Ryan Swain (presenter)
Ryan Swain (24 February 1990) is an English television and radio presenter, DJ, motivational speaker, philanthropist, comedian, skateboarder and artist.[2][3][4][5][6] He was born in Malton, North Yorkshire, England.[7][8][9]
Ryan Swain | |
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![]() Swain doing a DJ set in 2019 | |
Born | Malton, North Yorkshire, England | 24 February 1990
Education | Scarborough TEC |
Occupation | Entertainer |
Years active | 10 Years |
Known for | Presenter, DJ |
Height | 6.3 ft (190 cm) |
Television | Steph's Packed Lunch |
Spouse(s) | Crystal Barquinha [1] |
Children | 2 |
Awards | NEA People's Choice Award |
Signature | |
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He is known for hosting and DJing at live events and festivals nationwide. He was the runner-up of the Yorkshire Media Personality of the Year Award in the Yorkshire Choice Awards[10] which was won by ITV's Gaynor Barnes.[11][12] Swain currently presents his Party Mix Show every Saturday night on YorkMix Radio.[13] He has formerly presented on York's Minster FM[14] which is now Greatest Hits Radio, YO1 Radio and Coast & County Radio.
Career
He started his career as a coat style entertainer at Flamingo Land Resort in North Yorkshire. He was the first and resident host of the theme parks Party In The Park concerts when they first started.
Presenting
He has hosted for Clubland at the Clubland Weekender at Blackpool Pleasure Beach[15] and Clubland On The Beach[16] event at Redcars Majuba Beach[16] supporting Cascada, Basshunter, Scooter, The Venga Boys, Ben Nicky, DJ Sammy, Sash!, Ultrabeat, N-Trance, Lasgo, Special D. and Micky Modelle.[17]
In 2018 he hosted The Only Fools and Horses Annual Convention which came to Hull for the first time.[18] Swain was on hand to interview the cast of the show.[18]
He hosted and switched on Scarborough's Christmas Lights in November 2019 with Coronation Street star Chris Gascoyne who plays Peter Barlow and Hollyoaks star, turned signer, songwriter Twinnie-Lee Moore.[19][20]
In February 2020 Swain hosted for multi platinum, west coast rapper The Game at Rainton Arena in Houghton Le Spring. After the show he was invited backstage to meet him.[21]
In March 2020 he went on a UK tour with the newly formed supergroup Boyz On Block[22] consisting of 90's boy band members Abz Love, Dane Bowers, Shane Lynch and Ben Ofoedu hosting for them across Mecca Bingo halls around the country.[23][24]
Swain occasionally MC's over the sets of DJ's and groups at events and has MC'd for N-Trance, Ultrabeat, Ian van Dahl, Rui da Silva (DJ), and Angie Brown.[25]
During the lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic Swain hosted his own version of the popular TV gameshow Play Your Cards Right[26] online which was initially set up to entertain NHS staff and keyworkers.[27][28] He would broadcast daily on Instagram live and be joined by a different celebrity guest everyday some of the special guests included Michael Barrymore, Jenny Powell, Natasha Hamilton, Cascada, Antony Costa, Lee Ryan, Marcel Somerville, Jorgie Porter, Tamer Hassan and Keith Duffy on his show.[29]
In 2021 Swain was a regular lunch mate on Steph's Packed Lunch on Channel 4 which is hosted daily by Steph McGovern.[30]
In January 2022 Swain became the official host and face of No Limits Bingo at Majestic Bingo Ltd.[31][32]
Personal life
He lives in Malton, North Yorkshire. Swain had to have major heart surgery at the age of 4 to save his life, to cure a Patent Ductus Arteriosus which is a condition in which a structure called the ductus arteriosus, normal in fetal life, remains into infancy and onwards, when it should have disappeared.[9]
He did his schooling from Norton Community Primary School and later his secondary education from Norton College. He was expelled from high school at the age of 15 due to his ADHD and behaviour.[9] After school he went on to study musical theatre and drama at Westwood Performing Arts campus at Yorkshire Coast College, now called Scarborough TEC in Scarborough.
In 2020 Swain appeared on an online dating show called Dating In Doors on the popular YouTube Channel Word On The Curb where he met his ex-partner Crystal Barquinha.[38][39] They were together for a year and a half and separated in October 2021. The two still remain good friends.[40]
He is a vegetarian and has been since 2020.[41] Swain is a father, he has identical twin daughters Ivy-Kay and Isla-Yasmin who were born in April 2015. He is a visual artist.[42] A piece of his artwork titled "Carnivore Of Colours" was entered in to the Ashurst Emerging Art Prize 2021 in London.[43][44] In March 2021 it was announced he was a finalist in the Uni-ball Posca Artist Of The Year Awards.[45][46]
Skateboarding
Swain is a skateboarding enthusiast.[47] He is also a commentator, broadcaster and MC for action sports events and demonstrations in skateboarding.[48] In May 2012 he skateboarded a record breaking 54.4 miles in 5 hours raising money and awareness for a charity called Louby's Lifeline which supports Brain Tumour Research.[49][50]
Rescue The Ramp Campaign
In March 2021 Swain started and set up a global campaign in a bid to repair and save the "iconic" half-pipe at his local skate-park.[51][52] Appealing to the two town councils that co-ran the skate park on Norton Road in Malton to invest in repairing other parts of the local amenity, which is "in a state of disrepair."[52] He also managed to get world famous skateboarders such as Tony Hawk, Danny Way, Bucky Lasek and Pro BMX star Jamie Bestwick to support the campaign.[53][54][55]
The ramp is one of only nine of its kind in the UK and it is the only one in the north of England which is outdoors and free to use.[56]
In June 2021 Swain and his campaigners led a team of volunteers to the skatepark to carry out works which they had already been given permission to carry out by Norton Town Council by vote at their last meeting.[57] Members of the scheme which was named #RescueTheRamp, successfully stripped back the structure in preparation for a sanding down and repainting refurbishment in the next stage of the project.[58][59] Swain managed to secure a major sponsorship deal with Habito mortgage brokers for £15,000 which at the time were also the sponsor of Team GB in Skateboarding at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games.[60][61]
The second phase of the scheme, which would see work carried out to resurface the structure, was rejected by the council on 19 July 2021, prompting outrage from campaigners.[62] The town council voted five-four against the project, allowing community activists to rebuild the equipment, citing health and safety concerns, despite Habito offering to pay £15,000 of the cost in return for a sponsorship deal. Councillors concluded the meeting by threatening to call the police on protesters, only to find themselves at the center of an international media storm involving the skateboarding community.[63]
A petition was set up by Swain to help save the regeneration of the Malton, and Norton skatepark, following uncertainty about the plans going ahead.[64] In August 2021 the skatepark was temporarily closed due to concerns about the condition of some of the equipment on the park.[65]
In December 2021 Swain was asked to meet Keane Duncan to discuss supporting a motion which was getting submitted to Ryedale District Council calling for councillors to support Norton Town Council to reopen the skate park and renovate the half pipe. It was due to be discussed at a full council meeting (Thursday, 2 December) but was cancelled hours before the meeting was set to take place due to COVID-19 concerns.[66]
If successful, it would see Ryedale District Council provide a grant of up to £50,000 which is supported by Swain to Norton Town Council, which manages the facility.[67] On 17 February 2022 Ryedale District Council agreed to ring-fence extra funding for projects including:£160,000 to invest in Ryedale’s rural communities, £50,000 for the Norton skate park and £150,000 into the community grants scheme for rural community projects.[68] Items on the budget agenda which were not yet voted on will be discussed at the reconvened meeting which is scheduled to be held on 24 February 2022.[69]
On 8 March 2022 after a huge public outcry and a campaign for action set up and spearheaded by Swain, there was good news about the Malton and Norton Skatepark. At an extraordinary meeting of Norton Town Council members voted to appoint a contractor, King Ramps, to repair and resurface the smaller ramps. The long debated repairs to the half-pipe were also discussed at the meeting and a decision made to seek quotes for its repair and resurfacing based on structural survey results recently commissioned by the council. The next decision Norton town council needs to take is to give the go ahead for work to restore the half-pipe which was initially why Swain started the campaign.[70]
On 21 March 2022 work started on site repairing the Malton & Norton skate park in North Yorkshire. Following a successful campaign originally set up and spearheaded by Swain and keen skateboarders in the local area. Swain has been working with the contractor King Ramps on the site rebuilding the park alongside them. Swain wanted to help the local community by repairing and resurfacing the park in the town so it can continue to be used.[71]
ADHD and mental health
Swain is also a mental health campaigner, advocate and fundraiser. He has Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and has campaigned for more awareness of the condition.[72] when he was 21 he was diagnosed with the disorder.[73][74] Since his diagnosis he has focused on raising both money and awareness and creating content around mental health and wellbeing, the Law of attraction (New Thought) and ADHD which have been viewed millions of times across social media and help people on a daily basis.[75]
In March 2017 he was a special guest on The Chrissy B Show to speak about ADHD and how he had channelled it into his career as a comedian and entertainer.[76]
ADHD & Me Campaign
During ADHD Awareness Month in October 2021 he announced that he was planning a countrywide motivational speaking tour to raise awareness of ADHD.[77] The tour, called 'ADHD & Me', which is a motivational and educational talk and touring show aimed at all age groups but mainly young people, which is encouraging people to speak out about their mental health disorders.[78] He has been giving motivational talks selflessly in schools, colleges, universities, community groups and theatres across the country.[79] He has also been delivering them virtually to sold-out audiences across the world - and is continuing to do so into 2022.[80][75]
Swain's brother Trent is Autistic a neurodevelopmental disorder which he sometimes sees behavioural traits within himself.
Charity work
In December 2019 he raised more than £1,750 for the York charity SASH and Simon On The Streets in Leeds by re-enacting a rough sleep.[81][82] He also sold personal artwork, spending 24 hours on the streets without life's luxuries, authentically portraying what sleeping rough is like.[83]
During the COVID-19 pandemic he live streamed his performances and DJ sets across charity pages and groups on Facebook, helping to raise over £25,000 for various NHS Charities.[84][85][86]
Swain was once a youth worker.[87] He has taken part in various fundraising events for the charity Louby's Lifeline which is a charity supporting Brain Tumour Research and Children with Cancer. He has also organised and taken part in The Fully Monty and skateboarded from Malton to Scarborough for charity.[88]
In July 2007 Swain was one of ten youths worldwide crowned a Huggable Hero with Build-A-Bear Workshop. They received more than 1,300 nominations for the fourth annual search for Huggable Heroes, a program that rewards kids for their outstanding acts of generosity and volunteerism and encourages other kids to do the same.[89] He won his title and prize for his philanthropy from a young age.[90]
Swain was nominated for the Inspirational Individual Of The Year award in the Yorkshire Choice Awards 2022 in recognition of his charity work in his local community, the NHS and for mental health awareness he has raised.[91][80][92]
Awards
- Huggable Hero Award - Build A Bear Workshop - Winner (2007)
- Phoenix Newspaper Award for People's Choice - Winner[93][94] (2018 and 2020)
- Yorkshire Gig Guide Grassroots Award for Outstanding Individual Contribution - Winner[95] (2018)
- National Choice Award -Winner[96] (2019)
- NEA People's Choice Award - Winner (2020)
- Yorkshire Media Personality Of The Year - Nomination[97] (2018)
- Posca Artist Of The Year - Finalist (2021)
- NEA National Choice Award - Finalist (2021)
- Inspirational Individual Of The Year - Nomination (2022)[75][98][92]
- NEA Special Recognition Award - Winner (2023)
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