Interviews

  • Rosemary Farmer Mayor of St. Albans
    Rosemary Farmer was the Right Worshipful the Mayor of St Albans City and District from May 2018 to May 2019, having previously been Town Mayor of Harpenden. In this interview with Rob Pearman, she describes her year in office and talks about her career prior to retiring, her interests and what she plans to do next.

    Length:
    Download
  • Jean Curl and the Hertfordshire WI
    Long-time member of the Women's Institute, Jean Curl, tells Jill Burridge how the Hertfordshire WI has changed over the decades and what is has planned for its centenary (2019).

    Length:
    Download
  • Vanessa Macdonald - Vision Loss Adviser
    Vanessa Macdonald explains her role as Vision Loss Adviser for Central Herts and how Herts Vision Loss works with and for visually impaired residents of our local area. For more information contact Sight Line at 01707 324680.

    Length:
    Download
  • Joanna Carter - CEO Herts Vision Loss
    Jo Carter, Chief Executive Officer of Herts Vision Loss (formerly known as Hertfordshire Society for the Blind), tells the story of this organisation from its early beginnings up to the current day.

    Length:
    Download
  • Dr. Malcolm Murray - a life in medicine
    Malcolm Murray, former Editor of SADTN's monthly Saturn edition, talks about his family's origins in Eastern Europe and their arrival in England in the early 20th century, and describes his career as a physician in various hospitals around the UK.

    Length:
    Download
  • Lord 'Marmite' Grimthorpe
    As Stephen de Silva, guide at St Albans Cathedral, explains, the restoration work undertaken by Lord Grimthorpe in the 19th century has its supporters and also those who are less than effusive in their praise.

    Length:
    Download
  • Who's buried here?
    Stephen de Silva, a guide at St Albans Cathedral, tells us who has been buried in and around the Cathedral - from St Alban himself up to more recent times.

    Length:
    Download
  • The High Altar Screen
    In the second of two interviews, Stephen de Silva, St Albans Cathedral Guide, tells Rob Pearman about the history and purpose of the High Altar Screen at the Cathedral.

    Length:
    Download
  • The Nave Screen
    In the first of two interviews, Stephen de Silva, St Albans Cathedral Guide, tells Rob Pearman about the purpose, history and recent refurbishment of the Nave Screen at the Cathedral.

    Length:
    Download
Nick Strudwick on Radio Verulam– February 2017

Nick Strudwick on Radio Verulam.SADTN

Length: 39 minutes

Download

Kitty Hart Moxon OBE – March 2017

In the second of two interviews, Holocaust survivor Kitty Hart Moxon continues her story of 70 years during which she has worked tirelessly to ensure that the truth about what happened to her, her family and millions of others is not only told and understood but also becomes an essential part of current and future education in schools, colleges and the wider community – so that ‘it cannot happen again’.SADTN

Length: 18 minutes

Download

Kitty Hart Moxon OBE – February 2017

In the first of two interviews, Holocaust survivor Kitty Hart Moxon tells of her experiences in the Nazi concentration and labour camps, her survival (together with her mother) of a death march and her determination that her story should be told.SADTN

Length: 18 minutes

Download

David Thorold – Verulamium Museum – February 2017

In this second interview David Thorrold, Curator at Verulamium Museum, explains all about the famous ‘Sandridge Hoard’ of gold coins and also discusses his own pathway into his chosen career.
SADTN

Length: 16 minutes

Download

David Thorold – Verulamium Museum – January 2017

David Thorold, Curator (from Prehistory to Medieval) at Verulamium Museum, discusses with Rob Pearman the Roman history of St Albans and the achievements of archaeologists in uncovering this heritage.
SADTN

Length: 17 minutes

Download

Duncan Sales – Hertfordshire Domestic Abuse – January 2017

Jill Burridge chats with Duncan Sales about the Hertfordshire Domestic Abuse Helpline, which he helps to run.
SADTN

Length: 17 minutes

Download

Dr Ellen Shlasko, archaeologist – December 2016

Freelance professional archaeologist, Dr Ellen Shlasko, explains her work on the geophysical mapping of the Roman city of Verulamium, the third-largest Roman city in Britain.SADTN

Length: 17 minutes

Download

Martin Goodman – Abbey Theatre/Company of Ten

Martin Goodman is Chairman of the Abbey Theatre Trust and of The Company of Ten, the highly acclaimed local acting and production team that entertains large audiences throughout the year at the Theatre. In this conversation with Jill Burridge (August 2016), Martin explains the background history of both the theatre and the company, their aims and aspirations, recent and future activities – including a series of new radio plays written and performed by the company for broadcast on our local community radio (Radio Verulam 92.6 FM).
SADTN

Length: 16 minutes

Download

Toby Swift – BBC Radio Drama

Toby Swift, Editor of BBC Radio Drama in London discusses with Jill Burridge how scripts are chosen and developed, how plays are recorded and what radio drama can offer the listener. This interview (originally broadcast on SADTN and Radio Verulam in two parts) includes extracts from Primo Levi’s ‘The Periodic Table’ and a new series of Marcy Kahan’s ‘Lunch’. (July 2016)

SADTN

Length: 31 minutes

Download

Hertfordshire Welcomes Syrian Families
One of the team running HWSF (St Albans local resident, Irene Austin) explains how they are trying to help the Syrian families that are being housed in Hertfordshire as part of the Government’s scheme that is committed to bring 20,000 of the most vulnerable Syrians – in family groups – from the refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. This interview was recorded in the week leading up to Refugee Week 2016.
SADTN

Length: 17 minutes

Download

Colin Daniels – Macular Society
Regional Manager for the Eastern Region of the Macular Society, Colin Daniels explains what the term ‘macular’ means, what are the potential early signs to look out for, what the Society does in terms of information, support and helping to fund research, and what his own job is.
SADTN

Length: 15 minutes

Download

Rupert Evershed – natural historian, writer and journalist
Rupert Evershed produces a monthly column in the Herts Advertiser – entitled ‘Nature Notes’ in which he writes about wildlife and related topics. In this interview, he explains how he developed this interest and talks about some key features of the world of nature in this area.
SADTN

Length: 16 minutes

Download

Penny Mortimer – Dragons’ Apprentice Challenge
The founder and project manager of the Dragons’ Apprentice Challenge (now in its seventh year in St Albans & Harpenden), Penny Mortimer explains how the Challenge brings together local groups of Year 12 students (the “Apprentices”), local businesses (the “Dragons”) and local charities (who benefit from the funds raised by the students).
SADTN

Length: 19 minutes

Download

Frank Brittain – archivist for Hertfordshire Scouts
The Archivist and Historian of the Hertfordshire Scouts, Frank Brittain, talks about the important role that the Scouts played on the Home Front in the local area during the First World War, which broke out only a few years after the movement was created by its founder, Robert Baden-Powell.
SADTN

Length: 13 minutes

Download

Henry Lytton Cobbold – Knebworth House
In this interview, Henry Lytton Cobbold discusses the long history of Knebworth House, Park and Estate – from its earliest days more than 500 years ago up to the many events and activities open to the public today, including the world famous Knebworth Festival (of rock and pop music). A longer version of this interview can be found at www.knebworth.com (Update/Blog/It was a dark and stormy night…).
SADTN

Length: 20 minutes

Download

Melvyn Teare – Computer Friendly
Melvyn Teare discusses the aims and services of Computer Friendly, a local charity which offers advice and courses for those who feel a little lost in this age of fast-moving technology and want to know how to use the internet, email, text messaging, digital photography and more…
SADTN

Length: 20 minutes

Download

Mike Neighbour – local historian and writer
In the first of two interviews, local author Mike Neighbour talks about his book “St Albans’ Own East End”, describing in detail the history and growth of the area of St Albans now known as Fleetville, from its origins as mainly farmland, through its industrial and residential development in the 19th century. This discussion with Rob Pearman offers an interesting historical background to what is now one of the District’s most interesting and culturally diverse areas.
SADTN

Length: 14 minutes

Download

In the second of two interviews, local author Mike Neighbour explains how and why he started to research what eventually became a highly illustrated and extremely informative two-volume publication about Fleetville, the area on the eastern side of St Albans and which he calls “St Albans’ Own East End”.
SADTN

Length: 16 minutes

Download

SADTNThe St
The Story of Alban
In the first of two interviews, Stephen de Silva, St Albans Cathedral Warden and Guide, tells Rob Pearman about the story of Alban, the first British Christian martyr.
SADTN

Length: 13 minutes

Download

St Albans’ role in Magna Carta

In the second of two interviews, Stephen de Silva, St Albans Cathedral Warden and Guide, tells Rob Pearman about Magna Carta and the role of St Albans Cathedral leading up to the meeting at Runnymede 800 years ago.
SADTN

Length: 14 minutes

Download

SADTN
Sally Buck – Disaster relief charity worker and volunteer
Sally Buck talks with Jill Burridge about her work with ShelterBox – an international disaster relief charity that delivers emergency shelter and vital aid to people affected by disaster worldwide. Sally discusses her experiences in emergency situations around the world including the borders with Syria, post-earthquake Haiti and post-flood Chile. She also describes another project in a remote part of Kenya.
SADTN

Length: 17 minutes

Download

SADTN
St Albans Talking Newspaper