Mark Foster's blog by Mark_Foster

Hello everyone. It's been a busy couple of weeks in fact, so busy that I didn't get to post a blog last week! So here is a summary of the last two weeks. Last week was the launch of the British Film Festival which is a great chance to get a view of all the latest films from around the world as well as the best of the British releases. As a jammy bugger I got to attend the opening film night with my old mate Duncan Kenworthy and saw the opening film 360 Degrees. It was an interesting film to kick off the festival, including great performances from Rachel Weisz and Jude Law. It was a nice event with all the great and the good and so lovely to be invited, so thanks Duncan.

As a supporter of the fantastic charity Access Sport, I was invited to their fundraising dinner. I love supporting this programme as it addresses all the things that I value most. They provide access to sport for young people often in deprived areas, where local champions are given resources to run activities and sport events. One such community organisation which has been offering dance lessons for young people, were at the event and put on an amazing display of dancing and choreography. They were given an award for their work on the night which made the benefit of Access Sport all the more real. The dinner is a fundraising event which is supported by corporate businesses and individuals. I was on the table sponsored by Anglo Beef and I want to thank Andrew Cracknall and his family and friends for such a splendid evening and for being so generous at the auction.

They bought 4 or 5 items which all contributed to the overall sum raised ( approx £70k) All I had to do was turn up and be interviewed on stage by Chris Hollins with other athletes Jamie Baulch, Leon Taylor, Stephanie Cook and Phil De Glanville, Rory Underwood, Steve Borthwick from the rugby world. Great night guys and for more information about the sterling work of Access Sport, go to their website. Following all the hob-knobbing with the great and the good, it was my Mum's 70th Birthday last weekend. So my sisters and I all gathered at the house with 21 of her closest friends for a big old meal and a night of wine, speeches and fireworks. Outside caterers were brought in (who are also family friends - great job Melanie and Claire). It was a great night and Mum really had a good time. Her friends were warm and generous in their speeches and presents and my sisters and I all said a few words to embarrass her, but also show her how much we appreciate what she has done for us over the years..... me in particular!!!

The following day was very warm and sunny and I took my nephew Oscar to the beach hut where we played in the sand and skimmed stones on the water. Followed by lunch on the river at The Anchor in Hullbridge and crabbing on the banks of the river. And all the time the sun shone and the birthday celebrations didn't stop there, but more about that later. I also caught up with old mates Colin and Jamie and Colin cooked up a storm....... all that time on Master Chef wasn't wasted, although afterwards Jamie complained of serious stomach problems on the way home. I didn't have the heart to tell Colin!

Speaking of all things nautical, I was invited to be part of a photographic campaign to raise awareness of the diminishing fish stocks around the world. In June 2009, the actress Greta Scacchi was photographed hugging a giant cod by Britain’s top fashion photographer Rankin, in what has become an iconic image. The photograph raised considerable awareness in the global media of the plight of the world’s fish stocks, which scientists believe are on the brink of collapse. After arriving at Rankin’s studio, I was offered a coffee then told to take my kit off. Yep, that was pretty much it!! I chose a couple of fish to be photographed with; an Angel Fish big enough to cover myself, as well as a squid I think I was far more embarrassed than the fish .The shoot went well and Rankin had the picture in 10 mins, all very easy and very relaxed. But then again Rankin has done all of this before.

There is a possibility that a book and a calendar of the photographs will be created including past models such as; Richard E Grant, Terry Gilliam, Emilia Fox, O.T Fagbenle and Lenny Henry have already had their portraits taken. And more pledges have been extracted for a further set of portraits from Helena Bonham-Carter, Barry Humphries (as Dame Edna), Dakota Blue Richards and Colin Firth. The Fishlove Photographic Project is now looking to launch a whole series of similar photographs as part of the Oceans 2012 campaign to change the European Common Fisheries Policy – widely considered the most important factor that will influence the fate of Europe’s fish stocks for generations to come. I will let you know when the pictures are out.

The week then changed from standing naked in front of Rankin, in a small studio with 10 people, to talking fully clothed to 500 people at the LTA headquarters in Roehampton. I'm good friends with Roger Draper the Chief Exec and he had asked me to come and talk to the staff at the LTA about High Performance. As I was only expecting a few people in the audience, seeing all of them there was a bit daunting. But they were a friendly and welcoming bunch so I had a ball talking to them and celebrating their own awards. We are always complaining about why we don’t have more players at the top of the world rankings? Well I learnt that we have lots of young talent coming through, so there are exciting times ahead for British Tennis.

This was followed by a weird and wonderful evening at a Pret A Diner at the Old Vic Arches under Waterloo Station. The concept is that the organisation chooses a venue and takes it over for the evening and provides a great setting, plus Michelin star chefs to cook great food. It was a wonderful evening with stunning company, so thanks to Maria and Michael from Deep Water Films. There was a fascinating art exhibition with installations and projected images as well as framed pieces which made the whole setting of the Old Vic Arches slightly surreal. I managed to catch up with Dynamo who was also in attendance which gave the evening a literally more magical quality. He performed illusions in front of us which were simply awesome. After a bit of a late night, as we ended up being the last to leave, I managed to crawl out of bed and meet my mum under the pretext of a bogus job in Paris. We boarded the Eurostar and when it stopped in Ashford my sisters boarded as a surprise.

So a merry band of Fosters set out on an adventure to Paris for a few days and what a few days it turned out to be! In brilliant sunshine we walked, bused and taxied around Paris taking in the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Pompidou Centre, Montmatre and the Sacre Coeur, restaurants and bars and a fantastic night down the Seine on a Bateaux Mouche. This was the first time we had all spent a weekend together for years and it was great falling back in to the old familiar groove. We returned tired and exhausted but happy that we had spent the time together and had thoroughly celebrated Shelia's 7 decades !!!! For the last time this year happy birthday Shelia!! That’s it for this week... have a good one..... M