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This is our page where you will find details of Meetings and Events held in recent months
At our October meeting we had fun creating little works of art under the excellent guidance of local artist, Felicity Robinson.
On Wednesday, 30th September we joined Colwall Probus club on an outing to Leicester to visit the Richard III museum. We enjoyed an excellent talk before touring the museum, visiting the site where the skeleton of Richard III had been found and then on to the cathedral to see his beautiful modern tomb.
Thursday, 10th September Jenny Hope from Severn Waste Services gave us a most interesting and informative talk on what happens to our recyclables. We learnt a great deal.
To celebrate 40 years of our Colwall Ladies Club we held a wonderful Tea Party at the Ale House on 6th August. Here are some photos of the event:
9th July we held our AGM. It was a hot day and we had lots to get through. As soon as the
AGM was finished, we drew the raffle (and what a lot of fantastic prizes there were), then the speaker, our very own Ann Carver, gave us a most interesting talk on the places and animals she and her husband have seen over the many years of their travelling. Then, 31 of us went to the Thai Rama IV for a magnificent lunch.
In June we thoroughly enjoyed Frances Carlaw's very interesting and entertaining talk about her "treasures", in other words, her vast collection of pearls.
We were delighted to welcome Angela Hugman to our May meeting. Angela regaled us with her lovel memories of life, working as a physiotherapist both in this country and in the Middle East.
9th April saw the much anticipated return of Philip Bowen who this time gave us a fascinating talk about the life and achievements of that extraordinary Victorian engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Brunel achieved so much in his relatively short life.
The Dogs Trust was the subject of our March 12th meeting. Callum Stackhouse and two of the Dogs Trust's volunteers, Simon and Di explained the dedicated work of this charity. We heard about the sheer volume of dogs needing help, the wonderful care by the staff at the kennels and the foster homes provided by volunteers.
The growing of organic vegetables at Little Marcle was the subject of our meeting on Thursday, 12th February. Joshua Davenport told us how his father, John, had been growing organic produce at their farm near Ledbury for more than 35 years. Joshua explained his plans for improving still further the growing conditions for the vegetables (with the addition of extra trees around the perimeter to provide a shelter belt) and also helping the environment by planting fruit and nut trees between the rows to encourage more wildlife onto the plot.
The first meeting of 2026 saw the much anticipated return of Carl Attwood on Thursday, 8th January. This time his talk was all about the music Leonard Bernstein had composed for the film West Side Story. Carl opened our eyes - and especially our ears - to the sheer brilliance of Leonard Bernshein's creative genius. A talk which will live on in our memories for a long time.
Thursday, 11th December saw 52 of us gather at the newly refurbished Colwall Park Hotel for our Christmas Lunch together. The venue was beautifully decorated, the welcome so warm, the service excellent and the food was delicious. Our raffle table was almost groaning under the weight of all the beautiful prizes. Truly, a wonderful occasion.
On 13th November Ian Wilson made a most welcome return. This talk covered some of the curious properties dotted around the West Midlands and included vast and invisible tunnel systems, oil pipelines, not to mention the rather spiteful plans for Stanley Baldwin's magnificent gates...
What fun we had at our October meeting when we tried to create beautiful pieces of art with tiny bits of coloured glass. This was the second visit by Vicky Kitchen from the Kingcot Gallery in Flyford Flavell. When we had done our best, Vicky carefully picked up all our "masterpieces" to take them home to be fired in her kiln. We are now eagerly waiting to see the finished products.
At our September meeting we welcomed Tim Armitt of Lani Leathercraft. He gave us a most interesting talk about his journey from working in commerce to creating beautiful and useful leather goods. He brought along many beautiful examples of his work.
On 10th July we held our AGM but before that we very much enjoyed a lively and fascinating talk by Colwall resident, Jane Fanshawe, about her life's experiences of travel and music, working alongside her late husband, the composer and ethnomusicologist, David Fanshawe.
After the talk and the AGM we drew our summer raffle and then enjoyed a superb lunch together at the Thai Rama restaurant.
Thursday, 12th June we thoroughly enjoyed a loud and joyous hour with Peter Gill. This was a much anticipated return of Peter. This time he told us about the highs and lows of Jerry Lee Lewis' life. Jerry was sometimes described as the wildman of rock'n'roll. We heard wonderful renditions of some of Jerry's greatest hits.
On Thursday, 8th May Dr Sally Dickson told us about the Beauchamp Dynasty and in particlar, Urse D'Abitot who had been appointed Sheriff of Worcestershire. He upset so many people that a bishop eventually put a curse upon him.
10th April saw another local resident, Trish Hayward, tell us about the murder of Thomas Becket in 1179 in Canterbury cathedral. As pilgrimages to the murder site began, monks started making little "badges" of pewter, depicting the murder. Pilgrims were able to buy these as mementoes of their visit.
On 13th March local resident, Brian Havercroft, took us on a journey to Central Australia, telling us of his experiences while there and showing us what it all has to offer.
Thursday, 13th February brought Susan Humphrey and her husband, David, to talk to us about her family history. She started by giving us a brief insight into her family tree then proceeded to tell us about her greatgrandfather, Joseph Chamberlain, a great social reformer who did so much for Birmingham that he was affectionally called "Good old Joe" by all. Susan then gave us a comprehensive account of the life of Neville, her grandfather. The meeting was exceptionally well attended. Susan's description of the lives of both these well-loved and talented men, was fascinating and a revelation.
Our first meeting of the New Year was presented by Mary Constable, ably assisted by her husband and friends. She gave us a fascinating literary tour of the Malvern Hills, with accompanying booklet.
On 12th December about 50 of us we enjoyed an absolutely delicious lunch in the village hall. The lunch was produced by the multi-talented Ian Wilson and his team. Everything had been cooked to perfection . The hall and all the tables looked beautiful, the music delightful, the raffle table splendid and everybody looked as if they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
All in all, it was the perfect start of Christmas.
Our meeting on Thursday, 14th November was held at the Royal British Legion in Crescent Road. We were treated to a talk by Philip Bowen entitled "A Midlands Rising". His talk about the conspirators, their objectives
At our October meeting Vicky Kitchen from the Kingcote Gallery in Flyford Flavell helped us produce little works of glass art. She had brought so many materials for us to experiment with and we had a lively and amusing morning trying to create little works of art.
On Thursday, 12th September we gathered together to listen to two ladies from the "From Time to Time" group tell us all about what life was really like for ordinary folk in Tudor times.
They had brought with them many fascinating artefacts to illustrate their stories.
July brought our annual general meeting. This was followed by a fascinating talk about Laura Ashley's life. After that the raffle was drawn and then we made our way to the Thai Rama for lunch.
In June David Chatterley brought about 30 of his teddy bear friends with him and told us the history of this dearly loved toy.
On 9th May, Marguerite Collins told us the story of the Lygon family, who despite so many ups and downs has been at Madresfield for over a thousand years.
What an interesting and entertaining morning Peter Gill gave us on 11th April. His talk, entitled Musical Satire, encompassed songs of the first world war right up to songs by Billy Connelly and Victoria Wood. He played and sang songs from Cole Porter, Noel Coward and Tom Lehrer, too. Wonderful.
On Thursday, 14th March our very special local Artist, Laura Nicholson, told us all about her career and inspiration for creating her beautiful paintings and fabrics. What a lovely morning we had.
The History of Hats was the theme of Caroline Butcher's talk on Thursday, 8th February. Caroline explained the history of hats down through the ages. She then went on to tell us how she had given up a very successful career in order to make and sell her own hats at her shop in Droitwich. At the end of her talk she also gave us very useful tips on which styles suit different occasions and also which styles suit different face shapes.
The New Year saw the much anticipated return of Penny Platts and her husband to tell us all about their safari in Africa. Penny's excellent talk accompanied by her husband's beautiful photography took us on a journey along the Chobe river and eventually on to the Victoria Falls. We were transported on a magical journey across Africa.
Christmas Lunch was celebrated on 14th December by about 50 members in our very own Colwall Village Hall. The committee had worked hard to make all the tables look splendid and the accompanying live music was a delight. The main work, however, was being done in the kitchen by Ian and his wonderful team. The starters were delicious, the main courses were even better and the desserts were to die for. At the end we were treated to cups of tea or coffee and mini mince pies. The raffle proved to be the best yet with some wonderful prizes. All in all a fantastic occasion.
On Thursday, 9th November Robert North came to tell us all about Honeybees. His talk covered some fascinating facts about these amazing little creatures and the various roles they perform during their lifetime. Robert had brought along some delicious honey for us to buy.
Thursday, 12th October saw another very welcome return of Ian Wilson. Ian is a Quantity Surveyor and Certified Historic Building Professional. This time Ian's talk took us from cathedrals to country houses. This was another very informative talk, thoroughly enjoyed by all.
On 14th September one of our favourite speakers, Dr. Kate Bellamy, returned. Kate is a leading neuro-scientist. In this talk she told us about various brain myths and then busted them with science. All in all, this was a fascinating and informative talk.
We held our Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 13th July.
Before the AGM started we were treated to a fascinating talk about Guide Dogs. Anne Dicks and Shirley Sheridan, together with her guide dog, Mikey, from the Malvern branch of the charity explained how the dogs are trained and what a difference they make to the lives of people with sight problems.
Carl Attwood gave us a fascinating talk about two composers: Gershwin and Cole Porter on 8th June, 2023. He illustrated his talk both with recordings and his own renditions.
Thursday, 11th May saw Ray Sturdy make a welcome return to tell us all about the spectacular royal palace created by the Earls of Dudley.
On 13th April our very own Christine Honeywill, ably assisted by her husband Chris and their son Tim, told us why the charity REACH was set up. The talk was greatly appreciated by everyone present. Thank you, Christine.
Sadly, our March meeting had to be cancelled because of snow. However, it is hoped the planned talk on Laura Ashley can be given at a later date.
On 9th February, 2023 Chris O'Grady gave us a fascinating and entertaining talk about the world of antiques. He told us of amazing finds but also of disappointing fakes. Afterwards members were given the opportunity of having some of their own treasures appraised.
Thursday, 12th January saw Robert Arley give us a fascinating talk about the 1851 Great Exhibition. Robert, who had produced several Antiques Roadshow programmes and various programmes for ITV, was extremely well informed and was more than happy to answer questions. The talk left us all wanting a new Great Exhibition!
On 15th December we made our way to The Wellington Inn at Chances Pitch in Colwall for our Christmas Lunch. It was a bitterly cold day outside but a warm welcome awaited us from Giles and his staff. As always the food was delicious and the service excellent. The raffle was drawn and the fantastic number of lovely raffle prizes found new homes. After wishing everybody a very Merry Christmas, we made our way home, well-fed and happy.
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