Talks & Interests

Talks : Simon Looks at The Poetry of Mary Oliver

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Wednesday, 02 July 2025 at 1:00PM
Ends: Wednesday, 02 July 2025 at 2:00PM

Available spaces: 230
Host: Dr Simon Gregor

Those of you who have been following Simon’s talks for a while will know that, besides history, his other great passion is poetry! In this talk, Simon will explore the life and works of the poe...

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Craft : Steve’s Art History : The Subject Matter of Impressionism

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Monday, 07 July 2025 at 4:00PM
Ends: Monday, 07 July 2025 at 5:00PM

Available spaces: 199
Host: Steve Carroll

Everyone recognizes the distinctive brushwork and light-filled canvases of the Impressionists, but their choice of subject matter was just as revolutionary. Rejecting traditional historical and mythol...

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Talks : Tilo’s Talk on Porto

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Monday, 07 July 2025 at 7:30PM
Ends: Monday, 07 July 2025 at 8:30PM

Available spaces: 227
Host: Tilo Flache

One of the oldest cities of Portugal, Porto’s existence is intrinsically intertwined with the emergence of Portugal in the Middle Ages, but has really found its place as a trading centre and politic...

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Talks : Herbs through history with Lynda

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Tuesday, 08 July 2025 at 11:00AM
Ends: Tuesday, 08 July 2025 at 12:00PM

Available spaces: 222
Host: Lynda Warren

An exciting look at some of our native herbs, together with some unusual species that have their roots set in ancient civilisations. Native herbs: Wild garlic, primroses, yarrow, sweet Cicely and mead...

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Talks : Simon’s Moments in American History : “The Era of Good Feelings”

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Wednesday, 09 July 2025 at 1:00PM
Ends: Wednesday, 09 July 2025 at 1:00PM

Available spaces: 239
Host: Dr Simon Gregor

After the War of 1812, the United States' new-found confidence started to express itself in all sorts of ways: geographical expansion and population movement, population growth, rapid industrial devel...

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Talks : Ruth’s Talk on AI at The Movies

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Wednesday, 09 July 2025 at 7:30PM
Ends: Wednesday, 09 July 2025 at 8:30PM

Available spaces: 237
Host: Dr Ruth Stalker-Firth

Whilst AI advances seem new and amazing, many seem to have been inspired by the stories we have been telling well before 'moving pictures' were invented. In this talk we will take a light-hearted loo...

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Talks : Our Place in Space with Jo Richardson

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Monday, 14 July 2025 at 6:00PM
Ends: Monday, 14 July 2025 at 7:00PM

Available spaces: 243
Host: Jo Richardson

Planet Earth is our home in Space; our very own spacecraft hurtling around the Sun, our nearest Star. In this talk we check out our local neighbourhood by taking a descriptive look at the Solar Syste...

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Talks : Simon’s Plethora of Poetry Part 3

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Wednesday, 16 July 2025 at 1:00PM
Ends: Wednesday, 16 July 2025 at 2:00PM

Available spaces: 242
Host: Dr Simon Gregor

Over the course of the last twelve months or so, Simon has been offering a series of talks on specific poets, from Robert Frost and Mary Oliver, to William Wordsworth and John Keats. In this first o...

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Interests : WI Film Club with Vicky

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Wednesday, 16 July 2025 at 6:00PM
Ends: Wednesday, 16 July 2025 at 7:00PM

Available spaces: 249
Host: Vicky Constantine-Foster

Welcome to the Film Club!With so many films available on platforms like iPlayer, ITVX, Netflix, Amazon, and Sky, finding a good movie can feel overwhelming. To help you skip the indecision, join us at...

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Talks : Tilo’s Talk on Budapest

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Monday, 21 July 2025 at 7:30PM
Ends: Monday, 21 July 2025 at 8:30PM

Available spaces: 236
Host: Tilo Flache

Budapest used to be a co-capital of the Austro-Hungarian empire, but that’s not all there is to it: walking along the Danube you’ll find all kinds of interesting sights, from thermal baths to a ra...

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Talks : Sugar and Spice with Lynda

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Tuesday, 22 July 2025 at 11:00AM
Ends: Tuesday, 22 July 2025 at 12:00PM

Available spaces: 230
Host: Lynda Warren

Follow the history of the ‘Spice Trail’ with hints and tips on the uses of the spices that have always cast a spell on our imaginations. This talk covers the earliest use of spices, then goes ...

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Talks : Simon’s Talk on US Presidents : John F Kennedy

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Wednesday, 23 July 2025 at 1:00PM
Ends: Wednesday, 23 July 2025 at 2:00PM

Available spaces: 233
Host: Dr Simon Gregor

JFK, as he would be known to history, had a presidency which was tragically cut short by his assassination in 1963. Despite occupying the role for less than 3 years, he left a mark on American polit...

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Talks : Tilo’s Talk on the Pearl River Delta

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Monday, 28 July 2025 at 7:30PM
Ends: Monday, 28 July 2025 at 8:30PM

Available spaces: 241
Host: Tilo Flache

When we hear Pearl River, we often only associate it with Hong Kong, but what about the growing cities on the Chinese mainland? What about Macau? Let’s consider the region as a whole and take a good...

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Talks : Simon’s US Politics : An Update

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Wednesday, 30 July 2025 at 1:00PM
Ends: Wednesday, 30 July 2025 at 2:00PM

Available spaces: 239
Host: Dr Simon Gregor

In this latest instalment of his occasional series, Simon will explore current debates and issues in US politics. Events move fast these days, so at the time of writing it's hard to know what exactl...

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Literature : Simon’s Shakespeare Summer School – Hamlet

Paid Member: £15.00 Organization Member: £15.00 Non-Member: £30.00

Starts: Monday, 04 August 2025 at 1:30PM
Ends: Friday, 08 August 2025 at 2:30PM

Available spaces: 95
Host: Dr Simon Gregor

Join Simon Gregor for a focused and accessible week-long journey into Hamlet, one of Shakespeare’s most compelling tragedies. As Prince Hamlet struggles with questions of morality, revenge, madness ...

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Talks : A Pinch of History: How British cookbooks shaped our kitchens

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Tuesday, 05 August 2025 at 11:00AM
Ends: Tuesday, 05 August 2025 at 12:00PM

Available spaces: 237
Host: Lynda Warren

The history of British cookbooks is a fascinating reflection of the nation’s social, cultural and economic transformations over the centuries. Following an introduction on what makes British cookb...

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Literature : Simon’s Shakespeare Summer School – Measure for Measure

Paid Member: £15.00 Organization Member: £15.00 Non-Member: £30.00

Starts: Monday, 11 August 2025 at 1:30PM
Ends: Friday, 15 August 2025 at 2:30PM

Available spaces: 97
Host: Dr Simon Gregor

In the second week of our summer series, Simon Gregor turns to Measure for Measure, a thought-provoking play that sits at the crossroads of comedy, drama and moral exploration. Often labelled a “pro...

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Talks : In the Night Sky with Jo Richardson

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Monday, 11 August 2025 at 6:00PM
Ends: Monday, 11 August 2025 at 7:00PM

Available spaces: 243
Host: Jo Richardson

Join Jo for a talk for those wanting to know more about our night sky. We take a look at star constellations, the reasoning behind the myths and legends, as well as investigate what skies were lik...

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Creative Writing : Poetry Summer School With Simon – ‘So you want to be a poet?’

Paid Member: £15.00 Organization Member: £15.00 Non-Member: £30.00

Starts: Monday, 18 August 2025 at 1:30PM
Ends: Thursday, 28 August 2025 at 2:30PM

Available spaces: 19
Host: Dr Simon Gregor

Over the five years since the WI initiated online learning, Simon has run a variety of literature lectures and study groups, where we have learned about the work of well-known (and sometimes less well...

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Talks : Ruth’s Talk on Digital Journalism

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £6.00

Starts: Wednesday, 27 August 2025 at 7:30PM
Ends: Wednesday, 27 August 2025 at 8:30PM

Available spaces: 242
Host: Dr Ruth Stalker-Firth

Digital journalism began in the 1990s as the WWW became a key place where people went to get their news. Over the years it seems that traditional journalism has scrambled to keep up with the other fas...

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Talks : Peter’s Talk on London’s Municipal Parks & Gardens

Paid Member: £0.00 Organization Member: £0.00 Non-Member: £0.00

Starts: Wednesday, 10 September 2025 at 7:30PM
Ends: Wednesday, 10 September 2025 at 8:30PM

Available spaces: 241
Host: Peter Lawrence

Many of London’s open spaces have histories that reflect the City’s social needs and philanthropic acts of kindness in the 19th century. This talk highlights several of these parks and gardens, in...

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Date

Talks : Simon Looks at The Poetry of Mary Oliver

Craft : Steve’s Art History : The Subject Matter of Impressionism

Talks : Tilo’s Talk on Porto

Talks : Herbs through history with Lynda

Talks : Simon’s Moments in American History : “The Era of Good Feelings”

Talks : Ruth’s Talk on AI at The Movies

Talks : Our Place in Space with Jo Richardson

Talks : Simon’s Plethora of Poetry Part 3

Interests : WI Film Club with Vicky

Talks : Tilo’s Talk on Budapest

Talks : Sugar and Spice with Lynda

Talks : Simon’s Talk on US Presidents : John F Kennedy

Talks : Tilo’s Talk on the Pearl River Delta

Talks : Simon’s US Politics : An Update

Literature : Simon’s Shakespeare Summer School – Hamlet

Talks : A Pinch of History: How British cookbooks shaped our kitchens

Literature : Simon’s Shakespeare Summer School – Measure for Measure

Talks : In the Night Sky with Jo Richardson

Creative Writing : Poetry Summer School With Simon – ‘So you want to be a poet?’

Talks : Ruth’s Talk on Digital Journalism

Talks : Peter’s Talk on London’s Municipal Parks & Gardens