About me...
I am a qualified archivist. I studied medieval history, languages and literature at university, but my professional career has been spent exclusively in corporate archives. I worked for Barclays and Guinness in the early 1990s, before joining Thomas Cook in 1996. For more than two decades I have been responsible for preserving and promoting Thomas Cook’s heritage, which spans more than 175 years, and have provided historical information and images to countless researchers from across the globe. Sadly, Thomas Cook has now closed its archives to the public.
Away from the office, I love playing sports, especially table tennis, and support Wolverhampton Wanderers. I also enjoy watching films, researching my family history and setting fiendish quizzes!
About my Talks...
Most of my talks focus on Thomas Cook and his son, John Mason Cook, looking at how they helped to make travel easier, cheaper and safer for millions of Britons in the Victorian era. My lectures are illustrated with photographs, posters and documents from the Thomas Cook Archives.
I have my own laptop and digital projector, but a screen (or blank wall) would be very useful.
Fee:
I charge a fee of £50 for each talk, plus reasonable travel expenses (20p per mile) if the venue is more than 10 miles from my home in Bourne, Lincolnshire.