On this page you can see details of previous monthly meetings. Recent reports about the main speakers are on the next section. For previous years please scroll to the lower part of the page. This also shows how to find out details about past second subjects presented at the monthly meetings

Recently
Here you can see the notes of previous monthly main speakers. The reports are exactly as were written at the time and will not be 'updated' as time goes by.

September (2) — Pioneers of Photography:  "drawing with light" developed out of the drive to look at images in other ways than with our eyes.  Roger Mead took us through the history of the inventors and pioneers of photography from the early nineteenth century to the present day and the invention of the digital camera. The first photo was taken in 1827 by Niépce in France and needed an exposure time of eight hours! We really enjoyed Roger's slides and his knowledge and enthusiasm for his fascinating subject.

September (1) —The Colourful History of Watercolours: Mark Lewis took us chronologically through the most distinguished of the watercolour painters during the 18th and 19th centuries. He explained the sublime versus picturesque movements which dominated the period and showed how individual styles eventually became more dominant. Watercolours are now a popular art form in their own right but at first were used as studies for oil paintings. Their translucence enables white paper to show through and to become part of the work. Watercolours are widely admired for their luminosity, delicacy and freshness. The slides were varied and beautiful and Mark brought them to life for us.

August (2) — Dr Alexandra Wood and Anna Byrne brought us up to date with the current developments in Alzheimers research. We learned how our brains have billions of neurons and how synapses are crucial for transmitting messages. The formation of plaques and tangles inhibit this transmission and brain scans show that Alzheimers patients’ brains have these deposits. There is no cure yet but the research indicates that healthy lifestyles can aid prevention. Trials are ongoing for drug therapy and the hope is for a vaccine eventually.

Researchers need patients and healthy volunteers so if anyone wishes to help in the research here are two contacts: www.joindementiaresearch.nihr.ac.uk, email imperial.memory.research@nhs.net

August (1) — Jo Livingston gave us a fascinating insight into this condition, which many of us had probably never even heard of. Its medical name is prosopagnosia and it has been identified and diagnosed in people of all ages and in all walks of life. Jo shared with us how hard it was sometimes to even recognise her own husband! She now visits groups and organisations all over the world and campaigns to raise awareness of this debilitating condition, for which there is as yet no cure.

July (2) — Martin Plaut took us from Ethiopia's distant past in Biblical times to the present day. Its relationship with other countries in the region, especially Eritrea, remains crucial today. We learned about the involvement of Italy, Cuba, UK and Russia in the past: now many countries have military bases in the area. There is much internal unrest and a lot of people are internally displaced. We see the effects of this as asylum seekers arrive on our shores. This was a fascinating glimpse of a historic and interesting country.

July (1) — Philip Leech: The Sutton Hoo Dane Burial Ship was discovered in 1939 in Woodbridge, Suffolk. It contained several items of treasure, although many had already been stolen. None of the wood remains, but a "shadow" of the ship was found at the mound site which has enabled a team of professional craftspeople and volunteers to embark on the biggest experimental archaeological project in Europe. They are building a replica ship using only traditional tools, many of which have had to be made specially, and traditional methods. The project is run by a charitable trust and further information can be found on their website.

June (2) — Gill Hopkins: Over a period of 20 years and before countries like China and Iran started opening up to mass tourism a group of a dozen Canonbury residents came together to explore them. They called themselves CanTravel. Developing an M.O. to ensure the success of an early trip exploring the Camino de Santiago, they nominated a daily Duty Pilgrim to ‘manage’ the complex logistics of the day, and write up the day’s adventures in a colourful journal of the trip. Every evening another member entertained the group with a pre-prepared ‘CanTravel Tale’ on any topic of their own choosing. So these journeys offered multifaceted enjoyment. Their destinations included much of the Silk Route, South America, and many European destinations. Along the way they were reminded on several occasions of Britain’s Imperial history, discovering a ship on Lake Titicaca that had been built by a British shipyard in kit form for use by British explorers, and unearthing the story of the arduous journey and lifestyle of a 21 year old English gentlewoman accompanying her new husband to China, with only three weeks’ notice.

At a time when travel is impossible this was both a charming reminder of journeys before mass tourism and an inspiration for journeys of the future.

June (1) — Professor Erik Millstone gave us a fascinating summary of present day food production and consumption. He described how laissez-faire economics has favoured vested interests and led to minimal state involvement in food safety. Food is underpriced and price competition has undermined food security by harming its sustainability as well as making products unsafe and nutritionally unhealthy. Local authorities have the task of monitoring standards but have had their budgets cut repeatedly over recent years. The science about what is safe and what is harmful does not speak with one voice, so policy can never “follow the science”. Current policies favour the food industry to the detriment of consumers. Brexit, he believes, affects sufficiency, sustainability, safety, health and equity.

May — Mary Balfour gave us an account of matchmaking and dating over the past 100 years. The First World War having taken the lives of many young men, people rushed into hasty and unsuitable relationships. Also the problem of sexually transmitted diseases being brought home from overseas exacerbated the situation. In 1922 Marie Stopes' "Married Love" opened up the whole debate around relationships, marriage and of course sex. The 1920s were a time of liberation and rebellion but the country remained short of men until well into the 1930s. The famous Heather Jenner Marriage Bureau was a great success and was patronised by those from all walks of life including soldiers and debutantes. Everything was changed by the first computer matchmaking scheme in 1964 and also by the advent of the pill. Mary ran her own business for many years and shared some of her tips with us, for example, how important it is to be realistic when looking for love and to tailor our expectations — both men and women seek someone more attractive than themselves! Now there is an explosion of dating websites and apps but Mary still advocates caution, proceeding slowly and always being prepared to give someone a second date!


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