Tribute for Dianne

Dianne Mannering, former Community Manager at Mirthy, passed away in her sleep in the morning of Thursday 9 th  December 2021. Dianne was an integral part of Mirthy and spearheaded the company’s early development as a platform for public speakers to reach their audiences. She was a historian and author of 'A Crown for Staffordshire'. She was extremely entrepreneurial, founding the Public Speakers Corner website. Dianne’s commitment to supporting speakers kept her up in the early hours of the morning, as she helped speakers to record pre-recorded talks during the pandemic, and design high-quality PowerPoint presentation slides. Many Mirthy speakers received such advice and support from Dianne and we know she will be sorely missed in the Mirthy and wider public speaking community:

Read Val's tribute for her good friend Dianne here.

Alan Jones

I have had the pleasure of knowing Dianne for a number of years. Initially meeting via her pioneering website, innovative because it provided a place for those on the speakers circuit to promote their talks and connect with the many organisations seeking someone with a good tale to tell. Through Dianne’s generosity the listings and bookings were free to use, and the cost of maintaining the website was met from her own purse. Dianne and I chatted about many health issues during the past year, and I write of Dianne in the present tense because, for me, her wonderful, feisty and determined fight to beat the odds of her diagnosis and remain optimistic and positive will always keep her memory alive for me.

Malcolm Meadows

My first encounter with Dianne was in 2015 having found her website advertising Public Speakers in the UK. We very quickly established a good working relationship and she was extraordinarily helpful, taking no end of trouble to guide me through the process of putting my details on the site. I was fascinated to learn how the website had been built on the back of her daughter’s website Big Bloomers, and was available to us without charge, how generous was that? The arrival of the pandemic caused me to contact her again to enquire for information regarding virtual presentations and she very soon persuaded me to become a Mirthy Speaker. Who could resist such a compelling message, and her valuable guidance again in helping me to record my first few talks in PowerPoint? Her patience and encouragement was so helpful, and she will be sadly missed by the speaker community.

Rukshana Masters

Though I never had the chance to meet Dianne in person, I had a connection with her for over four years, during which she was an inspiration, advisor, teacher and virtual friend. She was a warm, kind and wonderful person, putting aside her own problems in life to help others succeed and feel confident as speakers. I feel very sad indeed that she has left us but so privileged to have known her. She will always be remembered with affection and great appreciation.