A series of terrible tragedies in his early years led to Peter Gladwin’s addictions to gambling and alcohol. Having lost all hope, he came close to suicide. Then, one telephone call changed everything

I was brought up in Halifax, West Yorkshire, which is renowned for its roughness. I lived on a big council estate where violence, crime and immorality were prevalent. When I was one year old, I was placed before the coal fire in our house. I was left on the carpet and tragically a piece of coal fell out onto the carpet where I was laid. Within a few minutes the whole front room was ablaze. My sister came running out of the kitchen and tried to grab me but couldn’t get there because… (Register to read the rest of the article)