 Welcome to another episode of Anything Goes James English Show and today's guests we've got the lovely Brad Welsh. How are we brother? Very good James, very nice to meet you and welcome to our beautiful city of Edinburgh. Thanks for having me mate. It's okay mate. Let's say I don't sit with any questions Brad so it's a case I would just roll with it. Obviously a bit of your background you grew up in a tough house in the scheme. Turn boxing very, turn boxing through what? Seven-eight? Seven-year-old guys. You became Edinburgh Casio, started your own stuff kinder stuff with Edinburgh stuff. And then in the prison a couple of times about the stuff that you're doing now I think it's phenomenal or the stuff with the kids, people come to your boxing gym. I think it's brilliant what you're doing to make changes in other people's life. So we'll go right back to the start Brad where it all started for you, where you kind of grew up and where it kind of led you in life. Well I think James that my story can be related to many people who've been watching your podcast. They're all young ladders to the street James, aren't they? I mean that's gone back 35-40 years ago that's where we were brought up housing schemes. You know it was like Edinburgh and Glasgow had city centres but the vast majority of people were born in housing schemes weren't they? And back then there were good places where places were full of community. You know so I'm thankful that I was brought up there and it did shape me I suppose James that we all are, everybody are the people we are because of our personal experiences aren't we? So being brought up in that housing scheme yeah it did shape me and stuff like that. An area in Edinburgh called Moldon and it's on the south of Edinburgh it's next to Craigmore and Lidgen. These were areas that were, they had the house somewhere after the war and stuff like that and there were Bishabi prefams that were built. So I was born there to my mum Patricia and my father Tony and I had a brother Sean, a similar brother of their age, a seven-year-old. It's just basically the time that I can remember being there for some reason I don't know if it's because of all the punches to the head James hand as a boxer that I can't remember past that but a seven-year-old there was, there was my sort of formation years being brought up and got involved in boxing for you. Moldon is still to this day, it's a very very rough place socially and economically alienated because you're where it is I mean there's no frontline service so I'm quite proud that I've already came full circle that I'm actually back in that area now and I'm actually providing services for the guns and stuff here. I think it's brilliant and what is it that you're starting to get into boxing Brad? A seven-year-old, my brother Sean, he took me to Meadowbank Stadium and he actually took me to Canati because he went to Canati and my mum was very keen to get me involved at that time at seven-year-old my parents' relationship with this man older and my mum basically kicked my dad out so I was brought up by a single parent of my mum and she thought it'd be a good way for my energy, I've always been full energy James so she wanted to get me into boxing so a seven-year-old I went to Meadowbank Stadium. So obviously in boxing you kind of learn how to handle yourself, I watched a few of your videos, I think you were only 9, 10 punching a bag about, you were unbelievable then, that Brad, you had some, you had a great talent. I don't know about that, I think as a young kid, young kids that take up sport they often show good talent, they often show a natural ability to play sport here and I just think boxing was something that I focused on and I did like hitting things here, like hitting things, and I suppose I was a part of that, no I'm looking back now at the age of seven-year-old you never rationalised that you were doing that for a reason but there's nothing about that, in my adulthood looking back James, that I used boxing even at seven-year-old as a vehicle to channel my energies and not to think about what was going on in family life. I, because let's say when you're brought up in that environment it can be tough, we can channel that through where it's sitting in our room or where it's violence because we feel a wee bit more important. Well of course yeah and that's it, there's nothing about that playing sport and it's the reason why I use it now as a medium to engage with kids is it because you get in dolphins format, you're focused on that you know so and yeah I suppose but back then again it's a definitely probably a good time wasn't it? You've got to remember that in the communities back then even though they were very community led, there was nothing in them. Because you're very well respected in the red but let's say we've all done wrong in life including myself but we'll try to rectify that now with doing good things. When you started getting into the fights and you realised you could handle yourself did you, was it, because I think you said you had two 300 fights by the time you were 12 or 13? I had about 200 fights by the time I was about 13 yeah. That was because back then boxing was a furnishing sport and it was only one of the mediums that you know people could do. You either played football or you boxed it or you played music or you listened to music. So you know the sport was very very well attended and you'd have maybe two or three contests a week. You could, you know you'd go to championship it was you'd box six or seven times. So I used boxing as a vehicle and it's only now I didn't realise it then but I did it with some of the way that I showed my self-esteem yeah and all young kids selling the ghettos in the area and shit were thrive to try and express their self-esteem. Some day through their music, some day through their clothing. I done it through with my hands Polly. Do you think if you never had the boxing your life would be totally different from where you are now? Most definitely, but that's a great insight isn't it? Because normally it's the Alley Gats, the Gats, the Arnold story we call it that boxing saved a young kid from going down the wrong path. Well I'm a little bit different from that because I did her boxing right up to the age of 17 16 17 but at the same time James I was living a dual life yeah because of a young kid being brought up in there and I realised now that that through the media me being very good at boxing as a young kid yeah just to clarify because it wasn't a good later on but as a young child sort of prodigy, it wasn't that good when I was younger and winning everything and stuff and that that created a self-esteem in me which then I transferred into the environment that I was in. Yeah nobody being a bully because I can quite categorically say that I've never been that and anybody who knows me knows that yeah but at the age of seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve I feel my schooling and then in my teenage years I've developed a reputation on the streets of Edinburgh as being involved in sort of the gang culture. But like I say the gang kind of culture is far away back acceptance as well because you feel as if your powers kind of love you and if there's a broken home and you're no feeling getting that love inside the house it's easy to get into gang culture but you feel accepted when you're doing that shit you're all laughing joke. We all know when we mention hybs, your name's associated with hybs Bradwell should you know that yourself but how did you get into that scene? You were talking about that this is not just unique to the city of Edinburgh for the first time since the Moor generation you know in the 70s and stuff you had like a new gang culture didn't you? You had a new expose a UK culture which was the casual scene yeah you called it a casual scene and that was just basically groups of young kids getting behind our new movement and the movement was fashion-wed and it was also it was sport-wed because youngsters at that age whatever their media, what are their outwecks to have to go and have entertainment you went to the football and that was always always been trouble at football matches but this new expose or should I say culture was becoming a casual scene yeah and I was just thinking at that time I was the reader behind that I wasn't the person that made it, it's just evolved yeah it evolved I just remember a bit of glass, scwab or Dean Dundee all over and there's this new casual culture which I was quite fortunate actually James I'll say that, quite proud to say that I've actually heard the experiences of being a young boy being brought up with something that's real as opposed to young kids today it's all about social media and there's no live experiences in for them we were brought up in a generation in the 80s in the 80s we'd go to football with your mates, living yeah and remember this was born out of frustration, born out of a facture society you know when you were brought up in the ghettos and there was fuck all there what did you do, dress yourself in nice clothes and go and belong with your pals and have a laugh but for the first time ever, and as you'll appreciate being a man from Glasgow there's always been gang culture always oh I think I'll always be that to the day we die but for the first time ever what you had in Scotland is you had a unique circumstances where gang culture now became an international thing so you now had city versus city and that's really what's quite unique about it I mean I'm not proud in the levels of violence and stuff I mean you should probably know for me now James that you know I'm anti-violence you know I'm a poach upon gamekeeper and that's what I preach to a lot of kids and stuff but I also realise that the person I am is made through the experiences that I've had so I've got no problem we're going back and thinking about that and looking objectively now so again back to that I got behind, I was always a boxer and that's what I've done, won in championships and titles and stuff as a very young kid and then I got involved with my brother we go into football but I was one of the younger ones so we were like 13 years old but I would take the thrift that I'd learned in gymnasium and I'd use that on front lines and so I brought up a bit of reputation in Scotland with people with different moor because again you had, it wasn't just teams it was now city versus city so if it Aberdein Glasgow, Aberdein, Dundee everybody knew who everybody was you were my main plan for cos I know you've got a big association with Hubs but again, you weren't in that culture very long either, were you? No, I wasn't actually and that's the thing about I was 13 year old stuff when I went into it and again, they were great times because you remember in back gyms to a period of time there was carefree and fair off what that involved was if you look back as an adult quite stupid groups of your pals having gang violence basically but wasn't just about that it was a commandy ship and travelling to other cities and one upwind ship wearing the best clothes and stuff but for me when I was about I had a deal I had three lines I had a boxing line that I was trying to still do I had this new casual culture but then also got involved in criminality as well James because and looking back now and again, as with hindsight I'm very aware of that people don't write books and stuff like that and talk about their past and you date with the brain you've got now so that's the only way that I can do it and looking back now I can no justify it but I can explain it that I was a young lad for the girls and we didn't have much pal so predatiousness was something that was brought into me because everybody else had stuff and we never and then what that breeds is when your young kids you go off track and they father figure there my brother was basically my father here and he basically he was involved in that as well so it was a natural progression we were going to do that but I also started criminality James I started them organising our young groups and stuff like that and then like I'm not proud to say it but like taxing people and stuff like that when I was really young at 13 I was totally wrong I'm not that embarrassed about that you know what I mean but it's partly who I was and then we went on to obviously organise stuff like smashing grabs and stuff like that but again like I say everything we've got to thank the past no matter how far it is and like I say your prime example of what you're achieving now and we can get embarrassed and we can talk about it and go ah maybe but again that's what lead us to be the men where the day to help other people to date with the day and it's not people who don't understand it growing up in the housing scheme growing up with a single mum realise how fucking hard it is and when you've got a path sometimes we've got to go down that path to make it as the person who we're the day so like I say I take my hand after you make it we spoke of it before this and you're a visionary and your plans and ideas are massive I'm not embarrassed to go over the stuff I can deal with that on my own you know I've got a daughter and stuff like that and then I'm leaving you know people have came to me and said write books and stuff like that and I couldn't have done that because I didn't know what you're talking about and then I go but I do understand that it's partly who I am as you said but you know the natural progression for that is when you get on to that kind of path why I'm happy to talk about it and I'm happy to talk about it under certain circumstances right now James that you might not be aware of it and the public may not be aware of it but I'm currently in a huge fight where a massive media company called Bower Media over under Cash for Kids and I've been fighting for about the last three months I'm along with another group and this is the kind of stuff that they would like me to talk about so that they can try and shine a white woman and say that's what he is don't listen to him but I'm doing that because today I'm speaking about it because I trust you James and I trust the people to actually look beyond that and see that that's who I was and this is who I am now and for a long time and then by James it's been 20 or 30 years now I've been doing nothing but good to Paul 25 years but I want people that don't want you to shed that James do they? they don't want you to still want you to be he's this and people that don't even know me yet and all my life I've been blighted with Brad Welch Brad Welch Brad Welch because I was a young boy that was precious and did get involved in some serious crime but that is again it gives me the ability unlike other people to tell kids and to show kids that's not the path to go down and that's what I've been successful over the last year because people well listen to me well listen to what I've got to say because I've experienced that I'm not a preacher I'm not like you James as well what you've said James you've already said that with both similar very preachy to people but we do show a different way and that's what I've done and I'll continue to do that whether people want to view me in some way or another way and you'll fuck about that right but a lot of people who watch let's say they'll take a lot of what you're saying because a lot of people maybe watch a couple of films as well when they go on that's their life and that's what I want to be we spoke about life of crime or anything you do you've got two options did or any jail that's that 100% and that brings us there so this three tracks that I had I was boxing boxing at international level travelling the world at 14, 15, 16 year old and I was obviously going out with pals I was involved in international gang warfare basically you know you had to have a sophisticated way an organisation called the city service so Shunwadys Fedinbwr and they were very close and that very tight and we travelled with the country travelled over to Unop and it was great times and stuff like that look at that mindset look at that now pretty silly thing to do we didn't ask anybody or advise anybody to do it but it was just us going up or and that's sort of it at the same time jumped into the criminalities and everything and that was a path that I wish I never went down in hindsight but it's certainly again when me as you say to hear now that involved James getting involved in quite serious crime probably which then in 2016, 17, 18 the club scene came around and what people remember that it says 1988 and you had the dancing hitting Edinburgh hitting over the UK another expose and that destroyed the casual culture casual culture was then it was about one-upmanship commandorship but then once the sentences started coming in people were getting jailed for it you know it's like it cut out in the middle and also at the same time it happened that the the dance scene came along and that led me into that as well I was quite well known in Edinburgh another sharp wee brain and stuff for that and so I mean looking back I mean you're saying Baris was some of the stuff that I mean we just you're downright you know predatiousness horrible of course it happens but what let us say we'll make mistakes and we'll go down that path but for anybody what I don't agree with is anybody to throw something in somebody's face that's trying to change their life because that for me is a coward that for me is a shitebag that for me is a criminal but that's what that's what these big organisations they didn't deal with the facts that you bring up what they do is they're trying diversify it and just pour like you they say that's who he is here then they listen to him you know what I mean but I'm used to doing that but I think a lot of people know you and know who you are as a character so for that people reading whatever they see in black and white it's no going to stick for them because they know that who you are as a character and what you're actually doing in the streets like I say we've spoke about homelessness as well and the stuff you day for the boys is brilliant because there's not a lot of people change brands a lot of actions speak louder and word as well a lot of people talk they talk but I don't fucking watch it which is difficult and that leads us to wear exactly along that timeline so it's 17, 18 hours involved in clubs and protection rackets and firearms and distortion and stuff and I'm not proud of that of course I'm not but that to the term that's what it was and again it involves that predatious nature so I'm a wee bit different from the alegratialo story where young boy goes down the wrong path and then turns you know you know keeps him off the right path I was on the right path and then fell off it and it was through boxing that would go up to me back on it so I ended up again then we'll just get rid of the criminality stuff and end up you know getting quite a serious chance high court trials and stuff like that moved into the club saying shut everybody down opened up my own places as a young boy was only 18 year old and then and I probably got away with that and then but so young did you have anybody above you did you have anybody by the guiding you or was it because it's such a young age to be running organisations like the ones you're talking about of course there was people that were partners and stuff like that but I mean I was you've got to remember that the when the dance scene came along you're talking of the city Edinburgh there was only 400 people that had caught on to the beat this is 1987 to 1988 and there was only like one club in Edinburgh called Labell and Gill so and that was only club in Edinburgh so and that was versed into it and naturally the people that were involved in the casual scene gave they were there like to be a woman to be trend setters and stuff like that so it started so it'd be young people that created this new movement yeah I mean the first start here when everybody else is walking about wearing and they're like white candy and stuff like that the boys were white getting dressed up stuff like that the best gear and bleach jeans stuff the best trainers you know and again that thing there James I always thought with that that when the casual movement first came about it was about self-esteem you know I want the protagonist that were involved in it was about because it's a get-tion isn't it look at me what I'm wearing I'm better than you it's a mask it's right well and well and for me the what I tried to play football wasn't really so much that but was the UC violence yeah because I was a wee boxer and I was a wee thing and I was just I was predatious there's neither about that you know because it obviously made you obviously made you feel important as well because people whanted you in their circle and janked obviously when you had that talent as well that's why it's such Scotland's like Edinburgh Gleisgett it's tough because when you've got a talent people leech on to it but as soon as that talent goes you're fucking there yourself and nobody cares it's hard to there's not really any role models to look up to in Gleis get them because all these football players and all these people are saying well they're kind of going off a right path whether it's drink, drugs, gambling they're kind of struggling themselves it's hard for anybody to really find a role model to really look at and say it model I mean to them and become them it's difficult I think sport plays a part there so when you're obviously did the boxing scene was there a time you felt that was people trying to pull you aside as well we used the leather we just made you rain-mind up that I don't mean it don't it to you because it's anybody else go take full responsibility in your actions isn't it it's me almost never led by anybody's policy and they the decisions that I made at that time were again born through predatiousness pal as I have no go and I'm taking that and that was the that I brought that I went through a high court a high court trial where I could have ended up be 15 year I ended up getting four year for an extortion what age was that I was I was 18 just on the just on the 18 year so I could have been 10, 15 years the minute I hit that prison I said oh pal this is the truth yeah and I'm no shy to say it or ashamed to say it I knew it was the for me and I'm no big for me I was a wee guy scuttin about with a sharp brain making things happen the biggest, hardest guy in Edinburgh and stuff like that but I had a way to have a sharp brain with how to connect things together and how to make things happen with the biggest security company in Edinburgh I had three of the best lights in Edinburgh making fortunes of money but I already at that age it just happened so quick pal that I realised that money was the for me pal or even back then in 1987, 1988 I knew that money was the for me it never interested me pal would it buy you would it buy you not didn't mean anything to me I had my wee mum and stuff and my brother that was it and my pal was and so that was so the second I hit that that soaked in prison pal I was like what the fuck me you know what I mean that's the way it plays to me what have jeopardised doing and that was in you know I was a what if I was a huge big trial pal which could have went wrong but it never thankfully touched me when it went right and so eventually I think one of the challenges was extortion fair estate agents so and that on wedday four years in prison pal so I just knew through the second dinner that it had to get through to there and the way today that was to get back on and the only thing that I knew was right was my boxing because you said you done a lot of reading in there educated yourself that was sported wrong just away just looking back and realising that crime is the way today things pal I mean it's now again I say that thinking back and there's many young kids I'm not a preacher pal there's many young kids and friends that I've got that are involved in a criminal life a very high order criminal life you know they're getting huge sentences 15 and 20 years for the last 25 years here today I've been nothing but I'm just a a gamekeeper pal to say to people it's not the way to go on I've never done it huge way I'm going to go and shout I'm not a preacher here so there's no necessarily weird then is right either but it feels right for us brad it feels right for me I mean we're doing the right things and myself being figlesga it's we cannae you cannae preach it's everybody's end journey we've found a wee bit of light where we can go to write we've found a lane where we feel good we're doing good and it makes everybody benefits we're no talking fair books we're talking fair experience we're talking about we've seen the life of misery we're talking for dark fucking places we're talking for your mark I'm not going to visit you in a jail we're talking about them greeting and worried sick about you but yet we're portraying it jump about with the boys who don't really give a fuck about us anyway do you know what I mean that's more pertinent now in this day and age because it's moved forward two generations now and the kind of sentences you're getting in on four years the boys now are coming from from the areas of Edinburgh yes we're not naming any names you know when they're 15s and 20s powerful stuff there massive drug culture firearms very prevalent in Edinburgh you know or runescotland and that seems to be the new game and these are as we spoke earlier these are young boys 18, 19 year old now that are international criminals that I've got that I've that I'm dealing in four and five that would Spain to Argentina to you know over to Amsterdam you know they're not just dealing in Poso Park well you know the last few Poso are everywhere over there I'm just saying that because I know you're from there right right it's like so it's a different game so it's hard to preach to a young guy and also something worth touching on now you know I'm not a social saviour pal you know what I mean I'm not like trying to try to say it when we're just trying to name mawi back which I do through the which we'll come to but the kids that are there now that are in that have they got any choices that now because what I see in the communities in Edinburgh which I'm sure can be more transported to Glasgow to Aberdeen Vendee is that there's no opportunities for kids now you know if you're social and economically exploited if you're taking part in stuff in your own community in which you've got money you know your community centres don't have any services that are free basically you know you've got to go in and buy or do you do all your family and stuff whatever and cost money so there's no community groups so the council's now have been the rip had the heart rip to the number of funding so they're not putting much on and stuff like that so would you would anybody in society now you know not expect that kids coming from these communities are going to get involved and click on so when you come out after your sentence because when I was in the centres I actually used boxing I actually get out what I'd done was I started boxing again and then when I was in there I was actually said a thing for a title thing I got too tight I got released to actually laugh about it now I got to get a prison van and taken away to the Glasgow actually to the Manate Hotel and cuffs no and cuffs but in a prison van dropped off boxed one of the western district championships and came back again then I got taken out two nights later to go and boxed for Italy Scotland Italy for an old Alec Morrison in Glasgow get out shout out morrisons shout out Alec Morrison who's my mentor he is a great guy old Alec and he he got taken out a boxed against Italy took the town champion in the second round as well then 12 weeks after being released to prison I fought for the British title as an amateur so I just trained in there I was a manate trainer and I always did and I used to stay focused in there though I was difficult for a wee guy for Edinburgh like that and having all your big bad boys we just stood there saying brad roush we're getting it still here still when you're still there I couldn't still hear none of so none of it was good it was educational prison but we're making it white there if anybody watching us prison's no place to be met big bad boys in there a big serious time you know what I mean and the boys that are in there and then that that's there you know they're not greeking about it they're not greeking about it remember what we were saying James that what I seen the community of Edinburgh and the kids that are doing that that 18, 19 doing huge prison sentences just my opinion you know cos I'm coasting the ground I'm working in these communities a work way young kids who's six year old up to fucking 16 you know and in gymnasium I'm constantly working with people where we tightly use boxes as a medium to get them in and get them fit because if they're fit and they're healthy their brains are working and the chemical balance they're notating drugs and they're not getting involved in crime but it doesn't just work with that but you've got to get kids when they're young you know what I mean but again back to what we're saying if the boys are out there that are doing this but these young lads are in there and I know seven I've got good pals and when they're doing heavy sentences and I know of many others the brightest young guys you've ever met in your life these guys would be if they went to university would be going to multinational companies in fact they do go to multinational companies cos different facets of the operations that they're doing are multinational now and it's like it's such a shame that that's been the the pathway for a lot of your brightest young guys good people and devil who are forced together to then use the law of the jungle and the law of the jungle is violence the only one with violence in there don't we just being smart cos the smartest guys sitting there now isn't it the guy that's winning now it's the guy that's the most violent oh aye correct that's where I get the reputation though well exactly and that's where you can get power and that's the rank thing but later I say a lot of these tough men who think they're tough as soon as they go fucking that cell door gets shut a lot of them getting that addicted to the brown and the white or whatever it is in there so because they can't handle it so everything is mental and later I say 90% of the people in the jail are dabbling on something which is tough as well because these are good men again everybody I believe everybody's got goodness in them everybody's got greatness in them but it's the channel that we've been working off to go right with it a minute I was in the drug scene gambling scene I was in everything but for me I was escaping I was running away if you put these in here I didn't know who I was because I put this persona on for so fucking long that it was just on act so I've answered I didn't know who I was so you let an onion just wrap yourself around there's so many layers that you forget who you are and then luckily enough I've found a lane that I love I enjoy and I can do good things for you listen I'm not fucking sent that makes mistakes every day there's things I still do and I'm not proud of it but human beings we've got to make mistakes do you know what I mean that's just a part and parcel of life so for all that when you came out the jail started the boxing I used boxing when I came out on the British title and then for there I went on a national it was quite good again I'd been putting all the energy it was to be clear when I was 16, 17, 18 I was running on three tracks coming out on the track boxing track and the casual scene yeah try to juggle it off juggling it off well they're good 30% of the each of them yeah and so I'll do much I do regret with boxing because I never really tested myself Paul when I won the British title I was the best I was that I was decent but then I was coming out and dealing with on these demons Paul I was coming out and dealing with being in a small goldfish ball and then we were blah blah blah blah so what I've done James is I've travelled to one of them about eight months boxing in international competitions Canada Turkey out of the way all over the one old gym as an international boxer and I was like when I was going to turn poor and I should have went to the cover of games I went to the pre cover of games in Canada and this was in 2004 James year in 1994 sorry I just was 10 years old in 1994 and then I went there and I basically watched the style of boxing and it just never suited me I was stuck in Edinburgh I was training I was travelling through to Albert Morrison's every day kind of gone through when I but even before the turn pro and then I made a mistake I made a mistake of turning professional Paul she never had done it now just to be clear I was a young good amateur boxer a British champion was very good and it was never like I was involved in a thing so just I believe it mentally I was in the wrong place to be in Edinburgh I was getting tried to get dragged that way and made financial income coming in and I went and turned professional and I basically boxed seven times away with Alec and stuff for that one seven contest and then I had to get to Edinburgh you know old Alec was great with me now it's a natural progression of past when you turn for an amateur you're a professional you either went with Alec, Morrison or Tommy Gilmore I went with Alec and I basically used it to get myself over to America yeah so what I done was I signed a promotional deal I arranged my own deal where a company called USC United Sports Corporation and I basically got the name to pay for me to go with an America so I went and travelled I got to Edinburgh that was what I wanted to do I wanted to I wasn't even about boxing I was going to say to you James and I can be a hand on that I didn't love boxing I didn't love the professional I didn't love your passion I saw it as as just a vehicle for me and I'm not making excuses because let's be clear I wasn't a good enough as a pull whether that was because I never put the work in or whatever it was I wasn't a good enough that was it all right so and I'm actually happy at that because at least I've got my faculties about my stuff like that and I'm not getting raped of some manager and put them over somewhere you know me while I'm in there getting my face punched on but we'll come with that in a second I went to America and I travelled New York Miami Detroit Vegas and went on all the gymnasium was in America when I went a three-month trip and eventually I've ended up staying in Los Angeles where Freddie Roach who's the world-round trainer so how you're there I was with Angela Dundee down in Miami for a couple of months to my pal but I got USC to fund it to pay for him and there was a gentleman that made a big success a fan commander Smallerson made a huge success to a company with my help because I was a young boy four teams carmer James wasn't it 14 year old I was telling them what tracks used to buy and what trainers used to buy and he was putting them in and then we made fortunes of them so 15 years later 10 years later I beat some of the guy again and he becomes my manager sponsor sent me to America lived over there for like a year and a half then the boxer had one contest so I was using I was using that relationship that I had with somebody in the past and boxing as a vehicle to escape myself James and I don't realise that now so I got over to America and I stayed there with Freddie Roach trained with Angela Dundee in Miami went to Detroit gym as well and then basically set myself in America got a nice partner over there and they subsidised me and funded me I've actually did to the contest over there which I have to tell you about and um so I was now basically 9 and 0 as a pro yeah and a boxing guy called Jesus yeah and I think that quite remarkable that I've not been to Jesus doing twice but he kept getting mark up again yeah and actually Jesus and it was just a brawl mate and I mean I don't know what went on me it was just a pure brawl I got two public warnings he got a public warning he was doing twice but I was Jesus got a decision yeah so I'm always quite keen to tell people that you're a professional on the worst ones to Jesus Jesus that's a good one so came back from there when I came back to live in Edinburgh pal that was where I sort of went what we call under the covers I was lost James anybody that knows me back there will know I was a very private person what age were you then Brad? I was 25 25 I know of all the people who always try to get away sometimes the grass isn't always greener because the demons were battling up pair doesn't they Matt well we go I wasn't as much demon as James I never had mental health problems and I was just I had this ideology that and it goes back in the way that my youngster was in as the priest in Edinburgh and I've no touch to that I planted ammunition on my car James when I was a young boy and tried to get me done with that which I never got done with but they've done that so I felt that if I was in Edinburgh I was always a target so you're always ready? and I wanted to I just thought it was a good sense to escape Edinburgh and not have to deal with any problems that might have arisen through because it was just like you can think something happening here with in case you could start stopping here doing a big sentence for it in here but we are like I just felt that that was the way and I also wanted to get away I wanted to get away and focus on my boxing but I realised that I was doing the love boxing so I was just chasing my tail I came back to Edinburgh I chacked back up here and I had done James what's called has gone under the covers all right and I went under the covers for about six years and I had just cut myself for everything all right even stopped the camera was the training sporadically I had a two context back here where a good man in Glasgow called Tommy Gilbert yeah but let's face it my heart wasn't in it and I wasn't a good enough I wasn't a good enough I wasn't like a job-steller who I'd do everything's right for him and just as a young amateur boxer I was very good and something probably couldn't have been done with it but I'm happy and content with myself that you know how things arrive and how they land I didn't have any misgivings when I came but I know you say we talk about channels and energies do you think if you focus instead of the 30% and it hibs a boxing when I was a young boxer if you focus the 100% but then I wouldn't have been there at the but I would rather pull that because he'd gone to prison and because of you know deal what I was dealing with coming back here I'd be feeling frustrated when I was here because it seems like I couldn't move you know I mean I was suffocating I mean but that's when I went to America and it was good I don't know I went to America and I got away from and sought myself out when I came back it was like I wasn't sorry to do it and I spent six years in my bed reading books Where did you do that six years read I just read and just kept money and coming I've got good friends and just and I thought it was great I didn't have money I've never chased money James I'm not people on the end but I forgot there's a point that I think I've got money I didn't earn money and I've always thought it was a really evil pill you know what it is it's not a fucking fear panda I'm not a McEveilian character that is involved and it how I can explain that and I know that people get that there was a even like lonely and bold there's greatest and even like council or they gave me the keys to like a new huge events to be like Pynchley Gardens I shall I'm not kind of coming out of something that for that day and in the prison that I decided that this is no for me there's nothing that you can do to earn money that would justify the ending up here it doesn't match I'd rather be with my people couldn't buy my mum couldn't buy my town with my brother my family and my nephews and two mean nephews you know what so so for that day that I turned away from that one since then and that James that is now for six years after coming to the other end of six years I basically put my head under the covers for the age of 25 to fitness or that way and that had that broken relationship with the people and stuff like that you know it was like it wasn't what I was dating like it was dating nothing James nothing dating absolutely nothing and then when I hit 30 I just um where I met a beautiful woman my fiancé yeah and then it was that hard of course that I just I started clicking back in again and I'm just doing it my savior again would be mox in it so I got involved um and I so so after my 30th birthday and then we changed a sort of environment again in a sense got a new flat stuff and I just put now wasn't there drugs involved wasn't there the thing I mean I've been at partying and drinking and stuff like that she's never used to the link mate never used to that I'll never touch alcohol towards 27 you know there never been a big game um never been a big support on anybody that takes drugs and stuff like that yes I've had the occasional we dabble with stuff like that who's knowledge a young guy going up when I was doing that thing with that there's never been any problems in my life it meant all hell for drugs and all that it was just witty way that I decided to cut out and just spent all the time with myself mate you know and worked on yourself aye and it just like and then opened up hollywood boxing and then you know this is where things started and this is 13 years ago yeah because I normally speak about the boxing and let us say a lot of boys who you knows if they'll no make it but I kind of get used in the boxing industry far you want to touch on that aye mate to put the arse on the seat side opened an amateur boxing gym to simply to give kids the opportunity to use physical fitness and boxing training and its tenants to actually better themselves so I didn't open up it in a marginalised unit called Craig Muller out in the south Edinburgh yeah so that was like 13 years ago me and a chap Jimmy Welsh opened up together and it wasn't even going to find a boxer because I saw the provider it wasn't me because I wasn't good enough it was just I saw the way that the professional game was run that's loaded you know young kids who have dreams and aspirations they turn professional to then to go win one old titles but really they've got managers and promoters who they fuck all for them absolutely nothing for them so it's doing it to the individual and that's what I felt like I mean whether it's right or wrong again they fought with the two managers because I wasn't good enough but you know back then there was no training camps and there was no like they didn't put anything into you yeah and it's the same now young kids now turn on professional unless you've got real smarts in your hands you're going to end up just a ticket seller for people I believe that and I see it in Edinburgh and I see it in Glasgow now you've got young kids turning the natural pathway James used to be that you served your apprenticeship there's a magic number on walks and it's 10 to be the to win a Scottish title 10 years training four times a week you'll win a Scottish title that's the number that prevails through it then you've got 10,000 dollars which to be an outwear you'll be the best ever you'll win a one old title you can put that on your hours I'll take you 20 years to get that 17 years or 16 years you know that's the magic number with that but you've now got young kids turning professional because they're getting offered these ticket meals and they'll not even win a Scottish title the only young kids if they want to turn professional will go be professional get an experience and get a lifetime experience an amateur boxer and travel the world because these are the guys that are winning stuff now Josh Taylor William McGregor international superstars winning Britishers going to the GBAs turning pro they make it young kids most of that kid can they make it because you've got desire and you've got of course passion you've got passion you've got idea you know there's a lot of good camps in Glasgow now and stuff like that and there's a lot of good boxers coming for that but it's just that I see that they're turning pro to early women and it was being clear here the professional boxing industry bastardises the amateur industry the amateur industry is about young kids and gymnasiums giving the wrong with me trainers then what happens is they go to turn pro and they jump over so that's just like these are just nursery accounts for our business and even these professionals using amateur jitms it's wrong and they're getting serious it's not going to be popular they say that when anybody knows boxing but it's no fucking right but it's the truth but they're going to get seriously injured then it's well and there's young kids turning pro now when 9 and 1 in Scottish title it's like 10, 12, 14 bounce stuff like that 9 and 1 in Scottish I beat the British and all that and it's a very hard thing then I'm no saying they're doing that because if you're a young guy out there and you're watching this and you're going to do that you go with what you believe is right you know what I mean I'm just saying from what I'm seeing and overall so back to your Hollywood boxing I opened up about 13 years ago and I just opened up as a gymnasium a gymnasium not a boxing club so I started to engage in the community and it's just went it's went huge I mean it's the business gym in Edinburgh by far but again we're tenants on this team it's not about it's not important that kids realise their dreams it's important that they can dream and that's it so for 13 years we've been there amateur club done all the staff train champions all that but then I got involved in the event structure as well because I wouldn't be flared for doing that kind of thing so I took Hollywood Boxing a maesiam and I won't be boxing Scotland to a great organisation I've got about 120 clubs up into the country these are clubs in communities that are offering young kids the opportunity to participate and take part in events and with them if a kid wants to be a boxer they're going to do it yeah it's a bit creating the platform for them that's all the that's what you're doing that's what you're doing that's what you're doing so that gym there we've done but we what's quite unique but we've done it's way then went on to sort of like huge events and we gave young kids in areas the opportunities to participate in very large-scale operation box and women went huge they're the biggest stuff in Europe so for the last five years they sold at the Arshaith Hall which is 2,700 is that that place the video we showed us that is a former place in there better than that we've done five years ago just before six years ago before my mum passed away my mum passed away five years ago sorry to hear that what was her name Patricia Patricia she's out with Patricia so she um before that we've done a huge big event on the guy who won Boxing Scotland the guy called Richard Thomas who's basically took the sport and dragged it with the scuffle of the neck up to the year of 2006 15 at the time yeah 13 sorry and we um we'd done appreciate grandins and we sold to there about three and a thousand people so I put in my promotional came on because that was a co-promote I never mentioned that ever I'd done all the clubs events stuff like that and we had to promote and we had to get out there and come out where did you learn all that Brad because your mind's sharp let's say before we before we started when we were talking and the things the ideas you've got for the future and the things you've set up it's run smooth it's run and it's not just small-scale events it's hard working to put it probably if anybody saw but hard work but where did that come from the organisation schools well I've done organised Scotland's biggest gang probably well there you go then there you go there's your answer but then it must but today that's such a young age you must have had that like I say you're very you're very sharp yeah so I've always been on people have always come to be hyperactive children and I still am until this day I'm still a thousand miles and I'm on yeah that's what I do yeah it's like I worked the day today I'm 60 and I'm on day me you know what I mean that's what I did and again back to that that's what I did because I said that to the elder that I spent six years on my bed mate and I'm on a job James that I work mate I've always done things for myself and chasing financial orientations has never been my thing scape to do that but when I need to still work I'm back to that anyway I'll come to that just now so um we um put on these large scale events and catered opportunities and I had a vision for that yeah so I went to Cynsteed Garden and done that and then it just was six years doing the line so then over the that's been quite transformational for me but I went because I was always doing that and stuff it was very good to do and it was very I enjoyed doing stuff the world the world because you're putting on huge events and you're entertaining people and it's good the money came out of it and then opened up other gyms so what I've done was I'm going to find the money I came out set up an register charity called ABA limited a long way um two very very good friends who are big businessmen in Edinburgh they do put in there so they've started to guide me a little bit yeah and we opened up an register charity to engage with people to basically engage with kids and create opportunities so we opened up 10 or 12 boxing gyms so in the country and a partner in Glasgow actually a guy called Sam Kinock who does Sam I Sam he's an AMG and I was a Kinock promotion fan so we were doing really well we opened up an alternative amateur association against and part of one of the Boxing Scotland but Sam went and got the hookiness with the guys for MTK he got offered a professional deal and wanted to go into professional boxing which is what they said did they meet my remit to what I want to do you know people wanted to do that so Sam fucked off and went with MTK and I just stayed doing what I was doing which was engaging with counts and care opportunities on them so and that's what I've been so but transformationally wise after we've done the big events over the last four years just after like we've done the still doing the usher halls and then got involved in sort of charity stuff for some reason I don't know why yeah so I've been four years now creating the same stuff registered charities pal and we worked then as I was a small charity it's all volunteer not one person takes any money for a period that's a charity which is brilliant because we know all these big charities can take that's right and what we've done was opened up boxing gymnasiums in communities for kids to training so we've done about four of them in Edinburgh we've done about 12 of them in the country and that was the vision to do that to engage with kids know what we find boxers a box of gymnasium we should be about about for everybody for the whole community and I think most of them are in general except a lot of them are still running on the gear towards the trainers want to find the way they're diamond that they can punch or make money through exactly and then so I'm against them if that's what people want to do that's fine I suppose that's how you create one of the champions eh yeah so we went to from there we went just when we were going from strength to strength and I got involved in food banks and stuff they've got a good partner in Edinburgh called Jim Slavin and the two of us decided that there was an opportunity to engage more directly know just through boxing but for other things football and stuff so we opened made formed a cheers co-founded an organisation called Helping Hands that's about four years which is amazing you sent me a Facebook link and the stuff that you're doing on that with the young boys so Helping Hands operates under the register charity it's an initiative for that and what that is an all volunteer group which set up to engage with local communities pal all right, marginalised and how can people always get involved what's this what's this social media for that as well for Facebook and stuff and just check who it is it's called Helping Hands Edinburgh what it is well over the last four years we've collectively we've done organised the biggest food banks in Edinburgh we do like 30 tonne collections just to rival the Celtic ones so we saw that by get working class people to work out and donate to their own communities that's thanks so we've done that for about three years and we're sure it's successful we then moved into doing initiatives yeah sport initiatives where we've provided free football training and Roger Mann Andy McClaren stuff Andy's brilliant guided us so he's doing very similar working in Glasgow so we looked at his model stuff as we were doing it we took some bits from that but again it wasn't that you found football players what we actually done was very unique yeah and we actually got professional football players him like Paul Kane, Mickey Weer Alan McClaren stuff like that and we got them to to come in and give structured culture for free so we went into the communities reclaimed the local parks yeah clwered on a dog shelter fun put signs and stuff like that talked to the people in the area this is your park it's where you are cos there's no services there the community centre is kind of getting it cos you need money to get it yeah and if you want to play football you've got to play the sucks so there's a whole wealthy talent there and young kids that have been marginalized and alienated for accessing free football you know I know it's Alan Andy's been harking on it about through there and has an operation in huge so what we've done was our first year which is three years ago we went into the communities with six of them and gave free football got your money we had done this with about 4,000 kids we learned it for 12 weeks and then at the end they were doing a festival of football and the Edinburgh so we took all the kids all the communities in Edinburgh and we brought them in at the city centre and there was like 600 kids there and we had Scott Brown there we had Wade Griffiths we had Kenny Millar we had John McGan we had all the hams team hearts team and stuff like that come on in to inspire the kids they're saying I'm you my long year so we've always flew the boxing gymnasium that's what I've always been and learned that boxing gym because it gives something to kids and it gives something not just to kids but we touch on this to adults as well if you're in a gym where it's a boxing gym or a karate gym or when you're at the gym training physical exercises a human being will stimulate you and it will clean you up it will sort of talk to you and you're more against fights and depression and that's I don't get shook about that but a lot of people that do cup to the gym and stuff like that are people that are needing something like that in their life and I'm there to inspire you and that's what you're providing like I say when you are exercising where it's boxing, football, releases, serotoning and dolphins, dopamine this is the stuff that fights depression this is the stuff that makes you feel good but it only lasts for a few hours and then it goes away it has a dip again so this is why the body stops coming up I know because it's a bit of natural buzzes so when somebody gets that buzz that's why a lot of people turn to drinking drugs because it gives them that buzz where they feel important but all the stuff you're doing for the kids mate I take my hat off to you because like I say the life you've came through and what you've done it's led you to the path you're new and this isn't just one or two boys this is hundreds and thousands of people are coming through yours to date with your brain when the gyms do that and it's great with us so and then for the last three years I've been entrenched in this putting on initiatives for kids this year we went into I mean really remarkable this year I won my box in Scotland social bite and we went in in Irvine Welsh yeah we were inspired to get behind us and put a bit money into it yeah quite hard to get money to Irvine by the way so we went into Edinburgh and what I've done was an idea to take Hollywood and to create Hollywood and all the areas in Edinburgh that don't have boxing gyms because I believe that a boxing gym is a place that should be community-led and it's about the it's a space for people to go to it doesn't matter whether you can box it's about the physical side and the mental side and applying yourself as you've touched on that so I went and this year opened up 12 boxing gyms in Edinburgh so opened up a boxing gym in the community as a mirror where you're spouting is that a deprive there is or I don't know if you can I know if you don't like me but anyway the idea is marginalised in the sense that you know the the kind of people that live there are on the economics you know at the bottom of half you know and it's how there's no I want for kids to do that's that so I picked the enders and I picked 12 of them it was a huge project and I went and I took a box a gym to all these community centres so for six weeks we engaged with like six thousand kids yeah my box has phenomenal numbers and that was helping hands had done that and so we went there and also had free a woman Scottish Government at one point we had we were giving kids access to free food and water and stuff like that all the sessions as well and food that's brilliant so the are you getting any backing for anybody Brad? no I believe that it's a even though we've got a register charity which is Oscar Len how many people what's the charities? we didn't want anything see this is no no but for people to take a look well just everybody helping hands that's it and then there was ABA limited which is it's it's a payment yeah it's like I didn't believe it's the way the charities are that you should be asking the public for anything mate which brings us nicely to that shit so for the last four years it's the summarise again I've been sort of embroiled and entrenched in this poverty industry and this year James I've turned away for that mate yeah turned away for that because my cell and I'm a co-founder and I'm a standing group we realised that what we were doing was even when we were doing good with food banks and we're doing good quite this year as well I helped social bank as you know right hi Jos, that was my shout out to him for the big things so we done that as well but it became aware to us that we're just like them how does the general public when they see me organising a food bank differentiate between me and these people that are businesses living off poverty outside supermarkets asking you to buy for the supermarket to donate supermarkets fucking love it buy our food but eat to them it's like these big organising charity businesses Paul it was hard for the public to recognise what we were doing it's different from what they were doing because none of us take money we're no business and we're just we're trying to help our people in our community that need it yes these businesses that are set up all in our charities in general there's two types of charity one is a charity there's somebody out there on the front line doing good it's a small operation probably going to get any funding and they need a wee bit of help in the community and there's other ones who are conglambulant businesses yes who are set are billionaire companies that are set up with the sole purpose to beg the public for their money so they can ascertain what they did with it and in the meantime take half a million pound of running costs for it so you know we decided this help on hands it was time for us to get out of the poverty industry so this year and our fifth year we didn't do the food bank at Easter Road which collects 30 turn and the reason why that is is food banks people have got to understand yes there's a need for them but the trust will trust the noise of our companies are set up hand in hand where Oscar registration is a charity when the government is telling them because if you've got the public donating to that then the government doesn't have to do it it's a systemic problem people have been hungry yes all these people have fell through the cracks in the same way outweigh homelessness or the same way anything like that yeah it's like systemic problems need to be solved by the government the delay needs to do it's wrong and immoral that it should be solved by the public you're being fooled you pay your tax and now you're getting asked to donate to Heart Foundation Cancer Research just anybody that's going to give money to any of these companies have a look at where your money is going and don't drop it a big take control of ownership of what you're doing and give it to the front line services don't give it to these big bastard business companies that have got half a million pound companies or CEO half a million pound running cost half a million pound running cost and CEOs on 700 and stuff like that and it's that's the thing that the hook is is that they think you're stupid they think you'll look at that and see that you're just paying all their wages now again just to clarify there is good charities out there there's many good charities out there doing good work but it's wrong to have companies set up solely to just ask the public for money because you've already paid your tax the government are hand in hand with these people while you keep paying for it the government will not pay for it and there's a big message in that so which we just nice with to that after doing James the the getting out of the food stuff we've also decided like this year on James the help in hands we were involved in a bike initiative where we had life we organised a long way of partners like 300 bikes to the kids in the community so they get up and get fit and healthy on it we organised some food distribution which we didn't want to do but we've had to because from the success in last year we still had people want to come and give us food but we've made it clear now that we're not involved in that high burning football club who we worked in partnership where they've been made aware of that and it's done to them to take ownership of what they're doing and decide to do that think about food when you didn't eat food as I was being disingenious here because my experiences in the food back home were part of my partner Jim is that we weren't giving the food to these food banks and all they were doing at Christmas time which is why most people don't eat so we weren't going out there and getting sent to turn the food given to us but that food James was going on the big truck and getting stoned up on a big pallet and the people at Christmas time in the new year weren't even getting that food how? because you need a ticket James you need a ticket you've got to be referred to a food bank mate what? you've got to be referred to a food bank so when so if you're starving and fucking potentially dying you need a ticket to go and get food to if you've got two rebounds you're starving in the woods as well you're not going to go to social work and say I can't even feed my parents because now you've got social work involvement so there's a whole people, there's people that have got jobs pal they can't even feed themselves now two jobs aye? exactly when I was doing the soup kitchens and they fed my the soup kitchens and the toon when I was doing my documentary and there's people that were in the soup kitchens that had two jobs that were struggling to pay their rent couldn't go through so you've got a and the government's got a stand go hold on that because you have to be referred to after I've met a doctor or a professional that's why you can social work or something like that that's going to refer you to yeah now a lot of people didn't want to engage in the people because they didn't want them involved in their life because they could lose their kids or lose their family or you've got an abusive husband or what's the situation going on or it's an abusive wife just keep that quickly connected so but they so what happens with food we were given over 30 till a year but that was the get-out career and then we found out that this is along with the organisation we were dealing with but you need a ticket to go there and when you went there James you got a bag of food that looked like that yeah it's what I was saying on the feed so what we've done last year is myself and the other members the steering group of parents we divided up the food that we collected and we took it to the front line services we took it to the community centres yeah so we gave half and it was 27 turning at me so we split up and got the vans I organised all that stuff along with my partner Jim yeah and we distributed it to all the community centres a front line who are working with front line people who are dealing with it and that's a real heroes in my eyes well you know the thing is it's a bit of a thing like that but it's something that you have to accept and the front lines right now are community centres which are council run unfortunately right about the people in there are doing a lot of good but they are the front line because if they were in there they'd be fuck all them didn't both these everywhere this well yeah exactly so we did that last year we just decided this year that by us doing the food bank it became so successful in the sense of the amount of food that we collected which was never enough but they we were just the same as them people these people standing inside supermarket saying it's a con wrong money it's like charity's got to James it's been 40 years of me making me charity businesses are only 40 years of me making since when did we need fucking billionaire companies to set us up in the middle to beg us for money to give to them so that they can decide what they are just bypass them and give it directly you want to help somebody go to your local community and ask them what they need yeah give it to people directly give it to your neighbour where's this community aspect when we're now we don't even fucking talk to your neighbours do you know what I mean so break news society in that way there is a better way pal the better way is to cut out of my businesses which leads us to where I am now James for this year I mean that's just six more when I'm on a bike initiative done some food stuff for that they are back into the box stuff of that there I mean we've got projects wind up for next year we're going to do which again is all going to be about engaging with kids this year we're going to roll out three football boxing judo biking rock climbing and athletics all right so we're going to roll that out and give opportunities to all the kids in Edinburgh to take part in that for free yeah that's a big big thing a big big thing how can people get involved and try and help you but again I gave back to that we didn't want to ask support what I'll do is I'm what go to businesses that would perhaps in the past until I've spoke to them we'd just be writing checks and dropping them into big charities when you're dropping that money into big charities so it's going into somebody's pocket well first of all it goes into somebody's pocket and again just to be clear maybe people here are working for a charity yeah should do a good job it's great but there's too many out there pal we see now you know I've been speaking about it for a number of years but this year I took about action on that pal this year which we used to where I am now so we're still doing that helping hands in the shadows I will still continue to do the box stuff big plans for the box this year I want my box in Scotland to put a large scheme of events and create opportunities for kids to participate in boxing yeah but I'll be doing the separate initiative by helping hands to do football box in June of and what we're going to do is bust these kids in to all these different places so we've got a transport network he doesn't know that he's doing it yet because I'll no mention him but we've got and we're going to taxi these kids in so that we can have different nights in each place and create opportunities for our marginalised kids in the areas he had them on and we give a fuck all and we get nothing because just this is life we've got parents that might be working and can't make ends meet how they're going to give their kids four or five quid or six quid or pay the dues to go to a football thing they can't do that so that's where I am that's where I am that's where we brand gendered up if there's anything in the past and whatever it is and the people have a shit and know what a crack-all name it but it doesn't affect me but that's what I'm saying for anybody to try and tarnish your name or reputation no matter what the fuck you've done 10, 20 year ago 20 year ago 25 year ago it's embarrassing if you ask me because what you're doing is where he wanes I don't see anybody else making these moves these aren't they just one or two kids these are thousands of people also with the food banks let's say when you talk there you can see your passion you can feel it because you know the system move goes fucking wrong let's face it it's flawed it's all bullshit and for anybody listening watching let's say getting to this facebook page of the things they're doing is phenomenal get as much hit later I know you don't want help but other people can get involved and other people can realise it's genuine how you want to help other people in life in my helping hands that's all you need to do is all anybody needs to do is is just look back to your old community and put back in there and if we create that thing we won't need these big companies coming in begging us for money which brings me to where I am right now because I have over the last I took action over it this year James last year we we are basically took so there's a chap in Glasgow called Andy Smiley I want people to all know him big Andy Smiley he's got a scarf on him oh yeah yeah yeah Andy last year the thing called the Emily Emily Smiley Foundation and he got in touch with me and he had about 20 grand worth of toys he had seven or eight he brought all toys last year for a partner of his and he said brann I've got some toys can you distribute them in Edinburgh because we've done a big toy distribution thing as well and while doing that I came across this cash for kids people who were in Glasgow and they were on Radio Clyde and they were in Edinburgh and I took the toys up there to them because I had all these wee baby rattles left and while I was up there I gave them these toys and they had a warehouse a warehouse I'm saying full of toys right up to the gun holes thousands of toys it was the 19th of December so they were collecting all these toys which was clear to me in that time that they were never going to distribute them so I said to the women I've got four vans there on the road because I was doing a toy and bike in a shed of you we go thousands of toys and bikes and stuff like that and we get funders to that but then he asked the public for that it's wrong to ask the public for that you better find a funder a businessman who's got who's got maybe a cathartic soul like myself to put it in and wants to be good so there was thousands of toys and it just was confusing so we went and had a wee look and then went that day I heard on the radio this radio fourth it was and it's the same as in Glasgow and the same in Aberdeen and all over you know and I heard oh we've not got enough baby toys and we've not got enough for 14 year olds can you donate money five and ten pounds so they were on the radio on the 20th of December asking for money right up to the 24th of December but they've got a warehouse full of toys right so it became strange I was thinking this is strange I'd experienced them a bit a year before with another wee boy but I'll no get into that just now so therefore I worked and I went to their bins so they have all these collection bins and points all the bins were over formed with toys James so I thought they're on the radio asking for money and I've got a wee who's fully toys and they've got collection bins that are enacted and it's now the 21st of December so when morning had done right up to the 25th 24th of December they were still asking for money so then waiting on that year once I had Christmas I'd over done a bit of investigation of them they're an organisation called Bower Media Bower Media are one of the biggest media companies in Europe they've got TV channels they've got all the radios but particularly the own 22 radio stations in the country tubes and they 22 radio stations at their own and then it's 4th 1th in Glasgow it's Clyde then Aberdeen one stuff like that and they do a thing called Cash for Kids so you've got a billionaire company who use an apparatus yes which is the radio stations who set up a charity called Cash for Kids and they ask for cash now it should be clear to everybody that it's in the fucking name Cash for Kids why not? Toys for Kids why not? Help for Kids and what they do is is they use their apparatus to beg the public for money now I got involved with it so this year because I'm a little proactive guy along with a group called The Toybox Working Group Helping Hands and a young boy called Cody McManus who had an experience down here before we sat around collaborating together and have a re-run at them to try and educate the public that this is a billionaire company using its apparatus the radio waves to beg the public for money now Bower Media do not put one penny into that charity the charity is solely set up to beg you for money now they then set themselves up and take reflective glory for that as if they've done something they've not done anything they've just collected your money now what transpired as well James they didn't have any infrastructure so when they get the toys for the bins think me they didn't have one van or one driver to collect that what they do is that they make their partners and they place it over they're living it themselves and then the toys as they get collected they claim to the that marginalised kids get them yes they do marginalised kids do get them but it needs to be a person that comes and collects the toys so they've got a system set up when the infrastructure that does a cost round by the half a million pound running course on their staff that's what it is so they're taking 3.5 million cwmd yn enwyr and a half a million pound that goes to them for that I say where did they go and the charge for the radio ads they're a disingenuous organisation and a yearly negotiation with them to try and say you need to put vans on because that way when you've got vans you'll not have a warehouse full of toys simple a simple equation warehouse full of toys yes ne vans ne distribution all the ideas vans of distribution are a control system in applications it's a disingenuous organisation that's set up to use kids in poverty to facilitate their own self to benefit themselves that's that now I've came out not just here James but I've been publicly told of that in newspapers and I've also put videos and videography out there calling them for what they are they're a disingenuous organisation doing that to benefit themselves they're offsetting their staff costs yes which I believe is about 10 million pound over the whole of the UK this is no one anywhere this is in Glasgow this is in Aberdein this is in Dundee this is anywhere there is they have anywhere they have their brands and franchises all right which is cash for kids yes 80% of the money goes to where it's meant to go because they're audited and stuff like that and they keep shouting that that's not what we're talking about we're talking about the fact that you just use the public while you do nothing you use their time and energy they're volunteer if you volunteer to them you're the like of what I'm saying you're thinking well that's wrong act on that listen to yourself you don't it no name they just use us they think we are fools like we are second class citizens James now when is that a good idea that a billionaire company sets up with that and asks the public where do the toys go then the toys stay until the next year and then they give them what you're in here but when that the charity regular clearly says have you asked if I'm saying to you James give me that bottle and I'll give it to a kind of Christmas time yeah if I leave it in a warehouse I've not done my job have I so those men will fit toys as well thousands of men will fit toys and what they are is a PR company but that's not now I've came out publicly and told them I'll call them again and a bunch of cowards that's what they are because I've tried to get them into a court James and why I want them into a court is because then I can rip apart the film as a disingenuous model but they've not done it what they've done is a very quite a cute PR company to smell out the quite a tin hat on it they didn't want anybody in Aberdeen anybody in Glasgow questioning what actually happens they've made infrastructure James you cannot collect a million pounds of the toys yeah and money and no other distribution network but they can because they get the idiot public to come and donate their time with their cars and stuff like that can you do that? so it's wrong it's more than like well they keep saying we'll go over a charity regular and go to Oscar and go to something away and get fuck you know I mean then these people are setting so you try to take it to court and they'll look at me to court I've called them and cowards that many times they'll know they'll know there now I know it's quite uncomfortable for a wee guy like me for the sheets to actually say to a big conglomerate company like that the guy lives in Edinburgh James right and basically I text I'm a city guy I'm outside the fourth one awards yeah it's another money maker from Bower Media yeah em come and see me he went to the police gym went to the police and said he felt threatened that's the guy called Graham Browns yeah who's the head an Edinburgh boy who should have some kind of feeling and emotive content to regards to the community of Edinburgh I'm telling you that the toys yes do not get to the kids that they should get others have got a level of playing field when they give it 20,000 to these people at 50 quidage and it meets their numbers yeah they are charging half a million pound to do that I inspire and ask the public to no longer donate to charities like that then they give to these big charities give that out do you want to help someday miss the middle man there there there these are basically cash for kids who take your money they didn't buy any toys with they collected over 350,000 pound last year and they spent 86,000 pounds on that on toys now why aren't they asking for your money if they didn't spend that money on toys what they'll tell you is we give it out during the year well hold on a second it's Christmas time it's called cash for kids Christmas and Christmas give it out on Christmas so don't do that James but that's that so for people to educate their cell phone who they don't like oh no just cash for kids all charities guys you've got to be wicked now you see if you want to do there's too many businesses out there that people are set up that are making money of kids living in fucking poverty mate do you know what I mean it's not a business guys and it's funny because it's a onesuit they need money it's a onesie game money they've not really got much money themselves 100% you're coming out to sign supermarkets and it's like if you want to help someday help your next door neighbour get it to them I'll go to the local community centre and give it in there cos that's the focal point where people are gathering on that now and it is council running the council should be there may as well but fortunately they are there and if people want to help each other it's typing it back to that we start looking left and right mate see what I mean and that's it now the projection for me going forward this year I'm going in a the toy box working group has just got funding and it looks like that they're going to run an alternative toy campaign next year so they're going to put 10 vans on Edinburgh streets and they've already got 20 schools involved and 10 community centres and what we're going to do is because this thing about like if you want toys you have to go and collect them what that does James is eclipse it cos social workers can't use a work vehicle to go and get them you've got to use your own car so that's after hours so all the kids it should be getting the toys aren't they getting them and all cash for kids are getting it it's just a masterful PR campaign to say look at our accounts look at what you do but unfortunately the accounts fall down because when you collect them are free of £400,000 and you only spend £86,000 of that you're failing when you're aware who's fully toys you're failing that's it you need to put a distribution there and we're going there and I offer them to do that and say you need to put a distribution network on and all they done James is they dug the hills and went middle class millionaires day right and they think that that this is not going to affect them well it is going to affect them because the time box work group this year will put on an alternative to make sure that kids in the communities get toys delivered to them they'll have to go and queue like second class sitters and restore all their cell yeah all right so and they're going to do it for free so they'll put on 10 vans but only to get aware who's coming out and go funding for a man in Dubai who thinks it's a great idea yeah and just does it like the way that barrel of media use their use their wealth and their size yeah I mean this is a huge billionaire company mate and again they put not one penny and so your money goes to paying half a million kids off the wages every year for they to distribute your gifts no but let us say if the work you're doing Brad is unbelievable and let us say you're a leader now amongst the men who's shown how it should be done 6,000 wanes or these thousands of wanes that are coming through with the Facebook we say sorry helping hands helping hands check out Adam Bradder, Dan from All My Things again for coming on today I appreciate that but before we go train spotting 2 oh yes how did it go I've actually been offered another partner a big film actually train spotting 2 was just an opportunity for Irvine Welsh with a part of Polly mind you the part of a lot of people in Edinburgh I came up to em came up to the gymnasium at the time with Danny Boyle once they were writing on the stony I was originally written in to do with the guy with the pads yeah that's what a day of the day he was like the day I'll do on 200 rounds of pads yeah helping kids and people coming to the gym and then they just Danny Boyle just sprung on me he I don't think all pads are trying you know that I'm a Guinness World Record dolda there I don't have Guinness World Record I've done 24 hours of pads right round and they came to that so from that they they offered me an addition for the partner to go on it's the first time I've been in a forest to some day so it's actually no add actually probably no add I played it wrong I lost the part and then I said to Danny Boyle I done a boot launch for Irvine Welsh and I said to him I went and done that wrong kind of re kind of coming to him and he went he went I did understand my showreel so I made up a showreel I made up a showreel and said to him Times point two I saw him below I went and I began to say foot by foot as far as the sport and I had to we should make a route to that I'm not sure about what my daughter's got to watch I'm a narrative content you know what I mean and that was my only concern I didn't want I'm not my daughter's so I didn't want to glamourise any stuff like that of course but but you're playing a character and of course and it's active and they offered me right in the time a big agency I wonder if I will mention them they had said to me come then we'll put you on a boot all them will ever go today was cast type me I was just going to be the big bad Scottish guy correct so of course but then thanks to Martys tell her that later say if a week you've came through Brad to everything you're achieving now blockbuster follow him they know your stuff for charity they know your stuff for the wanes I think it's phenomenal mate and for coming on the day and taking your time and saying what you've got to say I appreciate it and I wish you not a bit the best for the future Brad I assume that I really appreciate it thank you you like wise Love hearing beauty salon based in Springburn offers a full range of hair and beauty treatments from nail enhancements during the planning lash lifts henna brows and lashes right through to the full colour and cut beauty work 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