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LYDIA BOUNCES BACK

June 20 - 26, 2018
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Gulf Weekly LYDIA BOUNCES BACK

Gulf Weekly Stan Szecowka
By Stan Szecowka

ONE of the most colourful characters in the world of music and performing arts on the island has found God, love and a career resurrection in an incredible turn of fortune.

Seven years ago Lydia Martin witnessed her business go bust and her former husband leave the country and set up home with another woman and, as featured on the front page of this newspaper, was left ‘holding the baby’.

Today, she is busy preparing to marry her sweetheart, celebrated musician and film maker Jason Carter, her new music, speech, drama and leadership training centre is booming and she’s just been appointed director of performing and creative arts at the very same school she was once dumped from.

“Somehow I have always managed to reinvent my life one way or another,” said Lydia, 43, an English expat who comes from Folkestone in Kent, although she considers Bahrain to be her ‘adopted country’ because it has been so good to her.

Now settled in Saar, she has never been one to do things in a conventional manner and even proposed to Jason, rather than the other way round. “He didn’t, I did,” she revealed. “We are not traditional!”

Lydia said she knew he was ‘the one’ within the first few days of chatting to him on the social media site, Facebook. “I just knew we were supposed to be together,” she said. “He is the kindest most loving, caring person I have ever met. He is creative, bold and determined and I love him beyond words.”

A mutual friend introduced them to one another online so that they could collaborate with research into the music of the Bahraini pearl divers and traditional Fijeri songs. 

Jason was living in France at the time so invited Lydia and her son, Xavier, six, to meet him near Avignon. 

“I guess it was kind of like a blind date as until that time we had only chatted on Skype and through social media,” said Lydia.  “We had a marvellous time and had such a great connection through music, creativity, our faith and more. We both knew God had brought us together.”

Jason, 49, had been planning a trip to the UAE to complete his work on his Grain of Sand film project and switched his focus almost two years ago to Bahrain … and he’s been here ever since.

Romance blossomed. “Actually I just plain said; we have to get married now! That’s it. Not that romantic, unfortunately, but it is what it is. All that matters is we will be together,” Lydia said.

Lydia came to Bahrain in 2002 to work at St Christopher’s School as Head of Junior Music with her then-husband, Alistair Auld, who was Head of Senior Music, and later took up the baton of musical director of the Manama Singers.

Meanwhile, Lydia became co-creator, founder and director of Sar Music Centre, a venture which came unstuck during the unrest in the kingdom in 2011. Students and parents were first alerted about the centre’s collapse through a posting on its page on Facebook which revealed it had suffered ‘vast financial losses’ resulting from the ‘uncertain position of the situation in Bahrain’. At the time Lydia said she had lost almost all of the BD30,000 she had invested in the project two years ago along with her business partner.

“Sar Music Centre folded resulting in massive loss of life savings, friendships, hopes and dreams,” she said. “I was a single mum, no money, no job but something always came up. I don’t think I ever actually felt despair because something was always there.”

For a short-lived time Lydia seized the Manama Singers conductor’s baton after Mr Auld’s sudden departure to Wales with the choir’s former chairman Edel Moroney where they started running a guest house together.

Dejected but determined Lydia, who had recently given birth to her son, secured the position of Director of Performing Arts at the British School of Bahrain (BSB). In June 2014 she was officially made redundant during a turbulent time at the school which witnessed a large turnaround of staff.

However, come September she will be striding through the corridors of the school once again, in the role of Director of Performing and Creative Arts after being appointed by BSB’s new owners, the Inspired group which also operates private schools across Europe, Australia, Africa and Latin America.

Coincidentally, Inspire is the name of the training and performance operation Lydia conducts from new premises close to Saar Mall after expanding from its original location off Budaiya Highway. “I plan to enhance the great work that is already going on at BSB through more ‘whole school’ events, greater unity across the broad spectrum of the performing arts and creative subjects and also rejuvenate the Academy of Performing Arts, head up a new public speaking programme and raise awareness of music and drama opportunities to the wider community. 

“In line with the vision of the new Inspired group, who headhunted me for the post, I will be bringing more emphasis on productions, community events and opportunities for the gifted and talented.

“As I understand, many people including staff and parents had spoken about my previous achievements at BSB, and indeed throughout Bahrain, to the Inspired group who then requested an immediate meeting with me.

“Of course there was some hesitation in accepting the offer as it hadn’t ended well last time I was on the BSB staff.

“Well, with my own company called Inspire and now also working for a group called Inspired, I sure hope to prove inspirational!”

Much of that confidence appears to come from a spiritual rebirth. “BSB was great when we started, back in 2011 when I was recruited by the amazing head Karen Moffat; what a lady and what a leader,” Lydia explained. “She changed the way I saw people and the way I saw leadership. In a word, she ‘inspired’ me! Then, just when it seemed as if all was lost again when Karen was dismissed, I suddenly found faith in God. 

“With this new found faith my life was totally transformed in more ways than one; whilst BSB was changing into a place I could no longer be a part of, my new found friends and leaders at Rivers of Joy Church supported me to set up Inspire, my new venture. Inspire is now a successful performing arts, events and film company.”

She also went on a mission to build bridges and mend fences. “When I fully understood the message of forgiveness I decided to make peace with some people that I had fallen out with at various times in my life,” she explained.

“To my surprise most of them welcomed me with open arms and I think in each case the reunion brought something special into all of our lives, an understanding and acceptance that it is always possible to move forward if both sides are willing.

“One thing I have learned is that if you look hard enough you will always find gold and it’s most certainly worth the dig!”

She certainly appears to have struck gold with Jason, originally from the English county of Cornwall, who is a renowned guitarist, having performed harp guitar and classical guitar concerts in more than 100 countries and whose celebrated Grain of Sand project, focusing on the kingdom’s pearl diving culture and legacy, was brought to life on the big screen at the Dubai Film Festival.

“Lydia is one of a kind,” he said. “She is patient, graceful and I don’t think I have ever met such a generous person with such integrity. We are very different in character but we meet in terms of balance.”

Xavi is also excited about the coming wedding on July 21 and, Lydia, said: “He told everyone we were going to be married the first time we met in France!”

The ceremony will take place back in Jason’s English home county with a beach party to follow before they fly off to his beautiful village in the South of France for a honeymoon. “Life couldn’t be better,” said Lydia. “We are blessed!”







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