After months working from home, she was seeking a new physical environment, away from screen and desk, wanting connection in real time, and the stimulus of something new. After seeing information about the course in Brixton Library she wondered if there was a Tour Guide gene, after all, her grandfather had been Blue Badge Guide. But, public speaking? A card carrying introvert, engaging with total strangers, for hours, without notes. And in all weathers…Ten months after she took the plunge and applied the end of the course was in sight, prompting her to write about her experience:

‘ I can honestly say it’s the best decision I ever made. Because it is so much more than I anticipated – not just a skill, or something I could earn a bit of cash with. What I learnt was that I discovered I could speak, without hesitation, deviation or repetition – I even enjoy it ! I regret not having learned these skills earlier in life. Evidence? I recently won our organisation’s ‘star quality’ award for a day-long presentation. Not something I ever thought possible.

It has been fantastic to learn about Lambeth. It is a borough steeped in a long and fascinating history, evident in every street, building and object around us with the Jewel in the Crown – of course – Brixton.

I came to realise how ignorant I was about history but in the 21st century there’s so much online access to documents and maps, along with London’s well-resourced physical archives including the wonderful Lambeth Archives, and the fantastically knowledgeable team there.

My fellow trainee guides were a diverse and interesting group – some existing guides wanting to polish guiding skills, others complete beginners like me – many of whom I’m sure will lifelong friends and collaborators. The course tutors are highly skilled and somehow develop our emerging skills without destroying our confidence. Guiding is something of a ‘performance art’ but we are encouraged to be ourselves, and draw on our experience for interesting content not just look in published sources.

A final word about workload. The Course includes a training walk every other Saturday morning in term time, along with Thursday evening classes in Lambeth North. There’s a mix of presentations, activities, quizes to develop our learning. Once you start to get involved, you can find hours and hours have passed as the research and writing becomes more engrossing. You have to train yourself to know when to stop!

It really is all very enjoyable. You just need to remember there is such as thing as work/life/course balance.’