All Episodes - Radio Walks & Sound Stories
Oral History and Audio Storytelling - the pictures are better on radio."Plenty of time, plenty of tape, and few questions",(pioneering oral historian George Ewart Evans, 1909-1988, https://sounds.bl.uk/Oral-history/George-Ewart-Evans-collection).Listen to Radio Walks on SoundCloud at https://soundcloud.com/jonathan_kempsterhttps://walklistencreate.org/sound-walk-september/sound-walk-september-awards/
View Podcast Details24 Episodes
Refugee Sound Stories
We all love a story, and here at Chiltern Open Air Museum, we have plenty to tell! On Sunday 13th October 2024, around the campfire in our beautiful surroundings, we heard from members of our community whose heritage comes from further afield. Storytellers Tetiana Pantielieieva and Vitalina Darnopykh, both from Ukraine, were joined by Sadat, a refugee academic from Afghanistan. All three have found safety and support in Buckinghamshire. Event curated by Jacqui GellmanLocation recording by Glenn KeilesEditing and post-production by Jonathan Kempster(A stereo recording) www.coam.org.uk/heritagestories?r…eritage%20stories Campfire Heritage Stories oral history programme at COAM is supported by The Rothschild Foundationrothschildfoundation.org.uk/ -
The Road to D-Day, Bernard Morgan's Story
Bernard Morgan was the youngest RAF sergeant to land on Gold Beach during D-Day, 6th June 1944. He enlisted on his 18th birthday in 1942. In this interview with Jonathan Kempster of the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive, Bernard explains how and why he ended up under fire on a Normandy beach, serving as a code and cypher operator. His unit fought on through Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, before hearing the news of Germany’s surrender in May 1945. Meet eyewitnesses to conflict, at the Imperial War Museum, www.iwm.org.uk/events/we-were-there Search 33,000 recordings related to conflict in the IWM Sound Collection, www.iwm.org.uk/collections/sound _
No Longer The Forgotten War...
Ron Yardley served on HMS Belfast during the Korean War. Following a recent audience with King Charles at Buckingham Palace, the 92-year old veteran feels that the conflict is no longer 'the forgotten war', but he still has work to do in educating the younger generation about events on the Korean Peninsula in the early 1950s.Interview by Jonathan Kempster, Imperial War Museum Documents & Sound Archive, London, (5/4/2024).www.iwm.org.uk/collections/soundPart of 'We Were There', www.iwm.org.uk/events/we-were-there
The Jewish Hungarian Experience of The Holocaust - A Radio Walk with John Hajdu
Eighty years ago, on the 5th of April 1944, the Yellow Star Order was imposed on the Jewish population of Hungary - one of hundreds of anti-Jewish laws which led to the deportation and murder of over 400,000 Hungarian Jews.John Hajdu MBE, was 7-years old when he was imprisoned in the Budapest Ghetto, and his mother was sent to Mauthausen concentration camp.In this Radio Walk, John tells his story to Jonathan Kempster of the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive as they walk through the Holocaust Galleries at IWM London. Visit the Holocaust Galleries at IWM London:www.iwm.org.uk/events/the-holocaust-galleries Learn about the Holocaust:www.hmd.org.uk/ Oral History and Audio Production by Jonathan Kempster (MIPS).
The Power of a Good Story...
Visitors and storytellers react to the latest Campfire Heritage Stories event at Chiltern Open Air Museum.
Heritage Stories 2024 at Chiltern Open Air Museum
Everything we do at Chiltern Open Air Museum (COAM) is about bringing history to life and stimulating the senses of our visitors. In our exhibits you can see, smell, and touch history, and storytelling is integral to our mission. Listen to the latest edition of Campfire Heritage Stories – an annual event when we gather to hear about the heritage and life journeys of people who have made the Chilterns their home.This year’s Storytellers include Karen Bonner (Chief Nurse at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, a descendent of the Windrush generation), Elizabeth Dench (Jamaica), Sejal Sechdav (Uganda) and B J Taylor (Keyna).[A stereo recording, best heard on headphones]. Curated and organised by Jacqui Gellman, Outreach Officer.Audio production and Oral History by Jonathan Kempster (MIPS).Photograph by Cat Humphries (cathumphries.wordpress.com/).Helen Light, Marketing and General Manager.coam.org.uk/Funded by The Rothschild Foundation (rothschildfoundation.org.uk/). Chiltern Open Air Museum, Newland Park, Gorelands Lane, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks, HP8 4AB01494 871 117Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/chilternoamLike us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/chilternopenairmuseumevents Chiltern Open Air Museum is a registered charity (no. 272381) inspiring present and future generations with stories of Chilterns historic buildings, people, and places.
Radio Walks - Interview with Paul Haley
"If you can't find a photograph within ten yards of where you are, you're not looking hard enough". Paul Haley has been a professional photographer all his working life. As the youngest ever Senior Photographer at Soldier magazine he was posted to the South Atlantic to document the Falklands War of 1982. He recorded more than 2000 images, now conserved in the collection of the Imperial War Museum, London. The museum's Head of Photographs, Helen Mavin, included some of Paul's photographs in the recently published book War Photographers (ISBN 978-1-912423-66-8).In this Radio Walk, Paul Haley guided Jonathan Kempster around his windswept and rainy home town of Morley, Leeds, demonstrating that there is an inspiring image to be found around every corner. A stereo recording best heard on headphones. See Paul's street photography from the walk here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/photos/share/CmhbgkSTChuDFYZXOvW4cLknM0CaVYc1t82jkA1CYjA Image © The Trustees of the Imperial War Museum, 2023 https://shop.iwm.org.uk/p/29017/War-Photographers---IWM-Photo-Collection https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/blavatnik-art-film-and-photography-galleries If you know someone who can walk and talk at the same time, or if you'd like to tell your story, please get in touch: jonathan.kempster@gmail.com _
Gaza - does history matter?
To what extent does the history of Israel-Palestine inform the response to human suffering in present day Gaza?This discussion took place in Bristol on Saturday the 4th of November 2023 during a march and rally co-ordinated by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Jonathan Kempster of the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive spoke to Linzy Na Nakorn, a human rights and cycling campaigner, (co-director of The Big Ride for Palestine (www.thebigride4palestine.com/), and with Kathe Jacob, a local resident and activist who is of Jewish heritage. Explore: www.iwm.org.uk/projects-partners…nflicts-programme Listen on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jonathan_kempster/gaza-does-history-matter?si=068c4a86f8da430d9054e262f3be82e6&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Image © Bristol PSC_
The Russian Organ Scholar of Istanbul
Organist Sergei Lukashuk interviewed in the Crimean Memorial Church, Istanbul, by Jonathan Kempster.Recorded during the IASA Conference at Istanbul University, September 2023.www.achurchnearyou.com/church/33329/2023.iasa-web.org/
Decolonising Green Spaces - A Radio Walk in the Chilterns, with Dr Geeta Ludhra.
Dr Geeta Ludhra lives in the Chilterns, she is the daughter of first-generation South Asian parents who emigrated from India in the early 1960s. She is a Lecturer in Education at Brunel University, where she is also engaged in academic research. Geeta walked and talked with Jonathan Kempster at Chiltern Open Air Museum, telling the story of her life journey so far, and her ambition to ‘decolonise’ the countryside and promote intercultural dialogue, developing safe and inclusive green spaces for all. Part of Heritage Stories oral history collection at Chiltern Open Air Museum: https://coam.org.uk/museum-buckinghamshire/heritage-stories/ Oral History and audio production by Jonathan Kempster. Outreach Organiser at COAM: Jacqui Gellman. Press & Marketing Officer at COAM: Helen Light. Find out about Dadima’s walks and talks here: https://www.chilternsaonb.org/news/dadimas-countryside-walks-and-talks-2022-programme/ - If you know someone who can walk and talk at the same time, or if you'd like to tell your story, get in touch: jonathan.kempster@gmail.com -
A Century of Steam - P&O Heritage Archive Audio
A Century of Steam – from the sound collection of P&O Heritage Archive, a recently conserved copy of a BBC radio programme broadcast on the National Programme on the 6th of October 1937 to celebrate the Centenary of the P&O shipping line, (originally produced by Felix Felton).The audio material was recovered from eleven 12-inch acetate cellulose-lacquer grooved 78rpm radio transcription discs, conserved in the P&O archive, and digitally transferred.Image shows the company’s new ship, Stratheden - her maiden voyage to Brisbane began on Christmas Eve 1937, and she continued in company service until 1964.-Curated by: Susie Cox, Senior Curator, P&O Heritage Archive, LondonAudio Preservation by: Jonathan Kempster, MIPSSee the latest P&O Heritage Archive exhibition here: www.poheritage.com/the-collection [Main image: Radio Times 1/10/1937]- Also available on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jonathan_kempster/po-heritage-a-century-of-steam?si=ed2d4208390841878ee1aea879a1c851&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing -
'We Were There' - eyewitnesses to conflict, Imperial War Museum
As the BBC launches its initiative to document the lives of Second World War veterans, experience an award-winning outreach programme of the same name: 'We Were There' is a unique experience for museum visitors to meet veterans and eyewitnesses to conflict and ask them questions about their lives and experiences, hearing their true stories first hand. The team, led by the IWM's Public Engagement & Learning Producer Ngaire Bushell, won the Marsh Award for Museum Learning. This radio package, by Jonathan Kempster of the IWM's Sound Archive, takes a glimpse at one of the 'We Were There' days held at IWM London, including the voices of war veterans, and visitor reaction to their stories. https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/we-were-there -
Campfire Heritage Stories 2022 at Chiltern Open Air Museum (COAM)
At Chiltern Open Air Museum (COAM) our mission is to document and conserve the story of the Chilterns. Whether it’s the buildings and objects we save, or the people who lived and worked in and around them - our responsibility is to tell those stories to future generations. We discovered that a great way of encouraging storytelling is to sit around the campfire, toasting marshmallows, and listening to each other. We invited two special guests, Dr Geeta Ludhra and Gregory Gonzales – they both live here in our Chilterns community, but their heritage originates much further afield. Our ‘heritage basket’ of objects and words was passed around to prompt memories of life’s journey. Listen now to Geeta and Gregory’s stories, and those of some COAM visitors. Organised and created by Jacqui Gellman / Audio Production by Jonathan Kempster © 2022 Chiltern Open Air Museum https://coam.org.uk/museum-buckinghamshire/history-future/ -
The Reluctant Pilgrim (Radio Walks) ... a funny thing happened on the way to the priory.
The site of Ivinghoe Benedictine Priory, dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch, lies in the hamlet of St Margaret's, between the villages of Great and Little Gaddesden, in the North Chiltern Hills. On the 1,718th anniversary of Margaret's martyrdom, local people were led on a pilgrimage to ponder the question, "Did St Margaret actually exist?". As they contemplated the monastic life of the 12th Century, the modern world was ever present. Pilgrimage led by Revd Miranda Seldon, in the presence of Brother John Mayhead OSB. Service written by Heather Tisbury, with reference to 'Women of the Woods' by Roger Bolton. Music performed by Heather Woodward. Produced for Oral History Sound Recording & Storytelling by Jonathan Kempster, July 2022. [Image: Thinkstock/Britannica.com] -
Food and Fuel Crisis - the Medieval Cooking Solution - The Sewing Rooms social enterprise (Sound Story).
Paula Gamester is the Founder and CEO of The Sewing Rooms, a social enterprise based in Skelmersdale in the north of England. Aware of the cost-of-living crisis that has hit many families in the United Kingdom she designed a product that drastically cuts cooking costs and fuel consumption. Not only does ‘The Sew Fab Bag’ save money, it also massively reduces our carbon footprint and reduces landfill waste. Her design is based on the medieval ‘hay-box’ cooking technique. She told Jonathan Kempster about her inspiration and motivation in producing the Sew Fab Bag. https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/sewfab-bag https://www.the-sewing-rooms.co.uk/ (Interview produced for BBC World Service Business Programmes, July 2022). -
The Queen's Platinum Jubilee at Chiltern Open Air Museum (Sound Story)
Chiltern Open Air Museum (COAM) marked the Queen's Platinum Jubilee by inviting some very special guests from local care homes to a celebratory tea dance. With hundreds of other visitors touring the 45-acre site, there was a mood of fun and celebration. Tea and cake prompted storytelling of Jubilees past and even of the 1953 Coronation itself. Event organised by Jacqui Gellman. Audio production by Jonathan Kempster. Photography by Suzanne Plunkett. suzanneplunkett.com/ coam.org.uk/museum-buckinghamsh…e/heritage-stories/ Produced by Oral History Sound Recording June 2022.
Falklands War - the reporter's story (Sound Story)
In April 1982, Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands. BBC radio reporter Laurie Margolis gained the first confirmation from the Islands, via a fragile shortwave radio link, that the invasion had taken place. He told his story to the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive. Oral history interview by Jonathan Kempster for Imperial War Museums, www.iwm.org.uk/ An edited version of this material was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 3rd April 2022. (Image: IWM Archive FKD2750)
Alternative Armed Forces Day (Sound Story)
As the nation celebrated 'Armed Forces Day' a group of Quakers audited their garden ecology and drank tea for peace. http://www.llquakers.org.uk/hemel/web/ Produced by Oral History Sound Recording, July 2022.
The Life of Birds - interview with George Moreton (Radio Walks)
George Moreton is a passionate ornithologist living in the Chiltern Hills. He travels the world to watch birds. In this episode of Radio Walks, George guides novice 'twitcher' Jonathan Kempster on a walk through the Gade River Valley. We learn the truth about the dawn chorus, and hear what's up and what's down in the bird league table. Garden feeding, modern farming, road transport, air travel, and human activity in general make every day a battle for our feathered friends, but George is dedicated to recording the changes and challenges in the life of birds. [Listen on Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/jonathan_kempster/radio-walks-podcast-ep6-the-life-of-birds-interview-with-george-moreton?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing] If you know someone who can walk and talk at the same time, or if you'd like to be a guest on the programme, please get in touch via: jonathan.kempster@gmail.com Produced by: Jonathan Kempster for Oral History Sound Recording & Storytelling, June 2022.
Thames Estuary at Leigh-on-Sea: an interview with Pablo Behrens (Radio Walks)
Pablo Behrens was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and has lived in London since 1980. He is an award-winning producer, writer, and director. In 2021 he bought a boat for £1 and navigated the Thames Estuary, producing the short film 'The Crossing'. The work demonstrated the forces of nature - and the vulnerability - of the river environment. That intimate experience has motivated him to buy a bigger boat and to embark upon a more ambitious expedition to continue his mission of documenting the surviving wilderness of the Thames Estuary. View ‘The Crossing’ here: https://vimeo.com/535981537 Pablo’s feature film ‘Adrift in Soho’ set in 1950s, and based on the novel by Colin Wilson, is available on DVD in the U.S. and UK, iTunes, and on Amazon Prime Video: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adrift-Soho-Owen-Drake/dp/B089RCQY6J/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2PGJB7BTA3AUB&keywords=adrift+in+soho&qid=1648401177&s=instant-video&sprefix=Adrift+in+Soho%2Cinstant-video%2C104&sr=1-2 If you know someone who can walk and talk at the same time, or if you'd like to be a guest on the programme, please get in touch via: jonathan.kempster@gmail.com Produced by: Jonathan Kempster for Oral History Sound Recording, April 2022.
Leona Fensome's 46th home is St Albans (Radio Walks)
Leona Fensome is a producer and historian. Itinerant by nature, she has made St Albans her 46th home in 45 years. Her mixed-race heritage has made her inquisitive of people – always looking round the corner for an interesting story to re-tell. Jonathan Kempster managed to catch up with her briefly, and share a walk around her current nesting site, the cathedral city of St Albans, to hear the story of Leona’s continuing journey. (Listen to Leona's latest oral history project, 'Tape Letters', here: https://www.audiocontentfund.org.uk/projects/tape-letters/) If you know someone who can walk and talk at the same time, or if you'd like to be a guest on the programme, please get in touch via: jonathan.kempster@gmail.com Produced by: Jonathan Kempster for Oral History Sound Recording, February 2022.
Box Moor - Dennis Furnell (Radio Walks)
Spend half an hour walking the ancient and unique landscape of Box Moor in the Chiltern Hills with life-trustee Dennis Furnell. In spite of the decision to drive a bypass straight through the middle of this vulnerable chalk downland on the edge of Hemel Hempstead, indefatigable 84-year-old Dennis - naturalist, writer, broadcaster, photographer, painter, and guardian of nature - will never give up his fight to protect the land. https://www.boxmoortrust.org.uk/ If you know someone who can walk and talk at the same time, or if you'd like to be a guest on the programme, please get in touch via: jonathan.kempster@gmail.com Produced by: Jonathan Kempster for Oral History Sound Recording, December 2021.
The Urban Gardener - Kate Poland (Radio Walks)
Radio Walks – The Urban Gardener, Kate Poland. “Everyone has a right to access nature and green spaces. It should not be a privilege. Growing stuff is political and empowering: putting a seed in the ground and creating something is a rebellious act”. In the winter of 2010 Kate Poland set up a community garden on some disused land near her home in Hackney, east London. The garden thrived but the landowners evicted them in 2019 to develop the land. Kate wasn’t able to save that garden, but she set up the Union of Hackney Gardens, Orchards and Wild Spaces as a support network to train, share resources, and campaign for green spaces. There are now 71 gardens in the union. Join Kate as she guides Jonathan Kempster through the terrifying urban landscape to find sanctuary in the ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’. (Photograph by Zainab Hazel for the Hackney Citizen). https://www.cordwainersgrow.org.uk/ If you know someone who can walk and talk at the same time, or if you'd like to be a guest on the programme, please get in touch via: jonathan.kempster@gmail.com Produced by: Jonathan Kempster for Oral History Sound Recording, October 2021.
A Walk in the Woods, with Nicholas Halsey (Radio Walks)
The Gaddesden Estate is a 1,900 acre farming and forestry estate in the Chiltern Hills. The Halsey family has lived and farmed there for over 500 years. Today it is run by Nicholas Halsey and his son Guy. In this radio walk, Nick guides Jonathan Kempster through the woodlands and fields from Home Farm, through Marsh Wood, to the Golden Parsonage. Amongst the sheep, grassland, skylark, and red kites, he reflects on the history and challenges of the landscape. https://www.gaddesdenestate.co.uk/ If you know someone who can walk and talk at the same time, or if you'd like to be a guest on the programme, please get in touch via: jonathan.kempster@gmail.com Produced by: Jonathan Kempster for Oral History Sound Recording, July 2021.