Loaves and Fishes in Nepal

Presented by Lt Col (Retd) Philip Holmes OBE

6^th January

After resigning from the army following the tragic death of his first wife, he set up a children's charity in her memory to work in Nepal. He began with tiny resources, but success began when he went to live in Nepal, where he rescued a thousand innocent children from imprisonment, off the streets and from modern day slavery. He closed two cross-border child trafficking routes.

Who were the ancient Britons?

Presented by Dr lain Watt

13^th February

The talk will introduce you to a small number of folks from our past who have fascinated our speaker and inform about the people of our Isles today.

Our Place in Space

Presented by Jo Richardson

13^th March

Planet earth is our home in space; our very own space craft hurtling around the sun our nearest star. In this talk we check out our local neighbourhood by looking at the solar system. From the hellish world of Venus to the stormy conditions of Neptune we discover how the system operates, the size and distances involved, plus how it was formed some 4.6 billion years ago.

Principles of Garden design

Presented by Jacquie Felix-Mitchell

10^th April

This talk looks at the main principles of garden design and aims to give you some inspiration regarding your own outdoor space, be it a balcony, courtyard or something much larger.

Science of Spices: how to use spices to revolutionise your cooking

Presented by Dr Stuart Farrimond

8^th May

Stuart is a doctor, author and popular broadcaster and is the go-to food scientist for BBC and commercial radio stations.

He will explain the nature of spices, why they are so important for cooking, the science underpinning flavour and how to harness this in everyday cooking to create more flavourful dishes, equipping us with knowledge and skills.

Annual General Meeting
followed by 'Convicts and Settlers: The Characters who built Australia'

presented by Lynne Carroll

12^th June

An enlightening talk covering the fascinating experiences of early settlers and convicts travelling to, and arriving in Australia during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Suffragette story in the Southwest

Presented by Pamela Vass

10^th July 

On August 4th, 1914, a car was spotted speeding away from a Devon mansion late at night. Moments later the alarm was raised as flames lit up the sky. The papers were full of speculation that suffragettes were to blame. Truth or Fiction? This one question opened the door to the fascinating story of the fight for the vote in the southwest - not a tale of the sleepy rural backwater but of women prepared to protest at political meetings, recruit in the streets, join mass rallies in London and suffer forced feeding in Holloway. All this and the biggest sleepover the region has ever known.

Summer Break - No talk in August

The race to discover the Northwest Passage and the North Pole

Presented by John Davidson

11^th September

In the 19th century there was a race to discover the Northwest Passage through the Canadian Arctic and expeditions were mounted to reach the North Pole. Polar conditions were very challenging and the Artic was one of the last great unknowns. We look at who went on these voyages of discovery, why they went, what happened to the expeditions and what they finally discovered.

Vivaldi – A Man for Four Seasons

Presented by Professor Peter Edwards

9^th October

Vivaldi had a fascinating personal life as well as producing a large body of work which is current even by today’s standards. A richly illustrated talk featuring photographs and videos of Venice to showcase the places where Vivaldi lived and created bringing his story and music vividly to life.

The Medical aspects of flying in the RAF

Presented by Dr. Aroop Mozumder

13^th November

Aviation produces a hostile environment for aircrew. Supporting
them is the core purpose of Military aviation medicine. This talk will
describe the effects of G-forces, lack of oxygen, spatial disorientation and others and how to combat these, as well as medical aspects of carrying injured casualties of war by air.

Dr Mozumder recently retired as a medical officer in the RAF, where he became Director General of the RAF Medical Services in the rank of Air Vice-Marshal.

Musical Satire of the 20th century

Presented by Peter Gill

11^th December

Peter explores the evolution of the comedy song in the 20th century from songs in the trenches of the first world war to the genius of Cole Porter, Noel Coward and Tom Lehrer and on to the hilarity of Monty Python, Billy Connolly and Victoria Wood. The skill of satirical lyricists will be identified and a choice selection of the songs performed.

Reminiscences of a Fast Lady

Presented by Dr Chris Coote

8^th January

An account of 10 years working on the design, development and flight testing of Concorde, the fastest passenger plane ever. With personal memories of work as an acoustics engineer together with some facts and figures that not many are aware of the fast Lady.

Persia Past and Present Iran

Presented by Peter Barker

12^th February

Persian Empire existed as one of the most powerful and complex empires of the ancient world.

Peter presents ten topics and 'observations’ from the founding of the ancient Persian empire by Cyrus the Great, Zoroastrians and Armenians, poetry and gardens, amazing mosques, the role of Shi’ism, government repression and the friendliness of many ordinary people of modern day Iran.

I bet this never happened to you...

Presented by Alex Leger

12^th March

Alex spent a record 36 years as a producer and director on Blue Peter and other BBC shows.

In this talk, Alex presents the rich pageant of life in the BBC including some of the wild and wonderful stories and adventures.

A room with 3 million flies, a hail of stones from an angry crowd in the Cameroon and overwhelming hospitality at the Mount Washington Cog Railway that nearly ruined the shoot were unexpected hazards. Filming with the warlike Kayapo Indians in the Amazon Rainforest, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and celebrating 10 years after the Falklands conflict in remote island communities.

AI: The Technology That's Reshaping Our World

Presented by Richard Haycock

9^th April

Two years ago AI had potential to become a General Purpose Technology. Since, there has been unprecedented investment, extraordinary advances in capability, and the emergence of AI 'teams' working together like humans. In just 24 months, artificial intelligence has moved from promising technology to an unstoppable force transforming everything from healthcare to home life.

Learn why global investors are pouring billions into building AI infrastructure, and what these extraordinary developments mean for our future.

Superspy Science

Presented by Kathryn Harkup

14^th May

Science and technology have always been central to the plots that make up the world of James Bond.

Kathryn explores 007’s exploits from the practicalities of building a volcano-based lair, to whether being covered with gold paint really will kill you. And if your plan is to take over the world whether it is better to use bacteria, bombs or poisons.

Oscar Wilde goes to Hollywood

Presented by Kate Hext

11^th June

Kate traces Oscar Wilde’s 1982 American tour, and the burgeoning popularity of his plays and novels during the evolution of the American entertainment industry, which became cinema then movies and ultimately Hollywood. Even after death he made an indelible mark on the early days of silent cinema.  In the new Hollywood Wilde embodied a spirit of rebellion and naughtiness, as a blueprint for the charismatic cinematic criminal and screwball talk on screens.

Wild Life Photography: In Pursuit of the Improbable

Presented by Stephen Powles

9^th July

In a medley of interesting, amusing, and informative wildlife stories, wildlife photographer Steven describes how he managed to photograph and film some challenging subjects and how an understanding of their natural history and behaviour enabled him to do so. Amongst others, kingfishers, herons, otters, lizards and hedgehogs will be featured.