actively adore my life. I don't hope for a
cure anymore. I live for today." And I think that is
the biggest gift that my blindness has given me.
Alex Legouix (10:57):
That is incredibly inspirational.
Lucy Edwards (11:01):
Thank you.
Alex Legouix (11:02):
So was secondary school a place of solitude for you
during that time?
Lucy Edwards (11:08):
I would say that secondary school was my place to
escape, my place with my friends. I'm still best friends
with them to this day. I don't think you can
go through blindness and not cling on to those people
that got you through that time. Yeah, my friends would guide me
in class. I remember my best friend, Connie, when I
(11:30):
could still see a little bit, but I whispered her
and I said, " Connie, I can't see the whiteboard anymore." And
she'd be like, " Don't worry babe." I was like, " I really don't want
a teaching assistant. I don't want to look different. So
can we sit at the front together and can you
write down everything that the psychology teacher is writing on
the whiteboard?" So she would be like, bless her, writing
so quickly. And then being, shout out for Connie, as
(11:52):
well, literally.
Alex Legouix (11:53):
Wow.
Lucy Edwards (11:54):
All these gorgeous people in my life. And then when
I was losing my eyesight, she audio recorded all of my A
level classes. Just divine humans and this is where I
learned braille. I didn't want to. I didn't want to
use my cane. My mom and dad were like, " You
can be independent. Come on, use your cane." I'm so
glad they made me, but oh my gosh, I really
(12:15):
didn't want to be different.
Alex Legouix (12:17):
Is it that that was holding you back?
Lucy Edwards (12:20):
It was holding me back. You're right. My own mental
health with it, like not wanting to be different. No
one wants to be different at school. Right?
Alex Legouix (12:28):
It's the hardest place to be different, right?
Lucy Edwards (12:30):
Yes. There's so many blind people that message me to this
day on my socials, like, " How are you so confident?" " I hate
being different at school and I don't want to get
my cane out." " It's so amazing that you put diamantes
on your cane," and, " You inspire me." And I think I
didn't want to be blind back then.
Alex Legouix (12:50):
We're right in front of Sutton Coldfield Town Hall, which
is a really cool - looking-
Lucy Edwards (13:02):
It's a gorgeous building with this tall tower, this part of Sutton right by
the town hall. Everyone always, on Strava, you see their runs
and it's always getting up this hill, it's like, " How
many minutes can you do it in?" It's like a big feat.
Alex Legouix (13:16):
It'll take me hours to get up there.
Lucy Edwards (13:21):
Yeah. Literally.
Alex Legouix (13:22):
We're just pulling into Wyndley or Wyndley?
Lucy Edwards (13:23):
Oh, Wyndley. Yeah. Perfect.
Alex Legouix (13:30):
Wyndley Leisure Centre.
Lucy Edwards (13:32):
Are we by the track now?
Alex Legouix (13:33):
We are, yes.
Lucy Edwards (13:34):
I remember when I just lost my eyesight and I was
applying for the BBC, I had a guide runner named Steve,
and we ran so many miles around that track, like
training together 'cause he was just learning how to guide
a blind person for the first time. And I remember we
went round that track so many times one way and
we were like, " Oh my gosh, why didn't we switch
(13:54):
directions? Because my knee's hurting on one side, not the other," doing five miles on the track.
Alex Legouix (14:03):
Physical exercise has always been a really good outlet for
you, hasn't it?
Lucy Edwards (14:06):
Yeah, it always has. Considering I didn't do PE, I
think finding exercises that were very much tailored to me
as a blind person, I think I've loved it. I remember
doing the marathon in back in 2017 and I was like, "
My mental health is so bad right now. I think
when I cross this finish line, it will be such
a feat for me."
Alex Legouix (14:26):
And what an achievement.
Lucy Edwards (14:27):
Yeah, I did it in six and a half hours
and oh my gosh, I couldn't feel my legs
Alex Legouix (14:32):
And how does running make you feel?
Lucy Edwards (14:33):
Oh, gosh. Just beautiful. It's a very all encompassing exercise. It's
mind over matter, especially when you're doing that many miles.
I found that my rhythm was about 12 to 15
miles, but I think running all the time most days,
that's how I cured myself of some of my mental health
(14:56):
problems. Yeah.
Alex Legouix (14:57):
There's something very non- defeatist about you, isn't there?
Lucy Edwards (15:01):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (15:01):
Is that something that you've always had regardless?
Lucy Edwards (15:04):
Always.
Alex Legouix (15:04):
Really?
Lucy Edwards (15:05):
Yeah. I've always tried to define myself by how I
get up from things. I really don't want to see things
as failures because I feel like we all have little failures that we
see as failures every single day. But I think it's
how we get up from it that defines what happens
to us. And honestly, I've had those moments where I
have let myself just kind of exist in the moment
(15:27):
and I think that's healthy when you feel so ill.
But I think past that, I think there's a point
where you have to be like, " No Luc, you have
to get up right now and you have to put
one foot in front of the other and do something for you,"
and that's what running was for me. I think after
that and me crossing the finish line at the marathon,
it gave me the confidence to then apply for the
BBC and do all of those other things that now
(15:48):
have made my rich tapestry of life expand.
Alex Legouix (15:53):
Good for you. We've just pulled into Sutton Park National
Nature Reserve.
Lucy Edwards (16:08):
Oh. So pretty. This is where me and Miss Molls
come on our free run walks.
Alex Legouix (16:12):
Oh, really?
Lucy Edwards (16:12):
So with Miss Molls, she has several free runs a
week where she just lets her doggy little ears down.
And she has fun running in the breeze with her
sister, Miss Olga. The amount of times where we've been
around Sutton Park and there's been cows just milling around.
Alex Legouix (16:29):
Really?
Lucy Edwards (16:29):
And we're running out the way and then they're following you
and it's actually scary.
Alex Legouix (16:36):
Wow. They can be a bit scary, cows randomly.
Lucy Edwards (16:36):
Yeah. I love them. I don't eat them. I'm a vegetarian. They can stay
where they are, but they just scare me.
Alex Legouix (16:42):
So we were tipped off that you particularly like sultanas
and McDonald's french fries.
Lucy Edwards (16:49):
I do. They're my comfort food. So I had those
after I had my eyesight operations. My mom would always
go and get them for me. She's just a cutie pie.
Alex Legouix (16:58):
She always got red cards, didn't she?
Lucy Edwards (17:01):
Always got red cars.
Alex Legouix (17:02):
Why was that?
Lucy Edwards (17:03):
Oh, okay. So when I lost my vision, I, for
some reason could still see the color red before I
lost all the rest of my color vision, probably like
18, 19. And I just could see her red cars. So
she'd always just get these red cars and we had
a bit of a conversation. She was like, I don't want to buy any other
(17:23):
car color unless you tell me that I can." This was
like two years ago when she got her new car
and I was like, " Mom, why don't we just cleanse
ourselves? You need to change the color of your car. It's time."
And she was like, " Okay, I'll go blue, 'cause it's another
primary color."
Alex Legouix (17:38):
Wow.
Lucy Edwards (17:38):
So it was a really big thing for her to change her color
car, and I know that sounds really silly.
Alex Legouix (17:42):
Doesn't think silly at all.
Lucy Edwards (17:45):
It was definitely like us saying bye to that section
of my eyesight loss. Cars mean a lot, don't they?
Alex Legouix (17:51):
They really can do. They're very nostalgic.
Lucy Edwards (17:53):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (17:55):
So today we are in a red Volvo V70.
Lucy Edwards (17:59):
Wow.
Alex Legouix (18:00):
And your dad, didn't he have one similar to this?
Lucy Edwards (18:03):
Yeah, he had a white Volvo that I always used to be like, "
Oh my gosh." Yeah, he was so proud of it.
Alex Legouix (18:10):
Now this particular one is from 2008 and since then
Volvo has actually stopped producing estate cars and there are 15, 000
Volvo estates still being listed on AutoTrader just in the last year.
Lucy Edwards (18:25):
Oh, wow. That's cool.
Alex Legouix (18:26):
Oh, yeah.
Lucy Edwards (18:26):
So you can still get one.
Alex Legouix (18:27):
Yes. We picked this one up nearby from Solihull Motor
Group and it's done a whopping 171,000 miles and counting.
Lucy Edwards (18:38):
Wow. And we're doing a few more today.
Alex Legouix (18:40):
We are. Well you can find thousands of cars like
this one on AutoTrader where they are ready and available
to drive away today. Should we carry on?
Lucy Edwards (18:50):
Let's do it, Alex. Let's do it.
Alex Legouix (19:00):
Okay. From Sutton Park, now we're going to go to
Highbury Theatre.
Lucy Edwards (19:07):
Oh, that's where me and Ollie met.
Alex Legouix (19:07):
Oh.
Lucy Edwards (19:07):
Oh, my hubby.
Alex Legouix (19:11):
All right, come on then. Tell me the gossip.
Lucy Edwards (19:14):
Shall I tell you all?
Alex Legouix (19:14):
Mm-hm.
Lucy Edwards (19:14):
Okay. So me and him we met at Highbury and we
went to an amateur dramatics club together, but the reason
that he came is because his family friend Jane went
over for dinner because she was obviously friends with Ollie's
mom and dad, and over a spaghetti bolognese Jane said, "
(19:36):
We need more boys for this production of Adrian Mole."
And Ollie was like, " Okay, I'll come." And she even
said over the spag bol, " Well, there's a girl there
called Lucy and I think she might like you and
I think you'll get on." I don't know what wizardry
she was conjuring up there, but shout out o Jane.
So she set us up and then to be honest,
(19:56):
the rest is history. We did loads of different plays.
And the one thing though that was screaming out about
him was his horrendous white trainers.
Alex Legouix (20:05):
Oh, boy.
Lucy Edwards (20:05):
I mean, I loved his outfits and everything, but his trainers
just had to go out when we got together. And
we did a production of Peace Pan and he was-
Alex Legouix (20:15):
And you were?
Lucy Edwards (20:15):
I was Wendy.
Alex Legouix (20:15):
Oh, of course.
Lucy Edwards (20:15):
And he was the pirate that tried to kill me.
So romantic. Also, I lost my eyesight in the middle
of playing Wendy. So we had to adapt the backstage
crew to guide me all around the stage and it
was just so sweet how that happened. I can't even
(20:35):
express in words how much I love him to this
day. It sounds really soppy. He is my soulmate and
I know that I am sitting here and I'm so
lucky to say that I met my husband at 15, 16 years
old at a club and our wedding was next level.
I still dream about the day. I want to relive it over
and over and over again. Can't believe it was nearly
(20:57):
a year ago.
Alex Legouix (20:59):
And something that I noticed on the video is that
Ollie wore a blindfold and all of your guests. Can
you talk me through that because that for me was
really powerful to see?
Lucy Edwards (21:09):
Yeah. Well, Ollie doesn't see blindness as a disability. He was like, "
Well, this is our world. This is our life. This
is what we deal with together. I want to make
that public stand that your world is lovely to be
in." And as a sighted person, he thinks that's really
important as a stand to just be like, " We're in
(21:30):
this together." And with that, we had gorgeous trailing flowers
up the aisle and the scents changed as you walked
up the aisle. So we knew where we were. We
had this amazing sound company that actually does the prompts.
We kind of spent a lot of our budget on
the sound and we had this 3D audio where Ollie
(21:51):
developed the track with the sound engineers to crescendo as
I got further towards him as well with the strings
and everything kind of going up towards the aisle. And
then just everyone from my dad having different kind of
scents on them with their flowers that were on their lapels.
I think scent is so guiding. So what I mean
(22:15):
by that is if I get a cold, I open
a jar of mustard and I'm like, " Oh my gosh,
I don't know what this is." It's really weird to
me that if I don't have a braille label on
something, I need to smell it. It feels so important
to me that I know what someone's perfume is like
because it's a sense of self. Memories for me were
(22:37):
made on my wedding day and that perfume will be
forever in my mind as something so important to me
as a staple of my memory. I think certain flowers
bring me back to moments of my childhood, like daisies
and buttercups. When you're on the field, when you're a
young girl and the smell of grass, it's so visceral,
It's so gorgeous. And until you put that blindfold on
(22:59):
or experience that one moment where you're just like, " I
am one with my body," you are not going to get
the same experience by seeing it. Because I do believe
that in this world that we live in, we are
also about the visuals. The day that I didn't have
to look at Instagram was the day I was set
free. I have no comparison. I have no ability to
(23:20):
have that kind of, I guess, jealousy and envy of
other people. And it set me free. It really has
the ability to just love my body and love the
way that I am. And I think that's why I love
yoga, but I love running so much because it's just,
you are one with yourself, aren't you? And I think sometimes blindness
can be such a lonely disability if I think of it like, "
(23:42):
Oh my gosh, I'm just in my brain." But then
if I'm thinking about different techniques that I use to
soothe my brain, like my lovely pleasant place, I can
sit here and just be one with myself and think, "
Oh my gosh, let's bring back all these scents and
think about my gorgeous bedroom." That's my pleasant place when
I think about all of the different things around me. Those
(24:04):
are techniques that really just make you breathe.
Alex Legouix (24:08):
Wow.
Lucy Edwards (24:08):
The world is so hectic, isn't it?
Alex Legouix (24:11):
Yeah. So we're actually sitting outside Highbury Theatre.
Lucy Edwards (24:15):
Oh, are we?
Alex Legouix (24:15):
Yeah. It's on our right. It's like a brown brick building.
Lucy Edwards (24:20):
Quite an old building.
Alex Legouix (24:22):
Yeah, it does look quite old.
Lucy Edwards (24:23):
I remember when you went in there, it smelt of old
wood and is there still a little brick wall outside the front?
Alex Legouix (24:30):
Yeah. And then there's a balcony.
Lucy Edwards (24:32):
I can't quite remember that. I think we always used to go in the side
of the building and it's such a cute little theatre.
I remember the back changing rooms being quite small, but
also because we were all teenagers was all getting changed
into all these different outfits. It just feels like my
(24:52):
childhood around here, the happy moments, the moments where I
was trying to find myself and find my voice again.
And I didn't have any moments where it's like I
didn't feel accepted. I felt like we were all the
kids that were kind of going through something at school
and made a bit of a theater group.
Alex Legouix (25:10):
Yeah, I can really relate to that having gone to theatre school.
Everyone came with a story.
Lucy Edwards (25:14):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (25:20):
The next spot that we're going to be heading to
is the Mailbox.
Lucy Edwards (25:25):
Oh, cute.
Alex Legouix (25:26):
But before we talk about that, your wedding, how did
yours compare to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex? Because
you were a guest at that, weren't you?
Lucy Edwards (25:37):
Yeah, yeah.
Alex Legouix (25:37):
What?
Lucy Edwards (25:37):
I know it was a bit cray. I was one of several hundred
people from the UK that were nominated to sit on
the lawn at Windsor Castle. The left lieutenant of the
West Midlands nominated me because I raised so much money
for them on my marathon journey for Guide Dogs UK. So
yeah, it was so awesome. But I'm going to tell
(26:00):
you a funny story. So we were with Miss Olga,
she was working at the time, and it was so
hot and I remember having Olga's bowl, but then being
so delighted when we were greeted with this goody bag
and in this goody bag there was royal shortbread and
royal... It was a big coin that actually I think
(26:21):
my in- laws still have in the back of their fridge. They're never
going to eat it 'cause it's like this royal big massive
chocolate coin.
Alex Legouix (26:26):
Wow.
Lucy Edwards (26:27):
It's so cool. And then a royal bottle of water that had a
stamp on the side. I mean all of this was
just, as you can imagine, just shortbread, but with a
crest on the side and a magnet, which was really
cool. Anyway, so we sit down. I had picnic blanket,
which was tartan, and I felt really cool and we
(26:47):
had to sit like that.
Alex Legouix (26:47):
How very apt.
Lucy Edwards (26:47):
And I loved it 'cause outside we saw everyone
walk past us. So the Clooneys and the horses and the
Royal Brigade and it was just so grand. It was
gorgeous. I was so proud to be British in that
moment. But the one thing about the day was me and
(27:08):
Ollie, we were sitting on the lawn and Olga was panting at
this point. I was like, " Oh, give Olga some water.
Put it in her bowl. It's fine. We can just
share one bottle. She can have the other one. So
we were drinking these bottles, we're cracking open the shortbread.
We had a gorgeous day. We sang the national anthem.
It was a beautiful day. Anyway, after we came home
(27:29):
to our studio flat in London, we opened the laptop
and it said, " So many people are selling these bags."
And I'm like, " Why would you sell the bag," to the
point where Ollie saw a video and a properly shot
photo of this bag on the lawn of Windsor Castle,
and they were selling them for like 50 grand on
E eBay.
Alex Legouix (27:51):
No.
Lucy Edwards (27:51):
And I was like, " Oh my gosh. Number one, I would never
do that. But number two, people were literally poised to
sell these bags. And I was like, " Olga, you're eating
like 50 grand shortbread."
Alex Legouix (28:07):
Makes me laugh. So there've been a few times throughout
this conversation where I will have mentioned how things look
and stuff, and I just wanted to have an open discussion,
I guess, with you about language and using certain words
and phrases around people with a visual impairment.
Lucy Edwards (28:26):
I love that.
Alex Legouix (28:26):
So where to begin?
Lucy Edwards (28:28):
I love that you've asked that question. I think a
lot of people are so worried when they first come
up to me and they go, " Oh, did you hear
that great TV show?" And I'm like, " No. I watched
it." And I think for me, as someone who has
acquired a disability later on in life, even though I
was only 17, I still grew up learning that vocabulary.
(28:53):
So when I watch something, yes, it may look different
to when you guys watch something, but because of the
advent of audio description, I still had that lovely experience where
I did watch it. My face was turned towards the
screen and even though I was using predominantly my ears
to have that experience, I still use the term, " Watched,"
(29:14):
because it's just how society... I don't want to be
that person who changes their vocab just because of being
who I am. When I say this, I'm only one
blind person and obviously I can't necessarily speak for a
whole community of people, but what I do know of, I
have a lot of blind friends and they do say that, "
(29:34):
Please don't change your vocab towards us because it's not
something that is necessary." Even though we technically are hearing
things and not necessarily watching them, it just kind of
ostracizes us to use othering language, I guess. And thank you
so much for asking 'cause I think that's so important 'cause there's been
times when I do go into different places and people
are worried about talking to me, they just do default
(29:57):
to talking to Ollie as the sighted person.
Alex Legouix (29:59):
Right, I see.
Lucy Edwards (29:59):
And say to him, " What does she want?" And he's like, "
Well, why don't you ask her?," and just looks at
me. And that's still today in 2024.
Alex Legouix (30:07):
Wow, that's shocking.
Lucy Edwards (30:08):
Yeah, I think that's shocking in so many ways because I'm so independent.
Alex Legouix (30:13):
And you describe yourself as blind, don't you?
Lucy Edwards (30:17):
Yes.
Alex Legouix (30:18):
But not everyone...
Lucy Edwards (30:20):
No, not everyone does.
Alex Legouix (30:21):
Would or does.
Lucy Edwards (30:22):
Yes, not everyone does and I think there's a definite
clear distinction because the whole of the blindness community is
a massive spectrum. Blindness is a spectrum. Even when you're talking
to a blind person, they might not be a total
like me. I mean, I say in jest, " I'm a
total." There's some people who are totally blind that might
not even use that. We're all so different. It's just
(30:43):
like any group of people that you put in one
room. Not everyone with blonde hair has the same story.
They've all rode on different transport and had different ways
of ending up in that room that are so different.
Even though they've all got one common trait about themselves
that possibly that they're all blonde, it doesn't mean that
(31:05):
we're all kind of the same. So when we talk
about blindness, we think, " Oh, they must be totally blind
like me." I would say that I'm possibly the stereotype.
You think blind, you think you can't see anything, black.
That's how I describe my vision practically. Whereas there's people
who are registered blind who can see six meters in
front of them. It's very blurry and they can't drive
(31:28):
a car and they can't necessarily read things up close,
but they might be able to see blurry blobs away
from them, or they might be able to have a
different condition that they can see things really in front
of them with really zoomed- in magnification. And then there's
also the visually impaired community. So what I would say
is, just ask. If you're unsure and you're not sure
(31:50):
how to help, I think the first question is, " How
can I help you?," or, " Is it okay if you
describe your vision to me? Would that help the situation?," possibly.
Or if they're not comfy with that, they can say, "
Well, actually, Alex, I'm not that comfy with describing my
vision, but what I will say is this is how
you can help me and X, Y or Z." I think
(32:11):
we are so over different tropes and I think what's
amazing is that we can have these conversations on such
a big podcast. I can have such a big platform
of two- point- eight million people and having a billion
views online and also filming shows for the BBC to
show that, yeah, I do travel and I do have
a life and I do have a husband and a house
(32:33):
and a mortgage. Because I lost my eyesight, it doesn't
mean that any of those things are not some things that
I want out of life. So it's interesting.
Alex Legouix (32:43):
The terminology could do with being updated.
Lucy Edwards (32:45):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (32:45):
'Cause I feel across the board we sort of haven't
adapted to or understood enough.
Lucy Edwards (32:51):
I totally hear you. And when we look at buildings,
they didn't need to be designed with steps in them
at all but we could have just designed the world
with ramps.
Alex Legouix (33:02):
Yes.
Lucy Edwards (33:02):
Suddenly wheelchair users don't need to request for ramps or
there needs to be this fight whether we can or
cannot get into buildings. This is what I preach. This
is my whole consultancy business behind the scenes when I'm
not presenting. I am talking to brands about how universal
design principles designed for any age, any gender, any sexual
(33:23):
orientation, any ability, any race. We are all humans. We are
all big blobs on this massive planet that we are
spinning around the sun. We all need to be seen
and heard. And if you design a product from the
ground up to say, " Maybe we should have everyone sitting
around this table of every different ability fighting to have
(33:45):
their lived experience heard," because that's what's so important. And
I think the more we do that with any podcast
or any production or any output that we see, we're
then going to see people that are representing the whole
of the population that look like us. And then we're
going to have little girls or little boys or little non-
(34:05):
binary people looking at their tellies and going, " Oh, that
is me, and I can aspire to be that thing that
I didn't think I could ever be because I've got
so much less self- confidence." So honestly, socially, we are
starting to get there, like with me as the Pantene
ambassador, we're seeing these portrayals of different abilities on our
(34:27):
screen, but we're just not there yet.
Alex Legouix (34:29):
So you advise companies? Pantene, you mentioned, Apple.
Lucy Edwards (34:35):
Yes. Oh, my gosh. So when we think about a
product like Apple, it fits around you. When I first
lost my eyesight, I could text back my friends. But
before that, blind people going blind in 2008, they didn't
have the ability to text their friends like I did.
I found so much solace and acceptance in just being
(34:56):
able to text people and having these products that truly
accept you and mold around you is amazing. And when
you say, " Other products," are there any? Not really. I
hate that I have to say that in 2024. I still
open my makeup bag and every product feels the same.
My makeup artist was saying, " How do you know what
(35:18):
product?" I learn. I have to spend hours labeling with
Ollie what makeup is this and that and the other. And I have
to get different brands and things to know what my
blusher is. Otherwise I'd put lipstick on as concealer. I've
done that before. I've known to walk out the door
like having done conditioner first before shampoo. But now that
we have a few labels on things such as this
(35:39):
NaviLens code, where I can scan this code that is
now printed onto Pantene packaging, I can scan it, I
can locate the bottle, I can actually know how much
it is and the ingredients in it and I burst
into tears. I physically was blubbering like a little baby.
Finally, being able to understand what a bottle was again, I'm
(36:00):
so happy to be the person to talk to about
these things because if I don't do that, then who
is going to educate people?
Alex Legouix (36:13):
Right now we're heading into the center of Birmingham, which
is where we will end up dropping you off. This
is horrible traffic on the road.
Lucy Edwards (36:22):
I know.
Alex Legouix (36:22):
Can you picture where we are?
Lucy Edwards (36:25):
Yeah, we're in the Queensway, aren't we? So we'll come
out on the Aston Expressway kind of area. My uncle actually
got his tractor stuck here.
Alex Legouix (36:34):
No.
Lucy Edwards (36:35):
And he was in the news, like, " Guy on tractor stuck in the Queensway Tunnel."
Alex Legouix (36:44):
I know you're a very proud Brummie.
Lucy Edwards (36:47):
I am.
Alex Legouix (36:47):
But tell us a little bit more about some of
the common issues that things like city centers pose for you.
Lucy Edwards (36:53):
Yeah. City centers for me are so all over the
place. I think initially what comes to mind is trams.
Their rails are often in pedestrianised areas, so you don't
know whether you're walking on the track or not. So
that's really scary for me as a guide dog user. Is there a
way that we can get more tactile paving and more
(37:14):
ways to differentiate in a tactile way, the demarcations of
those things so we're not on the tracks? Also, just
not having those signposts. So not being able to just
scan with my phone where I am or what I'm
doing. If I'm on Google Maps, I do often, in built-
(37:35):
up city center areas, lose my 3G signal. So Google
Maps is accessible and it's brilliant, but how is there
a reality where there is signage on actual real life
things that we're standing in front of. unlike everyone else,
I can't just see that there's Primark across the road,
but I would be able to if there was a NaviLens code there. And
(37:55):
I think it's just about making things more accessible in
that way.
Alex Legouix (38:00):
You've mentioned NaviLens a couple of times and I wondered
if you could just explain that to someone like me.
I don't know what that is.
Lucy Edwards (38:07):
Yeah, of course. So NaviLens is amazing. So traditional barcodes, they
don't really help, only because I would scan that baked
bean tin so many times and not know where that
code was because obviously there's no tactile indication that a
normal barcode is there. With NaviLens, you don't have that
tactile indication, but the code is made up of these
(38:30):
little tiny geometric shapes. It can be picked up by
your camera on your phone. It only has to be a
tiny pixel in your camera frame when you are pointing
the free downloadable app at that code. It's sensing it
all the time and it only has to see a tiny bit in the corner
and it will direct me to that code with 3D
audio. I will put my headphones on and it will
(38:53):
go left a bit, right a bit, up a bit,
forward a bit, and me and Miss Molly know exactly
where to go.
Alex Legouix (38:58):
That is clever technology. So we're heading to BBC Birmingham,
which is inside the Mailbox, which is where it all
began for you, didn't it?
Lucy Edwards (39:08):
It's amazing. I love around here. This is one of
my favorite spots in center of town.
Alex Legouix (39:13):
When did your ambition to work in the media come from?
Lucy Edwards (39:17):
So I started uploading YouTube videos back in 2014. I
said to my boyfriend, now husband, at the time, " Right,
I would love to start making YouTube videos, but I don't know how to edit.
Can we do it together?" And he was like, " Yeah,
of course." And back then when I turned on the
camera, they were some of the only happy moments I
(39:38):
had and that became my portfolio, my YouTube channel. I
had like 20, 000 subscribers. Someone posted my video on a
website called Tickled, which, I think it's just a kind
of different version of Reddit as far as I know.
And that basically formed the basis of me having a
bit of a platform and a portfolio online to the
(40:00):
point where I was like, " I want to do documentaries for a
living. I would really love to explore this," and that's
kind of how I started. That formed an application for
me. I applied twice and didn't get in and the
third time I did.
Alex Legouix (40:16):
All right, good For You.
Lucy Edwards (40:17):
Meanwhile, I was doing my work experience here and I
remember it really vividly 'cause my sister came with me
as my access worker, so she was guiding me around
for the day and I had Olga, and we went
out with this journalist who was ever such a nice
chap, and I remember we were filming this piece for
(40:38):
the six o'clock news and it was on this lovely
lady called Mimi Cesar. She was a gymnast and she
predominantly worked with batons with little lovely strings on the
end. So we were in this... I think it was somewhere in
town. Anyway, this place had a cat there, which initially
(40:59):
Olga was like, " Oh my gosh, there's a cat." And
then the next thing about that whole scenario was Mimi
and her batons... I was shadowing him doing a piece
to camera. She was throwing these batons. Olga, no joke,
she had a harness on. She was wanting to eat
these batons and started barking. I was like, " Oh my
gosh, I'm so sorry." And I just thought, " This is so typical.
(41:22):
This work has reached it's place where it's just not
going well." And the guy was laughing. He was so
fine with it.
Alex Legouix (41:27):
Love it.
Lucy Edwards (41:28):
So I loved it. But I think that's when I
truly knew that I was going to be accepted at the
BBC because he was just like, " No, it's honestly fine."
Alex Legouix (41:36):
That's just brilliant, isn't it?
Lucy Edwards (41:37):
It's just amazing.
Alex Legouix (41:39):
So what's on the agenda for you next, career wise?
Are you going to spend any more time with the
likes of Ryan Gosling? Oh, my word.
Lucy Edwards (41:48):
Bless him, He was such a cutie pie. Yeah, that's when I was doing a
press junket. I was hosting a Netflix premiere. It was
actually the first ever premiere that was audio described by Netflix,
which was really cool. It was The Gray Man premiere.
So I decided just like with everyone really, I'll ask
you to audio describe your outfit. I asked Ryan, so he was giving
(42:08):
it large, which I like. He's audio describing himself 'cause
I think the Barbie movie was about to come out
back then, or he was in filming for it. So
he was describing himself and he was complimenting my dress,
bless him, and he gave me a couple of extra
questions 'cause obviously you only get one question on the
press junket line, and I didn't really have anything else
prepared 'cause the girl was like, " Make sure he moves on quickly. Make sure." I was like, "Oh, okay, okay."
(42:31):
And he stayed and he was like, "I love your dress," and this that. I was like, " Cheers, babes."
And I think that was the first time that a
celebrity had ever done anything like that, like audio described
anything about their appearance on a red carpet, which I
thought was awesome. I honestly think audio description is the
gift that keeps on giving. It really is. And I'm
so lucky to have a whole portfolio online that I
(42:53):
have created my personal brand. I think that was why
I wanted to start TikTok really in the first place
that I had all of these little notes on my phone
about all the headlines that I wanted and all of the
ways that I could educate the world on blindness that
I hadn't done already, because we were in the pandemic
and I was like, " Right, I want to create my
personal brand. I want documentaries commissioned one day. How can
(43:13):
I show commissioners that I am a good presenter? I'm
going to go on TikTok." And then it's kind of spiraled
from there and I've presented two documentaries that have both
won RTS awards, which I can't...
Alex Legouix (43:23):
Incredible.
Lucy Edwards (43:23):
And I've just won the Breakthrough Presenter Award at the
Royal Television Society for my documentary on Japan, and I'm
so excited. I love documentary making. It is my passion, and
I'm just hoping to kind of forge my path in
kind of long- form documentary making, and that's what I'm
trying to do now. So yeah, really excited for the
(43:45):
future. I'm so lucky to do what I do.
Alex Legouix (43:47):
So, well now you are off on a date with Ollie.
Lucy Edwards (43:55):
Oh, yeah. I'm off on a date. Going to Elio.
Alex Legouix (43:58):
Elio, which is a Lebanese cafe very close to the
BBC. What's so special about that?
Lucy Edwards (44:05):
The Elio Cafe was those times when I came out
of that building, often having had an interview or having
met a commissioner for the first time or had a
training course that I was really excited about and all
of those key moments I can remember just going back
to that cafe and having that exact Lebanese dish with
(44:26):
flatbread. It's still there on the menu to this day.
It's got this special sauce on it and there's falafel
bits in it, and I just love having it. It's my
comfort food after any major bit of voiceover. I voice-
overed Kenya in there when I went to Kenya for the
travel show. Any BBC travel show bit. So yeah, it's
my home. I can't believe it's moving.
Alex Legouix (44:48):
Oh, no.
Lucy Edwards (44:48):
I know it's moving just up the road, but there's a
big home for it here in Birmingham, yeah.
Alex Legouix (44:54):
It's been such a pleasure to talk to you. You have
really inspired me.
Lucy Edwards (44:59):
Thank you, Al. I really appreciate it. It's been so
lovely being driven around my hometown by you and your
lovely car. It is so cool. And you've given me the space
to just be myself and talk about things that are really
important. Thank you so much.
Alex Legouix (45:14):
So awesome. Thank you. And have an amazing date with your amazing man.
Lucy Edwards (45:20):
Thank you.
Alex Legouix (45:21):
And he's at your door.
Lucy Edwards (45:22):
Hello, honey.
Ollie Cave (45:24):
Hey.
Lucy Edwards (45:24):
You going to get Miss Molls out?
Ollie Cave (45:25):
Yes.
Lucy Edwards (45:26):
Good girl. She's been so good.
Alex Legouix (45:28):
She was so chilled, isn't she?
Lucy Edwards (45:29):
I know. So lovely, Al. Thank you so much.
Alex Legouix (45:33):
My pleasure.
Lucy Edwards (45:33):
There you go, honey.
Alex Legouix (45:35):
Goodbye.
Lucy Edwards (45:36):
Bye.
Alex Legouix (45:40):
Well, that was just so inspiring. Lucy has achieved and
overcome so much to get to where she is today, and
she's clearly nowhere near done yet. Anyway, if you want
to discover any more about sight loss or donate time
or money to help those with little or no sight,
search for the Royal National Institute of Blind People. Thank
(46:03):
you so much for joining us. Show on the Road
is a fresh- air production for AutoTrader. If you enjoyed it
and you want others to enjoy it too, please spread
the word by leaving a quick rating in your podcast
app and a nice little comment. It really helps. You
can also subscribe to our YouTube channel where there's exclusive
footage of this drive. Everyone's drive in this series is
(46:25):
just so different. Whether it's in the North South or the
Midlands, there's always a journey to be had and a
story to tell about it. Choosing the vehicle you are
going to start your next story in, couldn't be easier
on AutoTrader. Thousands of vehicles to choose from with expert
reviews and videos to help you pick and loads of
(46:45):
options to buy used, new or leased so you get
the best for you each time. Find your next car
and start your next story on the AutoTrader app or at autotrader. co.
uk. In our next episode, we'll have a former I'm
a Celebrity winner in the passenger seat, showing us her
inspiring places as the conversation flings around from McFly to
(47:09):
motherhood to recording with royalty.
Giovanna Fletcher (47:12):
Oh, coming out here, actually I can remember kissing my
best friend's boyfriend at the time. We kissed around there.
It was all orchestrated by her-
Alex Legouix (47:20):
What?
Giovanna Fletcher (47:20):
... because I couldn't go to senior school without having
kissed a boy, so that actually happened. How's that for
a start?
Alex Legouix (47:27):
I'm Alex Legouix, until next time, see you.
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