Pete, together with James Anderson, Stephen Booth, Russ Cummings and Mark Downey came up with the idea of a local magazine for Stevenage and District...

THE EYE was born in January 1984

 * * * * * * *

Unfortunately, THE EYE only ran for three issues. Issue one above...

 ...followed by two (above) and three (below)...

There was also the ill-fated 'First Stevenage Arts Festival', whi lost money for 'Eye' co-editor James Anderson...

SWITCHBOARD rises out of the ashes...

After the demise of THE EYE, Pete and Jon Ridley started a Musician's Switchboard, using Pete's telephone to put bands and musicians in touch with each other. This rapidly turned into a monthly magazine, SWITCHBOARD, which became an instant hit...

The first edition of Switchboard (above) hit shops in Stevenage in June 1985.

Switchboard ran successfully for a year, until Pete became anxious about Jon's tardy approach to editorial content. Jon resigned and Pete took over, renaming the publication MOTF SWITCHBOARD, Phase Two...

Despite these differences, John and Pete remained friends, and John occasionally helped with editorial material.

His real interest though, was in playing and acting as 'Roadie' for other bands...

The idea began with John suggesting a telephone line (Musicians' switchboard), using Pete's telephone, to allow musicians to get in touch with each other for vacancies, etc. However, it was so successful that they decided to turn the idea into a monthly magazine, using The MOTF of The Magic Oak Tree Family, to call the magazine MOTF Switchboard.

Pete recently had to give up work, due to a disability in his legs called polymyositis, so this suited him well.

Pete has never bneen a one to waste time, so he thought this would be a good way to keep himself occupied.

Rank Xerox had given him access to a photocopier, so he was all set to go. All he had to do was get some advertising to cover the cost of paper, toner, etc., and, Pete already being well-known in the area, this came from local bands and music businesses.

Pete wasn't interested in making profit, as he was getting disability benefit, so he was able to sell Switchoard at 50p a copy, which proved very popular.

Luckily, as he had trained in Shipping and office work in the late Fifties and early Sixties,, he kept detailed books on his outgoings and incomings.

This was just as well, as some vindictive person contacted the authorites, claiming that he was making a profit on the magazine, and was guilty of Benefit Fraud!

One look over the books however, proved to the investigator that the project was non-profit making, and he was so incensed that someone should do this, when clearly, we were doing it as a service to the community, that he tried to find out who had complained.

Naturally, the caller remained anonymous!



However, due to Pete's failing health with polymyositis, Switchboard finally came to an end in 1988.... 

    ABOVE: Eddie Smith and John Ridley drawn by Pete

There was one edition of a glossy version of Switchboard, produced by local busniessman Martin Randall in 1988, - but it proved unpopular, and Mr Randall tried to rip Pete off. Advertisers and musicians refused to co-operate with Mr Randall, so it came to an end...

 Pete and John remained friends throughout the rest of John's life until his death in 2011. Indeed, he rang Pete for a chat just a few days before he died: John Ridley was a legend of North Herts Music Scene, Original member of The Magic Oak Tree Family, and a local character to boot.

Right to this day, well into his retirement, Pete still works, along with his wife Nikki,  for the Community, doing TV and radio  appearances, and making videos to keep people happy and positive, without expecting renumeration.

As Pete's dad, Frank henry Perry, once told him, 'As long as you have a roof over your head, and food in your belly, who needs anything else?'

Pete & Nikki have riches beyond the dreams of Avarice, - just by being together and enjoying life....

LOVE PEACE AND HAPPINESS

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