Miranda Pender

Location: Sherborne, Dorset
About The Speaker...

I’m a singer and songwriter who presents entertaining talks based around songs that I’ve written. Raunchy, romantic, heartbreaking, humorous, my subjects range from pretentious garden designers to a 16-year-old boy killed at the Battle of the Somme; from the hero on a cereal packet to that awkward situation where you discover your lover’s name sewn into the back of his underpants…..

I’ve been presenting my musical talks since 2016, and they’re guaranteed to add a bit of fun to your club meeting or event. Even my darker topics have a humorous edge.

Typical comments include: “It was so nice to be able to hear all the words you were singing”, and “We really enjoyed something that was a little bit different”.

I live in Sherborne, Dorset, and am normally prepared to travel throughout Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. Please contact me to discuss the options for bookings further afield.

From March to October I am available mornings, afternoons and evenings; November to February, daytime only. I will always consider a short-notice booking to cover a cancellation.

About Their Talks...

The standard talks are 45 minutes plus time for questions at the end, but I can make adjustments to suit your requirements.

I play an acoustic guitar, unplugged in small venues, or through an amplifier and with a microphone for larger ones. I can supply the electrical equipment, which is PAT tested, and I hold Public Liability Insurance.

Three of my talks are illustrated, for which I can use my own projector, but the venue will need to supply a screen or suitable blank wall.

If you need any further encouragement, just read the following testimonials!

“Everyone enjoyed it so much because it was very different from our usual talks.”
Salisbury Ladies’ Probus Club

“Thank you for bringing so much joy to our members yesterday. This was quite a departure from our usual talks and obviously much enjoyed.”
Parkstone Probus Club

“It was a pleasure to welcome you to our WI, and great to have something so different on our programme.”
Gillingham Evening WI

“Wow did my ladies enjoy your performance today, you were absolutely great. If only all my speakers could be half as good!”
Harbour Ladies Luncheon Club, Christchurch

“Everyone enjoyed your songs and left with a smile.”
FIL Group, Fovant

“What a wonderfully inspirational talk with songs…..you will be highly recommended.”
The Orchards & Margaret Marsh WI

“Thank you very much for your session today – we all enjoyed it and I have had some lovely feedback.”
Lyme Regis U3A

“Such an enjoyable and entertaining evening.”
Castle Hedingham Women’s Group

“Very many thanks for a delightful afternoon.”
Lea Valley U3A

“Humorous and warm.”
Springfield WI

“We all really enjoyed the diversity of your material.”
After Eight Ladies’ Group, Ware

“It was nice to have something a little bit different from our normal speakers!”
The 95 Club, Sudbury

“Thank you again for the delightful evening.”
Woodditton & Saxon Street WI

“Your songs are so delightful and enjoyable.”
Hartford Hundred Probus Ladies

Fee:

My fee for community groups of up to about 50 people is £40 + 40p per mile travelling expenses. For larger audiences and commercial organisations, please contact me to discuss.

My Contact Details:
Phone:

01935 815497

07896 354616

Late-Flowering Lyricist

How Miranda overcame a life-threatening illness to reinvent herself as a singer/songwriter.

Miranda enjoyed listening to music, but it never occurred to her that she might be able to sing in front of an audience, and she certainly didn’t envisage performing solo with a guitar, and playing songs that she herself had written!

A story of how it may never be too late to change direction; the importance of “seizing the moment” and how, with a bit of determination, you might be able to achieve things you never dreamed of….

A humorous, light-hearted talk which includes 6 original songs.

Lifting the Lid

The perils of researching family history.

A forebear deported to Australia for sheep-stealing a couple of hundred years ago has a certain raffish glamour. But how do you feel if the uncomfortable truth you discover has repercussions which have persisted to the present day?

Love, loss, jealousy, betrayal, revenge…often funny, sometimes poignant, occasionally shocking. Miranda presents a set of original songs based around some of the more bizarre stories unearthed from her family history.

A darkly humorous talk which includes 5 original songs plus a slideshow.

One Gun, Two Dead

The Hastings Murder of 1911.

On 13th September 1911, Joseph James, a 56-year-old chemist, walked into the office of Frederick Womersley, manager of the Hastings and East Sussex Building Society, and shot him dead. In a bizarre twist, Edward Chantler, the police officer in charge of the investigation, later used the same revolver to take his own life.

Joseph James was Miranda’s great-grandfather. In this talk she tells his bizarre tale, and what it’s like to discover you have a murderer in the family. This is a full-length version of one of the stories in Lifting the Lid.

A dark, dramatic talk which includes 2 original songs and a slideshow.

Censored!

The intriguing tale of author Norah C James and the obscenity trial of 1929.

Norah James was Miranda’s grandfather’s first cousin. A prolific and successful writer of romantic fiction from the 1930s through to the 1970s, Norah hit the headlines when her first novel, Sleeveless Errand, was banned under the Obscene Publications Act.

Miranda recounts how Norah went from being a well-brought-up young lady from a respectable family, to writing a book judged ‘filthy’ and ‘indecent’, and looks at how ideas of what is and is not acceptable have changed over the years.

A lively, entertaining talk which includes 2 original songs and a slideshow

Musical Musings

A sparkling set of original songs and the stories behind them.

Miranda took up playing the guitar and writing songs rather late in life, but has more than made up for it since. Raunchy, romantic, heartbreaking, humorous, this musical talk will include whichever songs she feels like playing on the day – and may well feature a brand-new song having its first public outing!

Shipwrecks, stalkers, slogans on camper vans, healthy eating dilemmas, non-fungible tokens, the horrors of holiday hotspots!!!

Think Pam Ayres crossed with Victoria Wood!

Miranda Pender Contact Details:
Phone:

01935 815497

07896 354616

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