Alan MachinAlan Machin taught geography and history in a Staffordshire secondary school before taking a degree in the subjects at the University of Swansea. After five years as a member of the University staff he became Head of Interpretation and Marketing at te Ironbridge Gorge Museum, in 1973. From there, he moved (1978) to the post of Tourism Officer for Calderdale Council in West Yorkshire. After seven very successful years Alan joined a public/private sector partnership team. The job was as the Public Relations and Marketing Officer with the Calderdale Inheritance Project. This was an urban regeneration project, working with the national Civic Trust, Business in the Community and local community groups. The Project achieved many built-heritage successes whilst helping revive commercial and social confidence. As a result, the Council of Europe chose Halifax, in Calderdale, as the venue for its prestigious international conference on heritage-driven regeneration in October 1988. His next substantial post was as Senior Executive handling tourism-related work for a graphics design company in Leeds. Between 1976 and 1999 Alan had also taught adult education classes in local history and led 'Leisure Learning' history weekends for Embassy Hotels. The varied educational activities helped him to an appointment as Senior Lecturer in Tourism Management at what is now Leeds Beckett University. It continued for a vigorous and rewarding 17 years. He retired in 2009 and began to write his first book, drawing on the unique mix of practical experience and theoretical approaches. Read More Read Less