47: Donna Timmiss

My guest this week is Donna Timmiss, a Durham schoolteacher who has followed her dream of going into teaching, and who specialises in looking after disabled children and those within social services. Donna was the first in her family to go to university and in this very candid interview Donna talks about how her parents, who had experience of the care system, valued the importance of education and how she ended up at Lampeter. She talks about her experience of getting to Lampeter – with the perils involved – and how she felt very safe there. Donna’s earliest memories involve playing collaboratively with other children and an abundance of green spaces, and how she used to explore the attic of her local Catholic club, and tap dancing. We learn about Donna’s eclectic taste in music, including Keith West’s ‘Excerpt from a Teenage Opera’ and Dollar’s ‘Mirror Mirror’. She tells us how she once saw Bucks Fizz by accident and about the mix tapes that her fiance made for her when she went to university. We find out which song reminds her most of Lampeter and how when she was young she could go to the cinema for 50p – the train fare there and back was more expensive. She also recounts her experience of the time when she went to see ‘Rocky IV’ and was hit in the cinema. Donna used to write fan fiction regarding ‘Dirty Dancing’ and has old diaries from the time, and we also find out about her obsession with ‘Babylon 5’ and Terry Pratchett and the role of spirituality in his novels. The conversation then turns to the teacher who most inspired her and the Cinema and Society module that she took at university and we talk about the skills that emanate from giving class presentations. She reveals how she voted in the 1992 General Election which, we find out, is the only time that Donna hasn’t voted Labour. Donna tells us why the Durham Miners Gala is so important to her, and why she finds Jeremy Corbyn to be different to other politicians. She then reflects on the 1984/85 Miners Strike and the role of extremist groups in the North East. Towards the end of the interview Donna talks about her experience of being bullied at school and how the girl who stood up for her is her lifelong friend. We talk about school reunions and her recent experience of seeing how the ‘top dogs’ sought to reclaim their throne. Donna also reflects on her experience of how where she lives the women have tended to do better than the men and that the North East is quite matriarchal. The interview then concludes with Donna’s explanation as to why she considers herself to be more of a looking back than a looking forward type of person. Please note: Opinions expressed are solely those of Chris Deacy and Donna Timmiss and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of Kent.