2018 Working with The Cup Effect, Janie convened a panel of menstrual experts including Menstrual Health Hub, No More Taboo and Menstrual Matters International to present health recommendations as a Menstrual Manifesto to Plan International as part of their Because I am a Girl campaign. In March 2018, this was published as Break the Barriers, Girls Experience of Menstruation in the UK.
Janie’s book How the Girl Guides Won the War, about the contribution of Guides and Brownies to the Second World War and their role in 20th century feminist history, has been optioned by Lionsgate of Hollywood. The feature film will be produced by Ryan Christians of Marc Platt Productions.
2017 Janie was asked by the Girl Guides of Malawi to set up Menstrual Cups for Malawi. Schoolgirls, Girl Guide leaders, mothers and refugees are now using menstrual cups. She presented this project at the Society of Menstrual Cycle Research conference in Atlanta, USA. Working with The Cup Effect, Janie convened a panel of menstrual experts including Menstrual Health Hub, No More Taboo and Menstrual Matters International to present health recommendations to Plan Internationalas part of their Because I am a Girl campaign.
Listen to Janie on BBC Radio 4 Great Lives with Matthew Parris.
2016 Janie began working on keeping girls in school in Africa. Many don’t go to school during their periods – they can’t afford sanitary pads. After talking to girls and organisations in Zimbabwe and Malawi, Janie founded the World Menstrual Health Facebook page. Do join it.
As part of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Janie appeared on BBC World News TV, talking about the 1908 marathon and the Italian pastry-chef Diandro Pietri.
In March, Janie carried the ashes of Father Keble Prosser, former headmaster of St Augustine’s School, back to Penhalonga, Zimbabwe. Janie left the school as a teacher and parent, 30 years ago. See Zimbabwe Sunday Mail.
2015 The world premiere of Janie’s play Joyce Grenfell at Work was performed in July at the Ways with Words literary festival at Dartington Great Hall, Devon. Starring Cheryl Knight who played Joyce Grenfell in the recent revue Turn Back the Clock at St James Theatre, London and directed by Paul Knight.
Joyce Grenfell at Work was inspired by insights Janie received into the life and work of Joyce Grenfell while she was writing her biography. It is a monologue about writing a monologue. Listen to Janie talking about Joyce Grenfell with Matthew Parris and Arabella Weir on BBC Radio 4’s Great Lives.
Two radio stations broadcast stories from Janie’s book How the Girl Guides Won the War this week. On BBC Radio 4, Kate Silverton tells the story of the British Brownies who were captured in 1935, and held in a Japanese concentration camp with Eric Lidell during WWII. Listen again on the BBC Iplayer: Captured by Pirates.
‘This American Life’ includes interviews with the Brownies held in Weihshein camp: Captain’s Log.
2014 was the 100th anniversary of Brownies which featured in Janie’s book How the Girl Guides Won the War. Janie was a Brownie, and she has given many fascinating talks, illustrated with songs, about the history of Brownies. She has spoken to Girl Guides; Women’s Institutes; and at The Oldie literary luncheon; Ashmolean Museum; Royal National Theatre; the National Portrait Gallery and literary festivals all over Britain, including Ways with Words. Contact her here.
Jaine Blackman interviewed Janie in the Oxford Mail, read the article here.
In the summer of 2014, Janie took part in World War One at Home, a BBC History roadshow with Larry Lamb, in Nottingham and Woolwich. Here she is in Woolwichbeing interviewed by local student Immanuella for BBC Schools Report. Janie talked about Brownies on Simon Mayo’s BBC Radio 2 Drivetime show.
To celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, in 2013 Janie wrote Rationing and Revelry – the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and British Royal Tours, published in Japan by Koudan. The same year, Janie was invited by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the Commonwealth Reception in Buckingham Palace, where she chatted about Malawi with The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and a dozen High Commissioners from The Commonwealth.
Also in 2013, Janie appeared on BBC Breakfast TV and was interviewed by Marcus Ferrar for The Oxford Writer and by Toby Clements in The Telegraph.
In 2013, Janie appeared on BBC Breakfast TV and was interviewed by Marcus Ferrar for The Oxford Writer and by Toby Clements in The Telegraph.
BBC TV’s drama film Bert & Dickie was based on the best-selling The Austerity Olympics – how the Games Came to London in 1948 and starred John Bird, Geoffrey Palmer & Matt Smith (Dr Who). Janie appears in the crowd cheering the British oarsmen in Henley-on-Thames.
As the leading authority on the social history of London Olympics, during 2012 Janie was interviewed on over 35 radio stations and 12 international television channels talking about the Olympics, including BBC TV ‘Breakfast’ and ‘Newsnight’. Richard Ingrams, editor of The Oldie magazine appointed her as ‘Olympics Correspondent’ and she was featured in the Daily Telegraph’s A Page in the Life and BBC History Today. In Olympic week, The Austerity Olympics was the No. 1 bestseller of Amazon Olympic books and No. 15 of all Amazon books!