Well that's another year almost over, and what a strange one it's been.

It's been mostly Zoom presentations, but some groups have started meeting in person, and I'm especially grateful to:

Thornton Antiquarian Society;

Boothferry Local & Family History Group;

Sherburn and Ripon U3As and the

Yorkshire Country Women's Association for bringing a sense of normality back into my talks' programme.

However, it seems this was a false dawn as the New Year will soon be upon us and in light of the latest developments my first few talks are reverting to the Zoom platform.  

Whichever way my groups, old and new, decide to meet rest assured I will always be there to entertain and inform with my extensive range of talks.

To all my clients I wish a Happy Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year.

I recently stumbled across a plaque recording a march from Edinburgh to London in support of female emancipation, must consider incorporating it into my 'Votes for Women' talk.

I've already revised it once again, this time to describe a break-away movement from the prominent suffrage organisation, the Women's Social and Political Union, that of the Women's Freedom League.

The League was famous for what became to be called 'the grille incident' when female protesters chained themselves to the grille of the women's gallery of the House of Commons.

This is now version 3 of the talk, with 50 PowerPoint slides and I think it is better than before.

Book it for your organisation, either by Zoom or in person, and see what you think.

 I don't usually do this but just for once................

Thank you so much - great talk and interesting discussion - which is just what we want!

We all enjoyed the session

 Crime and Punishment to the Leicester Secular Society                               

October 2020

★

I just wanted to say thank you so much for your fascinating talk this afternoon.

I am already receiving positive comments from the audience, so you can be assured we all enjoyed it. My husband and I found it really interesting and as several others commented, we learnt such a lot of new information.

 Remembrance to Huntingdon U3A Group

November2020

★

Thank you again for such an interesting talk which we all enjoyed.

If I can offer any help in rating it to assist you in getting more bookings, I will happily do so.

 The  Gunpowder Plot to Mole Valley Probus

November 2020

★

Thank you for your excellent talk this evening I think it went down very well. I think the question and answer session cemented the fact that you know your subject very well.

Stay Safe On-Line to Chanctonbury Probus Club

November 2020

★

 I had good feedback from your talk last night . The people who contacted me afterwards said they enjoyed it.

It lasted just long enough and the slides did enhance the talk .                                                  

 Votes for Women to Harrogate Bloomers WI

November 2020

★

I’ve had several e-mails from folk saying that they enjoyed your talk

The Pontefract Murder to Bedale Archaeology & History Soc

December 2020

★          

We very much enjoyed your talk this morning.

The History  of the English Canals to Alsager & District U3A

January 2021

★

Thank you for your talk on Guy Fawkes, everyone thought it was fascinating. We enjoyed it so much we would like to ask you if you could do your suffragette talk for our meeting on 3rd March

 The Gunpowder Plot to Barnsley Opals WI

November 2020

★

It was a wonderful talk and I have had a number of emails stating how much people enjoyed it.

After You're Dead to the Lancashire Family History and Heraldry Society

March 2021

★

We have had a run of good speakers and you did not disappoint. I've had so much positive feedback. Gordon's was typical. He commented to another member that it left him wanting more. Always a good sign. 

 Model Villages to Haxby & Wigginton U3A

March 2021

 My last talk of 2020 was 'Votes for Women' to Craven U3A, and a  break now until January when it will be 'The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun' to the Mole Valley Probus on the 7th.

My bookings continue to be via the Zoom platform well into 2021, and I wonder when 'normal service will be resumed'.

In the meantime I'm up-grading my Internet service so as to provide a more stable platform for this new way of working.

I will continue to offer virtual talks for as long as they are required and 'in person' ones as soon as the restrictions allow.

Thank you all those who have supported me during theses difficult times and I pray that you all keep safe and well.

 

Whilst there is no real substitute for face-to-face meetings, and the social interaction that flows from these, one advantage to societies of using Zoom for their regular meetings is that they are no longer constrained to engaging a speaker within reasonable travelling time of their venue.

With Zoom they can select the talk they want, no matter where the speaker might live.

This is well illustrated by the talks I currently have booked:

Probus clubs in West Sussex and Surrey, Women's Institutes in Stratford-upon-Avon, Shropshire and Sheffield, a Rotary Club in Kent, and U3A branches in Kent and Shropshire.

All my talks, all 18 of them, are available as virtual presentations complete with a full Power Point slide show.

If this is something your organisation might be considering, but don't know where to start, please get in touch with me and I will be only too happy to guide you through the process, with no obligation to book one of my talks.

 Zoom meetings are rapidly becoming the 'new normal as more and more societies use this way of keeping in touch with their members.

The 1st, 2nd and 10th of September, the 22nd of October and the 3rd of November are all Zoom bookings for my talks but some organisations are experimenting with face-to-face meetings using masks, track-and-trace and social distancing to meet the various restrictions we are rapidly becoming accustomed to.

As always I remain available to talk to your society either virtually, using Zoom or any other similar platform, or face-to-face wearing my new full-face mask for safety.

As there are no travelling expenses involved with a virtual meeting my fee for a \Zoom (or similar) talk is a flat-fee to all societies of just £35.