Discover how sheep, wool and the wool trade have shaped British history, built fortunes, influenced society and even helped win wars.

Starring Flis and Ron

With assistance from human: Alan Freeland

Ewe may be familiar with the Great Man theory of history that says that history was created by Great Men. Bah, humbug. Sheep had much more influence on history, especially British History than a few old men.

Let me and my ram, Ron, pull the wool from your eyes and spin you a much more believable yarn.

We will learn that sheep are man’s best livestock, that there would have been no Silk Roads without wool, that sheep conquered the Northern Hemisphere and Made England Great Already (MEGA). We will learn how wool gave us the middle classes and how sheep defeated the British Empire, how the best yarns involve sheep and how wool won wars.

I know you will be on tenterhooks, don’t be sheepish, book your place early to avoid disappointment.

If you want to show solidarity with our ovine cousins please wear something visibly wool to the show.Thank you, Flis

About the Speaker

Alan Freeland

Alan’s rewarding career explaining IT to UK Business Customers was coming to a satisfactory end when un-characteristically Alan grasped the opportunity to do a similar role from Dubai, engaging with customers from Africa to China. Another chance encounter made Alan realise he was carrying on an ancient tradition of traders and knowledge sharers plying their wares along the Silk Roads. Since retiring Alan has, as a tourist, travelled from China to Venice through Central Asia, Iran, and the Caucasus to better tell the silk roads story. He has an interest in world history - especially the histories of Russia and India.

Alan is a volunteer speaker for many u3a talks and also gives tours of the British Museum, the Watts Gallery and Artists' Village and the V&A.

Alan is also part of the u3a National AI Subject leadership team.

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