| By
Mark, Editor-In-Chief with Haydn Bebb,
Creator of Monty Dragon |
Hello
Charlotte Fans, today we are talking with Haydn
Bebb, Creator of The Montague Dragon Series. Big
Thanks to Haydn for taking the time out to answer
some questions for us. Lets start shall we?
=CharlotteChurchFans=
For starters Haydn, could you tell us how you personally got involved with the fight against Muscular Dystrophy?
=Haydn Bebb=
It dates back to, what for many, must be one of the worst possible days in any parents life. For my wife and myself, it was Friday 12th August 1988. This was the day our son Mark (who was only 3½ years old at the time) was diagnosed as suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
(DMD). This is the most common, yet also the most severe, form of the condition which affects almost exclusively only boys. The consultant described exactly what the condition meant and the general prognosis, which was particularly soul-destroying. What made matters even worse was that we were told our youngest son Matthew, who was only four months old at the time, had a 50/50 chance of also being a sufferer and our 6 year old daughter Louise could be a carrier. Fortunately however, Matt is clear of it. After a few months of going through almost suicidal thoughts, we met up with another family who also had a son with
DMD. So together, with the help of some other families and friends, we reformed our local branch of the Muscular Dystrophy Group (as it was known then) and have continued fund-raising since.
=CharlotteChurchFans=
Scientific research is making strides everyday but how close do you think we are to a cure? Related to that, what is the major stumbling block to finding a cure? Lack of technology or financial support?
=Haydn Bebb=
Well, first of all, you must appreciate that my comments and opinions are only those of a lay-person who is certainly not qualified in any professional way. However, I do try to keep myself up-to-date with developments and always try to remain optimistic. There are a number of initiatives and research projects currently underway in several countries – particularly the States, UK, France, Canada and Australia. Many different avenues are being explored in attempts to find a cure or effective treatment. In most DMD boys, and some other forms of Muscular Dystrophy (particularly Becker MD), there is an absence of a muscle protein, called Dystrophin. Many of the projects are searching for ways of restoring or replacing this dystrophin into the muscles throughout the body. Unfortunately, to date, there has only been very limited, short term success in this area. However, there are other avenues being explored through a number of muscle clinics e.g. Utrophin, drugs, etc., which attempt to tackle the problem from different angles. I understand that many scientists and researchers working on MD are hopeful that real progress can be made within the next 5 years. We certainly hope so. If anyone would like to find out in far greater technical/medical detail it would be best directed towards the MDC website:
www.muscular-dystrophy.org
In terms of the main stumbling block - I feel it still boils down to be one of lack of financial resources. As muscular dystrophy is classified as a rare disease in the UK (on average 2 boys a week are born with DMD in Britain) the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign receives virtually no financial support whatsoever from the Government (or previous governments) and relies almost exclusively on voluntary donations. At the end of the day, the more money we can raise then the more scientists/researchers can be employed to help search for a cure or effective treatment. It therefore follows that such a cure will follow sooner rather than later. However, without wishing to over-simplify matters, one cannot deny that there are obvious technological barriers that also remain in the way. In spite of everything one has to remain optimistic and keep up the fund-raising initiatives. I’ve tried to capture the feelings of typical parents of DMD sufferers by writing and recording a very emotive song. It’s called ‘Let’s Make It History’ and thanks to generous sponsorship this has been recorded. There are two quite different versions on either side of the cassette – one featuring yours truly and the other by a professional UK artist with a tremendously powerful voice – J P James. If any of your readers would like a copy, it is available FREE by contacting either the MDC or myself via Monty’s website:
www.montydragon.com
All we ask is either a small donation to cover the postage or, if anyone is feeling particularly generous, – a donation to the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.
=CharlotteChurchFans=
How did you first envision the Montague Dragon series and how did the Monty Dragon character come about?
=Haydn Bebb=
When my children were young, I like millions of other parents, used to read them bedtime stories. However, they appeared to enjoy the ones I made up for them just as much, perhaps even more than the more traditional children’s stories. One particular story I wrote back in 1988 was about a young dragon. This story was written in rhyme but at this stage the dragon didn’t have a name. It was then that I had the idea of linking the dragon to Muscular Dystrophy by giving him a name with the same initials – MD. The first name I came up with was Montgomery – named after my home county in Wales. Unfortunately it had one too many syllables in the name, so then I thought of Montague. This was just perfect as his name could also be shortened to Monty – hence Montague Dragon was created. However, there was a major stumbling block. Although I was reasonably adept at writing stories and songs – I had (and still have!) no talent whatsoever when it came to drawing or sketching. So I turned to a friend – Brian Nicholls who had many contacts in his profession relating to designing and printing. Brian felt he knew just the person to illustrate Monty’s books – an illustrator with a tremendously successful track record – Mike Higgs. Within a week Mike had produced the first sketch of Monty – who was an instant success with the Bebb household. Hence the birth of Montague Dragon. The first book in the planned series Tales of Montague Dragon - The Lonely Dragon was published and within a few months I had already written the next 4 books to follow. There are 16 books in the series each with accompanying cassette narration and a new Monty song (with karaoke version). The books build upon each other with new characters being introduced, and we are now building up Monty merchandise to support the books.
=CharlotteChurchFans= I understand you are a teacher
Haydn. Do you think this has helped you any in effectively reaching children through your books?
=Haydn
Bebb= Strangely enough, this is perhaps one of the more difficult questions to answer. I suppose it is yes and no. I have been a school teacher for the best part of 30 years but the age range of students I have taught in that time (11 – 18 years) does not fall into the category of my Monty writing. In addition, my main subject for over 20 years was Physical Education, although I have also taught Science, Music and Religious Education. For the past 6 years or so I have mainly taught Personal and Social Education and this has indirectly contributed through aspects such as citizenship, personal values, etc. However, the main contributing factor is that of communication. I have always considered myself to be an effective communicator and get on well with people of all ages, backgrounds, etc., and possess an ability to transmit my enthusiasm to others. This, combined with a reasonable creative talent albeit musical or literal, has been the principal transferable skill which has helped me. I have managed to retain my sense of humour and passion for writing (my wife would also add immaturity!) and my family have always been my biggest critics and supporters. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
=CharlotteChurchFans=
What was Charlotte like to work with, and where was the recording work done for the audio portion of Book #2 “A Frosty Encounter”?
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=Haydn
Bebb= Charlotte’s narration was recorded in a Cardiff studio on a pleasant morning late in spring. My brief audio contribution, together with the music, sound effects and the song on the cassette ‘Monty’s Frosty Warning’ was recorded in Birmingham. Charlotte was absolutely charming to work with and, as one would expect, totally professional. Her sense of humour was much in evidence throughout the morning as we enjoyed a few laughs during the recording. She has a beautifully clear voice and her diction is excellent. I think this transfers particularly well from her singing to narrative work. |
  |
| Charlotte
and Monty during the Cardiff recording session of
"A Frosty Encounter" |
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=CharlotteChurchFans=
What will Charlotte’s role be in the Montague Dragon Project in the future?
=Haydn
Bebb= This is still to be decided, due to her ever increasing workload and other commitments.
=CharlotteChurchFans=
The Montague Dragon series is going to be gaining
a large web presence with the launch of the new
montydragon.com website. What are the main goals
you hope to accomplish with this new site?
=Haydn
Bebb= The new website at www.montydragon.com,
which goes live on June 1st is aimed at children,
being designed to encourage interaction whilst
learning about Monty and his friends and promoting
awareness of Muscular Dystrophy. There will be a
comprehensive shopping area on the site, where all
Monty merchandise, including books can be bought.
=CharlotteChurchFans=
Any plans to expand the marketing of the series outside the UK?
=Haydn
Bebb= There are plans for Monty to ‘fly’ outside the UK, later this year, with a planned launch in the USA in the spring of 2003. There are also plans for an animated cartoon series next year.
=CharlotteChurchFans=
Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer some our questions
Haydn, this is a brilliant series for a very
important and worthy cause and I don't think any Charlotte Fan's collection is complete without
"A Frosty Encounter". -
MC
