Once a very successful celebrity interviewer, Sandra Shevey made her passion for walks a new career.

Having previously worked as a celebrity writer, she interviewed many a Hollywood legend, including Alfred Hitchcock, John Lennon, Dustin Hoffman and Shirley MacLaine among others.

Also an Associate Tutor for the British Film Industry, her career spanned to include the biographies of Marilyn Monroe ('The Marilyn Scandal') and John Lennon ('The Other Side of Lennon').

With the contracts for both the Marilyn and Lennon books expired and her publishing house involved in a merger, Sandra found herself without a follow-up contract. For the first time she was given the freedom to choose what her next step should be. Walks appealed because she had been an avid follower of other people's walks and was a long-standing member of the Georgian Group. The question was: Where was the gap in the walking market? A long time visitor to London's cockney markets, Sandra decided to use these as her starting point for a unique and varied walking experience.

Getting started

Having come from a journalism background Sandra found that her previous experience was of great benefit; she didn't have to hire a press officer, she could script the press releases herself as well as offer the walks herself. The walks became tutorials as she imparted whatever knowledge she had gleaned (and questions raised) with those who loved the markets as much as she did. Success proved imminent as the press praised her originality and how she had cornered a section of the market.

Highs, lows and obstacles

Nevertheless things have not always been easy. What's yours isn't yours unless it is nailed down. "I've had bits and pieces of the walks ripped off by competitors who until I started doing them had never done the markets." states Sandra Shevey.

"My dream is to finance a London Street Market Walks bus, but we need blue chip backing for this. And I only hope I do me before someone else does me[sic]."

Wise Words

"So far I have learnt that business in the UK can be rough. That the competition is cagey and often incorporates parts of your brief so as not to be accused of out and out theft."