October 2025
Peter Griffiths ‘A Life in Aviation - Sextant to Sat Nav’
We were certainly not disappointed — Peter’s return was nothing short of a triumph. In fact, his talk was so well received that we’ve already secured his services for next year, when he’ll be enlightening us on the subject of champagne (alas, no free samples, he made that abundantly clear).
We were treated to a delightful mix of laughter and awe: tales of daring pilot exploits, moments that very nearly became aviation legends, glimpses inside some truly opulent private jets, and anecdotes featuring the rich and famous — all delivered with Peter’s signature charm and wit.
September 2025
A talk by Jane Scotchmer - ”The Curious Tale of the Surrealist Gentleman”.
Jane's talk took us through the lens of Edward James, an eccentric English aristocrat, writer and artist, who inherited a Sussex estate and created a magical surrealist garden in Mexico (Now a worldwide famous Unesco site). Jane obviously has a keen interest and is very knowledgeable about the subject matter which produced a very interesting and informative afternoon - enjoyed by all who attended.
August 2025
A fun & games afternoon Headed by ‘A Beetle Drive’.
Additionally, there was a selection of new and used jigsaw puzzles for sale, which helped to fill the coffers - thank you.
Scrumptious homemade cakes were consume and a prize for the ‘Winner of the guess the weight of the Bread Pudding competition’.
July 2025
Jack Deans ‘Finger Print and Murder Specialist’.
What a treat we enjoyed (perhaps not quite the right word) an interesting and informative
talk from Jack Deans recalling his career as a fingerprint expert, crime scene examiner and
lab technician. His talk covered the headlines of bygone years, that we unfortunately
remembered reading - Lockerbie Air Disaster, Broad Water Farm Riots and the
Marchioness Pleasure Boat Tragedy to name but a few and he has more to tell, so we will
be inviting him back - watch this space.
June 2025
Ross Newham
It was an afternoon of roots, fruits & fermentation: The Curious Case of East Malling Research Centre
The fascinating tale of the East Malling Research Centre, as told by none other than Ross Newham. And trust us, this was not just one for the gardeners and wine enthusiasts (though they were especially thrilled) — it was a story for anyone who's ever eaten an apple, planted a seed, or wondered how the UK's strawberries became so perfectly plump.
The story begins once upon a time (well, early 20th century), a humble patch of Kentish soil blossomed into The National Institute of Agricultural Botany — a global hub of horticultural wizardry. Specialising in clonally propagated crops (yes, that's a thing), East Malling has been growing knowledge faster than weeds in a greenhouse.
From pioneering plant research to transforming fruit farming, they've been at the root of major innovations in commercial horticulture. And in more recent years? They’ve added a winery. Because what’s science without a little fermentation celebration?
There was expect juicy facts, a few vine-laced anecdotes, and an insight into how the UK stays at the cutting edge of fruit and veg and the audience had plenty of questions to ask
May 2025
Peter Griffiths
We had the pleasure of welcoming Peter Griffiths, who took us on a fascinating flight through his 45-year aviation journey in a talk titled "A Life in Aviation – Sextant to Sat Nav." Despite having a fear of flying—yes, really!—Peter’s career soared through decades of change in the skies. His storytelling was captivating, packed with both laugh-out-loud moments and poignant tales from an era when pilots navigated by sextant, not software, and cockpits buzzed with human grit rather than digital ease. A truly riveting glimpse into aviation before autopilot took the wheel. A really enjoyable afternoon followed by tea & biscuits our staple diet. We look forward to his return visit in October.
April 2025
Fred Lemont
Nursery Rhymes and their origins from poverty, persecution, historical events’. The audience learnt the intriguing facts about what they thought were the innocent nursery rhymes of their childhood. A delightful afternoon immensely enjoyed by all who attended even though childhood beliefs may have been shattered.
March 2025
Bob Ogley ‘Biggin on the Bump.’
Bob’s return visit was well received by members who appreciated his humorous story telling of such dark days.
February 2025
'Fun Quiz' - that's a debatable statement.
A winners prize and the obligatory 'wooden spoon', were on offer. An enjoyable afternoon questions sourced by Lorraine and delivered by Leon.
January 2025
This months speaker was Richard King, His talk, "Around the World on a Double-Decker Bus," was a captivating journey, filled with adventure and nostalgia. He enthralled the audience with tales of his challenging expedition across continents in the 1960s—an era when such an audacious feat was still possible. Health & Safety regulations would never allow it today! His stories sparked memories and left everyone feeling nostalgic.
December 2024
Borough Green Primary School Choir - Xmas songs
We were thrilled to welcome the choir from Borough Green Primary School, who got the audience in to the Christmas spirit with their joyful rendition of many Xmas stalwarts - their parents and teachers should be very proud!
This was followed by our speaker Linda Regan - Actor and Writer
Linda is an author and actress, who appeared in episodes of Doctors, Holby City & The Bill to name just a few! She is married to the much loved actor Brian Murphy, and is a sister to Carol Drinkwater a well known actress.
Linda spoke of the her times as an actress and recalled some events and personalities of her acting days.
Her talk entitled “Acting can be Murder” the theme we'd assume would be a plot for her crime writing novels? Linda was interesting and well received by members.
There was a Christmas raffle too.
The many prizes helping to get members' Xmas festivities off to a great start.
An enjoyable and successful afternoon rounding off the Branch's year 2024.
November 2024
Sonya Case - Author of 'Burying the Ghost', retired teacher and actress (she appeared in the original Poldark series).
January 2025
Around the World on a double decker bus