Just About Me 27

It was whilst I was working at Fulham Court that I met a man who had a big say and influence in my life, a fellow caretaker and as I was to find out a well known society security man, Joe Steed. Joe was an enormous guy who ran a company called Steed Security, he provided security for high class weddings, parties even funerals and some close up security for celebrity's. I started working for Joe as an extra job in approx 1988. My first job was working at the Duke of York's barracks in the Kings Road, Chelsea, SW3 Duke of York's Link. It was a Christmas party for the Brigadiers 15 year old son, I thought that it would be easy but the little buggers drank more wine and spirits than Oddbins stock, I worked until 3a.m and absolutly loved it. I went on to work a lot of jobs for Joe and can not possibly remember them all but some of them were, The Savoy Hotel on several occasions including an overnight stay to look after about 80 couture dresses and outfits for the Berkley Dress Ball, ran by socialites Tamara Beckwith and Tara Palmer Tompkinson, it was the same night the Nottingham Forest players held there celebratory dinner after playing Luton Town at Wembley in the League Cup final, and everything they ate and drank, myself and there waiter had the same. Another time just me and Joe did the Wimbledon Winners Dinner at the Savoy, the winners were Michael Stich and Steffi Graf and the next day my picture appeared in the Daily Mirror escorting Steffi Graf to her car, we did a party also held at the savoy where the boy band of the time Bros had hundreds of oranges thrown at them and we had to get them to the safety of an annex room at the Savoy, it was quite bizarre sitting in a room chatting to Matt and Luke Goss whilst the savoy was being cleared.

Another interesting job was on a Sunday evening at the Dominion, Tottenham Court Road, W1, myself and Joe looked after a host of stars and believe it or not HRH Princess Margaret at the Children's Royal Variety Show, I was alone in the VIP bar with Princess Margaret and I could not stop wondering that if only she knew that that morning I had been working as a Caretaker putting black bags of rubbish into big dustbins and now I was looking after the Queens Sister, and the funniest thing is I was never ever checked by the police. We then did the after party for VIPs, including Frank Bruno, Cannon and Ball and Dannii Minogue it was at the time that Frank Bruno had had an operation on his eyes for a detatched retina, but it did not stop him from stopping for a chat and a laugh with us both.

In 1991 we moved again, back to Sulivan Court but this time at number 276 on the third floor, still caretaking, but by now the council were getting the right hump with me for the hours I was keeping, I told them that it was none of there business what I did in my own time in fact would they have preferred me to sit in a pub having afters.