7.30 pm Friday October 11th 2024

Angela is one of the world's leading forensic scientists - with her findings helping solve notorious cases such as the killings of Stephen Lawrence, Rachel Nickell, Roberto Calvi, Lynette White, Damilola Taylor and Gareth Williams. She also took part in the investigation of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, finding no evidence to support theories of a conspiracy

Angela visited her first crime scene in February 1978, looking for clues about the murder in Huddersfield of Helen Rytka, later confirmed as a victim of Peter Sutcliffe, the so-called Yorkshire Ripper. She established her first company, Forensic Access, in 1986 - intended to provide services to criminal defence lawyers who could not rely on the Forensic Science Service at the time. Initially, she handled infidelity investigations alone but later moved into a well-equipped laboratory with staff - and soon began investigating murder, assault, and arson cases, as well as cold cases.

In 1991, when she was hired to re-examine the evidence on the apparent hanging-suicide at Blackfriars Bridge of Italian banker, Roberto Calvi. Angela had gained a reputation for unconventional methods and conducted experiments with her husband, who shared Calvi's proportions - proving that Calvi could not have hanged himself and that he was murdered.

Angela later founded Forensic Alliance and helped the Police on cases. In 1999, the company solved the 1988 murder of Cardiff teenager, Lynette White, after finding a microscopic flake of dried blood under two layers of new paint. It led to the release of five men who had been wrongly imprisoned for the killing. In 2021, Angela met John Actie, one of the five men - which was her first meeting with someone she had helped exonerate

The Police asked Angela to further review cold cases, including evidence in the 2000 killing of Damilola Taylor, aged ten. She used expensive techniques to find traces of Damilola's blood on the clothes of the two killers - an approach which also led to the conviction of serial killer, John Cooper, for the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path Murders of a couple out walking. Angela considers this one of the most satisfying cases in her career, saying the case would not have been solved without fibre examination. The same method proved successful when she was commissioned to investigate the 1993 murder of the black teenager, Stephen Lawrence

In 2010, Angela helped found Axiom International, which provides forensic and related advice to law enforcement agencies worldwide - and she has since worked in Libya, Iraq, Somaliland and Kosovo.[Angela was portrayed by Anastasia Hille in a 2021 TV miniseries about the Pembrokeshire Murders and was also played by Nancy Carroll in the 2021 series, called Stephen, a drama following the fight for justice for Stephen Lawrence. She was a guest on Desert Island Discs in October 2022.

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(Children over 16 welcome) Entry is £10 in cash and includes free food, featuring delicious sandwiches and sumptuous rocky-roads., with wine and soft drinks available for a modest donation

7.30 pm Friday November 8th 2024

Charlie is part of the team starring in the Amazon global-hit, Clarkson's Farm, a series about Jeremy Clarkson and his 1,000-acre Diddly Squat Farm near Chipping Norton, in Oxfordshire. Charlie is a professional agronomist and land agent who advises Jeremy on farm management - and offers tips on agricultural aspects of crops, the complex details of government regulation and the financial consequences of the enterprise. Jeremy refers to him, with a hint of sarcasm, as "Cheerful Charlie"

Speaking about his relationship with Jeremy, Charlie admitted that "you’ve got to let him work it out for himself sometimes. There are good reasons sometimes why we do things a certain way. It was just about trying to explain that. There were times Jeremy would say: 'How do I do this quickly' and I had to say: You can't"

Away from Clarkson's Farm, Charlie is currently Managing Partner with Ceres Rural, in Oxfordshire and has many years experience providing advice on farm management and strategic planning, having previously worked as an agricultural consultant with Strutt & Parker for 20 years.

Jeremy's farm was formerly part of the Sarsden Estate and included Curdle Hill Farm - with the fields mostly arable, growing a rotation of barley, rapeseed and wheat. These were farmed by a local villager until his retirement in 2019 and Jeremy then decided to attempt the challenge of farming the land himself. It was renamed Diddly Squat Farm to suggest its apparent lack of productivity

Charlie, who lives in Wootton, studied at the University of Nottingham and has filmed four series of Clarkson's Farm, which has won rave reviews around the world - lauded for highlighting the struggles faced by British farmers and the food industry, while being hugely entertaining.

If you are interested in attending this talk or would like to reserve a ticket please Contact us

(Children over 16 welcome) Entry is £10 in cash and includes free food, featuring delicious sandwiches and sumptuous rocky-roads., with wine and soft drinks available for a modest donation