TESTIMONIALS & CV
TESTIMONIALS - For work done since 2009
Training – writing skills
“Robert delivers our journalism, feature writing and web writing courses. His courses are very thorough and are well reviewed by delegates – and we hope to work more with him in the future.” – Steven Smith – Director, Armada
“Robert has delivered around 20 courses for us during the last 18 months – in addition to Writing for the Web, he has also developed two other courses we plan to run shortly. His training is consistently well received by our broad range of clients from across the UK. Delegates typically cite his training as interesting and informative, thorough as well as flexible, participative and fun.” – Miguel Ramskill – Director, Specialist Training International
“How much we enjoyed your training… Not only lots of fun, but also a huge amount of learning. And all immensely relevant and actionable. Thank you very much for all your input. You really packed it in.” – Catherine Hick, Managing Director, TMS Development International, York
“Thank you so much for the training session – we all found it really useful and learnt a lot which we will be able to put in to practice straight away.” – Phil Catt, Sporting Events Assistant, The Prostate Cancer Charity
Training for journalists
“Excellent journalist – delivers copy on time and to length. Minimal editing needed.” – Johann Tasker – Director, Rural City Media
“Robert always comes in with those absolutely core freelance prerequisites: on time, to brief, with clean copy and a minimum of fuss. You couldn’t ask for more.” – Nic Paton – Commissioning Editor, Local Government Chronicle
“Robert has done several useful jobs for us, and has become a valued additional member of our team. He has written case studies, secured features in the national press, assisted with research, and written up national workshops. His writing is impressive – it is well received by our clients, and always delivered well within his deadline.” – Debbie Wilcox – Co-ordinator, National Care Farming Initiative
Copy-editing
“Robert has provided an invaluable service, helping us at every stage of the report-writing process, from drafting preliminary ideas through to copy-editing and proof-reading. He has a keen eye for detail and is able to get to grips with new topics very quickly.” – Dr Victoria Nash, Director of Graduate Studies/Policy and Research Fellow, Oxford Interent Institute, Oxford University.
Copywriting - brochures, web text etc.
“I would highly recommend Robert. We at Shelley Signs will be working with him again when suitable projects come up.” – Rob Shelley – Director of Shelley Signs, Shropshire
“Paul Landa and I wanted to say ‘Thank You’ very much for your work on the two web sites. Really great, thanks.” - Paul Lacey, PLM Creative
MEMBERSHIP
I am a member of these organisations:
Society for Editors and Proofreaders
National Union of Journalists
Writers in Oxford
Association for Heritage Interpretation
Oxford Publishing Society
Freelance Journalists’ Forum
BRIEF CV
• Writer and Freelance Journalist
I am a freelance writer for national newspapers, magazines and web sites and have been published in The Times, Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and elsewhere (since 2003). I also write web copy, and am a regular online writer and blog writer for specialist web sites such as the Rural Services Network.
• Editor/Copyeditor
I am a freelance copyeditor for Oxford University, helping with research publications and policy workshops. Prior to this, for 7 years while at WMELPU, I had editorial responsibility for the unit’s 15+ publications per annum, including a high-profile quarterly report and research reports. This involved planning content, commissioning and writing articles, sub-editing and proofreading, and working with publishers.
• Trainer in writing skills, writing tips and techniques
I deliver training for several national clients, the most popular courses being Writing for the Web, Effective Writing, and Get Your Business Book Started (see other pages for details). Since 2006 I myself have attended training courses in topics such as: Search Engine Optimisation, Freedom of Information, Using Social Media, Advanced Feature Writing, and Sub-editing.
• Copywriter – public, private and voluntary sector clients
Since 2004 I have provided copywriting services for several private sector clients – including web and seo work, writing brochures, and writing tourist information panels. I have also undertaken repeated contracts for academic bodies, local authorities and the voluntary sector.
• Media / Journalism experience
As Director of the West Midlands Employment & Low Pay Unit (1996-2004) and Principal Economist at Shropshire County Council (1992-96), I wrote press releases and gave regular interviews for regional and national media, as well as TV. During 2003-06 I was a panellist on BBC Radio Shropshire’s Drive Time Programme.
