Laura Dowling

They moved down before I was born, but I still have an accent because, well, I still have an accent.

I've always had an accent because obviously mum and dad have very strong northern accents, but also my uncle, who's my mum's brother.

was orphaned at 12 and he lived with us from when I was about two until I was 12 so I had three very strong northern accents talking to me now I have younger siblings and none of them have the the accent that I have but I think that it was because we were kind of slagged in school as well about having a northern accent so but I didn't really care about that but you you were able for that I was able for it where did that come from the steeliness because not everyone would be able for a slagging at school

Yeah, I don't know.

I just was able for it.

I suppose I was, I was, I was confident.

Mum instilled confidence in me.

telling you how great you are every day, but not overstating it, as in not telling you, oh, well, you're really good at football if you're not good at football, but actually focusing on the things that you are talented at.

And she did that with all of us.

So we all have our different strengths.

So it was four of us.

And mum would have honed in on all of our different strengths and said, you're so good at this.

You're so good at this.

That's great.

Yeah, no, she was a great mum.

Is a great mum, still is.

And dad was good, but dad's a bit quieter.

Mum would have been very much the forefront.

She would have been full of praise.

Dad was obviously loved us very much, but he was the quieter parent in the relationship, I suppose.