Genealogy was – for me – a hobby that turned into a career, and having now spent over 10 years as a professional genealogist, I have been privileged to have unearthed countless stories from my clients’ ancestors’ past. These tales have always been interesting, very human, and sometimes quite moving.

When I began tracing my own family tree, I started with just a single piece of information - my grandfather's death in 1900. Yet I traced the ancestry back to the late 1600s, to when Huguenot ancestors had fled religious persecution in France. I uncovered professions, illegitimate births, and a wealth of stories. All for a family of humble origins.

At the other end of the spectrum, another (rather more affluent!) family I traced back to 1066, with the arrival of one of William the Conqueror's knights

Whilst my speciality involves researching convicts who were transported to Australia, I have been involved in more general genealogy on innumerable occasions. I have contributed research to at least two books, and countless websites (some credited, most not!), and in 2009 escorted a school trip of 50 teenage boys on a tour of the battlefields of World War One.

I have long thought that it would be nice to share some of the knowledge that I have accrued over the years, and help others to discover their family’s past whilst avoiding some of the numerous pitfalls that inevitably occur in this field. So when I was offered the opportunity to become Lecturer in Family History at East Surrey College, I was delighted. The chance to guide others along the way, and help them to avoid following fruitless avenues, which can be expensive and time-consuming, was too good to miss. The feedback on the course from students has been uniformly good, and everybody seems to have genuinely enjoyed it. I, too, have found the experience extremely fulfilling, and I hope you can join us sometime