• Print
• Email

Details

Last Updated: Monday, 12 January 2026 14:31

8th January 2026

Alan Mills "Knowing Your Way "

Alan shares a passion for mapping where all the different road name types exist in the UK including the Isle of Man and Channel Islands – widespread ones like Road, Street, Avenue and Drive but also local ones – Twitten, Batch, Swn, Ope, Rathad, Lheargy, Pied, Diamond and Chare. How do different languages name roads? Why are some not used anymore? What new ones are appearing? The mapping of over 750 types across the UK reveals a fascinating social history and is full of tales and examples of where we live, commuting, workplaces, how we shop, and travel between one place and another and build on our varied landscapes.

5th February 2026

Louise Camby "Bees and the Amazing Products from the Hive".

We all know not to kill the bees, but do we know why? Following first-hand experience Louise shares how the hive works, the substances from the hive and how they help bees and humans, the importance of the bees for our eco-system, concern over the decline of the bees, and how we can all help them.

5th March 2026

Sue Shaw. "Heart of Kent Hospice".

Sue is an Ambassador and compassionate neighbour for the heart of Kent Hospice. She will give us stories about why it is a privilege to help our local hospice.

2nd April 2026

A talk from our own Tricia Francis

7th May 2026

Toni Mount. "Ration Book Britain " 

From 1939 to 1945, the country is involved in World War Two and even after victory is achieved, Britain is cash-strapped and years of austerity follow. Throughout, food, clothing, fuel, furniture and items we take for granted today are rationed and people are scrimping, scraping and using their imagination just to get by. Women are expected to ‘do their bit’ on the ‘Home Front’, maintaining the house as a place of welcome, boosting morale and stretching meagre food allowances to keep everyone fed and fit. This is no easy life yet people find lighter moments and ‘carry on carrying on’. Whatever the disaster, somebody will find a way to make tea. The English ‘cuppa’ is the answer to almost every problem

4th June 2026

Annual General Meeting will take place at this meeting. The meeting will begin 30 minutes earlier at 1.30pm

Eddie Asquith. " Good Old London Town "

An interesting talk about little known facts of our capital city.

2nd July 2026

Gilly Halcrow. "Whatever Happened to Christopher Robin ".

 Back by popular demand a new talk from Gilly. The talk will give us a glimpse of English life from the 1920s through the eyes of A.A. Milne and his son and, of course, Winnie-the-Pooh. Gilly will tell us about the life and times of Christopher Robin as he grew up in London and then in Hartfield on the Ashdown Forest. Was he a happy child and adult or did that small English teddy bear overshadow his life? Did Christopher Robin feel that his father had climbed upon his infant shoulders leaving him with nothing but the empty fame of being his son and did he ever find happiness?

6th August 2026

Sarah Quill "The Changing Faces of Venice".

In our imagination Venice is unchanging, but the modern world is leaving its mark. This talk will illustrate some of the many changes that have taken place in the lagoon city over the last century. Certain developments, such as the restoration of damaged buildings, are to the city’s benefit; but a massive increase in tourism has caused many problems. The coronavirus lockdown, resulting in clean canal water and a resurgence of marine life in the lagoon, has been a timely reminder of the importance of protecting Venice’s fragile environment.

3rd September 2026

Dr Kathryn Harkup "The Chemistry of the Body"

There are 92 naturally occurring elements in the Periodic Table but how many of them would you need to make a human? The chemical formula for a human has some surprising inclusions and the recipe to make a fully functioning person is carefully balanced. This talk looks at some interesting facts about the elements that make us what we are.

1st October 2026.

Eddie Prescott " The RAF at West Malling." "Airmen of West Malling".  

Eddie will tell the story of RAF West Malling and its Airmen during the second world war.  The airfield was not fully operational during the Battle of Britain but did play an active part in the later stage of the air campaign, becoming a premier fighter base.

5th November 2026

John Griffiths-Colby " How Far Can Retro Go ".

Out of date, outmoded, out of here – fashion is only predictable in as much as it is fickle and perhaps in knowing that what goes around, will come around. Is Retro really a style or just recycling – how much of it can we digest when we remember it from the first time around? Was it even new then?

3rd December 2026

Relax to the music of SLEEPWALK

We finish 2026 with a musical afternoon listening to Popular music of the 60s with some very talented musicians with familiar faces.