'Oh, Give Me Strength!'

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‘Oh, Give Me Strength!’ is a partner book to ‘For Heaven’s Sake’ by the same author and is set once again in the imaginary village of Forling Down in north Norfolk. It follows the fortunes of an eccentric headmistress and her staff in the local village primary school. As the story unfolds, the staff and children experience a variety of crises during a memorable and very unforgettable summer term. This often very humorous tale provides a ‘fly on the wall’ observation of how a rural village school copes with the forensic analysis of a school inspection and how human kindness and valued opportunity can transform the life chances of a ten-year-old boy. It also demonstrates how strong leadership can transform the fortunes of any institution.

The reader is very quickly drawn into a chain of potentially disastrous situations, and the author’s first-hand knowledge of East Anglian life and primary education makes them all extremely believable.

Geoff was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, and was educated at Langley School in Norfolk. He then studied education and music at Bishop Lonsdale College in Derby and subsequently attained a Bachelor of Education (Honours) degree at the University of Surrey. In July 2022, Geoff was awarded an Honorary Bachelor of Teaching degree at the University of Nottingham.

Geoff is a qualified teacher with over 38 years’ experience, twenty-one of which were as a headmaster of two different schools – St Andrew’s and St Mark’s School in the Royal Borough of Kingston and Collingwood School in the London Borough of Sutton. For a number of years, Geoff was a governor at Langley School – the public school he attended as a boy – and is currently Vice Chair of Governors at St Lawrence C of E Primary School in Chobham, Surrey.

Geoff is also a keen musician and currently sings with the Guildford Choral Society. During his long career, he has been a church director of music, conducted secular choirs and orchestras and was, for thirty years, an honorary local representative of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.

After his retirement in 2009, Geoff started work as a voice artist (recording radio ads and audio books) and has appeared in a number of films and TV series as a supporting actor. He is now adding published author to his CV!

Geoff is married with three grown up daughters and four beautiful granddaughters.