Loading...About The Speaker...
I studied for my degree in astrophysics whilst working as a guard on British Rail in the 1970s. From 1989 until 2011 I was Curator of Astronomy at the Yorkshire Museum in York, where I helped organise large educational events for children. In 1998 I was presented with an MBE for services to astronomy and education. Until the pandemic I had a mobile planetarium which I took to hundreds of schools in the north of England.
I am a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and currently sit on the council. I present lectures on cruise ships all over the world, and to various clubs and societies at home. I have my own weekly Astronomy Show on a community radio station called Drystone Radio, which can be heard on line. I also write a monthly ‘What’s in the night sky?’ feature for the Craven Herald newspaper which covers the Yorkshire Dales. In 2020 I was a guest on an episode of the BBC’s Antiques Road Trip, talking about Thomas Cooke, Instrument Maker of York.
About Their Talks...
As a public astronomer at the Yorkshire Museum it was my job to enthuse about my subject to people of all ages, and in schools I worked with children from nursery to year 6, trying to inspire them with my love of astronomy. My talks, which can be on Zoom or in person, are aimed at a non-specialist audience, and I keep to the principle of ‘plenty of stories; just enough science’. I have a wide and expanding range of talks to choose from, lasting about 50 minutes, and of course I’m happy to have a question session afterwards.
Fee:
My fee for a Zoom talk is £40. The same applies to talks in person within a radius of 10 miles from home, after which I charge 30p per mile.
