Life changing retirement for Teesside alumnus
A Teesside University alumnus is enjoying an active retirement, publishing her first novel and embarking on several life-changing trips to Africa.
Beryl Robinson completed a BA (Hons) History & Politics in 1995 after she returned to the Tees Valley and began studying part-time.
She had worked in offices across the country throughout her 22 year career in the civil service, but the decision to return to her native North-East allowed her to study at her home town University.
She said: 'I was brought up in Middlesbrough and found Teesside a friendly local university within walking distance of work and home.
'I already had a career before starting my degree but it gave me a yearning to learn more. I am amazed at how much the university has grown since I studied there. It has become a small town with far more students than I remembered.' After retiring in 2009, Beryl decided to pursue her passion for creative writing and continued to write through Stokesley U3A (University of the Third Age) creative writing classes.
A two page short story set in the 1860s developed into a series of chapters about Hannah, a girl of 16 married to a brutal drunkard, whose actions have consequences for the rest of her life. The characters and story then evolved into a complete book just eight months later.
‘A Life of Consequence’ is Beryl’s debut novel, published through Billingham-based Indie Publishing, and was released in November 2015.
The historical novel can be bought at one of Beryl’s book signings or from Amazon in paperback or Kindle edition.
Beryl is no stranger to the publishing world and also has a book of poems entitled 'What happened on the way to the bathroom' which was inspired by her trip to Africa and an encounter with the local wildlife. This was published to raise money for schools in Zimbabwe.
After graduation, Beryl took her first trip to Southern Africa. It was her ambition to travel that drove her to make the journey alone. Her six week trip included visits to Cape Town, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia and her experiences there influenced the rest of her life.
Since her retirement she has travelled to Southern Africa on numerous occasions and often volunteers with British Charity ‘The Book Bus’ in Livingstone, Zambia. Beryl enjoys working in the village schools and orphanages, teaching children to read. In 2012 while in Livingstone, Beryl was fortunate to meet Princess Ann who was touring as part of the Queen’s Anniversary.
The Book Bus has reading schemes in Zambia, Malawi, and Ecuador where over 10,000 children now have access to books.
She added: 'This is where I belong. It’s my second home.
'I have been scuba-diving with sharks in Australia, white water rafting on the mighty Zambezi and walked with lions in Zimbabwe, life is an adventure. I hope to continue writing fiction as I now have time to do this, my children have left home and I’m retired so I have no excuse.'
Learn more about the Book Bus here.
