he South Lancaster Speakers Club's Education Director, Diana Douglas, led a specialist training event aimed at developing public speaking and communications skills to enhance confidence and presentation skills. The topic of 'Water' was given to the SLSC members who had ten minutes to prepare their speeches: Continue reading

At this Training Session, Speakers Club (SLSC) members were given the word “WATER” by Education Director, Diana Douglas. Ten minutes was given to construct a three to four minute speech which they were asked to present later in the evening. A wide perspective of 'Water' speeches gave new insights. Continue reading

The Club programme needs to be varied and stimulating. Tasks must be assigned for each meeting and these need to be allocated with care. When assigning meeting-tasks, attention has to be given to the depth of experience of each member. It is essential to remember that all of us, whether new or experienced members are on a learning curve. Thus encouragement and support should be offered all the time. Continue reading

Essential planning for a summer cruise north to the Faroe Islands includes looking at the tourists destinations and activities on arrival. An experienced crew will voyage from Kirkwall, Orkney to the Faroes and return via the Shetlands. Continue reading

Mark Rogers a highly experienced speaker and actor shares his tips and guidelines for evaluation of speeches. Speakers Clubs help develop confidence in public speaking. The South Lancaster Speakers Club has members from Lancaster, Garstang, Wyre and Lancashire. Call in! Continue reading

The Parish of Cabus doesn’t boast any of the usual features found in a rural area such as a church, a pub or a village green. Louise Jackson a councillor on Cabus Parish Council wanted to draw attention to the rich and varied history of Cabus by creating an Historic Cabus walk. A leaflet with an illustrated sketch map and explanations takes the walker along a scenic route pointing out various historical features and monuments e.g. Cabus Cross. The leaflet can be down loaded from the Cabus Parish website at www.cabuspc.org.uk or from Garstang Tourist Information Office or local venues. Continue reading

South Lancashire Speakers Club offers tuition from some highly experienced public speakers for people to develop the art of public speaking in a positive, friendly and stimulating environment. Catering from beginners and novices through to those who are already proficient in public speaking. All of whom can quickly reap the benefits of such valuable and lasting training in many different ways, to literallytransform their own lives for the better. Continue reading

Actors and singers can, of course, be mimics, but don’t the impressionists, go that much further with their impersonations. Usually involving a much wider repertoire? than actors and singers? Is it really any surprise that there are such high numbers of actors and singers who act and sing in their own natural voices and personalities. Continue reading

What are the strategies to counter bias, propaganda, tendentious tweets, and indoctrination? The language and cultures of the democratic free world facilitate these concerns. For totalitarian states, these concepts are the de facto modus operandi. The ubiquitous echo chambers of the internets social media apps have taken these issues to a higher and a new level.News VerificationResponsible media organisations have teams and systems in place to verify the authenticity of facts. They verify the accuracy and honesty of the news. Continue reading

The big money people have had to accept that Nuclear Power cannot compete with the Green sources, Wind and Sun. The money that was to be spent on Nuclear could be turned to the Green stuff. After all, Anglesey is very windy, has its fair share of sunshine and is surrounded by the Sea. There are also some very strong sea currents, full of energy, in the Menai Strait. Continue reading

Girl Power. In the words of the Spice Girls way back in the ’90s is this ‘Girl power? ’And….is this girl power going to continue in 2019? Women taking positions on merit, equality between the sexes. The march of the female presenter overtaking from BBC bastions of broadcasting is that saying something about what may happen in 2019? Is the #Metoo movement taking on another twist and men on our screens are being phased out? Continue reading

articularly to those children who have special needs and disabilities and who have been failed. Failed. Failed by the crises caused by reductions. There are of the order of 1.5 million UK children recognised as have special educational needs and about 2/3 of them appeared to have had no additional funding through their schools. That will change in 2019. The Teaching Assistants will re-appear in their dozens. Special Needs training will be proliferate Continue reading

Nostradamus warned of a major global conflict which conspiracy theorists have interpreted as war between the US and Russia or the US and North Korea. Then a cataclysmic asteroid will impact the Earth creating absolute devastation. Rising temperatures will lead to melting ice caps and violent hurricanes. “we shall see the water rising and the earth falling under it” Continue reading

Canna Harbour Continue reading

360-degree videos are about immersion, presence, and new perceptions. It can be manipulated allowing viewers to be active, gaining new insights, and creating their own stories. The deconstruction of the old storytelling formulae is the starting place. Experiences of the viewer’s presence come first with the story following their perceptions within the 360-degree video. Continue reading

The language and cultures of the democratic free world facilitate these concerns. For totalitarian states, these concepts are the de facto modus operandi. Now, let’s examine the meaning of these words. Bias, Propaganda, and Tendentious Media. Continue reading

We may belong to a nuclear family or an extended family that includes grandchildren such as nieces, nephews, that come from additional relatives such as sisters, brothers of the wife or husband, or their parents. A traditional feature of weddings are the invitations to not only close friends but also the extended family kinship relationships.The social conditions reflecting a culture’s values regulate many aspects of life and marriage. Different societies have rules and precedents about who shall live together, who can marry who, how mates are selected, and the socialisation of children.In the west, newlyweds establish their households away from their parents. Continue reading

British towns and cities - yet here is found within one building alone - as the old priest house connects inwardly by a corridor to a superb modernist chamber of worship. As Mass is due to begin, the Fathers emerge from the corridor into the left-hand nave, by the organ grinder and then swiftly walk across the front and up onto the chancel to commence the service. My favourite features of the church are its “bell” - which sounds authentic but is actually a loudspeaker on the roof playing an audiotape of a ringing bell and the Mater Dei shrine to the front end of the right-hand nave - another link to the past. The full name of the demolished church was actually Mother of God & St James - and Mater Dei is the Latin for “Mother of God”. The exposed brickwork on the interior generates a distinct modernist feel to the whole experience of taking Mass there. Continue reading

Can you live on £1.34 a day? Hard working lone parent. 1 in 5 of our UK population (22%) is in poverty. 4.3 million people in poverty. 8.2 million are working-age adults. 4.1 million are children. 1.9 million are pensioners. 8 million people live in poverty in families where at least one person is in work. 4 million workers are in poverty. Universal Credit Increasing UK Poverty. In-work poverty has been rising even faster than employment Due to increasing poverty among working parents Continue reading

The fire at Stanley Tower was brought under control with minimal fuss. I was home at the time and although I decided to leave the building many of my neighbours stayed home. If Alan hadn’t have knocked on my door to alert me of fire, and if I hadn’t noticed a small crowd of people massing on the ground down below - some of the kids shouting “Get out. You’re on fire!” - I would not have been any the wiser. Continue reading

Many social housing blocks were sold off to private landlords with covenants attached. But the covenants are riddled with loopholes. The upshot is places like Stanley Tower, where a private landlord owns the entity and collects the rent and seeks to maximise profit even though the building is still the only thing between a large group of vulnerable tenants and homelessness. Continue reading

When I go to the job centre, I'm warned, like everyone else is, that if I don't make my appointment within ten minutes of the arranged time, I get sanctioned. Sanctioned means my rent and my food is cut off for six weeks. I'm effectively potentially evicted and starving, My letter always arrives two days late. Continue reading

Here is a Manchester writer advocating positive action to address the Kafkaesque deep state machinations against the sick, poor, disabled, single parents, the unemployed, and their children. The narrative captures the Zeitgeist in reflecting the findings of authoritative reports. Continue reading

And they've advanced me through from basic psychotherapy services for mild depression through to specialist services, saying I need stronger treatment. My condition's getting worse. But when I go to the job centre, they overrule this and say, we're just going to ignore it. You've got to look for work. Continue reading