NEWS about the Progamme

Enjoy a different view of Antiques 

Join us at Greyfriars Community Centre, Ringwood – at 7.30pm (unless noted otherwise below) on the fourth Wednesday from September to May (except December) –  plus a Summer outing in June.

High quality speakers and the friendly atmosphere  bring members from the whole Forest,  east Dorset and south Wiltshire.

Become a member or be our guest for an evening.

Click here to find out more

2023/24 Programme

27 September - AGM at 7.30 pm, followed by a Ploughman's Supper (must be prebooked). Guests can arrive for 8.15 pm for the talk.

Jeremy Mainwaring-Burton
Jewels of the Queen Mother

 

Jeremy was an Equerry to the Queen Mother; he was prominent in helping to arrange the Castle of Mey open to the public following her death.  He then went to University to study Gemstones as he developed an interest in the Queens Mothers Jewellery.  His Talk will be on Gemstones, particularly the Queen Mother’s jewellery.

25 October - Malcolm Nelson
Smuggling Gangs of Years Ago

 

Malcolm worked for forty years as a Customs Officer. Mainly based at Heathrow, he has worked in many airports throughout the world including St Petersburg.  He is credited in discovering the largest weight in drugs ever found in the UK in a single suitcase.  His talk will be extremely interesting!

22 November - Christopher Legrand
The Legacy of Anton Gaudi

 

Christopher is a very interesting person. He talks on a variety of subjects, but for our Club, we have chosen The Legacy of Anton Gaudi.   Gaudi’s masterpiece the Sagrada Familia will be finished in 2026, but he will include many more of Gaudi’s works in Barcelona and Palma.

 27 December - No Meeting

 

28 February - Eileen Rawlings
Brownsea Island - Shakesperian Open Air Theatre

 

The Open Air Theatre on Brownsea has been a loved summer event for 60 years this year.  Eileen has seen the productions grow from the basic to the professional standards we see today. She will take us behind the scenes to tell us how the dedicated team overcome all the challenges and create performances in an atmosphere admired nationally.

27 March - Sue Hennessy
The Women of the RNLI

 

Sue has had a distinguished career with the RNLI which culminated in being the founder Principal of the Lifeboat College She will illustrate how women have played, and continue to play, a vital role in the RNLI story over almost two centuries.

 

24 April - Paul Miles

History of Bournemouth 

 

An intriguing character, Paul has many diverse interests and a profound knowledge of many, particularly regarding Dorset from history and folklore! He also has a deep and surprising knowledge on the subject of being left-handed.  However, he is going to entertain us with his knowledge of “old Bournemouth”.

22 May - Joyce Meader
Historic Knitting 

 

Joyce is a hand knitter of historical clothing.  She has an extensive collection of patterns from 1800 to the present day.  Joyce has also knitted items for films, such as War Horse and 1917 .  She has written several books on historical knitting.

June - Summer Outing

 

More details of our summer outing will be available later in the Spring.