Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Home Event Calendar Commodities That Changed Our …

Commodities That Changed Our Lives (& The World)

History
4.8 out of 5 From 199 reviews

Being able to pick and choose activities and either attend at the specified time or watch a recording later suits me perfectly.

Susan
, reviewed on 10 Oct 2022

Entertaining and instructive presentations by knowledgeable speakers.

Margaret
, reviewed on 18 Nov 2022
  • DURATION 6 x 60 mins + discussion group
  • HOW TO ATTEND Attendance is live via Zoom
4.8 out of 5 From 199 reviews

Being able to pick and choose activities and either attend at the specified time or watch a recording later suits me perfectly.

Susan
, reviewed on 10 Oct 2022

Entertaining and instructive presentations by knowledgeable speakers.

Margaret
, reviewed on 18 Nov 2022

Event Description

The Age of Exploration began in the 1400’s; by the 1600’s we had coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar, and all sorts of spices coming into the Britain. Europe was competing to explore the world enabling people to have access to goods they had never seen before. Luxuries initially only for the wealthy but later available for everyone. However, they were not without controversy.

  1. Spilling the Beans – A History of Our Love Affair with Coffee (18th March)
    In the 17th century it was believed that coffee had medicinal properties.
  2. A Nice Cup of Tea - A Potted History (25th March)
    The British answer to any problem or crisis is often a cup of tea!
  3. Food of the Gods (1st April)
    This has to be about chocolate.
  4. All for the Love of Sugar (8th April)
    Everyone wanted this very expensive substance, now we try and avoid it!
  5. Spicing Up Our Lives – A History of our Passion for Spices (15th April)
    Spices were eye wateringly expensive 400 hundred years ago, now often sitting unused at the back of our kitchen cupboards.
  6. The Great Tea Robbery (22nd April)
    Perhaps the greatest theft of trade secrets in the history of mankind, to satisfy the British love affair with tea..
  7. Discussion Group (TUESDAY 26th April)
    An invitation to come and share views and information and ask questions about the British love affair with these exotic commodities and how they changed to world.
  • Duration: 6 x 60 mins + discussion group
  • Online Zoom event: Join from your computer, phone or tablet (no replay available)
Sandy Leong jpg .jpg

Meet the Host, Sandy

Sandy Leong has had 3 careers and is currently working on her fourth. She started her working life as a teacher, moving on to work as a training and development officer before becoming the Chief Officer of a Racial Equality Council. Seeking more work / life balance she set up a training business delivering training to a wide range of organisation all over the country and abroad (the work / life balance did not materialise!). She also undertook training qualifications as a performance coach and a counsellor.

Now she combines her lifelong passion for history as a professional speaker, speaking nationally and internationally, and as a coach and trainer working with others to help them develop their skills to reach their potential, and sneaking in a few storytelling performances.

Believing in having multiple strands creates a fulfilling life, she is also a published author, and currently the Chair of the Board of Trustees for a large Charity and Chair of her local museum committee, a wife, a mum, and grandparent.

Preparing for the Event

For the best experience, you will need to have Zoom downloaded onto your computer. Please ensure you're connected to broadband/wifi rather than using your mobile phone connection (3G/4G).

We also recommend that pets are either calmly sitting on your lap or in another room, and any refreshments you may require are within your reach!

More Information

What if I can’t make the event?

If a recording’s available for the event, you can still register for it and we will send you an email with a link to a recording shortly after it ends.

Will my camera be on and will I be visible to the other people?

Your camera and microphone does not need to be on for you to enjoy the event. The choice about whether to do this is completely yours.

How do I watch the live event?

Rest Less events are hosted on Zoom, a computer application that allows you to attend online events just by clicking a link. For detailed instructions, please go to our "FAQ" page, which you can find a link to in the nav bar at the top of the page.

How do I sign-up for and access the recording? (Recorded events only)

Book the event as normal (as if you are attending live). After the event ends you will automatically receive a post-event email with a link to the recording, as long as the event was recorded. You do not need to do anything else and there is no separate booking process for recordings only. Please note it can take up to 24 hours for Zoom to process recordings.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 From 199 reviews