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
'Staff Nurse Emily Connell’s Autograph Book'
Emily Connell was a remarkable woman; hailing from Bootle and having enrolled in the Territorial Force Nursing Service in 1908, she was appointed as Staff Nurse at 3rd Western General Hospital in Cardiff when war broke out in 1914. As well as serving there throughout the First World War, she kept an autograph book in which her patients drew and wrote messages. This is the story of her own highs and lows and struggles with the system. It is also the story of the remarkable work the TFNS did with Shell Shock sufferers and sheds light on some of the soldiers who left their incredible pictures and anecdotes in her book.
John Griffiths-Colby
Reigate, Surrey
"An Odd Thing Happened Today at the Airport"
International airports are fascinating places to pass through. But have you ever wondered what happens if you work at one……especially as a police officer at Britain’s second busiest airport,London Gatwick.
· Where was the 1917 Grand National horse race held?
· What have Vinnie Jones, Naomi Campbell and Peter Buck got in common?
· Do you know your LAX from your LHR airport codes?
· The “Golden age” of air travel
· The very expensive sleep-over or The stowaway to freedom;
Neil Sadler
Haywards Heath, West Sussex
It Wasn't All About the Pankhursts
An in-depth, illustrated talk about the suffragette movement and other, conflicting movements of the time. Please note! This is not only for women’s groups
Charlotte Gringras
Altrincham, Greater Manchester
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
The Postman Bought My Book: The Long Road to Publication
My first book, a crime thriller called The Trail, is going to be published by Unbound in spring 2020.
It’s taken me 10 years, and my talk is the story of how and why it’s taken so long. The talk covers my writing journey from magazine articles on mountaineering, to an MA in Creative Writing, to soon-to-be published author, and also my attempts at the various routes to publication (traditional / independent / self-publishing / hybrid). And it highlights the route which worked for me
James Ellson
Hayfield, Derbyshire
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.......