My Yorkshire: Veronica Bird OBE

What's your first Yorkshire memory?

I have a vivid memory of the coal miners returning from their shifts down the pits, and walking along Doncaster Road, in Barnsley, with their black faces.

I remember the football supporters going to the matches on the same road on a Saturday afternoon. My mother owned a fish and chip shop opposite St Peter's church, and that would be crowded later in the day. The premises are still there, but it doesn't serve fish and chips any more.

My grandmother also ran a fish and chip place, so you might think that we never wanted for a hot supper. But the cash was so tight that the only fish and chips we had were left-overs from the previous day's fry. The scraps were always the best thing for me.

What's your favourite part of the county?

Harrogate, where I now live. I must have been about 10 years old when I first visited the town. I was mightily impressed to be in a huge house with only a few people staying in it, after coming from a two-up-and-two-down in Barnsley, where there were 10 of us – brothers and sisters. To say our home was crowded is something of an understatement. The Harrogate house was near Harlow Carr Gardens and there wasn't another building in sight. Lovely.

What's your idea of a perfect day, or a perfect weekend, out in Yorkshire?

Having worked in prisons for nearly all of my professional life, anywhere in the fresh air is a delight, and my own garden is very special to me. I love gardening, and my own patch is a fairly good size, and there's a nice pond that is fed by an underground spring. In fact, a neighbour told me that before I moved in it used to be called "The Pond House", where people came to picnic in the grounds, not knowing that it was private property.

Do you have a favourite walk – or view?

I love walking through the Valley Gardens in Harrogate, then through the Pines area and up to Harlow Carr. It's about three miles in all, and it is a constant delight to me. The council have done an amazing job in restoring and maintaining it, and there's a wonderful children's play area which the youngsters adore. To hear the sound of their laughter and enjoyment is always a pleasure. It's also a perfect place for sledging, as they've discovered this winter.

Which Yorkshire sportsman, past or present, would you like to take for lunch?

It would have to be Dickie Bird, wouldn't it? Everyone asks me if we are related, especially when they find out that I am passionate about cricket. I don't think that there are any links, sadly. But that apart, I admire him for a great many reasons and I'd love to meet him and have a chat and find out if we do have other things in common. Birds of a feather must stick together.

Can I also ask Geoffrey Boycott to join us at the table?

Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, past or present, would you like to take for dinner?

Michael Parkinson, because when he was a young reporter, he'd pop into my brother-in-law's fruit and vegetable shop in Mexborough and buy some apples or pears or whatever to eat with his lunch. And I'd serve him.

Michael was a pretty canny lad – he knew that there was always a lot of gossip swapped over the counter and that he could pick up a few good little stories for the paper. A journalist of the old school.

If you had to name your Yorkshire "hidden gem", what would it be?

Ackworth School. I went there as a scholarship boarder and I loved every single second of the experience. It provided – and still provides – a wonderful education to all the students, no matter what race, creed or colour. It's a Quaker school but that isn't forced upon you. The facilities were (and are) first rate, and I love the place. The buildings are beautiful. I don't know of any other school which former pupils praise so highly.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

The people, who are (generally) very friendly and generous, and who give of their time without question. Then there's the variety of scenery, culture and history that we have. It's a mixture that you find nowhere else – and I've worked all over the country.

Do you follow sport in the county, and if so, what?

I am sports mad, so I follow the lot – cricket, bowls, football, you name it. I have always been a Barnsley supporter, and a friend is now head of communications at Middlesbrough, so I take an interest in them, too. My nine brothers and sisters are all sports barmy as well.

What about Yorkshire's cultural life?

Where do you start? We have an abundance of first-rate ballet, drama, and opera, art galleries, festivals… in Harrogate, we've got so many excellent facilities, and I am a great fan of the Opera House, where you can see everything from Mozart to pantomime. I think that there's also a great and thriving amateur contribution, who deliver some very high standard work.

Do you have a favourite restaurant or pub?

I enjoy going to Quantro in Harrogate, which for me is convenient, serves excellent food, and has first-class service. It's also (in my view) good value for money, and I recommend it.

Do you have a favourite food shop?

In Harrogate, I am spoiled for choice with so many good little independent shops and stores. But I have to admit that Marks & Spencer serves me very well for just about everything I need. If I want something special, then Fodder is great.

How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you've known it?

This is very difficult. There have been so many improvements to things like the roads and the rather ugly pit heaps have been grassed over.

But the sense of community spirit isn't what it was. There's a lot of unemployment and yes, poverty. I always remember a young couple going into my sister's shop, in Wath on Dearne, and buying a single carrot, a single onion, and a single apple.

They told her that they hadn't had a proper Sunday dinner in three years. And that's not the Thirties, that's today. There are a lot of people struggling to make ends meet, and that's not right.

Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?

William Hague, because he's open, honest, straightforward and has a terrific sense of humour and a twinkle in his eye. It's a pity that there aren't more like him around.

Has Yorkshire influenced your work?

Insofar as I come from here, yes. But I've worked in so many places. I'll tell you what did influence me a lot and that was working at Armley, which was an eye-opener. So many men, so many backgrounds, so many things that will stick with me for the rest of my life.

Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/performer.

This would definitely be the artist Ashley Jackson. There was a picture of his hanging in the office of one of the prisons that I worked in, and whenever the stress built up, I'd go and stand in front of it, and look at it carefully, and I would stay there until calmness was restored. It had a marvellous therapeutic effect on me, and I can never thank him enough. I could then move on and concentrate on the matters in hand.

If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, it would be?

York, because it offers so much. Whenever I have friends or guests staying with me I always take them across to that wonderful city, and I show them around, and everyone agrees that a single day isn't enough to cover it all. I mean, the Railway Museum alone takes hours to absorb properly. And, best of all, it's free!