One of our favourite people on BBC Radio Manchester's Sunday Breakfast is Becky Silver. Becky comes in on a regular basis to present our 'Thought for the Week'. Her stories are always joyous. Some time ago she told the story of a very good friend of mine, Paul Sleem. I asked her if I could use it on mikeshaft.com. Thankfully she said yes!

I first heard Father Michael through listening to the BBC Radio Manchester Sunday morning programme, when he reviewed articles in the Christian papers, with Presenter Mike Shaft, which he did for over 30 years.

A few weeks ago while at BBC GMR, the producer of the ‘Michelle Around Midnight’ programme Hayley CAVILL, gave me a new cd to listen to.

I first got to know John Lancaster back in the day roundabout 1989. We had won the licence to broadcast Sunset Radio across Manchester and we were looking for premises in which to set up the radio station.

My very first meeting with Dawn Payne took place over 20 years ago yet I can remember it like it was yesterday. We were in the planning stages of Sunset Radio having been awarded the licence some months earlier and we were in the process of recruiting the staff.

Last Monday the great and the good of the Basketball world joined members of the family and friends from school for the funeral of Sheila Hopkins, one of basketballs greatest fans and hardest working volunteers.

The BBL Championship is the flagship competition of the British Basketball League and features all member teams playing a 33-game regular season, from September to April. Matches are played according to FIBA rules and games consist of four-quarters of 10 minutes each. Two points are awarded for a win, with overtime used if the score is tied at the final buzzer – unlimited numbers of 5-minute overtime periods are played until one team is ahead when a period ends.

Well last Sunday morning the alarm went off at 4:30 as per usual and I got up had a shower, jumped in the car and headed for BBC Radio Manchester to present the Sunday Breakfast programme. As usual the car radio was on Radio 5Live and it was then that I learned of the death of Whitney Houston. To put it mildly I was shocked.

Newcastle Eagles made it a clean sweep of all four British Basketball League trophies with a 71-62 victory over Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders in the play-off final at the NIA in Birmingham. This is the second time that the Eagles have accomplished this feat.