This is where Speaker Finders/Booking Secretaries who are familiar with the website will quickly be able to find speakers who are possibly new to the website since your last visit and also new talks by existing speakers. So if you use this website regularly, you’ll be able to quickly ascertain if one of your group’s favourite speakers has created another talk, or whether we have a new speaker who covers your area.
New Talks by Existing Speakers on the Public Speakers Corner Website
Elizabeth Barton: The Maid of Kent 1506 -1534
This young visionary of Aldington in Kent was so dangerous to Henry VIII, Ann Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon that she had to be executed. Hear why in this commissioned talk. The talk includes the work of artist Lauren McMahan.
Melanie Gibson-Barton
Dymchurch, Kent
Kate and Meghan: Fitting In
The Royal Family is known as 'The Firm' and has rules and traditions to deal with every situation.
Kate Middleton came from a wealthy, middle class, British family, who 'knew their place'. Kate has fitted in well at Buckingham Palace.
Meghan Markle came from a working class, mixed-race American family. Her parents were separated and her brother runs a cannabis farm. Megan has had to fight for everything that she has and she is continuing to fight now. The first half of 2019 saw fresh stories on an almost daily basis of her conflicts with the Queen and Kate and reports that Meghan and Harry may move to the USA.
Geoff Barton
London, Manchester & Edinburgh
Me! Me! Me!
Or ‘How to Write Your Memoirs’
Forget money! Forget property and forget the family jewels! The most important legacy you can leave is the story of your life. Your memoirs will take your children into another world. Your world. A world perhaps where buses had conductors, phones were not in the least mobile and music was played on something called a gramophone. Writing your memoirs will help you to understand the times through which you have lived. Even more important, it will help you understand yourself. Whether you want to write a full autobiography, articles for a local magazine or simply keep a diary this talk will introduce you to the writing skills that will make your story sparkle.
Nick Cook
Ruislip, Greater London
Baked Alaska or Mexican Chilly? Climate change explained.
In July 2019 people sunbathed in a baking Alaska as temperatures soared to an unprecedented 32oC. In the same month the normally baking city of Guadalajara in Mexico shivered beneath chilly 3 foot blanket of freak hailstones. Both events made the headlines. What is going on here? Some blame climate change. Others shrug and say “That’s what weather does. Always has done and always will.”
What climate change does to weather is just one of the topics covered in this talk. It will also present the fascinating history, science and politics of climate change in a clear and entertaining way so that your opinions, whatever they may be, are fully informed. The speaker talks from a background of providing environmental advice and training to multinational company.
Nick Cook
Ruislip, Greater London
A Cleaner Greener Life
How to reduce plastic and your toxic footprint
Do you want to reduce plastic in your life but don’t know where to start? Do you ever think about the chemicals you use and worry about the impact on your health?
Everyone is talking about plastic pollution at the moment and the impact on our oceans and the micro-plastics that end up back in our food chain.
If you want a no-nonsense, practical session on easy to implement ways to:
· Reduce plastic
· Detox your environment
· Detox your body
· Have a cleaner greener life
Let’s face it, who wants to use a cleaning product that warns not to use it in an enclosed space. Yet the alternatives are healthier for you, your environment and your purse.
Helping you on your way to better health.
This is a 45 minute talk and can be done as part demo.
Alison Charles
London E6
Fashionable Fashionistas
An engaging, fascinating and fun perspective into how a group of women, determined to look fabulous, have fun into their 60`s, 70’s, 80`s and 90`s are redefining the ageing process and in some cases carving out new careers for themselves.
Brenda Cameron
Farningham, Kent
The Art of Aging
Can you trick your ageing body into feeling younger? To find out a group of celebrities go back in time 20 years to their heyday, living as they did in the 70`s in a time capsule for a week with remarkable results.
In today`s affluent countries people are living well into their hundreds and different cultures have different attitudes and practices around age, this talk takes a look at how we can all do far more than we ever imagined, regardless of our age or current physical ability
Brenda Cameron
Farningham, Kent
American Presidents... Who... Why...and... When
A light hearted look at some of the more interesting Presidents, how they came to power and what was happening in their era. What did they achieve, why did they fail, does history show them to be exceptional, atrocious or just plain ordinary - “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”.
Simon Cork
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Talks by New Speakers to the Public Speakers Corner Website
Principles of Garden Design
Do you look at your garden and wonder how you could make it look more pleasing to the eye? Want to know what plants would work best in your outdoor space you have, or how to make it work better for you? As a qualified Garden Designer, in this talk I’ll take you through the basic principles of garden design to help create beautiful and practical gardens. Those feeling inspired after the talk, have the opportunity to book a design consultation for their own garden.
Jacquie Felix-Mitchell
Torquay, Devon
The First World War contribution of Dulmial Village, present day Pakistan
My illustrated talk tells the unique story of the 460 soldiers, including my Greatgrandfathers, from Dulmial Village, present day Pakistan who fought in the Great War and their subsequent reward of a 200-year-old Scottish cannon. The presentation also explores the wider role of the Muslim soldiers in the First World War.
I have been researching this topic since 2014 and have been featured on Sky News, BBC News, Channel 5 News and The Daily Telegraph.
Dr Irfan Malik
Carlton, Nottinghamshire
"Who the hell is Arthur?"
A truly investigative approach to genealogy told through a personal and fascinating account of the search for my father’s parentage and medical ancestry. The journey takes the audience on a countrywide tour, exposing lies, deceit, discovery and deception.
Delivering traditional family history techniques with a modern twist.
Neil Littleales
Lee on the Solent, Hampshire
Behind The Scenes On Centre Court
For 40 years I was the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s steward on Centre Court with the responsibility for organising and overseeing the seating arrangements and security of the great tennis players whose guests came up to watch the matches. With 4 matches a day this involved much complicated reassigning of seats to the next lot of guests, amongst whom were many top celebrities. My first was Frank Sinatra and amongst the many others were Barbra Streisand, Larry Adler, Lewis Hamilton, David Beckham, Sting, and Kate Middleton’s family. I met and chatted with all of these and especially the great former Wimbledon champions stretching back as far as 1924. My talk is in two parts, firstly about how the AELTC is run and how they run the Championships. Secondly I talk about the great matches and players with many associated anecdotes on a decade by decade basis (1920 to 2018) which allows me to start and finish the talk in precise segments.
Alan Chalmers
Midhurst, West Sussex
Ban Conkers? That's Bonkers!!!
Nanny state gone mad or enlightened care? Decide for yourself as you fasten your seat belt and take a roller coaster ride through the past, present and precarious future of Health and Safety.
We will consider the health hazards from those faced by stone-age flint axe makers to modern dangers such as the perils of simply sitting and the hidden hazards you inhale while flying in today’s modern airliners.
While your final views of this controversial subject are entirely your own, this talk will hopefully help to inform those opinions.
Nick Cook
Ruislip, Greater London
The Tottenham Outrage and Walthamstow Tram Chase
On Saturday 23 January 1909, two Russians carried out a wages snatch at the Schnurrmann Rubber factory in Tottenham. They fire six shots at the driver of the car making the delivery. This alerted the people next door, Tottenham Police, who jumped out of bed and abseiled out on the windows to give chase in their pyjamas. Having not used them for a while, they were unable to find the keys to the gun cupboard, so the PCs were issued with cutlasses instead.......
Geoff Barton
London, Manchester & Edinburgh
Ordinary People, Unexpected Lives
When delving into your family tree very occasionally a golden nugget of information appears and brings your distant forebears into 3D. A drowning, a brush with the law......
Karen Evans
Wombourne, Staffordshire
How Our Ancestors Died
Through the centuries causes of death have varied enormously in line with the social conditions of the day. You can learn a lot about family circumstances in the past .........
Mark Carroll
Epping, Essex
The Mysterious Loss of the SS Waratah
In the early morning of 27th July 1909 the Waratah overtook a steamship and sped ahead eventually slipping over the horizon ............
Brian Margetson
Wareham, Dorset
The Hammer of the Scots: Edward I and Scotland
A talk on Edward I’s attempts to subjugate Scotland, considering his motives, the nature of the ensuing conflict............
