A Melbourn man with a passion for local history has started his own online show, which this weekend will focus on Royston.
Fonz Chamberlain has previously worked on radio and television across the world, and launched his Cambridge Historian Live online TV show off the back of a similar radio show which the 39-year-old said was “highly successful and developed a good following”.
Fonz – who was born in Cambridge, and has lived in Shepreth, Meldreth, Histon and Melbourn – told the Crow: “I want to do my bit to preserve local history for future generations. It’s something I have always been interested in.
“Growing up in the area and seeing it change, it has made me wonder what has been there before, and then I started looking into things more and researching. I’ve given guided tours in Cambridgeshire, and given talks for groups, schools and libraries.
“I want to show people that history isn’t just for older people, as some might think, and that anyone can get involved with preserving history for younger generations.
“There was one occasion where I saw a woman pacing up and down the room we were in. I asked her what was wrong and she said she was waiting for a man to come and give a talk. I said ‘that’s me’ and she couldn’t believe it, because I was a lot younger than she was expecting.
“I have quite a following on Facebook and encourage people who want to get involved with the show to get in touch and share their Royston memories.
“We plan to feature Royston on our May 27 show because, although it’s technically in Hertfordshire, it’s still of interest to Cambridgeshire people, and there is a lot of history there that people won’t know about.”
Fonz said if there’s enough support from people in the town, Royston could become a regular feature.
The first show in his Cambridge Historian series last Sunday was viewed by 10,000 people online, and the first guests were actor Simon Fisher Becker – who has appeared in Doctor Who and Harry Potter – and blogger Danny Sloggett.
For more information go to cambridgehistorian.co.uk or email Fonz at fonz.chamberlain@cambridgehistorian.co.uk if you have memories to share on the show. You can watch it at 6pm on Sunday at www.facebook.com/thecambridgehistorian.
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