Tour Guide Katie

21/03/2024

It’s . Make a visit to the North West part of your plans for 2024 and of course be sure to book a of my beautiful home city of whilst you’re here.

Visit Chester and Cheshire

17/03/2024

What was once behind these doors on Chester's Watergate Street? We'll explore this and other hidden histories on my next lunchtime walk, "A Wander down Watergate" this Wednesday 20th March. Book your spot now on Eventbrite - check out my Event listings.

StoryhouseLive Visit Chester and Cheshire Chester Heritage Festival



British Guild of Tourist Guides Chester History and Heritage Centre

17/03/2024

Millions of people across the world will be lining the streets today in celebration of St Patrick’s Day .Most people across the world, assume that Patrick was Irish, when in fact he was born in the tiny village in the Neath Valley called Banwen in 385 AD .

He was a Roman Briton and his father was a Roman British official. He and his sister were captured by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland to work as a slave. He escaped and returned to Banwen.

After his escape, Patrick experienced a revelation—an angel in a dream telling him to return to Ireland as a missionary.

The training he received to do the missionary work is, believed by some to have taken place in Wales at the Church of Llantwit Major .

He was very successful at winning converts. Familiar with the Irish language and culture, he adapted traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity rather than attempting to eradicate native beliefs. He used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honouring their gods with fire, he also superimposed a sun, a powerful native symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross.

13/03/2024

11/03/2024

Remarkable Welsh women

3. Gwerful Mechain

A medieval female bard , poetess and feminist, the daughter of Hywel Fychan of Mechain in Powys.

She was a noble woman with a strong sense of justice and morality, and wrote about female sexuality and domestic issues during a time when women’s rights were non-existent.

She was regarded as an equal by her male counterparts and engaged in poetic exchanges with popular contemporary bards such as Dafydd Llwyd and Llywelyn ap Gutyn .

Her satirical poem " To Jealous Wives " is a favourite. Her humorous, religious, and righteous verse makes Mechain’s unashamedly feminist poetry timeless.

09/03/2024

This is a beautiful film about some very special places in Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿❤️⛪️ all cared for by this amazing charity Friends of Friendless Churches and the incredible people who work with them. Do take a look. Thank you 🙏

It's here! We're thrilled to share our short film *Straeon Mewn Maen* (Stories in Stone) https://buff.ly/3wJNi1q
You can watch the film with either Welsh or English sub-titles on YouTube.

We wanted to make this film to showcase our work in Wales, to celebrate the beauty of the Welsh churches in our care, and to express our gratitude to the incredible volunteers, craftspeople, contractors and other supporters who help us with the hands-on care of these historic buildings.

We'd like to say a huge thank you to Cadw for funding this project, to Ifor Williams, Natalie Jones, Ned Schärer, Andy Faulkner and Thom Kinghorn-Evans for your inspirational interviews, to our superb presenter Dr Erin Lloyd Jones, Archaeologist, and to our fantastic director Alexander Browne and the production team for capturing the beauty and dignity of these special places. ❤

Let us know what you think! Please share the film with your friends and find out more about what we do at fofc.org.uk.

08/03/2024

It's . Sharing the stories of women, both famous and hidden, is such a key part of my job as a


British Guild of Tourist Guides Wales Best Guides

06/03/2024

Remarkable Welsh Women

2: Cranogwen (Sarah Jane Reese)

She was the most outstanding Welsh woman of the nineteenth century’.

She was a pioneer in many fields considered unsuitable for women at that time. She was a skilled mariner and worked for two years as a sailor on cargo ships. Aged 21, she became a headteacher, overcoming opposition to the appointment of a woman.

A gifted writer, Cranogwen was the first woman to win a poetry prize at the National Eisteddfod, She went on to be one of the most popular poets in Wales and was the first woman to edit a Welsh-language women’s magazine

Her poem The Wedding Ring – was a somewhat humorous and sarcastic response to the married woman’s destiny., She became a published poet and her popular collection ‘Caniadau Cranogwen’ appeared in 1870.

`She embarked on a career as a lecturer, Temperance campaigner and preacher – travelling across America twice.

Her statue, third ever statue of a non-fictionalised woman in Wales was entailed in Llangrannog Ceredigion in June last year. Designed and created by renowned .sculptor Sebastien Boyesen.

06/03/2024

Remarkable Welsh Women

1: Betty Campbell

Wales’ First Black Headteacher and Champion Of Multiculturalism.
Born in Butetown, Betty was raised in the poverty of Tiger Bay in Cardiff and she loved the escapism of reading – particularly the Enid Blyton tales of girls’ boarding schools.
In 1960 when Cardiff Teacher Training College was admitting women for the first time. Betty became one of only six female students to attend . She became the first black female headteacher in Wales in the 1970s and she helped create Black History Month. It is through that Nelson Mandela requested to meet her on his only visit to Wales in 1998.

Her statue is the only statue of a women on the streets of Cardiff.

21/02/2024

Happy International Tourist Guide day everyone!

Retraining as a guide has definitely been the best decision and I'm very much looking forward to leading lots of tours in Chester and North Wales in 2024 and beyond!

British Guild of Tourist Guides Wales Best Guides

17/02/2024

Good fun today showing visitors from over the border 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 some of Chester's many Welsh connections and a few hidden surprises too!

14/02/2024

This looks incredible! Tickets booked!

11/02/2024

Where can you find this number on Chester's city walls and what's its significance? Clue - you can find out more on my next lunchtime walk "Around the Abbey" on 21st February.

Book your spot on Eventbrite now.

British Guild of Tourist Guides Visit Chester and Cheshire Chester History and Heritage Centre Chester Cathedral Chester Heritage Festival

03/02/2024

3rd February is the feast day of St Werburgh. Who was she and why is she the patron saint of ? Join my next lunchtime walk on 21st February to learn more. We'll explore the area around the abbey that once bore her name, now Chester Cathedral. Its a great chance to get out and about, meet some new people and learn something new on a short city centre walk.

Book your spot for "Around the Abbey" on Eventbrite.

British Guild of Tourist Guides Visit Chester and Cheshire Chester Heritage Festival Chester History and Heritage Centre

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/811665783207?aff=oddtdtcreator

25/01/2024

No need to wait until February.
Happy St Dwynwen’s Day!
Dydd Santes Dwynwen Hapus! ❤️ 💕 🥰

If you're looking for romance before Valentine’s day, head over to Wales for St Dwynwen’s night on 25 January - a romantic celebration of the Welsh patron saint of lovers.

17/01/2024

Thanks to everyone who braved the cold for today's " Explore Eastgate" lunchtime walk. Nice to see some regulars as well as meeting some new faces. Hope you all had fun!

Next month's walk is on 21st February. Details to follow shortly.

15/01/2024

Beautiful blue skies in Beaumaris for North Wales guide training day today.

09/01/2024

Welcome to my new page for all my tour guiding and related activities!

* Green Badge Tourist Guide
* Walking tours of all types in beautiful Chester.
* Monthly Chester lunchtime netwalks.
* Heritage volunteer.
* Hidden history. Women's stories. Lost tales.
* All things Cheshire!
* Green Badge trainee covering stunning North Wales in 2024 .
* Bronze Ambassador for Wrexham County
* History and heritage visits across the UK and beyond.