Past Work

Helen Lloyd has recorded hundreds of life-stories for numerous successful oral history projects including work for the BBC, Oxford University, the National Trust, national and regional libraries, and community groups all around the UK

She has won a Race in the Media Award (Commission for Racial Equality), IT in Teaching and Learning Award (Oxford University), and her work was chosen as a Research Highlight by the Wellcome Trust

Click below for examples of Helen’s work in the following areas…

1. Recording life-stories and themed interviews
2. Project management and consultancy
3. Training young people and adults
4. Audio editing for websites, CDs, exhibitions and museum installations
5. Lectures for conferences and seminars
6. Talks to community groups

1. Recording life-stories and themed interviews

• Oxford University’s Diabetes Stories 100 interviews with diabetes patients and carers. Won IT in Teaching and Learning Award and chosen by the Wellcome Trust as a Research Highlight.
• BBC oral history project, The Century Speaks - 100 life-stories and 16 half-hour radio programmes. Won Race in the Media Award (Commission for Racial Equality)
• Hundreds of other interviews commissioned by the National Trust, the  Association of Jewish Refugees, Birmingham City Council’s Millennium project, the Criminal Cases Review Commission, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Assay Office Birmingham, local history societies, and many other organisations.
• Individual family members
• 200 of Helen’s life-story recordings are housed in the British Library Sound Archive (Search Helen Lloyd) and hundreds more in archives around the UK

2. Project management and consultancy

Helen has provided services for successful projects all over the UK – Consultancy on funding bids; selection and recording of interviewees; project management; training of interviewers, and ensuring accessibility of recordings through a variety of media and talks. Her clients have included:

• BBC - The Century Speaks oral history project. Helen’s radio series won the Commission for Racial Equality’s Race in the Media Award
• Oxford University – Helen created the total content of the Oral History of Diabetes website which won an IT in Teaching and Learning Award and was chosen by the Wellcome Trust as a Research Highlight
• The National Trust - Tour audio and Memories of Back to Backs CD for the Back to Backs
• Birmingham City Council – 150 life-story recordings for the Millennibrum project, now available in the Library of Birmingham
• Wolverhampton Grand Theatre for the Grand Memories project
• New Forest Trust – an oral history of New Forest Commoners
• Sampad South Asian Arts – research and training for the My Route project.
• For more examples see Training young people & adults below

3. Training/Education for young people and adults

Before Helen specialised in oral history, she provided media training for professionals and training in interviewing techniques for BBC staff and freelancers, an African-Caribbean radio station and many student groups.

Since specialising in oral history, she has trained professionals and volunteers, aged 8 to 80, in recording and interviewing techniques, transcription and writing summaries, for a wide variety of projects.

4. Audio editing for websites, exhibitions, museums and CDs.

Helen has edited short audio extracts, features, and radio series for the BBC World Service, national and local radio stations, and now specialises in editing oral history recordings for websites, mobile apps, exhibitions, museum installations and commercial CDs.

Examples of her oral history audio editing can be found in her award-winning BBC radio series, The Century Speaks, now in the British Library Sound Archive; Oxford University’s Diabetes Stories; Grand Memories; Digital Handsworth (Search Helen Lloyd Gallery); Voices of the Old Printworks ; installations and website audio features for London Canal Museum; tour audio and Memories of Back to Backs CD for National Trust Back to Backs and audio examples for Oral History Society Guide to doing oral history in schools and youth groups co-authored in 2018.

For examples – see Audio Extracts and Publications

5. Lectures for conferences and seminars

Helen has been a plenary speaker at:

• International conferences in Oxford, Copenhagen, Boston and San Diego – on the Oral History of Diabetes
• European Oral History Seminar in Birmingham – on regional identities
• Heritage Lottery Fund conferences for ethnic minority and youth organisations
• National Reminiscence Network – on recording older people
• Society for Theatre Research – on the Grand Memories project
• A Dalit Conference on the role of oral history in the construction of identity
• The Charles Parker Day 2014 at the Library of Birmingham.
• The Charles Parker Day 2018 at the British Library.

She has also given talks and been a panel member at Oral History Society conferences

6. Talks to community groups

Helen regularly speaks to:

• Schools and colleges
• Groups for retired people
• Local history societies
• Churches
• Charities
• Meetings of Women’s Institutes, U3A, NADFAS, Rotary, Inner Wheel, Probus, and the National Trust Association
• Alzheimers Society activity groups