Supporting Prostate Cancer UK
Paul's Talks
I've met my initial £1000 target...I have now raised £1555!! Onwards to the next £1000.
The story so far...as it was for many, Covid-19 impacted much of my work, in particular fundraising for Prostate Cancer UK through golf based activities, so I looked for something else to do and came up with talks. In the distant (very) past I used to teach Geography and Geology with a bit of History for good measure and have retained an interest in these subjects, especially related to the North East, so it made sense to research ideas involving these themes. My more recent work as an education consultant and trainer meant I developed reasonably competent presentation skills using the latest multi-media applications. The following are the ones that have emerged to date.
Feedback was that they were very impressed with the presentation. Normally, I would leave a year before inviting a speaker back - but I had a couple of enquiries as to whether I might consider asking you back for the Jerusalem talk later this year.
THE POWER OF PLAGUES
Pandemics that Changed Our History
Ever since homo sapiens emerged in East Africa 200,000 yrs ago we have been plagued by plagues, most of them local but just occasionally infectious enough to spread across the then known world and deadly enough to change the way we lived our lives. This multi-media talk will explore 3 of the most devastating to explain why they happened, to describe some juicy bits about their immediate impact and to show how they have affected and will affect our future life, even in North East England.
Details of upcoming events
Watch this space!
Talks Completed
Ovingham Reading Room 2022
Ovingham WI 2022
Riding Mill WI 2022
Prudhoe U3A 2024
Hexham U3A 2024
BUILDING A BOUNDARY
The History of the Anglo-Scottish Border
A story of collision, conflict, control and change. The division goes back a lot further than you think. Back past Bonnie Prince Charlie, Sir Harry Hotspur, Robert the Bruce, William the Conqueror, King Athelstan, St. Oswald, Emperor Hadrian and on into the mists of time...geological time! It is a boundary that has been defined by rivers, ridges, walls and even just lines on a map and also one that has changed its position many times and may change again in the future.
Details of upcoming events
Watch this space!
Talks Completed
Matfen & Great Whittinghton WI 2023
Consett Rotary Club 2023
Wylam Ladies 2023
Stocksfield Retired Men's Association 2024
TYNEDALE THROUGH MAPS
The Landscape and History of the Valley (adapted for specific locations)
An introduction into how the landscape the Tyne Valley, with its deep cut denes and flat plains, came into being. It’s a story, which started over two million years ago and continues today, involving glaciers over a thousand feet thick and lakes hundreds of feet deep. It moves on to the development of settlements from pre-roman times, through the Anglo-Saxons, the Normans, the Black Death and ‘King Coal’ to the present day. A tale of changing fortunes, a repeating cycle of growth and decline with a bit of destruction thrown in for good measure.
Details of upcoming events
Watch this space!
Talks Completed
Ovingham Reading Room 2022
Ovingham Reading Room WI 2022
Prudhoe U3A 2023
Hexham U3A 2023
Hexham WI 2023
NEW for 2024
THE GREAT WHIN SILL
An Intrusion into Our Landscape and Our Lives
295 million years ago molten volcanic rock was injected into layers of sandstone and mudstone deep below the surface of the earth and then cooled quickly to become solid. 295 million years of erosion has brought this hard resistant dolerite to the surface and created cliffs for castles and walls, reefs for shipwrecks and lighthouses, and stone for roads and buildings. Add to this gorges and waterfalls, what has been exposed has affected the lives of many and helped to forge their stories now to be told.
Details of upcoming events
Kingston Sparks WI...19:30 Wednesday April 16th 2025
Talks Completed
Wylam WI 2023
Hexham Beacon Club 2024
JERUSALEM 1965
The Middle East and back by Post Office van
Back when I was a 17yr old sixth form student, me and my head of history, his wife and six other students set off on a 3000 mile adventure spanning the full six weeks of our summer holiday. Using maps plus photos taken at the time this is the story of a journey through an area recently devastated by an earthquake, border zones tense after previous conflicts and a country preparing for a possible war. It is a tale of mishaps, breakdowns and unique experiences plus some insights into the struggles that are still taking place today, nearly 60yrs later.
Details of upcoming events
Hexham Beacon Club Wednesday November 20th 2024
Burnopfield WI Tuesday February 18th 2025
Talks Completed
