Podcasts about Irish Guards

Palace Weekly hosted by Mark Francis *NEW FORMAT* This week's highlights in Royal news and gossip.PALACE WEEKLY: ROYAL DRAMA AND DUCHESS DISASTERS This week's Palace Weekly delivers explosive royal gossip! Meghan launches a new podcast while experts WARN against her dangerous DIY skincare advice. Colonel Kate dazzles in green with the Irish Guards while swapping Diana's iconic sapphire for a mysterious new ring. Prince William jokes about his Beckham friendship as Charles sells £28 luxury soap! Prince Andrew faces shocking new allegations from a former masseuse. Plus: Harry's immigration victory, Mike Tindall's Cheltenham drinking tips, Australia snubs King Charles, and Queen Mary of Denmark returns after mysterious illness. Don't miss this week's royal roundup!Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories' with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!We now have Merch!  FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there's free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.comGet more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com

The Princess of Wales was reunited with the Irish Guards for the St Patrick's Day parade - and a cheeky half pint of Guinness.  Pod Save the King host Ann Gripper is joined by Mirror deputy royal editor Jennifer Newton to discuss the fashion, formalities and fun of a favourite Kate event - and Mirror royal editor Russell Myers gives his update from Estonia as Prince William visits.  Ann and Jen also reflect on the Wales' rugby outing, William talking about his love of football and some upbeat engagements for the royal family in the spring sunshine.  They also discuss the latest on the Sussexes, with the ongoing battle over Harry's visa and the announcement of Meghan's new podcast. Image: Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA Wire Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colonel Kate was back on parade yesterday, raising a half-pint of Guinness to celebrate St Patrick's Day with the Irish Guards. The Princess of Wales, looking absolutely gorgeous in green Alexander McQueen, made her triumphant return to the annual celebration after missing last year due to her cancer treatment.The Princess, ever generous, even put money behind the bar for the troops, telling them: "It's the least I can do." Now that's royal class! The 43-year-old beamed as she inspected the regiment, pinned traditional shamrocks beneath her gold Cartier brooch, and even presented one to Turlough Mor, the Irish wolfhound mascot who serves as the regiment's most adorable soldier.During candid chats with the guardsmen, Kate revealed she's keen to take her children Down Under. "George finds it fascinating that he has been to Australia and New Zealand," she told an Australian reservist. "I would like to go back there with them now." Little Prince George, now 11, was just nine months old during his parents' 2014 tour. While no joint trips have been announced yet, we're all hoping to see the Wales family on a royal tour soon.Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories' with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!We now have Merch!  FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there's free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.comGet more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com

Britain put on a display of birthday pageantry Saturday for King Charles III, a military parade that marked the Princess of Wales ' first appearance at a public event since her cancer diagnosis early this year.6月15日，英国为国王查尔斯三世举行了官方生日的皇家阅兵仪式，该阅兵式是凯特王妃自今年年初被诊断出癌症以来首次出现在公众视野。The annual event was also a show of stability by the monarchy after a testing few months in which both the king and Kate, wife of heir to the throne Prince William, have been sidelined by cancer treatment.英国王室成员在凯特王妃患癌后因陪伴治疗而缺席部分活动。此次一年一度的国王生日兼皇家阅兵仪式也体现了君主制的稳定性。In a symbolic display of unity, Charles, Queen Camilla, William, Kate and their children were joined by other members of the royal family on a Buckingham Palace balcony at the end of the King's Birthday Parade. The family waved to the gathered crowd as they watched a flyby of military aircraft to cap (added“off” after“cap”) ceremonies marking the monarch's official birthday.在观看飞行表演时，查尔斯国王、卡米拉王后、威廉王子和凯特王妃一家与其他王室成员一起在白金汉宫阳台上向聚集的群众们挥手致意。It was Kate's first appearance at a public event since December. She disclosed in March that she was undergoing chemotherapy for an unspecified form of cancer. 这是凯特王妃自2023年12月以来首次在公开场合露面。她在今年3月透露，正在接受预防性癌症化疗。"I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days," Kate said in a statement released Friday, adding that she faces "a few more months" of treatment.Kate said she is "not out of the woods yet" and officials stress that Saturday's engagement doesn't herald a full return to public life.“目前我的治疗取得了不错的进展，但同任何接受化疗的人一样，我的身体状态时好时坏。”凯特王妃在6月14日发布的一份声明中点出她将面临“数月”的治疗，并表示“仍未走出困境”。肯辛顿宫强调，6月15日凯特王妃参与国王生日兼皇家阅兵仪式并不代表凯特王妃全面恢复工作。Huge crowds turn out each June to watch the birthday parade, also known as Trooping the Color, which begins with a procession involving horses, musicians and hundreds of soldiers in ceremonial uniform from Buckingham Palace.每年六月，大批群众前往英国白金汉宫观看游行（“Trooping the Color”），包括骑兵卫队游行、音乐家演奏及数百名身穿白金汉宫制服的士兵接受检阅。The 42-year-old princess traveled in a horse-drawn carriage from the palace down the grand avenue known as the Mall with her children George, 10, Charlotte, 9, and 6-year-old Louis. Bystanders cheered as they caught a glimpse of Kate, dressed in a white dress by designer Jenny Packham and wide-brimmed Philip Treacy (misread“Treacy” as“Treaky”) hat.这位 42 岁的凯特王妃与乔治王子（10岁）、夏洛特公主（9岁）和路易王子（6岁）一同乘坐马车完成由白金汉宫为起点，穿过骑兵卫队的阅兵场，最后回到白金汉宫的圈式游行。不少群众在在亲眼见到凯特王妃回归大众视野时欢呼雀跃。当天，凯特王妃身穿詹妮·帕克汉（Jen ny Packham）设计的白色连衣裙，戴着菲利普·崔西（Philip Treacy）所设计的宽边帽。She watched the ceremony with the children from the window of a building overlooking Horse Guards Parade, a ceremonial parade ground in central London. Louis yawned broadly at one point in proceedings, but mostly watched intently, even dancing along to the military music.凯特王妃与孩子们在白金汉宫的阳台上观看了皇家阅兵仪式，俯瞰着伦敦市中心骑兵卫队游行。小王子路易一度打了个大大的哈欠，但大部分时间都在专心致志地观看，甚至随着军乐跳舞。William, in military dress uniform, rode on horseback for the ceremony, in which troops parade past the king with their regimental flag, or (misread“or” as“of”) "color". The display of precision marching and martial music stems from the days when a regiment's flag was an essential rallying point in the fog of battle.威廉王子身着军装，骑在马背上参加仪式，军队带着他们的团旗在国王身边游行。精确行进的步兵游行和军乐源自于团旗在过去战争中起到的重要号召力。Charles, who also is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, traveled in a carriage with Queen Camilla, rather than on horseback as he did last year. The king inspected the troops from a dais on the parade ground, saluting as elite regiments of Foot Guards marched past.查尔斯国王也正在接受未公开的癌症治疗，今年的皇家阅兵仪式他与卡米拉王后一同乘坐马车游行，并未像往常一样骑马。国王在阅兵仪式台上检阅了部队，并在步兵游行时向其敬礼。Five regiments take it in turns to parade their color, and this year it was the turn of a company of the Irish Guards, which has Kate as its honorary colonel. The troops in scarlet tunics and bearskin hats were led onto the parade ground by their mascot, an Irish wolfhound named Seamus.五个军队根据颜色轮流参加游行，今年轮到爱尔兰卫队，凯特王妃担任该队的名誉上校。身穿猩红色长袍、头戴熊皮帽的士兵被军队吉祥物——名为Seamus的爱尔兰猎狼犬——领到阅兵场上。Charles, 75, disclosed his cancer in February, and has recently eased back into public duties. He attended commemorations last week for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe on June 6, 1944.现年75岁的查尔斯国王在2月份曾披露了他的癌症，最近恢复公职。6月6日，他参加了在法国举行的诺曼底登陆80周年国际纪念仪式，1944年6月6日是诺曼底登陆日，盟军士兵向诺曼底海滩发起猛攻。In one of the many quirks of British royal convention, Saturday is not the king's real birthday — that's in November. Like his mother Queen Elizabeth II before him, Charles has an official birthday on the second Saturday in June. The date was chosen because the weather is generally good, though early sunshine on Saturday gave way to a blustery, rainy day in London.在英国王室众多惯例中，6月14日不是查尔斯国王真正的生日，其真正生日在11月。如同母亲伊丽莎白二世一样，查尔斯国王的官方生日是6月的第2个星期六（今年的6月15日）。之所以选择这个日期，是因为尽管此前伦敦刮风下雨，但雨后天晴，天气总体不错。The rain held off for most of the ceremony but began pelting down as the massed troops escorted the royal carriages back to Buckingham Palace past soggy but enthusiastic crowds.在仪式举行的大部分时间里，天气均为阴天或多云，但当集结的军队护送皇家马车返回白金汉宫时，大雨倾盆，但并未浇灭路旁热情的群众。Blue sky briefly returned as the family emerged onto the balcony to watch a flyby that included the Royal Air Force aerobatic team, the Red Arrows, trailing red, white and blue plumes of vapor.天晴后，英国王室成员们来到阳台上观看飞行表演，其中包括皇家空军特技飞行队“红箭”，拖橐着红色，白色和蓝色的蒸汽羽流。Thousands of royal fans in raincoats and umbrellas cheered, as a smattering of anti-monarchist protesters chanted "Not my king." Spectator Joseph Afrane, 60, said that he was happy to see Kate return — and to get a "big wave" as she passed by.数千王室粉丝欢呼雀跃，少数反君主制抗议者高呼“并非吾王”。60岁的观众Joseph Afrane约瑟夫·阿弗兰（音译）说，他很高兴看到凯特回来。"It was fantastic when I heard it on the news yesterday," he said. "I thought, 'God, I thank you for bringing Kate back,' because she's very hardworking." Spectators who braved the volatile weather were treated to a display of pomp and precision involving 1,400 soldiers, 250 military musicians and more than 200 horses. The equine participants included Trojan, Tennyson, and Vanquish, three of the five military horses who sparked mayhem in April when they bolted and ran loose through central London, crashing into vehicles and causing chaos during the morning rush hour.“当我昨天在新闻中听到（凯特王妃回归）时，感觉太好了。‘上帝，感谢你把凯特带回来，'她是一个努力的人。”群众们冒着多变的天气欣赏了1400名士兵、250名军乐师和200多匹马的盛况和表演。参与表演的马匹包括Trojan、Tennyson和Vanquish，这是五匹军马中的三匹。4月，它们曾在伦敦市中心失控狂奔，撞上车辆并在造成早高峰混乱。The army says the other two horses are recovering well and are also expected (left out“also”) to return to duty.军方表示，另外两匹马恢复良好，预计将重返岗位。Trooping the Colourn. 皇家阅兵仪式Foot Guardsn. 步兵Honorary colonel n. 名誉上校Irish Guardsn.爱尔兰卫队D-Dayn. 诺曼底登陆日

The Princess of Wales became Colonel of the Irish Guards last year and should have taken their salute at the warm-up event for Trooping the Colour.  Instead, as she continues her cancer treatment, she sent a message ahead of their big day.  Kate also missed the society wedding of the year as the Duke of Grosvenor married Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral last Friday.  Pod Save the King host Ann Gripper is joined by Mirror royal features writer Jennifer Newton to discuss the big events and look ahead to the King's summer birthday celebration.  They also reflect on some windows into Prince William's world and get almost as excited about sport as Mike Tindall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Jessica and Rachel talk all about the high society wedding of the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, and and his bride, The Duchess of Westminster, Olivia Henson. We also discuss the D-Day anniversary events in both England and France. And the Royal Rundown includes details on the disagreement between King Charles and Prince Andrew over Royal Lodge, as well as a surprise message from the Princess of Wales to the Irish Guards. In Royals Around The World, the king of Jordan celebrates his Silver Jubilee, Princess Madeleine of Sweden still plans to move her family back to Sweden from the US, and King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands make a royal visit to Georgia and New York, making stops in Atlanta, Savannah, and New York City. Follow us on Instagram @podcastroyal Email us at hellopodcastroyal@gmail.com Royal in this episode: The Prince of Wales (Prince William) The Princess of Wales (Kate Middleton, Catherine) King Charles Queen Camilla The Princess Royal (Princess Anne) Princess Eugenie Prince Louis The Duke of York (Prince Andrew) The Duchess of York (Fergie, Sarah Ferguson) Earl Charles Spencer King Abdullah of Jordan Princess Madeleine of Sweden Princess Estelle of Sweden Prince Oscar of Sweden King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands Queen Maxima of The Netherlands Princess Catharina-Amalia of The Netherlands --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/podcastroyal/message

Things are looking up for Princess Kate, Prince Harry's police security battle continues, and Prince William comes face to face with a royal who mocked Kate.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the version of Hot off the Wire posted April June 10 at 7 a.m. CT: BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy embraced his status as an outsider who came to Montana to start a business during the first debate in a race that could tip the balance of power in the Senate. Three-term Democrat Sen. Jon Tester declared Sheehy “part of the problem” amid a housing shortage and rising property taxes. BRUSSELS (AP) — Far-right parties rattled the traditional powers in the European Union with major gains in parliamentary seats, dealing an especially humiliating defeat to French President Emmanuel Macron, who called snap legislative elections. Some ballots in the vote for the European Parliament were still being counted Monday, but the outcome showed the 27-nation bloc’s parliament membership has clearly shifted to the right.  WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Hunter Biden's family has gone to great lengths to support him as he stands trials for lying on a federal gun purchase form when he said he didn't have a drug problem. Jill Biden has been a regular presence in the federal courtroom in Delaware, and other family members have attended.  In other news: Some nationalities escape President Joe Biden's sweeping asylum ban because deportation flights are scarce. Apple expected to enter AI race with ambitions to overtake the early leaders. Large chunk of Wyoming's Teton Pass road collapses; unclear how quickly it can be rebuilt. A World War II veteran just married his bride near Normandy's D-Day beaches. He's 100, she's 96. Florida authorities warn of shark dangers along Gulf Coast beaches after 3 people are attacked. Florida woman charged with leaving her boyfriend to die in a suitcase faces October trial. "Bad Boys Ride or Die" boosts Will Smith's comeback and the box office with $56 million opening. Howard University cuts ties with Sean 'Diddy' Combs after video of attack on Cassie. Dick Van Dyke becomes the oldest Daytime Emmy winner at age 98 for guest role on "Days of Our Lives." Former astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, has died in Washington plane crash. The Celtics take care of business in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, the Mets salvage a split with the Phillies in London, Tyler Freeman's late-inning heroics help the Guardians beat the Marlins, the Yankees use the long-ball to avoid being swept by the Dodgers, Carlos Alcaraz earns a French Open title in thrilling fashion, Scottie Scheffler holds on for another PGA Tour victory, Kyle Larson earns a NASCAR Cup Series win in his home state, and the Liberty keep the Mystics winless. French President Macron calls a snap legislative election after defeat in EU vote. Relying on coalition partners, Modi is sworn in for a rare third term as India's prime minister. Kate, Princess of Wales, apologizes for missing Irish Guards final rehearsal before king's parade. Israel rescues 4 hostages kidnapped in a Hamas attack on Oct. 7. At least 55 dead in Gaza strikes. In this week's religion roundup, a debate over in vitro fertilization reaches the public. —The Associated Press About this program Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

So to the surprise of absolutely no-one, Princess Catherine (or Colonel Catherine in this instance) "has spoken of her pride in the Irish Guards as she wrote to apologise for missing a parade rehearsal on Saturday. Catherine would usually attend the so-called Colonel's Review - held before next week's Trooping the Colour - but is taking time away from her official duties after treatment for cancer. Mmmm. **NEW** BUY YOUR TICKETS FOR JOEY BARTON AND LAURENCE FOX LIVE here BUY ME A COFFEE HERE AND SUPPORT MY WORK ON THIS PODCAST! DO JOIN MY SUBSTACK HERE!   This podcast is sponsored by https://www.quantumhypno.co.uk/  

AP correspondent Rica Ann Garcia reports on a letter from the Princess of Wales to the Irish Guard, prior to the Trooping of Color parade

With every news cycle is a new version of a timetable for Kate. Vanity Fair suggests that Reports claiming that Kate is unlikely to be back at work until next year are inaccurate. They quoted one well-placed source, “There is no timeline, and there is certainly no hurry. It will be when Catherine feels ready and when she gets the greenlight from her medical team. But she will 100% be coming back to work, of that there is no question.”A “senior royal aide” tells the Daily Mail: “The Princess of Wales was the driving force behind the business task force. She has been kept up to date since the inception of the task force, and she has read the report and been briefed on it.“This is a clear commitment she has made—that throughout her life of public service…this will be [the] focus. That will continue when she returns to work.“But we have been really clear that she needs the space and the privacy to recover right now. She will return to work when she has had the greenlight from doctors.”The Telegraph reported The Princess of Wales is “considering” a surprise appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at Trooping the Colour, according to an insider, although she will not be returning to public duties for the Colonel's Review.As colonel in chief of the Irish Guards, Kate would normally take the salute on June 8 – a week before the Trooping the Colour.   Lieutenant General James Bucknall will carry out the role of Inspecting Officer.Royal Insider Deep Crown insists that Trooping the Colour will be very telling:  “Either she will appear on that balcony, resplendent and radiant as ever, or her absence will speak volumes about the true state of her health and the challenges that lie ahead. There will be no more room for speculation or guesswork - the truth will be laid bare for all to see.."A reminder that Deep Crown does a weekly podcast exclusively available to Palace Intrigue paid subscribers.  Details in the show notes on how to sign up.Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are reportedly unlikely to join other members of the Royal Family at this year's Trooping the Colour event on June 15th, at least according to this iteration of the news cycle.Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love. For Apple users, hit the banner on your app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.supportingcast.fm. Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories.' Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Go to caloroga.supportingcast.fm. Join today and support the show! See the full list of shows and sign up for our newsletter for more great news from Caloroga Shark Media.

In this episode of Veteran On the Move, Joe Crane interviews British Army veteran Nick Haley, founder of Little Big Tech. Nick served for 12 years, first in the Irish Guards and later gained technical skills in the Signal Corps. After transitioning, Nick aimed for a better life in the tech field. He faced initial challenges but persevered with further education and training. Combining experience from traditional companies, startups, and contracting, Nick leveraged his learnings to launch Little Big Tech, providing IT support to small businesses. The episode delves into the unique strengths veteran entrepreneurs bring and the importance of the veteran community for support during business ventures. Nick also has his own podcast for veteran entrepreneurs, Little Big Vets. Episode Resources:  Little Big Tech Little Big Vets   About Our Guest    Nick Haley is a British Army veteran with over 12 years service including operational tours in Kosovo and Afghanistan. Nick now runs an IT company called Little Big Tech providing outsourced IT to young ambitious companies. Nick also runs a podcast interviewing other veteran entrepreneurs to highlight some of the amazing stories of veterans in their life after service.   Join the conversation on Facebook! Check out Veteran on the Move on Facebook to connect with our guests and other listeners. A place where you can network with other like-minded veterans who are transitioning to entrepreneurship and get updates on people, programs and resources to help you in YOUR transition to entrepreneurship.   About Our Sponsors Navy Federal Credit Union   Becoming a member at Navy Federal Credit Union could help you earn more and save more. Their certificate options could earn you more than standard savings accounts with competitive rates. Not all financial institutions offer you as many choices for savings options as Navy Federal does. For example, you could start your savings journey with a low minimum deposit, add money at any time and watch your savings GROW! Thanks to flexible terms, you can use Navy Federal's savings options for all kinds of goals—short or long-term. Considering a big home improvement project? Maybe you want to consolidate debt? You could borrow up to 100% of your home's equity with a Fixed-Rate Home Equity Loan with ZERO closing costs, or easily borrow as you go with a Home Equity Line of Credit. BOTH options could help make life's big expenses seem more manageable. To learn more, visit NavyFederal.org. At Navy Federal, our members are the mission.      Want to be our next guest? Send us an email at interview@veteranonthemove.com.  Did you love this episode? Leave us a 5-star rating and review!  Download Joe Crane's Top 7 Paths to Freedom or get it on your mobile device. Text VETERAN to 38470. Veteran On the Move podcast has published 500 episodes. Our listeners have the opportunity to hear in-depth interviews conducted by host Joe Crane. The podcast features people, programs, and resources to assist veterans in their transition to entrepreneurship.  As a result, Veteran On the Move has over 7,000,000 verified downloads through Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, iTunes and RSS Feed Syndication making it one of the most popular Military Entrepreneur Shows on the Internet Today.

Today's episode opens up the system of systems that delivers the materials, equipment and tools we use to deliver high quality homes and buildings to ourselves. The focus is on an novel ultrasonic leak detection system. This is potentially game-changing technology that impacts the ability to confidently deliver Passive House quality air control layers. Along the way you'll learn about the importance of the air barrier and get a glimpse of the vastness of the AEC. This is an expansive episode that covers the human side of what it will take to get us from high quality designs to high performance finished projects - and ultimately to high quality lived experiences for occupants and owners.If you appreciate the ideas you hear on our podcast, Humid Climate Conference is the conference and the community you're looking for.Bernard HornungHead of Built Environment, Coltraco Ultrasonics Limited a technology firm in the UK.Coltraco is manufacturer of a novel and powerful ultrasonic leak detection system.An example of the types of innovative and trailblazing materials equip and tools that Source2050 is brining to the market. Major Bernard Hornung was educated at Ampleforth College and at The RoyalMilitary Academy Sandhurst. He served 15 years in the Irish Guards, firstly as a Platoon Commander in the Battalion and secondly at the Infantry Junior Leaders Battalion. Bernard is fluent in Spanish and in Portuguese Bernard joined Coltraco Ultrasonics In May of 2020 (a good time to switch career focus to air quality and air barriers) as Head of the Built Environment at Coltraco.John KnappCo-founder of Source2050.Source2050 is the first mission-driven, curated marketplace of energy efficient and highperformance building products that lets builders find and purchase the best solutions for their projects. As you'll hear he's a force of nature who has done a lot, and played a varied of roles during his time on the planet.TeamHosted by Kristof IrwinEdited by Nico MignardiProduced by M. Walker

James Paul Watson (known as Paul) joined the Irish Guards straight from school and completed 6 operational tours including Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He sustained a spinal injury in Afghanistan, which ultimately led to his medical discharge from the British Army in 2015. He immediately enrolled at Salford University where he graduated in 2018 with a degree in Political Contemporary History before being elected as a local councillor. Whilst at university, Paul began to become disillusioned with society's relationship with the veteran community - specifically how our injured veterans are dependent on charities for support post-service.Paul fundamentally believes that it is the responsibility of local and national government to provide for our veteran's aftercare, as it was the politicians and not the charitable sector that send us to war, hence, the accountability lies solely with them. Paul was diagnosed with complex PTSD in 2017 and uses his platform to promote positive mental health by being honest and open about his own battles with PTSD.In 2021, Paul released his memoirs where he challenges the MoD's policy regarding the mental health of both serving personnel and veterans, and in 2022 founded the Ex-Forces Union to lobby on behalf of our veterans.LINKS:Join our Facebook Group community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2314725475490967/Engage with us on LinkedIn here:https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13628154/Insta/Twitter/Facebook: @CampaignForceUKor email the host jonny@campaignforce.co.ukhttps://www.exforcesunion.org/OP Courage: Mental health support for veterans, service leavers and reservists - NHS (www.nhs.uk)Combat Stress is the UK's leading mental health charity for veterans  Call them on 0800 138 1619, text them on 07537 404 719 or email helpline@combatstress.org.uk.Support the show✅Support The Show Help Us Grow! Help us reach more veterans by donating the cost of a cup of coffee today...

In this episode, our host Captain Ash Bhwardwaj speaks to Sergeant Mo Faye about the importance of ownership over outputs and how soft skills in leaders are hugely valued by followers during periods of training and change. Sergeant Mo Faye was born and raised in Gambia and joined the British Army's Staff and Personnel Support Branch, the Adjutant Generals Corps (AGC, SPS) in 2001. He was then attached to the rifle companies of infantry regiments as a junior HR specialist and admin junior Non Commissioned Officer. As a corporal he administered Officer Cadets at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, before working with the Irish Guards and NATO in the Middle East. As a Sergeant Mo is now the systems coordinator at the Army Medical Service's support unit. Mo has deployed across the world on exercise and on operations and has been awarded the Queen's Commendation for value of service and the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe's Coin. He is also the founder of the Juwara Charity.

In this episode, our host Captain Ash Bhwardwaj speaks to Sergeant Mo Faye about the importance of ownership over outputs and how soft skills in leaders are hugely valued by followers during periods of training and change. Sergeant Mo Faye was born and raised in Gambia and joined the British Army's Staff and Personnel Support Branch, the Adjutant Generals Corps (AGC, SPS) in 2001. He was then attached to the rifle companies of infantry regiments as a junior HR specialist and admin junior Non Commissioned Officer. As a corporal he administered Officer Cadets at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, before working with the Irish Guards and NATO in the Middle East. As a Sergeant Mo is now the systems coordinator at the Army Medical Service's support unit. Mo has deployed across the world on exercise and on operations and has been awarded the Queen's Commendation for value of service and the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe's Coin. He is also the founder of the Juwara Charity.

Our latest podcast begins at the Guards Grave in the Retz Forest near the village of Villers Cotteret on the Aisne battlefield.  It contains the graves of 98 men of the Guards Brigade who fought one of the most remarkable rear-guard actions of the Great War near this spot on the 1st of September 1914.  We meet the eccentric and dangerous-to-know Irish Guards officer Lt Aubrey Herbert.  A loose cannon with a volcanic temper, Herbert was almost blind, but despite this, he proved to be a capable officer.  Opinionated, argumentative, and dangerous to know, Herbert successfully delivered a vital message that allowed reinforcements to be rushed up into the forest to help rescue the beleaguered Guards Division.We also discover the story behind one of the most impressive private memorials anywhere on the Western Front, and the remarkable perseverance of a formidable woman, desperate to find out what happened to her only son.  Support the podcast:https://www.patreon.com/footstepsofthefallenhttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/footstepsblo 

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, Founder of Rubber Cheese.Download the Rubber Cheese 2022 Visitor Attraction Website Report - the first digital benchmark statistics for the attractions sector.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcast.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcastCompetition ends on 20th December 2023. The winner will be contacted via Twitter.Show references: https://vacevents.com/THURSDAY 5TH OCTOBER – QEII CONFERENCE CENTRE, WESTMINSTERhttps://vacevents.com/committee/ Bernard Donoghue OBECEO & Director, ALVA, the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, Mayor of London's Culture Ambassador. Co-Chair, London Tourism Recovery Board.https://www.alva.org.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernard-donoghue-obe-0aa9b97/ Bernard has been the Director of ALVA, the UK's Association for Leading Visitor Attractions, since 2011 following a career in advocacy, communications, and lobbying, latterly at a senior level in the tourism and heritage sector. In  2017, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, appointed Bernard to be the Mayor's Ambassador for Cultural Tourism and a member of the Mayor's Cultural Leadership Board. Bernard is Co-Chair of the London Tourism Recovery Board. He is also Chairman of LIFT, London International Festival of Theatre; Chairman of the Bristol Old Vic, the oldest continually operating theatre in the English-speaking world, and also of the People's History Museum, the Museum of Democracy.  He has been a member of the UK Government's Tourism Industry Council since 2016.  Bernard was named by Blooloop in 2020 as one of the world's 50 most influential people in museums, and in July 2021 won the public vote for the COVID Special Recognition Award from the UK Museums and Heritage Awards for his service to, and leadership of the museums and heritage sector in the UK during the pandemic. Ken Robinson CBE FTS - Founder of VAChttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-robinson-cbe-fts-bb811312/Ken is an independent adviser who speaks and writes on tourism topics.  As a "tourism enthusiast" he aims to be a pragmatic pioneer of new initiatives, strategies and solutions to optimise the economic, cultural and social benefits of tourism.   Ken's Consultancy companies completed over 1500 assignments, mostly in the UK but also several hundred international projects, beginning over 50 years ago, before the days of mass tourism.  He was a founding member of the Tourism Society and supported the formation of the Tourism Alliance, both of which organisations he has served as a board member and Chair, as he has on several other Tourism bodies. Specialising initially in visitor attractions, Ken initiated and subsequently chaired the National Visitor Attractions Conference, VAC, and has been on its Committee ever since.  In addition to many clients in the public, private and third sectors, he has advised the UN's International Trade Centre, on national and regional Tourism strategy development.  His current focus is to move the industry's thinking from marketing to the critical need to manage future tourism for the benefit of host communities, and to optimise tourist's experiences.  Ken was appointed CBE for services to Tourism in 1997, and an Honorary Doctorate in 2014. Paul KellyChief Executive, BALPPA, Chair of VAC https://www.balppa.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-kelly-2714a922/Having been with BALPPA for 11 years and working with VAC for that amount of time as well, Paul started his career in the attractions sector at Thorpe Park in the 80's and then moved on to the London Eye for its opening around the millennium.  He has  always been involved with visitor attractions.  Several more years working within Merlin followed both in the UK and abroad, mainly on business development.  Being a BALPPA member for 30 years means, being Chair of the organising committee at VAC keeps Paul in touch with all aspects of the attractions industry. Liz Terry MBEManaging Director, Leisure Media Grouphttps://www.linkedin.com/in/elizterry/ Janet Uttley Head of Business Transformation for VisitEnglandhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/janetuttley/  Transcriptions: Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip The Queue, a podcast for people working in or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host, Kelly Molson. Season 5 kicks off today with not one, not two, but three excellent guests.On today's episode, I have the pleasure of speaking to Bernard Donoghue, Paul Kelly and Ken Robinson, founders of the Visitor Attractions Conference. You also know Bernard as, Director of ALVA and Paul as CEO of BALPPA.VAC celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and I'm finding out where the idea for the event spanned from, how it's changed and developed over the years. And we take a look ahead to what 2024 has in store for the attraction sector.Unfortunately, fellow Founder; Liz Terry, the Managing Director of Leisure Media Group, and also Janet Uttley, Head of Business Transformation for VisitEngland, were unable to join us on this episode. But stay tuned for lots of insight and to find out how you can get your ticket for the VAC conference this year.Kelly Molson: If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue.Kelly Molson: Bernard, Ken, Paul, it is a treat to have you all on the podcast today. Thank you for joining me. I think this is the first time I've had three guests as well, so this could be interesting. Bernard Donoghue: And three men as well. I mean, it's like a really bad testosterone banana rama, isn't it? Really. Kelly Molson: I'm just a little flower in the middle of you thorns today. Yes, it's a real shame. So, unfortunately, Janet Uttley and Liz Terry couldn't make it along to join us today, which is a shame. But I'm sure that they will get lots of mentions as we talk through some of the things that we're going to chat about today. But first, as ever, I want to start with a little icebreaker. I'm going to ask you all the same thing because I'm intrigued as to whether you ended up doing what you thought you might. So, Ken, I'm going to start with you first. When you were at school, what did you think that you'd grow up and be when you were older? Ken Robinson: I didn't know. Kelly Molson: Had no clue at all? Ken Robinson: No, I didn't have a clue. I was lucky to have a good education. I didn't work at school. And then I got into a job, which was I was very successful at it and it was very boring. So I left. And when I discovered tourism and visitor attractions, it took me over. I didn't decide to do it. It told me that was it. Kelly Molson: Oh, I love it. It's like a calling. Ken Robinson: At the time it was, I was actually sitting in a turret room which had been vacated by Lord Montague. His desk used to face in and I liked that because I didn't have to look at the faces of the visitors going past who might complain, because in those days, buli was very expensive. And then one day I thought to myself, these people are investing their hard earned money and leisure time in making a decision to come here and it's our job to make sure they have a good time. And I turned my desk round and I looked at them all day long and the moment I turned my desk round, everything changed. Kelly Molson: I love that, because you could see the whites of their eyes and how they were engaging with the venue as they turned up. Ken Robinson: Well, it's just such a failure, isn't it? If you've got somebody who makes a choice and spends their time and money, a family decision for many people, and it should be a highlight. And if it isn't, whose fault is it? It's probably the fault of the visitor attraction, given that the person has chosen to go there in not communicating well enough with them about what they've got and what they would find interesting. Kelly Molson: This is such a brilliant story and that wasn't where I was expecting this to go either, Ken. I love it. Paul, what about you, Paul?Paul Kelly: Yeah, I mean, when I was at school, I was interested in sports and that was it, really, and luckily, that dragged me through the various places I went to. But what I was going to end up doing sports. I think once you get into sports quite seriously, you realise fairly quickly that actually you're not going to make it, so you have to find something else. So, laterally, I decided that business was a good idea. So I started doing business studies up in North Wales and for some reason were doing a sandwich course in those days, I think it was called that. One of those, I got placed at Thorpe Park. I don't know why particularly, so there's a group of six of us went down to Thorpe Park to work there and I actually started working on the rides.Paul Kelly: I'm not sure what it had to do with business at the time, but I'm glad somebody thought it did. And I couldn't believe that was a job that you could do, you could be paid for, because I came from the north at that point and there wasn't an awful lot going on in the 80s and actually be paid. Everyone enjoyed themselves, fantastic atmosphere, parties every night. I'm sure it's still like that. And it was just amazing. And from that moment on, regardless of what happened after that, including other colleges, other bits and pieces, effectively, I never left. Kelly Molson: It's always going to be in that sector. Paul Kelly: Yes. Kelly Molson: Excellent. Great. Bernard, same to you. Bernard Donoghue: Well, this may come as a surprise, but my grandfather was in the Irish Guards, my father was in the Grenadier Guards, my brother was in the Royal Marines, and I had a very large collection of action men. I genuinely thought I would probably end up in the army. And actually, I got an offer after university to go into the Household Cavalry. I don't think I've ever told anyone this before. Anyway, it just clearly I didn't pursue the application. It wasn't for me at all. Got really into politics. So I started working in the House of Commons, House of Lords and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, and then I've just been in sort of lobbying, campaigning, political world ever since. But I still miss the uniforms. Can't deny it. Kelly Molson: I think we'd like to see you in that uniform, Bernard, if I'm not going to lie. So from the lobbying aspect, which is obviously a really big part of the role that you currently have, how did the attractions bit kind of slot into those? Where did the two join up? Bernard Donoghue: It's a really odd coincidence. I was trustee of a charity that Diana, Princess of Wales, was a patron of, and I was working full time for a charity that she was a patron of. So when she divorced Prince of Wales, now the King, she reduced her patronages down from 187 to six. And I happened to be involved with six of them. I went to work for her as a deputy private secretary, press secretary. But of course, the moment she died, which was August 31st, I had no job. Suddenly I was unemployed. And I got contacted by a woman who Ken will certainly know, probably Paul will, too, by Sue Garland, who used to be Deputy Chief Executive of VisitBritain, who'd heard me speak at something and said, "Well, we're just about to create this post of government affairs liaison. Would you be interested to working on the role while working on what you do next?”Bernard Donoghue: And that was in August 1997. And here I am still. Ken Robinson: But also, can I add something to that? Because I was lucky enough to be sitting in the room on many occasions when Bernard would give his briefing at meetings that were held by VisitBritain. And it was always a highlight of the day because Bernard, in those days, never pulled his punches. I'm not saying he does now, but he would just explain to everybody in the room what was going on with all of the political parties, which we never understood, and explain what we ought to be doing in order to best put our case. So it was really no shock when he turned up at ALVA, because I would say this if he wasn't here, he was the star of the show there, and that expertise that he showed has blossomed in the job that he's doing now. Kelly Molson: This is lovely, isn't it? Aren't you all nice? Bernard Donoghue: This is love in.. Kelly Molson: Probably why you all work together, right? You will get on so well. Right, back to you, Ken. Unpopular opinion, please. Ken Robinson: Most visitor attractions do not deliver full value for money to most of their visitors. Kelly Molson: Okay, Paul and Bernard, do you agree with this? Will our listeners agree with this? Is this an unpopular opinion?Paul Kelly: Did you use the word most, Ken? Ken Robinson: I did. Paul Kelly: I'll go for some, not most. Bernard Donoghue: Yeah, I'll go for some as well. One of my favourite programmes is Yes, Minister. And whenever you'd hear something off the wall, bonkers, they would say, that's a very brave opinion, Minister. That's a very brave opinion, Ken.Ken Robinson: Now's not the time to justify it. I'll do that on another occasion. Kelly Molson: Yeah, we will invite you back and we can do that one on one, Ken. Paul, what about you? Unpopular opinion? Paul Kelly: Well, I'm guessing that anybody that's worked in a theme park will probably have the same opinion I have. So I worked at Thorpe Park, which was 450 acres, two thirds of which was water. And at the end of the day, when you were walking out, and in those days, that could be 9, 10 o'clock at night, it was beautiful. On a late summer's evening, calm waters, walking through a park which had just been cleaned and tidied and ready for the next day. It was fantastic. And we all had the same opinion once were down the pub discussing the day. It's just a shame we have to let people into theme parks because it's the absolutely beautiful place without them there. So sometimes people let the parks down. Kelly Molson: That's a good one. That is a good one. Yeah. And you don't want to let them in to see the beautiful bit either, do you? Because then there'd be people there. It wouldn't be serene. Paul Kelly: No, I mean, those evenings, if there was still time, we'd go windsurfing on the lakes, cable water ski around the back. And it was just a shame that all these people came in every day and messed it all up. Kelly Molson: Yeah. Well, I'm pretty sure that most people who've worked in theme parks aren't going to disagree with you on that one, Paul. Good one. Bernard, what about yours? Bernard Donoghue: Even though I chair a theatre and I know how important the revenue is, I'm not a fan of selling drinks and food to people in theatres because they just make a noise. I can't bear it. I mean, it depends. I mean, it depends if it's a panto or something like that. Completely fine. Ken Robinson: Oh, no, it's not. Bernard Donoghue: It kind of allies to what Paul was saying as well, which was I don't know whether it's an unpopular opinion. I think it's probably a popular opinion. But visitor behaviour, whether it's in a theatre, a museum, an art gallery or wherever, has completely deteriorated post lockdown. Some people's behaviour is getting worse and it's very difficult to know what to do about it. Kelly Molson: Yes, agree. I don't think that's going to be very unpopular at all, actually, considering some of the things that we've seen recently. Thank you all for sharing. Okay, let's get back to the serious bit. The Visitor Attractions Conference. It's 20 years old this year. If you are listening and you're not familiar with it, one, why the hell not? And two, you need to grab a ticket today. It's the leading networking and learning event for visitor attractions across the UK. And I first visited in October 2019 and it was the first sector specific conference that I had been to. We'd been working in the sector for probably about three or four years, had never really at that point kind of gone all out on our like, "This is what we're going to niche and this is what we're going to specialise in."Kelly Molson: So I was kind of doing a bit of a fact finding mission really, and I came along and it absolutely blew me away. I think it was one of the friendliest conferences I've ever been to. I think you'd created an environment where everybody was really welcome, no stupid questions. Everyone from speakers to guests where kind of felt like they were all on the same level, really happy to answer questions that you had, really happy to talk to you. And I think that was for me. I came away from that event, I went back to my team and said, "This is where we should be. This is the event for us, this is where we should be attending, these are the people that we should be speaking to." And I've absolutely loved every minute of that. Kelly Molson: I mean, the next one I went to was a virtual one. So it was very different to the 2019 event, but still excellently organised. So firstly, thank you for making that happen. But where did the idea for the VAC come from in the first place? How did this come about? Ken Robinson: So we have to remember that the world was very different over 20 years ago. Really, really very different. Not just a question of internet or pre COVID and all those things and pre Olympics, but just very different. And attractions in those days thought and acted and communicated in their sectoral associations. Historic houses talked to historic houses, curators of museums talked to curators, bishops talked to priests, zoologists talked to botanists, but they didn't talk across the sectors. There were two exceptions to that. One was that in Visit England or English Tourist Board, there'd always been a committee there which was across the sectors, but the other one was ALVA. Now, when ALVA was formed, it was a 1 million visitors plus club for attractions, with 1 million plus visitors a year. Ken Robinson: Subsequently, groups of attractions, particularly English Heritage, National Trust, were involved originally associates, but it was a 1 million plus club and that's only 1% of the attractions in the United Kingdom had over 1 million. And it was very London centric. And ALVA had a five objectives, four of which were about government. And the interesting thing was that I was very good friends all through this time with Lord Lee, who know a very big part of the early success, pre Bernard of ALVA. I said to John Lee, “Look John, could you not change your name to ALVA and be involved with all the visitor attractions because they badly need something which glues everybody together and we need to get across this away from this sectoral stuff.” Ken Robinson: And everybody was talking about historic houses, talk about the house museums, talking about the continents of the museum but they weren't talking about visitors. They weren't talking about how you communicated with the visitors or what they were motivated by or how you could better manage things for visitors, give them better they weren't doing that. So John agreed with this and I've got the original papers here. I looked them out that I was asked first of all by ALVA in December of 2001 to write a paper on the future of ALVA which is headed: ALVA in the Future Representing All Visitor Attractions. Then after that the conversation went on and we realised that if were going to have some kind of overall event we couldn't do it without the National Tourist Board, we couldn't do it without Visit Britain, Visit England. We needed their input.Ken Robinson: We needed them to talk to DCMS and make sure it would happen. And also we wanted to do this not on a commercial basis but being by the industry, for the industry, run by the industry, not for profit. And that was a problem because we wanted to do it in the QE II Centre because we wanted to be in the centre of everything and that was going to cost an extraordinary sum of money and there wasn't that much money that could in that first year come originally from VisitEngland. So the partners in this, the partners being ALVA, BALPPA, Paul's organisation, Leisure Media the wonderful Liz Terry and her magazine which has forever been behind this event for no recompense whatever and myself put up 5000 pounds each security in order that the thing would happen. Ken Robinson: You said, "We'll stand the risk, let's do it.". So in 2004 I wrote the briefing of the first conference and I found from a 2003 the government asked for a list of topics that would be discussed in order they could work out whether or not they might like it and it's still here. What I like about it is it would do quite well for this year's conference. All those topics are still relevant. So that's where it came from. That's where it came from. We wanted it to have at the time the lowest possible attendance fee to get the highest number of people there. We wanted to involve everybody. Ken Robinson: And the cast list for that 2004 event, my goodness me, absolutely fantastic cast list in terms of the people we had for an initial event and you can imagine when it was announced and everybody was behind it ALVA was behind it. BALPPA, I should have mentioned that Colin Dawson, Paul's predecessor was an absolute stalwart of the conference in the early years he stood by know, when times were tough and that's where it came from. Kelly Molson: That is phenomenal. It was really putting your money where your mouth is, isn't it? By all of you actually personally investing in this thing to bring it to life. You don't hear many things happening in that way anymore, do you? It's all about getting investment and asking other people to make the commitment to it and take the risk. Ken Robinson: Well, we have a company now, I should say. We have a company called VAC Events, and we are all equal. The four of us are equal shareholders, that's to say, Bernard and ALVA, BALPPA and Paul, Liz and myself, for no benefit. Martin does it for us, but we are the people that carry the can, if you like, and I don't think we've ever had anything out of it apart from a nice lunch at Christmas, but apart from that, it's a great feeling of doing something. When you say everybody is very friendly and talks to one another. That's why they're all in the same business. Bishop, curator, zoologist person running a heritage railway, they're all in the same business. Kelly Molson: Obviously, the first event was a success. You've been on and you've done many, what, 20, 20 events since that first one. How have you seen it kind of change and develop over the years? So what did that first conference look like compared to what this year's will look like? And how have you kind of evolved it over that time to keep it relevant to your audience? Paul Kelly: Well, I think so. My involvement directly has been the last ten years, so I'm halfway through chairing for this one, but I was actually there at the early ones because I worked at that time. I was working at the London Eye, just across the river, and I was good friends with Colin Dawson at the time. I'd worked with him at Thorpe Park and he for some people, may well remember Colin as entertaining Princess Diana on a log flume in 92, 3 and 4. Paul Kelly: And I was there. It's hard to tell, but I was actually there. I'm not in any of the photos in Paris Match and all of those places. I have a couple of myself here. I didn't get anything signed by Princess Diana and sent over to you know, bitterness takes a while to and I've joked with Colin over this many years. Colin was there, but if you look closely behind the scenes, you'll find I was there too, but so I was great friends with Colin over many years and still am. He was obviously contacting everyone he knew about this conference. He was working for BALPPA at the time. I was working for the Two Swords Group, had the operational contract for the London Eye. Paul Kelly: So I went to the first one and I suppose my impressions of the first one was for somebody who hasn't been there before, the QE II is extremely impressive as a conference center. I don't go to many that look like that around the UK. Most of them normally the ones I go to are in attractions, they're slightly different so it was hugely impressive both on its location and what was across the road and how things went and I was a little bit starstruck I suppose, for the first one. Now I get the opportunity to sit on the stage and look out at everybody and have a slightly different view on it all, but still think it's an extremely impressive environment to do that. Paul Kelly: And I think the biggest change for me, and I think we may cover a little bit later, is how we've broken up the afternoons into separate segments and sections where people can go along to a smaller, informal group discussing a topic that they particularly want. And I think the thing I also like about that is the amount of people who want to go to more than one of them that are on at the same time and are almost complaining there's too many things to go to, which I think is hilarious, which means it's really good. And hopefully that means that next time they'll really think about which one do I want to go to, obviously I want to go to more than one, but I'm going to pick my best one. Paul Kelly: So I think for me, that's probably the biggest change over time. But what doesn't change for me is the team that we have putting these things together, which we're actually relatively slick at. Everyone gets the chance to put their opinions and I'm glad we don't record those meetings and it works out really well. And I think as a team, it's amazing how long we've stuck at it and stuck together. Kelly Molson: I'd love to be on a little fly on the wall for those meetings. Have you ever had a fallout about something? Bernard Donoghue: Yes, we're frequently violent. It's a visitor experience in its own right, I think. Kelly Molson: I'll pay for it. Bernard Donoghue: We reflect the madness that some of our visitors demonstrate on site so in that case I think we're rooted in the industry. The first one that I went to was in 2011, so I just joined ALVA at that point. And the first one I spoke, it was in 2012 and I've been doing the same kind of slot ever since. I do a kind of State of the Nation in the morning because ALVA obviously gets loads of data and information and we publish all of our visitor figures and all the rest of it, and actually we collect and commission much more data now than we ever used to. So I share all of that in the kind of Donoghue half hour copyright. Bernard Donoghue: What's lovely I mean, Paul's absolutely right is that over the last twelve years I think we've seen a real move from people desperately wanting to speak about their successes to being really open about what hasn't worked, which of course is far more interesting and useful. So there's been a really lovely shift from people saying, "No, I don't have to do the propaganda stuff.” Actually, I'm going to tell you what it was like, why it was a disaster and what we learned from it. And that's so useful. So you do get this real honesty coming from the speakers who know that's what they find useful too. So why not share it? I think the other one is I do a presentation about, is there core behaviours of successful visitor attractions regardless of type?Bernard Donoghue: And there are there's about ten of them, but one of them is the ability to foster creative partnerships with unusual suspects. So the presentations that are most fascinating for me is where a visitor attraction, it doesn't matter whether it's a cathedral or whether it's a museum or gallery or theme park, have teamed up with someone that you wouldn't expect them to team up with to tell the story of their people and places and collections in a new, innovating, exciting way. And those are fascinating, absolutely fascinating. So I love those. There's much more of that. Kelly Molson: Fantastic. Well, on that note, I want to know from each of you who has been the most inspiring speaker that you've had at the conference over the past 20 years. Ken, let us start with you. Who do you think would be on your list for that? Ken Robinson: I had a look through the programs going back to 2004 and came up with the following names which surprised me, actually. I think originally our first most inspiring speaker was Simon Jenkins, the columnist of the Times, who had very strong views, which didn't necessarily agree with what government and others were doing. He did give a very inspiring presentation and then there are some people who perhaps we would expect less. The most single most surprising speaker was somebody called Tristram Mayhew, who titles himself as the Chief Gorilla of Go Ape and in a room full of suits and quite smart dresses and trouser suits, Go Ape shambled onto the stage in a car key shirt and proceeded to explain how he'd done things differently. And frankly, it was riveting. We had a chap called Tony Berry from the National Trust who gave presentations. Ken Robinson: His first one was just stunnning, you know, in the days when HR was less popular, Tony Berry would tell you why you should be interested and he was absolutely amazing. And Sue Wilkinson, incidentally, of the National Trust, who was the person responsible really for dragging the Trust from its sort of old form to its new marketing orientated thinking about its supporters future success? She was terrific. And the other person I would mention another Tony, I don't know whether or Tony's there's Tony Butler from the Museum of East Anglian Life, who again, when Bernard was talking about people talking about doing things differently and it inspires you. Some of those examples are very interesting, but not easy to copy. Ken Robinson: In other attractions, we always look for things that do go across the piece, so anybody can learn from the lessons within the example that we're talking about. And incidentally, we do have arguments in meetings, it's about whether particular speakers and particular topics are the way of doing things. And generally speaking, when we all have a good go at it comes out better than it did when anybody said, “Well, I know what the right answer is. No, you don't. Let's all talk about it. So that works.” So you get these people that actually inspire and they light up the room, not because of clever graphics and not because of a forceful way, but they light up the room because of the originality of their ideas. Now, I'll come to my number one. Ken Robinson: I'm sorry about this, because he's sitting on my screen down there, and that's young Bernard, who since he joined our there you go. That's the top half that works. You should see the bottom half doesn't work. He's just had pins put in it. Kelly Molson: Just for our listeners here, Bernard is given a little muscle strong arm salute on screen here. Ken Robinson: Bernard combines the latest immediate knowledge of talking to people across the industry with an absolutely amazing gift of the gab, with a power of communication. And he's unstoppable. And we wouldn't have stood him for all these years if he wasn't. So of all the years and all the speakers, the consistent best is Bernard. But we have had other people, often surprising, who take know, you don't expect it, you think you're going to listen to ordinary session, all of a sudden it takes fire. Kelly Molson: Bernard, what have you got to say to that? Bernard Donoghue: What I say to Ken is there are packets of cash going from London to the south coast with immediate effect. Delighted. Thank you very much. It's really lovely, actually. I've tried to change things every year to do partly political, but also partly about good practice and who's doing what and who's interesting. I'll tell you what, one of my favourite speakers, and it was in a conversation, one of the things that we've introduced is a sort of conversation with slot, which works really well, actually, because a bit like this, you're off script, you respond to people. Liz chaired a conversation last year, so were in Birmingham last year and it was all about HR issues and of course, it know, coming out of COVID and cost of living crisis and recruitment challenges and all of those kind of stuff. Bernard Donoghue: And Tina Lewis is the director of people at the National Trust. National Trust, getting great repertoire here. She came out with an idea that they're doing at the National Trust and I've implemented it in the three organisations that I chair and it's made the biggest difference. So the National Trust, they will pay the rent deposit for your flat if you need them to. So if you're going through a cost of living crisis and you can't get up the cash to put down a rent deposit on your flat, they'll do it for you. You can't get up the cash to put down a rent deposit on your flat, they'll do it for you. That was such a transformational thing to hear. You could almost hear the gasp in the room of people going, "Oh, my God. Yeah, if we can, let's do that." Bernard Donoghue: And I've now introduced it. As I say in the organisations that I chair, not many people have taken it up, but the fact that we've said it has made such a difference to people. I mean, as it is at the Trust, actually, there's been a relatively small number of people at the Trust who've taken it up, but the very policy decision, the very communication of it, just spoke volumes about an organisation that cares about its staff, and particularly those staff who are on really limited budgets. So there's been loads and loads of speakers over the course of the last few years, but that for me was a nugget which has changed people's lives and has been implementable. Kelly Molson: I think that's the key to that part, isn't it, is that it's an incredible thing that they've done, but the fact that it can be implemented someone has listened to that talk. They can take that away, take it to their board, take it to whoever needs to okay that, and they can put that into action like that straight away. That's the power of a really good initiative and a good speaker to be able to deliver that as well. Paul, what about you? Please don't say Bernard. I think he's had enough praise today. Bernard Donoghue: No, keep going. Kelly Molson: No. Paul Kelly: You're OK, Bernard? We'll leave that one where it is, shall we? If we can squeeze Bernard into the room next. Right, so one special mention I wanted to give, actually, which is one of the years not too long ago, we invited Simon Calder to speak, the travel journalist, and I have to say I wasn't convinced, because clearly he's not working in one of our attractions and doesn't necessarily know the industry pretty well. But I have to say, he was hugely entertaining, had done his homework, was hugely knowledgeable, and so he was absolutely excellent. But I think the most important thing for me is that he left us and he said to me, “Enjoyed it so much, I'll come back later.” And I said, “Yes, of course you will.”Paul Kelly: So he went away and he came back at the end of the day to talk to all the people that he'd seen early in the day, because he loved the atmosphere and he wasn't required to do that. And he came along. And for that I have to put a special mention in one for myself to actually listen to the others when they say, “This will be good”, and secondly for him, for actually doing a bit and actually coming back later. And he was a fabulous addition and outside of our industry. So my inside the industry one is somebody I ended up working with because I was with the Two Swords group and then they were bought by Merlin with Nick Varney and his Merry Men. Paul Kelly: So Nick and his team had obviously been in the industry a very long time at this point, dipped in and out of theme parks and attractions. But Nick didn't actually do many talks. You wouldn't actually hear him speak about too much. I'd heard him speak over in the IAAPA trade show held in Orlando every November, and he was absolutely brilliant. And then Ken managed to get him to speak at VAC one year. And again, he was absolutely excellent. And this fits in nicely because now that he's retired from Merlin, he's speaking again this year. So I think that will be really interesting because he's absolutely excellent. Ken Robinson: And by the way, guys, just to show you that we know what we're doing here, this is 2004, okay? And it says here the recipe for success. Nick Varney chief executive, will talk about the components for commercial success. And that's before. So we've got him first and look what happened. Kelly Molson: I'm really looking forward to that interview, actually, and I think it would be really interesting to see how he differs now. He's kind of outside of the sector, and I think that the format that you've got him in. So that's the interview with Liz, isn't it? On stage? I think that's going to be a really great format as well. I've seen that work really well in the past where she's interviewed people and it just feels really comfortable and really conversational. I think that brings out the best of people. Bernard Donoghue: Kelly, do you want to know who's been of most variable quality? Kelly Molson: Oh, yes. Bernard Donoghue: Tourism Minister. I mean, without doubt. I mean, we've been going 20 years now, therefore we've had 20 tourism ministers, had one a year, like Christmas cards. And some of them have completely got the industry completely understood. It delivered a barnstorming speech, and then the next year you'll get the annual Tourism Minister pop up and they'll read something flat, banal, uninteresting. And we're so torched by the experience that we don't invite the one next on the year. So we're always banging on about this. Tourism is very good at job creation. In fact, we've created 20 Tourism Minister jobs in years, but they are of variable quality. Ken Robinson: The best we ever had, Bernard, I think, by far, was John Penrose, when he had completed his review of the industry and got very clear views, which he put to government. Unfortunately, government didn't do it, as they usually don't, but he was good and people liked him and gave him a high rating. I think the next best was probably Margaret Hodge, who was very good and spoke from the heart. But as you say, when we look at every year, we look at a rating of every speaker and the meeting after the event, we go through those ratings and decide, those that got good ratings, why did they get it? Was it intrinsic to their character, their nature, their topic? Was there something special? And those who didn't, why was that? Was it our fault? Ken Robinson: Did we not brief them properly? Or was it never going to be any better? Ken Robinson: And that way we managed to manage the conference. So know the attraction sector. We sometimes forget that over half of all visits to visitor attractions in the UK are free of charge. We forget that the majority of visitor attractions are medium and small businesses. We forget that there are charitable and commercial attractions. We must be able to bring this whole sector together and move our thinking forward in the way that Bernard has just explained in terms of what he does with ALVA. And the other thing that Bernard mentioned was ALVA's research now. Ken Robinson: 20 years ago, you had to wait until the annual book came out from Thames Tower and then eventually from the centre of luck look to page 16 and there would be numbers, but very little interpretation of what those numbers meant. Now, Bernard is behind much of the work that is done now with ALVA. But the key to it is it's not just numbers, it's interpretation. And because of the communication skills, when ALVA put out a message, it is interpreted. It says why it was a successful year or what was mitigating against that. And that's so important in trying to move our case forward. Kelly Molson: But it's important in improving the content that you give your audience at the conferences as well, right? If something isn't working and you've got a process of evaluating why that hasn't worked and how you improve on it for the next one. Let's just focus on why should people attend VAC this year? What is in it for them? What's on the agenda? What have they got to look forward to and how can we get them to book a ticket? Bernard Donoghue: I'll happily go first and go quite niche, actually. One of the things that I do now outside of ALVA, or because of ALVA is that I co chair the advisory board for VisitLondon. So essentially chair the London tourist board. And I do that with Kate Nichols of UK hospitality. And we created the London Tourism Recovery Group during COVID So my suggestion would be Sadiq Khan. So we've managed to get the Mayor of London to come along and speak at this anniversary conference. And it's not just because he's the Mayor of London and it's the 20th anniversary, but it's because he's the first ever Mayor of London that hazard one of his four political priorities, culture and tourism. That's number one. Bernard Donoghue: Number two is that he put his money where his mouth was and he funded the Let's Do London Recovery campaign, which was both domestic and international with the industry. We delivered it with London and partners, but he put up the lump sum behind it. And third, he completely gets that tourism and heritage and culture is both where you grow jobs and we're very good at it, but it's also where you grow people. It's where you grow people in terms of their cultural literacy or their sense of community or their independence or their sense of history. And therefore knowing where you come from enables you to be a better future citizen, if you like. Bernard Donoghue: So my quick blast would be we've got him doing a welcome, but also saying why visitor attractions and tourism are so important to him and to the economy and the politics of London. So that's not to be missed. Kelly Molson: That is a big draw. Absolutely a big draw. Paul, you mentioned earlier about the variety in splitting up that second session, that second part of the day with the seminars and the smaller talks that you do as well. That for me, as an attendee, is really valuable because you can kind of pick and choose what's relevant to you and go along and see lots of different talks. What do you think is the draw for people to come to the conference this year for you? Paul Kelly: Well, I was just jotting down, thinking about it's a little bit. An extension of what Ken was talking about is that it's the variety of what we do in one place is greater than anywhere else. And all the conferences I do because of the nature of what we do each end of the spectrum. So we've got talks about people who run charities to people who run hugely commercial operations. We've got people doing talks on which are free to get into those who are quite expensive, but focus on value for money. And you've got those that are indoor, those that are outdoor. When I spent my time business development at Merlin, they were always focused on a balanced portfolio. And a balanced portfolio meant making sure that right across your business, you have every aspect covered. Paul Kelly: So everything balances indoor, outdoor, UK, Europe, USA, whatever it is. And I think with our conference, that's what we try and do, we try and balance all of those types of different types of operations so that everything is covered, not to the point where it's too thin and you don't learn anything. And that's the key to it, is that we go into the depth. And the depth, I think, is greater now because we do those breakout sessions and we've got time to do in fact, we double up for those three different areas just for that afternoon. So I think those are the things, if anyone asks me why they should come, it's about the variety.Kelly Molson: Regardless of size of your attraction as well. And actually, from my perspective as a supplier to the industry, it's just as valuable to come along and learn and understand what's going on in the sector. You don't have to be an attraction to come along and take part and be educated about what's happening in the sector. What about you, Ken? Ken Robinson: Well, I think that those of us who have stood on the stage at the QE II Centre and looked at the people who have come can see that there aren't any slumbering faces out there. There are people making notes, people nudging the person next to them, people looking round when we ask a question. We now have a sort of red and green card system for, do you agree? Don't you agree? Which we sometimes use, which is very interesting, engaging the mood of the room. And I think that the thing about VAC is don't be lazy if we're going to come to VAC. Don't be lazy. If you're coming to VAC, l And jot down what questions you might like to ask those people or what you'd like to learn from that session. Write it down, don't think you can remember it at the time. Ken Robinson: Bring it on a note with you when you come and then you will find, and we all know this, that the networking that happens at the end of the day and in the breaks at VAC it's like a family wedding in a way. I mean, everybody wants to talk to everybody else and it's so valuable. I think everybody who goes away from VAC should have a good few things that day, which they say, “I wouldn't have thought of that if I hadn't been there”, or even, “I disagree with that”, but it's made me realise what my true opinion about that is equally valuable. But don't be a lazy attendee. Come and participate, come and enjoy, come and learn, come and take back benefit to everybody that works with you. Kelly Molson: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I think that thing about not being scared to ask questions is really valid as well, Ken, because this happened to me, actually. I went to one of the seminar sessions, and this is back in 2019 and was really inspired by one of the speakers about it was Julez Osbek, who was at Continuum Attractions at the time, and she talked about marketing segmentation, but had a completely different perspective on it in terms of not doing it demographically, just talking about age brackets and things like that. And it was really interesting. I didn't get a chance to ask a question during the seminar, but I found her afterwards and she was very approachable, very happy to answer my question. And then I stalked her on Twitter and got her to come on to the podcast afterwards to talk about it. Kelly Molson: But that's for me, what VAC is about. It's the openness that people are really willing to share. So don't be afraid to go and find the speaker that you've been inspired by and go and ask them the question afterwards, because everyone's really happy to talk about their topic and they're really happy to help people. That's my little key takeaway from it anyway. Right, so it's going to be on Thursday, the 5th October. This podcast episode is launching on the 20th September, so you haven't got long to go and get your tickets, so make sure you do. It is the 5th October, the QE II Conference Centre in Westminster. The website address is vacevents.com. That's Vacevents.com and you can get your ticket there. All of this information will be in the show notes, so don't worry if you didn't get time to scribble that down. Kelly Molson: While I've got you all, though, because you all are in the sector and you've got lots of insights to share. I want to know from each of you what you think that attractions should be focusing on and what 2024 might look like for the sector. Paul, what about you? Start with you. Paul Kelly: So I've been chatting to some of our operators. We have some very large operators around the UK asking them how it's going? And unsurprisingly, you could have said the same question 20 years ago, what's our biggest challenge? It's the weather. It's not actually the cost of living crisis, it's not COVID you can put plans together for those things and you can work on it, but the weather always is a little bit of a challenge. So this summer inverted commerce has been quite hard to focus on what we can deliver when the days have been half decent. Actually, we've done quite well, we always do relatively well, certainly in our sector, I'm sure the others will agree, in a recession. Paul Kelly: So the key seems to be, and I'm going to put it out, I haven't quite found the right words for it, but I'll develop this once I've spoken to a few more. What every attraction for me has to have is an opportunity for people to downgrade what they did slightly. What they're doing is they're ringing it up and saying, "Can't afford to do this, have you got something that's almost like that?" But whether it's a slightly different experience, less time, one day less so whatever the packages are that people are offering, there has to be one rung lower than it was before to still encourage people to come along because they're not able to reach the same heights at the moment that they did previously. But they still want to have that family experience that day out, create those memories. Paul Kelly: All of those things are still relevant. And if you don't have that opportunity, then they'll either go elsewhere or they won't go. So, again, it's managing. So I'm not talking about huge discounts, I'm talking about being relatively clever in what you package and what you put together to make sure they still attend and they still get what they perceive to be value for money. But unless you have that option then I think they won't come. Kelly Molson: Really great advice, Paul. Thank you. Bernard, what about you? Bernard Donoghue: Like Paul, actually, especially since Lockdown ended, but actually for about the last five or six years I've noticed a particular thing which is where visitor attractions have got reserves, and that's a big if by the way, particularly in the course of the last couple of years. Actually, especially since Lockdown ended, but actually for about the last five or six years I've noticed a particular thing which is where visitor attractions have got reserves, and that's a big if by the way, particularly in the course of the last couple of years. So it comes back to Paul's point about kind of ensuring yourself against the excesses of the weather and making sure that you're still particularly a family attractive visitor attractions that'd be one. Second is cost of living crisis, certainly for the average customer, but also the energy costs for visitor attractions too. Bernard Donoghue: Just crazy amounts of money that visitor attractions are now paying i If you're a zoo or an aquarium you can't turn down the temperature of your botanics you're a living reef. So we're going to have to find some way out of that. And that means that actually for many organisations it's going to be as financially challenging over the next twelve months as it has been over the last two. And then I think the third, and this is a continual for me and Kelly, you and I have talked about it before, but it forms the last session of the day at the VAC conference which is diversity and inclusivity. And my feeling is that every visitor attraction should be critically honest about who comes, who doesn't, why they don't come and what are you going to do about it?Bernard Donoghue: And in particular those organisations who in receipt are government money or public money or who had COVID loans from the UK taxpayer. If their visitors don't look like the community in which they're housed, they have a moral question at the heart of their business. That's it. If you want to take public money you need to have an audience that looks like the diversity of the public. And that's a challenge. I get that, I completely get that. But I think that making sure that we are as accessible in every conceivable way, economically, physically. Accessible to people and that they see their stories and themselves reflected in their collections and people and staff and volunteers and board members, I think that's the biggest challenge of the sector as it is indeed to many other sectors. Bernard Donoghue: But I think we're doing some amazing things and we need to shout about it and we need to share and we need to learn from each other. Kelly Molson: Absolutely agree. And that session is going to be a really great session. That's one not to miss. Ken? Ken Robinson: Well, I would say two things. First of all, as far as our visitors are concerned, I think there is a bigger polarisation now than there ever has been between those who have money and can still afford to do things and are not much impacted by the current circumstances, despite everything. And those who haven't and those who haven't have got to find ways of saving money, getting more for their money. There are so many things they can do that are free and alternatives that charged attractions find it difficult. I think we have to remember that the biggest number of attractions in the United Kingdom are heritage based attractions and they weren't purpose built like many of Paul's members, the attractions are purpose built for entertainment. But heritage attractions have got a bigger responsibility or museums housed in historic buildings. Ken Robinson: And all the time they're having to cut their costs and finding life difficult. Money isn't going into maintaining that National Heritage. And that's a real big long term challenge, one that government can't ignore. So government has a vested interest in the health of our businesses because the more healthy they are, the less will fall back on the state eventually. One last thing, I would like to mention Martin Evans and the tourism business. Ken Robinson: For the last I don't know how many years, Martin has been the person who has put together this event for us. He has to do the heavy lifting. He is backed up by our conference organisers, who are also very efficient. And the other person that I wouldn't like to miss from this, because if she could have been here today, you would have got a different flavour, is the wonderful Liz Terry and the support that her organisation. That's Liz's Organisation, her hard work in Leisure Media Group. She publishes Attractions Management magazine. Ken Robinson: She has never asked for anything from this conference and she gives it great support, without which we wouldn't have made 20 years, as I said earlier. And also a big shout and a screen for Liz. Kelly Molson: That is lovely. Thank you. I'm sure Liz will very much appreciate that. We won't forget her. Don't worry, she'll be on the credits for this podcast. I always ask our guests to leave us with a book recommendation for our listeners. So a book that you've loved, a book that you've enjoyed as part of your career growth can be absolutely anything. So, Paul, what would you like to share with us today? Paul Kelly: Oh, I tell you what, books are a bit highbrow for me. Yes, Bernard agrees with that. So I'm from the north, so I used to travel a lot when I was working North America. Commuting a little bit. So I did read a little bit then, but I very quickly swapped over to podcasts things that I download. I watch Silent Witness from the 90's, early 2000s repeatedly. I like Meet Marry Murder, which is one of the cable channels, so I'm quite simple. So I don't really have a book recommendation. I think when I have time to read, I will look forward to reading what somebody else recommends. Kelly Molson: Well, I will take Silent Witness as a recommendation because I love Silent Witness, Paul. Oh, so good. Never miss an episode, ever. So, OK, they go I mean, I can't give it away as a prize, but go and check out Silent Witness if you haven't. Bernard, what's yours? Bernard Donoghue: Well, I've been on this before and I remember my recommendation and it sounds really facile, but it was absolutely true, was Ladybird Books when I was a kid, and then that's how I got into history and heritage and storytelling and absolutely loved them. And I've still got loads of them, which is a bit sad, actually. I'm currently confined to home with a broken ankle. So I've been going through my big Bernard book of books, of all the ones that I haven't got around to reading, and the one that I've enjoyed most and has really surprised me is Lucy Worsley's biography of Agatha Christie. Absolutely fascinating. I thought I knew her. I thought I knew all about her. I know all of her characters, I've watched every conceivable film and TV program, but what a fascinating woman. Bernard Donoghue: So that's the one that I've loved this summer. Kelly Molson: Great recommendation. Yeah. I wondered what were going to get from you, actually, because you've had a lot of time on your hands to go through that book pile. Bernard Donoghue: It was either going to be Agatha Christie or the Argos catalogue. Honestly, it could have gone. Kelly Molson: It's not Christmas yet. You only do the Argos catalogue at Christmas. Ken, over to you for our last recommendation. Ken Robinson: Well, the best book quite hard to get hold of now, but I can supply copies is Action For Attractions, the National Policy Document, written in 2000. But if you want something other than that, then I have just finished reading a book which everyone else read years ago called Sapiens, which is about this thick, that's to say two and a half inches thick. For those of you listening. It's by somebody, I've just had to look him up because I couldn't have remembered it, by Yuval Noah Harari. And it's entitled A Brief History of Humankind. And what's so interesting about it is it goes through segments explaining the great moves that have happened to us humans since we appeared on this Earth. Ken Robinson: And I found the whole thing fascinating to read in one go what took me a long time, particularly the last bit, which talks about how commerce has changed the world and what we're all doing, and that's, after all, what we're doing at VAC. We are engaged in the kind of commerce that is to entertain, amuse and give enjoyment to our visitors, and at the same time keep the heritage of the country going and keep an awful lot of people employed, so I recommend Sapiens. Kelly Molson: Ken, that's a great book. It took me a really long time to read as well, but it is an absolutely fascinating book. I would totally back up your recommendation there. Have you read the next one as well, Homodeus? Ken Robinson: No one a year is enough for me. Kelly Molson: Well, I've got a toddler, so reading doesn't come easy for me right now. But Homodus is next on my list to read because that's the next one on from Sapiens and it's supposed to be a really good read as well. Right, listeners as ever, if you want to win a copy of Ken and Bernard's book, retweet this episode announcement with the words, I want the Vax books and you will be put into a prize drawer to win them. And also, do go and watch Silent Witness, Paul's recommendation, because it is blooming brilliant. I love it. Thank you all so much for coming on to join me today. I've really appreciated it. It's been a fascinating kind of deep dive into the Visitor Attractions Conference. I genuinely love this conference. It is one absolutely not to be missed. Kelly Molson: I mean, there might be a speaker called Kelly at this one. This is so I'll be there. Come and see me too. But no, thank you. It's been wonderful. As I said, we will put all of the info in the show notes. We'll put all of the connections to Paul, Ken and Bernard too. So if you've got any follow up questions that you want to ask them, I'm sure they'd be really happy to help. But it's vapevents.com. Go and grab your ticket now. Thank you, guys. Ken Robinson: And I have to tell you, Kelly, we are going to spend our time at our next committee meeting thinking of impossible questions for you for when you're speaking at VAC.Kelly Molson: Oh, God. Do it. I love impossible questions. Put me on the spot, Ken. I'll enjoy it. Kelly Molson: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review. It really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast. 

In this bonus episode of the first season, historian and Western Front Association Trustee, Gerry White delves into Ireland's military history from 1912 to 1923. Gerry, who served forty-three years in the Irish Defence Forces and retired in 2017, brings his expertise and insights to the discussion. The talk begins with the formation of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Irish Volunteers. In 1912, the Ulster Volunteer Force was established by Unionists in Ulster to resist home rule for Ireland. In response, the Irish Volunteers were formed in 1913 by nationalists to support the cause of Irish independence. Gerry goes on to explore the impact of World War I (1914-1918) on these groups. As the war broke out, both the UVF and the Irish Volunteers split on their positions regarding the conflict. Many Irish Volunteers joined the British Army, forming regiments such as the Irish Guards and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. During the discussion, Gerry White highlights the significant contribution of Irish divisions during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. He specifically mentions the 10th (Irish Division), the 16th Irish Division, and the 36th Ulster Division. These divisions, composed of Irish soldiers from various backgrounds, fought bravely in the grueling battles on the Somme, leaving a lasting impact on Irish military history. The discussion then moves to the significant event of the Easter Rising in 1916. Gerry highlights how the Irish Republican Brotherhood, alongside other nationalist groups, staged an armed rebellion in Dublin. Although the Rising initially failed, it had a profound influence on Irish public opinion and laid the groundwork for future independence movements. The focus then shifts to the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921), during which the Irish Republican Army (IRA) emerged as the military wing of Sinn Féin. Engaging in guerrilla warfare against British forces, the IRA targeted police, military installations, and British sympathizers. This conflict ultimately led to the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, which resulted in the partition of Ireland into Northern Ireland (remaining part of the UK) and the Irish Free State. The final topic discussed is the Irish Civil War (1922-1923), which was triggered by the split within the nationalist movement following the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Gerry explains how those who supported the treaty, led by Michael Collins, formed the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State, while those opposed, led by Éamon de Valera, organized the anti-treaty forces. The ensuing civil war saw clashes between these factions, resulting in the defeat of the anti-treaty forces and the establishment of the Irish Free State. Aside from his extensive military service, Gerry has represented Ireland at the Centenary Commemoration of the Battle of the Somme at Thiepval in 2016. He has also authored several books and articles on aspects of Irish military history for the period 1913 to 1923 and frequently lectures on the subject. Currently, Gerry is actively involved in building the WFA organization on the island of Ireland.

Three kings in one year and the Spanish civil war

The new Colonel of the Irish Guards, one Catherine Middleton, will spend St. Patrick's Day with the outgoing colonel, William. Life seems good for these royals, but one insider says it's not ALL sweetness.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gerard Craughwell, Senator

Paul Grennell the host of Grappling With Physio Podcast, talks about how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can improve your confidence as well as your mental and physical health.  We discuss how almost anyone can get involved.   Music at the beginning of this podcast is: " Trying to find a world that's been and gone",  by Noel Gallagher, covered by Cameron Crease. @ccrease22   Paul Grennell on Instagram: @grappling_with_physio   Grappling with physio podcast on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPxzyOfZCjbkmRbkjRC6qbQ   Grappling with physio podcast can also be found on Spotify, googlepodcasts, apple podcast and many other great podcast providers.   Blue Pigment Podcast Link: linktr.ee/bluepigmentpodcast

On this Epsiode I speak to Paul Grennell, host of Grappling with a Physio Podcast. Paul is ex-Irish Guards and now is an avid BJJ pracititioner and a physiotherapist. During the episode we talk about why he started the podcast but also go into what he has gotten out of doing the podcast. You can find Paul at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPxzyOfZCjbkmRbkjRC6qbQ/featured https://instagram.com/grappling_with_physio?utm_medium=copy_link As always, follow me https://www.instagram.com/thereorgpodcast/ thereorgpodcast@gmail.com

The Berlin Wall was an icon of the Cold War and a physical embodiment of the divide between East and West. Its rise and fall was a microcosm of the conflict and its fall marked the beginning of a new post-Cold War world.Today on the podcast Dan is joined by two eyewitnesses to the wall to hear first-hand its physical and psychological impact. First Dan speaks to Sir Robert Corbett. His military career was book-ended by the wall as his first command as a young officer in the Irish Guards was in Berlin during the 1960s and one of his last major commands before retiring was as the last Commandant of the British Sector in Berlin. He describes the tension and challenges of operating in Berlin and the ever-present possibility of conflict between the two sides. He also provides an eye-opening account of how the euphoric moment of the wall coming down was also a moment of grave danger and could have led to serious violence without his careful diplomacy.Secondly, Dan is joined by Margit Hosseini. She grew up in the city and witnessed events of the 1950s and 60s as the wall went up before leaving to live in London. She remembers her experiences of what it was like to be surrounded by the wall as it went up and to witness family's, including her own, be divided by its ominous presence. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Berlin Wall was an icon of the Cold War and a physical embodiment of the divide between East and West. Its rise and fall was a microcosm of the conflict and its fall marked the beginning of a new post-Cold War world.Today on the podcast Dan is joined by two eyewitnesses to the wall to hear first-hand its physical and psychological impact. First Dan speaks to Sir Robert Corbett. His military career was book-ended by the wall as his first command as a young officer in the Irish Guards was in Berlin during the 1960s and one of his last major commands before retiring was as the last Commandant of the British Sector in Berlin. He describes the tension and challenges of operating in Berlin and the ever-present possibility of conflict between the two sides. He also provides an eye-opening account of how the euphoric moment of the wall coming down was also a moment of grave danger and could have led to serious violence without his careful diplomacy.Secondly, Dan is joined by Margit Hosseini. She grew up in the city and witnessed events of the 1950s and 60s as the wall went up before leaving to live in London. She remembers her experiences of what it was like to be surrounded by the wall as it went up and to witness family's, including her own, be divided by its ominous presence. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week the Director looks at the life of one of the more colourful officers in the world of Guards music.  He examines the biography of Lieutenant Colonel Jiggs Jaeger written by Colin Dean.  Jaeger was a larger than life character who spent 19 years leading the band of the Irish Guards.  A highly talented man who gave his life to military music. Support the show (http://www.justgiving.com/campaign/guardsmuseumsupport)

Paul is a former Irish Guard and creator of the Grappling with Physio Podcast (formerly "Primary Physio podcast"). He is a keen BJJ practitioner and physiotherapist.

The virtual tour of the collection continues this week with the end of the Victorian age and the advent of the Edwardian era.  We have a war in South Africa and the establishment of the Irish Guards.  The Director covers the death of Queen Victoria and her funeral arrangements and then the creation of the last of the Foot Guard regiments, the Welsh Guards - all told through the exhibits on display in the museum. Support the show (http://www.justgiving.com/campaign/guardsmuseumsupport)

In this week's episode we travel to another 'Forgotten Battlefield' of the Great War and walk the area around Loos, on the site where the 'Lone Tree' was located in 1915.  Walking from Le Rutoire Farm, near the village of Vermelles, to the Lone Tree in the very heart of the 1915 Loos Battlefields. We visit battlefield cemeteries and discuss the story of Rudyard Kipling's son, John, who fell at Loos with the Irish Guards. Our object this week is a poignant photo of a young girl, a postcard lost on the battlefield.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/oldfrontline)

Alex Lloyd discovers the stories of four Victoria Cross recipients in the British Army, speaking with the Axe Keeper of Her Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, Tim Rayson. Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's bonus episode is centred on four British Victoria Cross recipients. All four are also former members of Her Majesty’s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms. Alex Lloyd spoke with Tim Rayson, the ‘Axe Keeper’, about the incredible stories of Ernest Towse VC, Harry Schofield VC, John Campbell VC and David Jamieson VC. The music at the end of the episode is “The Nearest Guard”, especially composed by Major Philip Shannon MBE for the 500th anniversary of the Honourable Corps on 4th June 2009. This recording was performed by the Band of the Irish Guards and supplied by the Axe Keeper. Tim Rayson last appeared on the podcast talking about the history of Her Majesty’s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms. To see photos related to today's interview, visit our website - www.lifeonthelinepodcast.com - or follow us on social media: @lifeonthelinepodcast on Facebook and Instagram, and @LOTLpod on Twitter.

Alex Lloyd speaks with the Axe Keeper of Her Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, Tim Rayson. Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's bonus episode is centred on UK military history, specifically about Her Majesty’s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms. Alex Lloyd spoke with Tim Rayson, the ‘Axe Keeper’, about the history of the Guard, battles and axes, and their royal duties today. This podcast was recorded in St James’s Palace, in London. The music at the end of the episode is “The Nearest Guard”, especially composed by Major Philip Shannon MBE for the 500th anniversary of the Honourable Corps on 4th June 2009. This recording was performed by the Band of the Irish Guards and supplied by the Axe Keeper. Tim returned to the podcast in the episode The Blind Man’s Victoria Cross with Tim Rayson. To see photos related to today's interview, visit our website - www.lifeonthelinepodcast.com - or follow us on social media: @lifeonthelinepodcast on Facebook and Instagram, and @LOTLpod on Twitter.

Pictured: Peter Mayhew Matthew Bannister on Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, who served with the Irish Guards during the war, liberated his own country and then presided over its prosperity. Terry Rawlings, the film editor who worked on Alien, Chariots of Fire and the Bond film Goldeneye. Neus Català, the Spanish communist who fought Franco, joined the French resistance and survived a Nazi death camp. Heather Harper, the operatic soprano who was called up at the last minute to perform in the premiere of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. Peter Mayhew, the actor best known for playing Chewbacca in the original Star Wars films. Interviewed guest: Patricia Treble Interviewed guest: Major General Sir Robert Corbett, KCVO, CB Interviewed guest: Ridley Scott Interviewed guest: Michael Eaude Interviewed guest: Eduardo Bennaroch Reader: Helen Clapp Producer: Neil George Archive clips from: Passing Out Parade: HRH Prince Jean of Luxembourg, BBC Sound Archive, 29/07/1943; Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, Brandywine Productions/Twentieth Century-Fox Productions 1979; Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, The Ladd Company/Shaw Brothers/Warner Bros./Blade Runner Partnership, 1982; Heather Harper: A Musical Portrait, BBC Two 30/08/1984; Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, directed by George Lucas, Lucasfilm/Twentieth Century Fox 1977.

Royal Visit to South Korea, a royal divorce, the St Patrick's Day Parade, our advice regarding baby gifts for Harry and Meghan, and a statement following the attack on Utrecht.See more in this week's show.Become a patron today https://www.patreon.com/join/rightroyalroundup?Visit our website http://rightroyalroundup.com.au.Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RightRoyalRoundup, follow us on Twitter @RightRoyalRound and Instagram @rightroyalroundup.

Former soldier with the Irish Guards and 3 Para.  He has fought in Afghanistan and is currently fighting his way to the top of the MMA world as a professional fighter. His story is shocking and some listeners may find some of the content disturbing. Hear Terry relive his brutal experiences in a very open and honest manner. Follow Terry: Twitter - @MMABrazierTerry Instagram - @terrybrazier Podcast content note: We speak briefly about another former soldier who won the Military Cross. His actions that won that medal were in Iraq not Afghanistan like what was mentioned. Confusion from Michael after a very emotional and Afghan centric conversation.

Sue Brown is een Engels meisje. Zij is de dochter van Dolly Henderson, de soubrette waarop Galahad Threepwood in zijn jeugd erg verliefd was, en van Captain Jack Cotterleigh van de Irish Guards. Ze heet dan ook eigenlijk Susan Cotterleigh,…

Nigel Oakes was a pioneer of 'behaviour dynamics', the art of influencing people. He set up a successful company, Strategic Communications Limited, which boasts clients from NATO to the UK government. But now he finds himself caught up in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. He was born in 1962 into a world of privilege. Schooled at Eton, his father was a Major in the Irish Guards and once captained the British Ski Team at the Winter Olympics. Once Nigel hit London he began a music career even releasing a single. But it was the move into marketing that set him on the path to success, we hear how mobile discos, the Royal Family and the smell of golf all played a part in the story of the man who can allegedly help win elections and end wars.

Queen Elizabeth visits an animal shelter. Prince Harry heads to Australia on secondment in the ADF. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrate St Patrick's Day. Princess Anne visits the Philippines, King Richard III reinterment update and more news of the forthcoming Swedish royal wedding.See more in this week's show.Visit our website http://rightroyalroundup.com.au.Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RightRoyalRoundup, follow us on Twitter @RightRoyalRound and Instagram rightroyalroundup

  Why the Gurkhas have been particularly hard-hit by the job losses announced this week . What should we do to break the Libyan stalemate? And a change of scene for the Irish Guards - from the battlefields of Helmand to the Royal Wedding in less than a week  

  Why the Gurkhas have been particularly hard-hit by the job losses announced this week . What should we do to break the Libyan stalemate? And a change of scene for the Irish Guards - from the battlefields of Helmand to the Royal Wedding in less than a week