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Anywhere in the UK Kent Surrey Sussex
Categories:
Climate Change Educational General Interest History Humorous Light hearted Natural History Science Travel Virtual/Remote presentations
Talk Topics:

Alan Mills MBE

Location: Maidstone, Kent
About The Speaker...

I have always been fascinated by maps and geography, ever since I started to draw the Isle of Wight with feltip pens before heading there on holiday in 1974. After a geography degree at Durham University I embarked on a career using Geographical Information Systems and satellite imagery to solve geographical problems whether it be deforestation in Sierra Leone, coastal development in Mauritius, fishing in the swamps of Zambia, locust outbreaks in Eritrea, land use where the sea level is rising in Kiribati, how to map aid after a hurricane in Jamaica or just teaching others how to do it. This included a two year spell in the British Virgin Islands and 19 years as a volunteer and consultant for the disaster mapping charity, MapAction, for which he was awarded the MBE in 2021. I am still working abroad from time to time but been able to look again at the UK’s various geographies through a personal project to map where road names exist across the whole country.

About Their Talks...

Throughout my life harnessing the abilty of maps to both describe and explain the world, not just abroad but in your own backyards, has been as much a passion as a means to earning money.
My talks mix travel anecdotes from his travel to over 100 countries, an intense love of maps and also a thirst to understand local UK landscapes, I love exploring and trying to explain how geography can help understand why the world looks like it does. I engage audiences to share their own experiences and with humour tell of the highs and lows of working abroad, but also enjoy demonstrating how geography unifies so many other elements of human life through a sense of place.
Talks are aimed at a general audience and can be adjusted and tailored to include more anecdotes and humorous elements if needed. But I also like to treat my audiences as intelligent people who are eager to learn about the underlying issues and technologies related to maps. They normally last 50 minutes to 1 hour and happy to have a Q&A, but can be tailored to fit other timings.

Fee:

The basic fee is £100 for 1 hour or per hour for other lengths. I can do £75 for video calls through whatever platform you can invite me to.
Travel costs included up to 20 miles from Maidstone, Kent. After that reimbursement of public transport/taxis at cost or 40 per mile for car use.

My Contact Details:
Phone:

07963 652911

Email:

alanpmillsuk@yahoo.co.uk

View Talks by Alan Mills MBE

1. Knowing Your Way

In this talk, which can be tailored to the location and group, I share a recent passion for mapping where all the different road name types exist in the UK including the Isle of Man and Channel Islands – widespread ones like Road, Street, Avenue and Drive but also local ones – Twitten, Batch, Swn, Ope, Rathad, Lheargy, Pied, Diamond and Chare. How do different languages name roads? Why are some not used anymore? What new ones are appearing? The mapping of over 750 types across the UK reveals a fascinating social history and is full of tales and examples of where we live, commuting, workplaces, how we shop, and travel between one place and another and build on our varied landscapes.

2. Christmas in the Pacific

Describes the two months I spent on the largest atoll in the world, Kiritimati or Christmas Island in the middle of the Pacific. From its distinctive history and landscapes to its people, fauna and flora, the talk demonstrates the beauty and challenges of living on a low lying island as sea level inevitably rises.

3. The Bounties and Burdens of the Caribbean

I tell stories of my 25 years’ experience of working and living in the Caribbean to show its jewels but also the challenges it has reshaping their economies following islands’ independence and increasing threats from hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanoes that disrupt these paradises.

4. A career in island hopping

I show how an obsession with little islands from childhood turned into a career and demonstrate what makes island life so special with examples from the Caribbean, South Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

5. Living in the Forest

This talk explores working in the forests of Guinea and Sierra Leone in West Africa and southern Kenya in the east and how I helped understand the balance of people’s livelihoods and property to conserving the forest and wildlife showing how modern technology can help farmers gain their rights.

Alan Mills MBE Contact Details:
Phone:

07963 652911

Email:

alanpmillsuk@yahoo.co.uk

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