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You are here Past Speakers at Members Meetings
 

 

Re-inventing the Birthplace  

Dr Diana Owen, Director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust will be guest speaker at the Stratford upon Avon Society’s next meeting

Monday evening, 16 April 7.30pm in the Falcon Hotel

Dr Diana Owen, Director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and David Hopes will talk about the origins of the Trust and the challenge it faces.

The Trust is a private charity and has to keep up with changing technology to sustain its income. Applications for hand-held ipads and other communication devices are already widely used and members will be introduced to the Trust’s new ‘app’ which uses material from the archives and virtual reality to guide visitors round the Trust’s properties and the town.

The event is free to members (£3 for non-members, refundable if taking out membership). Afterwards there is an opportunity to meet the speakers and enjoy a free glass of wine.

We do hope that you will be able to join us

Jean Clymer,  Programme Secretary

Programmesecretary@stratfordsociety.co.uk

Peter Jefferson - The Voice of the Shipping Forecast

An impressive number of Stratford Society members turned out for the AGM of the Stratford Society on Monday 5 March.

Following the official business of the evening, members and guests were treated to a talk by Peter Jefferson covering his 40 years’ experience with the BBC, principally reading the Shipping Forecast.

Peter’s early aspirations were to become an actor and he enrolled at RADA with this in mind, but this ambition was modified by joining the BBC and eventually becoming the beloved voice of the Shipping Forecast. He reflected that in the early 19th century we began to get huge loss of lives at sea so in 1854 the forecasting system was devised, and so became the essential broadcast of sailors and fishermen for vital information of what was happening to seas around the country over the following 24 hours.

Peter read amusing anecdotes of his experiences in the role, interspersed with spoof announcements (spot the difference!) and read out an impressive role call of the great and good with whom he had worked. Comments from the floor illustrated how vital the broadcasts were, even for amateur sailors, and those suffering from insomnia…

February 2010

New Housing – Boon or Blight?

Leonora Rozee OBE
     
       
February 2008

The Good the Bad and the Ugly 2008 CA Rookes Memorial Lecture

George Ferguson
September 2007

Stratford-upon-Avon : World Class but for what ?


Dr Robert Bearman
February 2007

Shared Space: Why don’t we do it in the road?


Ben Hamilton-Bailie
October 2006

The Future of Retailing in Historic Towns


Dr Brian Raggett
       
April 2006

EHTF’s Historic Core Zones Project

Ian Poole
September 2004

Redeveloping Civic Halls and Community Venues

Paul Lister
May 2004

The Work of the Civic Trust


Ben Bergonzi
September 2003

Designing New Buildings in Historic Towns

Sir Jeremy Dixon
       
February 2003

Cities for People: Winning Back the Public Spaces

Dr Jan Gehl