Seaside Special
10 March 2026I did a couple of talks in Scarborough and Cleethorpes last week – a chance to compare the fortunes of two old-school Victorian seaside resorts, which … Read More
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Archive
Next Wave Society
27 February 2026Great event last night at the Next Wave Society in Petersfield. About 14 months ago, the organiser, Steve Shaw, was reflecting on the fact that … Read More
Zip-line
26 February 2026A lot of the talks I give these days are to audiences of a certain age but one of the things I am constantly struck … Read More
Crap towns?
26 February 2026I earn as much of my living these days from the talks I do around the country as the books I write and one of … Read More
Bodysgallen Hall
21 February 2026If you’re at a loose end on 1st June this year and fancy a trip to North Wales, I’m speaking at a lunch event at … Read More
Fabulous review…
2 February 2025… of No Man’s Land in the Yorkshire Times this weekend. I think the novel is the best thing I’ve written, but any objectivity I might … Read More
Burns Night
24 January 2025Burns’ Night tomorrow and in case anyone has drawn the poison chalice of the ‘toast to the Lassies’ and is still scratching around for ideas, … Read More
No Man’s Land
28 August 2024I’ve written 70 published books over the years, but they’ve all been non-fiction and only now have I got around to writing my first novel: … Read More
Rust Belt No More
27 August 2024I did a talk at the Silsden Festival of Ideas at the weekend. Silsden is one of those Northern rust-belt towns that went through some … Read More
Martin House
13 February 2024If anyone is within range of the Tan Hill Inn around 6pm on Sunday 10th March, I’m doing a charity event there for the Martin House … Read More
Middlethorpe Hall
9 February 2024I’m speaking at a lunch event at Middlethorpe Hall, near York, for Historic House Hotels on 21 February. It is one of the beautiful National … Read More
Community
2 November 2023I gave a talk last night at an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Rawdon Community Library. A once fiercely independent small town on the … Read More
Anticlimax
5 October 2023I had an anticlimactic ‘talk’ at the annual lunch of a branch of Yorkshire Cancer Research yesterday. We were just sitting down to lunch when all the lights … Read More
Pity and scorn
27 September 2023Just back from a trip to France that stirred memories of the attitudes of many of my parents’ generation to “the Continent” and indeed, foreign countries … Read More
1956
27 September 2023I did a talk for a luncheon club recently which was founded way back in 1956 – the year of the Suez crisis, the Hungarian Revolution, … Read More
Lea Valley
12 September 2023Great afternoon with the Lea Valley U3A at Hoddesdon in Herts, yesterday. Lively and enthusiastic crowd of 130+, great venue (The Spotlight, Hoddesdon) and the … Read More
Raucous
26 August 2023Lively event last Saturday at the Cedar Court Hotel, Harrogate, for one of JG Travel’s Heritage Tours. Despite the competing attractions of a raucous wedding … Read More
Ribble Valley Macmillan Cancer Support
17 August 2023Great event for Ribble Valley Macmillan Cancer Support at the Mytton Fold Hotel yesterday. Good food, good company and a substantial sum raised for Macmillan. … Read More
World Tour of Yorkshire
5 November 2015I’ve been on an intermittent book tour since the start of August but, barring a couple of “outliers” next year, I reach the end of … Read More
Flying Pigs Airborne
17 August 2015If you’re out and about in Yorkshire over the next few weeks and want to know more about Pigs Might Fly or The Inn At … Read More