Chris Helme – for 30 years was a serving Police Officer and awarded the British Empire Medal in 1990 for his service in the community. He has written eight books; local history, brass band nostalgia and one taking a light-hearted look at his policing career. Chris has been creating a weekly nostalgia column at a local newspaper for  30 years and has written a number of articles for the UK local and regional magazines. He now writes and publishes his own local history/nostalgia quarterly magazine

He has been the producer and presenter of ‘Sunday Bandstand’ since its inception in 2007. This is his two-hour brass band radio programme which is now available through 13 community radio stations including here in the UK, Cyprus, Australia, New Zealand and an expat station in France. (Listen to a recording of the show here )

For over 25 years he taught local history adult community classes. In recent years he has taught older people how to use a mobile phone, basic computer skills, as well as teaching the same basic computer skills to job seekers and he a reminiscence workshop facilitator.

During the mid-1980’s he was beginning to be in demand as a speaker outside his usual job-related presentations and has now developed a style that can both inform and entertain.

His presentations have often been described as ‘Infotainment’.  He has developed a presentational style that can both conjure laughter and melancholy through his various subjects and have been appreciated by many local groups.

He is a regular speaker at Luncheon Clubs, Rotary Clubs and Probus Clubs throughout Yorkshire and averages 60 presentations annually. Even on his regular holidays to Cyprus he was asked to speak at an expat evening gathering at a hotel. He has been a guest lecturer on three cruise ships.

List of Presentations

Baltic Talks

1. So, you want to be a Pirate – The Life of a Baltic and Scandinavian Pirate (it is not always what you think).
2. Did the Vikings Really Wear Helmets with Horns? (Vikings were raiders and traders during 8^th and 11^th centuries, but were they as bad as movies and television portray them?).
3. The Warship Vasa – The Legend and the Legacy – The pride of the fleet that sank minutes after it was launched in 1628and then 333 years later it was salvaged).
4. The Life of Captain James Cook before his voyages of discovery (Captain James Cook – his early life as a Yorkshire farmer, shop assistant and then a Baltic seafarer).

Other Talks include;

1. Captain James Cook – his early years
2. Captain James Cook – the explorer
3. The American March King – JohnPhilip Sousa
4. The World of the British style Brass Bands -From working-class beginnings to some world-class musicians
5. So you want to be a Pirate? – The Life of a Caribbean Pirate (It’s not what most of us think?) (This presentation is adaptable to include pirates from the Mediterranean and South China Sea areas)
6. All Ashore! Our destinations hide many secrets – Learn a little more about the customs, culture and fun facts on the Grand Cayman, Roatan, Honduras, Belize and finally Cozumel (These can be broken down into two separate talks)
7. Stand and Deliver: The History of Highwayman: Hero or Villain?
8. History of the British Pub signs and pub games