Introduction:

My name is Richard Sutton and I am a qualified Blue Badge Guide for two regions, London and the South West, guiding in English, Swedish and Portuguese.

Travelling has always played an important role in my life and I have lived in many different cities around the world, including Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Paris, Milan, New York, Buenos Aires and Karlstad (Sweden). This explains why I enjoy languages and different cultures so much.

I became a London Blue Badge Guide in 2016 and was fortunate enough to win the Best Overall Practical Exams Award.

"Richard conveyed not only mastery and enthusiasm for the various sites and coach route, but also has that all important relaxed, warm and friendly manner. Great enthusiasm matched with excellent commentary sums up why Richard has been awarded Best Overall Practical prize.”

I qualified for the South West region in 2018 and was fortunate once again to win the Best Overall Practical Exams Award. This is a vast region, stretching from Wiltshire (where you find Stonehenge and Salisbury) and Gloucestershire (the Cotswolds) all the way down to Devon (Plymouth and Dartmoor) to Cornwall (Land’s End and Tintagel Castle).

One place that is included in the South West region is Bath, the only city that is a World Heritage Site in England. In 2019 I was the tutor for the Bath component of the London Blue Badge course.

I also work as a tour manager, travelling throughout Britain and Ireland and I enjoy doing specialist tours. For example, last year I did an Anglican pilgrimage tour in the South East of England and this year I took a Methodist pilgrimage tour.

I have a particular interest in gender equality, diversity and LGBTQ+ life in London and the United Kingdom as a whole and gave a lecture on Multiculturalism and Diversity for trainee Blue Badge Guides. In March 2017 I was a volunteer guide for the National Trust’s project “Queer city: London club culture 1918-1967”, which was held to commemorate 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England. This included appearances on TV news.

One of my most rewarding and enjoyable experiences from the time I became a guide in 2016 has been my involvement in charity work for the Family Holiday Association. I work with other guides to create treasure hunts in London every year. The money that we raise goes to the Family Holiday Association, which is a national charity dedicated to helping struggling families get a break.

I am also one of the official guides at the All English Lawn Tennis Club (Wimbledon Championships).