Thursday 19th March. 11am Meet online with other Welsh members to chat about anything of mutual interest. These Zooms will only take place if two or more local members ask for the log on. Please contact the organiser by 12th March to be included on the
Thursday 19th March. 2pm Meet at the gate to Christchurch Meadow, in St Aldates, Oxford for the annual ‘Colin Reed Memorial Walk’. Not too long and the aim is to end up at the Quod Restaurant, 92 – 94 High Street, Oxford, OX1 4BJ at about 3pm for a delicious cream tea. If the weather is bad, please go directly to the Quod. As usual there will be a group that meets early at the Four Candles Pub for a meal beforehand. All are welcome to join us there at 12noon.
Saturday 21st March. 11am Meet in Cafe 1092 at Chester Cathedral, St Werburgh Street, CH1 2DY to explore this historic former monastery church. Building started in the 13th Century and changed after the Dissolution of Henry VIII, in the 16th Century.
Saturday 28th March. 12noon Meet in the castle courtyard café of Chirk Castle, Castle Drive, Wrexham, LL14 5AF for a coffee or early lunch before exploring the castle and grounds
Saturday 28th March. 1pm Meet at the entrance to The Powder Monkey Brewery, Priddy’s Hard, Heritage Way, Gosport, PO12 4FL, for a guided tour of the craft brewery. In the historic naval gunpowder store, well over 2,000 pints are brewed each week. Booking for the tour is essential, at hello@powdermonkeybrewing.com. Booking will open in January 2026, but numbers will be limited – it is not an exclusive event. It should be possible to have a light lunch prior to the tour, at the Tap House, opposite the brewery. There are no bus services to the area.
Saturday 21st March. 11.30am. Join us online for a Virtual Coffee morning. Suggested subject for discussion, ‘The most unusual meal I have eaten! Or the most unusual place I have had a meal’
Tuesday 9th April. 2pm Join us for a Roman History of Northumberland and Newcastle discussion
Tuesday 9th April. 7pm Join us for a Writers’ Group discussion
Wednesday 15th April 11.am Modern One, 73 & 75 Belford Road, Edinburgh, EH4 3DR. Two Simultaneous Exhibitions. Louise Bourgeois, Helen Chadwick and Robert Mapplethorpe. Experience impactful new displays by Louise Bourgeois, Helen Chadwick, and Robert Mapplethorpe, each offering distinctive and diverse approaches to the ideas of self-expression, identity, and the complexity of our inner life. Visitors will encounter Louise Bourgeois’s three-metre-high Spider, innovative light boxes and a playful sculptural installation by Helen Chadwick and striking self-portraits by Robert Mapplethorpe. (Free admission) Surrealism : Picturing the Strange. You will encounter bizarre creatures and weird machines, eerie landscapes and liminal spaces. These uncanny compositions juxtapose the familiar with the peculiar, subverting reality and exploring the potential of the mind. (Free admission).
Saturday 18th April. 12noon Meet in the Stableyard Café of Coton Manor Garden, Guisborough, Northampton, NN6 8RQ before wandering the Botanic gardens of this 17th Century Manor House. Admission is £12.50 per adult or £5 per child.
Saturday 25th April. 11am Meet at the Bay Tree café, 12, Bridge Gate, Hebden Bridge for coffee before a gentle stroll around the town followed by a fifty-minute cruise and Cream Tea (for your lunch) from Stubbing Wharf, along the Rochdale canal to see the wildlife, woodland, weirs and waterfalls. Price £20 adults and £10 children. Pre-booking with the West Yorkshire Local Contact for the boat trip is essential by 14th March.
Wednesday 3rd May. 11am Meet at the entrance to Uppark House, (National Trust) GU31 5QR; this is off the B2146 road from Petersfield, five miles distance. An irregular bus service 54 is the nearest public transport. Uppark is a fine country house, built in 1690, set in large grounds, with outstanding views across the South Downs. Guided tours of the house (£10 in 2025) must be booked in advance via https://www.nationaltrust-tickets.org.uk/event-tickets; alternatively, join us for a light lunch about 1pm.