Eisteddfod is an inspiration, says Martin Bell

Mr Bell, known as "the man in the white suit", will be the day president at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod tomorrow.

He is a friend of former hostage Terry Waite, the festival's long serving president, who survived 1,763 days in captivity in a dank Beirut dungeon.

Mr Bell, who was elected as a one-term independent MP for Tatton in 1997, is looking forward to what will be his first visit to the festival.

He said: "It will be a real honour to be day president at what I know is a very prestigious and important festival.

"I was asked last year whether I would consider the role by my friend Terry Waite.

"I have been friends with Terry for a long, long time and of course he hails from Cheshire, the county I represented as a Member of Parliament. Terry is a remarkable man and we attend a festival in Norfolk together every year. I'm looking forward to visiting Llangollen and experiencing a festival I heard so much about.

"I understand this is the festival's 70th year which is a remarkable achievement.

"The fact the Eisteddfod's original vision was to promote peace and harmony and the fact the festival opens with a peace message certainly provides inspiration."

Now 77, Mr Bell said he definitely has no plans on retiring anytime soon and is currently busy writing a memoir. He said: "I'm absolutely against retiring to be perfectly honest. I still enjoy writing and I am working on my book as well as writing poetry. I'm often asked whether I miss broadcast journalism and my role as a war reporter. The answer is no, although I do miss the camaraderie but I certainly don't miss the danger."

Mr Bell, who suffered serious shrapnel wounds while reporting from war-torn Sarajevo in 1992, added: "I returned to work but was much more careful. However, journalism fundamentally changed, certainly the journalism I was used to, after 9/11."