Winterfest Interview with Sally Newman

Interviews by Fans
Title:	Winterfest Interview with Sally Newman
Interviewer:	Winterfest
Interviewee:	Sally Newman
Date(s):	2007
Medium:	online
Fandom(s):	Beauty and the Beast
External Links:	Winterfest Interview with Sally Newman, Archived version
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In 2007, Sally Newman was interviewed for Winterfest.

In she speaks of Beauty and the Beast and Father's Fan Fare.

See Winterfest Interview Series.

Some Excerpts

The Beauty and the Beast Quilt, and the Friendship Quilt that followed, celebrated the show, its creators and the bonds that had been made, and continued to be made, among so many people all over the world. The Friendship Quilt, in particular, was a testimony to those friendships. I thought that after presenting The Beauty and the Beast quilt, that I would never see it again, and wanted to honour all the people who had helped make the first quilt in so many ways - through encouragement, time, work, etc.

I think my husband suggested that I do a quilt to witness the friendships that had been formed, and I was very interested in keeping the good will and works going. I had never belonged to or known what a "fandom" was and thought it might all just dissolve away. So we made the Friendship Quilt to go out to those who might need encouragement.

There were too many people who needed/deserved the loan of the quilt. FFF was born so that as many people as possible could be, and stay, connected. People who loved or were connected with the show would write me when times were difficult, and I would let fans around the world know. We also were there to shout encouragement and congratulations for successes & happy times. There were helpers around the world who would send encouragement or praise to those on the list. Sometimes, a friend would nominate someone for the FFF list, and that someone might receive 50 or so notes & cards from friends they didn't even know they had yet. And, like the tunnels, I don't know who benefited most, those sending the notes or those receiving. Sometimes you swam troubled waters, and watched from the banks out for those swimming.

Yes, I started FFF in 1990 I think - shortly after the first convention in 1990. It mostly originated with an appropriate play on words. It was about the fans of the show and how they were faring and it was a fanfare to them. "Father" watched out for those in the tunnels, and Dotrice kept up with many fans, so that part of it was to honour him and be alliterative as well.

I guess I was the originator - just thought of the idea and did it, but, of course, enlisted the help of fans from all over the world to help, so that hundreds of fans became involved. I had a database of over 1000 helpers. Some people would help by forming groups which would have meetings/parties which would write notes as part of their meeting. It was a happy thing.

I believe FFF is the oldest fan outreach effort. In fact, the recipient of another "outreach" effort was first the beneficiary of FFF, but she didn't know for years why or where all the notes came from until I met her at a convention. She then decided to start her own group. I think one of the nicest things about FFF, is that often the recipient of the notes doesn't know where the good thoughts, etc. are coming from, so they have to imagine they are coming from possibly everyone and everywhere. I think that's neat. Then, when or if someone who was helped later meets and finds out that someone was a helper, it's all the more dear.