Ted’s Talks

Ted’s Talks

Poisoned

Poisons are very much in the news at present but what do we actually know about poison and it’s impact on the body?

Ted Richards, with his toxicology and chemistry background, will guide you through actual murder cases involving poison from ancient history to the modern day. Investigations and trials that have taken place will be detailed.  He will explain in simple terms, with the use of props, how poisons act on the human body.  The talk aims to both entertain and educate at the same time.

Norman Biggs – Death by poison: An unfortunate end to a Welsh sporting legend

The talk looks at the Biggs family of Pen-y-lan, Cardiff, in particular Norman, who played rugby for Wales before entering the military.

As well as looking at Norman’s sporting and military history the talk gives also an interesting insight into the social history of the rapidly expanding town of Cardiff in the late 19th century.

Ted’s European Guinness Challenge

In 2004 Ted Richards set himself a challenge of trying to have a pint of Guinness in all 52 European Capital cities, from Baku in Azerbaijan to Reykjavik in Iceland.

Travel with Ted as he recounts the adventures he’s had, the characters he’s encountered and situations he’s got himself into.

Ted’s Tall Tales What kept Ted busy in lockdown

What kept Ted busy in lockdown? Ever busy, Ted has now put four projects into one varied, informative and fun talk; incorporating “The Tallest Man on Earth”, “Travelling the World From My Armchair,” “The Origin of Roath & Splott Place Names” and “The Less Travelled Walks in Cardiff.”

Family Tree

Discover the fascinating world of Genealogy.  Hear about the various resources available to help you trace your ancestors.

An introduction to Geocaching

Geocaching is the modern day treasure hunting game that Ted loves. With over 3 million geocaches hidden throughout the world you are never that far away from one. This talk looks at the background to geocaching and some of the tip and tricks of the game.

Alfred Nobel

The story behind the man who invented various explosives and whose name lives on in the form of the Nobel Prizes.

Roath Street Names

The story behind how some of the streets in Roath got their names. We’ll also look at some of the other nearby neighbourhoods – Pen-y-lan , Adamsdown, Splott, Tremorfa, and even a bit of Cathays.

Roath Virtual War Memorial

Roath doesn’t have a public war memorial like  other areas of Cardiff such as Llandaff,  Whitchurch and Grangetown.  This ‘virtual’ online war memorial has been created to remember those who lost their lives in WWI and WWII.  We will look at some of those people remembered on this memorial.

Captain George Auger – The Cardiff Giant and the Tallest Man on Earth

The billboards for the Barnum and Bailey Circus in America in the early 1900s advertised Captain George Auger as the World’s Tallest Man. Whether he was or not is open to conjecture but he was certainly up there among the tallest.

 The talk will traces the life of George Auger from his birth in Cardiff, his upbringing in London and his time in America, finishing with his sad early death just prior to embarking on a career in Hollywood.

Aneurin Bevan

A look at the life at the life of Nye Bevan, in particular his early life in Tredegar and the part that played in his political life.

Robert Thomas – The man who made Nye Bevan

I looked at the statue of Nye Bevan in the centre of Cardiff and I wondered to myself who made it.  It turns out that sculptor Robert Thomas was a prolific sculptor.  This talk looks at his life and his public works of art and some of those of he went to college with.  

Talks in preparation:-

The Captain Scott Antarctic Expedition and the Roath Connections.

The Mackintosh Clan and their Roath connections