Phyllida Scrivens lives with husband Victor in Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, UK, overlooking the picturesque River Yare, only a short walk from the site of The Great Thorpe Railway Disaster, the subject of her third published book. She has been in Norfolk for just under 20 years, having moved up from Surrey. Her secretarial post at University of East Anglia inspired her to apply to study there for an MA in Creative Non-Fiction with Biography, graduating in 2014, when aged 60. This led directly to the publication of her first biography Escaping Hitler: A Jewish Boy’s Quest for Freedom and His Future, the story of legendary Norfolk businessman and former Kindertransport refugee, the late Joe Stirling. When Pen and Sword Books offered her a publishing contract it was a life-time dream fulfilled. Her second book, a group biography entitled The Lady Lord Mayors of Norwich 1923-2017, won the Best Biography Prize at the East Anglian Book Awards in November 2018. The third, The Great Thorpe Railway Disaster 1874 (Pen and Sword Books 2021) was also shortlisted for this award. September 2024 will mark the 150th anniversary of the Disaster and plans are afoot for a bronze plaque, commemorating the 26 who died, to be commissioned and dedicated by the Bishop of Norwich inside Thorpe St Andrew Parish Church on 15th September. Phyllida has been a popular public speaker for nearly ten years, sharing stories from her work throughout Norfolk and more recently reaching audiences further afield via Zoom. She plans to retire from face to face speaking at end March 2025, but hopes to continue sharing her stories via Zoom.