I would be very pleased to hear from you if you would like me to come and speak at an event. To help you with that, here’s some information that I hope will be useful.
Timing
I need to balance my speaking engagements with my other commitments, particularly to my family and my work as a Director at Tearfund. That means I need to be asked well in advance. If I’m not able to accept your request I can help you find someone else as I have a team of brilliant speakers at Tearfund.
Payment
I don’t state a set speaking fee as I recognise that different events vary in what they are able to pay. Money is not my motivation and I wouldn’t want to say no to something for that reason alone. At the same time, of course, speaking is demanding personally and it takes me away from my usual work with Tearfund, and so I would ask that all expenses are covered and some sort of speaking fee in the form of a donation to Tearfund is added on top, at a level at which you can afford. Please feel free to talk with me about how much your event is able to give.
Travel
It’s important to me that I travel in as carbon-light a way as possible. So, whenever I can I will travel by public transport. That often means that I will need to stay a night before or after your event and will need you to provide travel to and from the station. If your event is outside the UK, please consider whether I could do it virtually rather than in person, or again whether I could get to you by train. But, if I have to fly somewhere then I ask that you contribute an appropriate amount to Climate Stewards as part of expenses, to offset my carbon emissions. I have an electric car and if I do drive, I may ask if it’s possible to charge the car, even if just off a three-pin socket!
Contact
If you would like to talk with me about a speaking engagement do email me at ruth@ruthvalerio.net.
16 Comments
Ruth, I was involved as a Worship leader at an A Rocha conference in London some 8 years ago. I now lead a large Baptist Church in Northampton – would be glad to welcome you here one weekend to speak about A Rocha (Sandra Cobbin is a good friend of Dave B’s, and Godparent to our children). Could you contact me at paul@mountpleasantchurch.com to talk some more? Thank you!
Dear Ruth,
I heard you speak very inspiritingly at the PWM Conference some years back, so when the opportunity became available for me to put the name forward of someone who is able to speak about our Christian duty (and pleasure) in caring for the environment I thought immediately of you.
I’m the secretary of the Oxford branch of the Council of Christians and Jews, and we have managed to arrange for Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg to speak on the subject from the Jewish perspective on the 4th of April 2019.
We are hoping also to have Colin Tudge speak alongside him. It seems appropriate though to have also a Christian on the panel.
Would this be something you would be interested in doing?
If so, would you be happy with my seeing whether the event can be at St Aldate’s?
You asked to have mention made of the amount that you would be paid. We have policy not to pay for our speakers, only to reimburse fees, but if you do need a fee then I am prepared to fund it (within reasonable bounds, so please do let me know how much you’d expect).
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Shirley
Hello Shirley, thank you for this and it’s great to hear of the event you’re doing. Rabbi Jonathan and I know each other and he will speak beautifully. I’m afraid though that I can’t make it. But, I would be happy to look at finding someone else for you if that would be helpful? Could you email me: ruth@ruthvalerio.net and let me know? All the best, Ruth
Hi Ruth
I contacted you a couple of weeks ago about speaking at a ministers conference in June. I would be grateful for a response by the end of this week so I can approach others if you are not available.
Best wishes
Stuart
(Stuart Scott, Training and Development Officer, West Midlands Synod, United Reformed Church)
Hi Stuart, I’m ever so sorry but I haven’t received an email from you. I’ll email you using the email I can see and will look forward to being in touch.
All the best
Ruth
Hi Ruth,
Noting your reply to Stuart Scott’s message above, I too have not heard from you following an email I send on 7th January 2020 regarding the Faith & Thought Symposium on 16th May. Perhaps your email is playing up – could you kindly contact me so I can be finalising publicity for this event. Many thanks
Alan
Dear Ruth,
Noting your response to Stuart on 17th Jan, I wonder if your email is playing up?
I too have not heard from you since I emailed you on 7th January about the Faith & Thought Symposium (16th May 2020). I’d like to finalise publicity and need to check a couple of things with you. I apologise for chasing you this way but I want to make the most of the event and get publictiy out for it. I look forward to hearing from you,
Best regards – Alan
Hello Alan, I’m so sorry. I’ll email you….
Ah! So sorry for double post – the first one didn’t show a moment ago – now I really do look rude! So sorry
Alan
Dear Ruth,
I have tried to email but am rejected as ‘probable spam’!
I would like to discuss an invitation to speak to surgeons about sustainability in overseas work. Please email me for more info.
Hello Sarah, I’m so sorry. I’ll email you.
Hello Ruth, I wonder if you have received my email about a possible speaking engagement for Affirming Catholicism in conjunction with the St Albans pilgrimage? (Since the university moved to office 365 I am finding that my emails land in spam.) I will try again from another address, but will also keep an eye out here. Hope to heasr from you. All best wishes Charlotte Methuen
Hallo Ruth,
It was good to hear you when you spoke in Tunbridge Wells last year. I am now delighted that you are the Rochester Diocese Canon Theologian with a special reference to our responses to the Climate Crisis. I have mentioned to our Vicar, Ronnie Williams, a Sierra Leonean, the idea of your preaching at our Patronal Festival next January and would like to put the two of you in touch. Would that be OK? He is best contacted by text message on
07796655225. When we meet, I will give you, by arrangement with the Dean Phil Hesketh, £40! This represents the balance of the now defunct Rochester Theological Society of which I was a co-convenor. Shalom, Tony
Hi Tony, thank you for being in touch. Do email me at ruth.valerio@tearfund.org. All the best, Ruth
Hi Ruth,
I’m contacting you on behalf of my church, St Mary’s, Wendover, Bucks, where we have recently signed up for the church initiative ‘Make COP26 Count’. Following on from that we’re organising a special Climate weekend on 17/18 July as a major stepping stone on the journey to the crucial UN climate talks in November and we wondered if you might be available to come and speak to us both as part of a Climate Sunday service and as part of a series of community environmental awareness-raising events happening that day. Best wishes, David Blackmore (07811 116152)
Hi David, thanks for being in touch and for your email too. I’ll reply to your email rather than here. All the very best.