My Yorkshire: Sally Joynson

What's your first Yorkshire memory?

I actually have two – and both from the first time that I arrived in York. I was going to train to become a teacher, but I soon changed my mind. Anyway, I got off the train at the station, walked outside, and got my first view of the Minster. Later that weekend, I went up to Goathland. Bear in mind that I came from Berkshire, and that this was a totally new experience for me. I fell in love at first sight, and I've remained in love ever since. I was stunned and awed by the beauty of it all.

What's your favourite part of the county – and why?

I love Whitby and Sandsend, and particularly when it is out of season. There is a sense of place and identity that is like no other, they are very particular to themselves.

What's your idea of a perfect day, or a perfect weekend, out in Yorkshire?

Out with the dogs for a long, long walk in the morning, to blow the cobwebs off, finding a really good pub for a hearty lunch – that's to make you feel rewarded for all the effort – and then back home to watch a good film in the evening, in front of the fire. The walk would be either over the moors or along the coast. I say "dogs", plural, but sadly one of them has just died, she was a venerable 18 years old, and now we just have Molly, who is 12, and a mad springer spaniel. She's a rescue dog, and she's a great companion.

Do you have a favourite walk – or view?

That's easy – the Vale of York from the Howardian Hills. It is just perfection, and my jaw drops every time I look at it.

Which Yorkshire sportsman, past or present, would you like to take for lunch?

Johnny Nelson, the boxer. He's over six feet tall, he has a wonderful smile, and by all accounts he's a terrific man – I've never met him, but I'd really like to. He's retired from boxing now, but he does a lot of work with the disadvantaged, and particularly with prisoners. I admire him for his tenacity and spirit – he wasn't born with very much, and he didn't have an easy life. So, for what he has achieved, and for what he has put back in, I am a great fan.

Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, past or present, would you like to take for dinner?

The newly-knighted Sir Patrick Stewart, who is a patron of Screen Yorkshire. He's a very busy man, and a superb actor, but also a lovely person, and he works tirelessly behind the scenes for all manner of causes. Having him "on board" has been a great pleasure and privilege. I'd love to take him for a leisurely dinner, and to just, well, chat…

If you had to name your Yorkshire "hidden gem", what would it be?

Difficult question. I'm going to go for Easingwold, which is a perfect little market town, and yet not too far from the great city of York. It has character, and is devoid of all the hustle and bustle of bigger places. And I'd twin that with Salts Mill at Saltaire, which is not talked about as consistently as I think it should be. It is a treasure trove of things to do and explore, and a hive of creativity. Wonderful.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

A heady combination of the people, the landscape, and the history. It's difficult to explain this, but I spend a lot of time away from Yorkshire, in meetings and conferences and the like, but I know when I'm nearing "home". It's a unique feeling. And home it definitely is for me, today. I am an honest to goodness adopted Yorkshirewoman, and very proud of that. It truly is God's own county.

Do you follow sport in the county, and if so, what?

I'm not a great follower of sport, but my husband, Andy Joynson, works for the BBC and is the producer of their new Late Kick Off show, which aims to promote all the smaller clubs of the region. So I've been interested in what he's had to tell me about that and I really do wish York City could once again return to prominence. It's said that if your club is doing well, there's a spirit abroad in the town, and that is so true. Even non-football fans can feel it.

What about Yorkshire's cultural life?

It's fantastic, we have so many gems. Everything from the National Media Museum to Opera North, from Hull Truck Theatre to Northern Broadsides, from the Corner House Cinema in Sheffield to, oh well, the list is endless. There is so much activity in Yorkshire, and it all has its distinct identity. Wherever you go, there's something to see. No one with any sense could say "I'm bored, I've got nothing to do", in this region…the range of what is on offer is bewildering.

Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub?

Ah, now this would depend on what I'm doing, wouldn't it. Would I be going out with friends, or with Andy, or on business? So I have a range of places I like – for various reasons. Caf Number Eight in Gillygate in York is one of them, The Durham Ox in Crayke is another, and Anthony's Piazza in Leeds a third. All meet different demands superbly, both professionally and personally.

Do you have a favourite food shop?

Fine Foods of Yorkshire in Easingwold ticks all my boxes. They sell the lot, and there's such exceptional produce on the shelves. A plus is that they also know what they are talking about. I'll confess here that I often go in there to buy just one thing, and come out with a dozen that I just cannot be without. I have a passion for shops that sell Yorkshire produce and, thank God, their number is increasing all the time. We make so much good stuff – the range is terrific.

How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you've known it?

For the better in that the great cities and a lot of the major towns have revitalised themselves, and are really attractive places now. What's been tough is the decline of the traditional industries and how some of the smaller communities have found that very difficult to live with. They are still struggling, but beneath that is a sense of intense pride.

Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?

Can I have a pair of chaps who are at the top of my "admiration" list? Michael Palin, for a start, for his inquisitive spirit and his cheeky grin – and the fact that he has done more for the international travel industry than anyone else I can think of. And Alan Bennett, who is second to none as a writer, and who seems to me to express the quality of Yorkshire in one slight and self-deprecating frame. I am a huge fan.

Has Yorkshire influenced your work?

Deep breath. Yorkshire influences every ounce of my life, every second of every day. Yorkshire Screen is there specifically to promote our region, and we do just that, I hope tirelessly. We have some of the most talented people in the film and television industry right here and I am blessed that I have a great team around me.

Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/performer.

This rather depends on what mood I'm in. Do I want to read something "feel good", or something gritty? So can I have Behind the Scenes at the Museum, by Kate Atkinson, and anything by David Peace, who I think is a remarkably talented, and very observational writer? His Red Riding was a huge hit for Channel 4 last year, and we were very much involved in that.

If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, it would be?

You know what, I'd like to beam that little stranger in from Mars, and plonk them right in the middle of the Yorkshire Moors, just as the sun was going down, and when there was a sprinkling of snow on the ground and the walls…and I'd say "How about that, then!"

Since 2006 Screen Yorkshire has brought more than 70m-worth of inward investment to the region.