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
97. October — Gill Shepherd: How Working with Indigenous People is Going to be Vital for Protecting the Planet from Climate Change. In a fascinating talk, Gill Shepherd took us to the Congo basin, where local Pygmy bands had, between them, sustainably managed the whole forest for centuries. 15 years ago she was commissioned by a large European logging company whose practice had been to force the Pygmies off their land, and have no concern for the serious environmental damage they were causing. Her role was to enable the company to develop sustainable practices enabling the green certification that allowed it to sell its products at a premium. To achieve this she worked with the Pygmies and company management on ways to manage the forest rather than exploit it, strengthening the rights of indigenous people to help achieve this. This worked so well that the forest here flourished (along with its wildlife), unlike that in an area nearby managed by the WWF, which evicted the Pygmies and their environmental stewardship. Returning to the area this year (by zoom) at the request of DEFRA in advance of COP26, Gill discovered that with the changing customer base (from European to Asian buyers) attention to environmental factors has lessened dangerously. Laws are not being enforced, new avaricious markets for forest wildlife are being served, and there is lower local ownership. She has proposed the development of a more just and diverse forest management model; retaining forest connectedness; much better protection for wildlife and, crucially, for customary and territory based rights for local indigenous people. She is hoping that this will form part of the UK’s COP26 proposals.
To see the recording of this meeting click here.

96. September — Ian Keable: The Century of Deception: The Birth of the Hoax in Eighteenth-Century England. Ian is a professional magician and has studied the history of magic with particular reference to well known hoaxes from the past. These legendary cases have been documented by Hogarth and other artists in satirical drawings and cartoons. We were shown us a series of fascinating slides, some of which he tweaked with his own comic amendments! The presentation was very well received by all of us who were in the room along with those joining at home on Zoom, and both groups asked many questions, which Ian answered fully. This event marked our return to the Resource Centre and it was most enjoyable to meet each other face to face after so long.

95. September — Esuantsiwa Goldsmith: Only-ness and Belonging. Ms Goldsmith told us the compelling story of her childhood as a mixed race girl growing up in a white working class area of London. She always felt "the only one" and it was many years later that she explored her African ancestry and eventually met her Ghanaian father. Her life has been characterised by  activism in race and gender politics. Her memoir "The Space Between Black and White" is now available and can be sourced through her website: https://www.esuantsiwagoldsmith.com.

94. August — Rob Shakespeare: Life of Keats (1795 – 1821 – 2021). Rob led us on a fascinating journey tracing Keats's short life from his birth in London to his death in Italy at the age of 25, reading aloud some beautiful excerpts from the wonderful poems which Keats left us. Sadly, he was not lauded in his time and died without winning praise or fame. When very young he lost his parents, followed by his brother and several friends. He fell in love with Fanny Braund, his neighbour, but as he never returned from the fateful trip to Italy they did not marry. Keats House is now open again to visitors and more information is available on their website, including events to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Keats's death. To see the recording of this meeting click here.

93. August — Lynda Ware: "Two bars of chocolate a day can slash the risk of heart attack and stroke................really?" Dr Ware introduced her presentation by showing us her home village of Cuddesdon in Oxfordshire — an area where she practised as a GP for many years. Her current role is with Cochrane UK, who promote the importance of evidence-based medical research and practice. The three important components of this approach are use of the best research evidence, incorporation of patient values and clinical expertise. Cochrane collects and analyses research evidence and the results are freely available to everyone. She referred to common colds, thalidomide, consumption of processed meat and other examples, all of which have been misunderstood and misrepresented in the media. In case you are wondering about the answer to whether it is good to eat lots of chocolate, probably not — research found that people who are very slim and fit ate larger amounts of chocolate; this group are already in a low-risk cohort! The rest of us should take care about believing tabloid headlines. To see the recording of this meeting click here.

92. July — Sally Oldfield: Wildlife in Islington. Although Islington has the smallest amount of green space per head of the population we are fortunate to have a local council and especially the Green Spaces Team who make the very best of what we have. Gillespie Park is a small but important wildlife centre which was retrieved from railway sidings and disused factories. It is an urban nature reserve, partly planted by staff and volunteers, and partly self-seeded — this means the plants are different from those found in rural parks. The Ecology Centre runs many educational events and encourages children to visit and partake in the activities on offer. Sally Oldfield told us about Islington's Biodiversity Action Plan, which is a five year strategy to protect and enhance wildlife concentrating on the built environment, parks and green spaces, designated sites and access to Nature. Mike Priaulx from Islington Swifts then told us how to encourage swifts to nest in our buildings and how we can support wildlife more generally.

91. July — Barry Mellor: Jane Austen's World. Jane Austen, widely regarded as Britain's best author, only lived into her forties but has left us a group of unique and wonderful novels. Barry highlighted many facets of her work including irony, wit, humour, and social and class observations. The novels often involve misunderstandings and misapprehensions leading to delayed resolutions and eventual matchmaking. Jane did not marry but was able to portray desire and passion especially in her female characters. This was a most enjoyable and interesting presentation and we are grateful to Barry for stepping in at the last minute. You can see the recording of Barry's presentation here.

90. June — Sue Palmer: The Soanes at Home: Pitzhanger Manor. Sue described the ten years during which the Soane family enjoyed Pitzhanger Manor as their country house. They bought it for £4500 and were able to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle due to Sir John's lucrative work as a famous architect and Eliza's inherited fortune. Ealing was a rural area then and Sir John enjoyed the walk between the two houses. He also loved fishing and entertaining their many guests. They had four children, only two of whom survived into adulthood. Running both houses and looking after the guests and staff (and many much loved dogs) kept Eliza fully occupied. The house is now run by an independent trust and is open for visitors after a recent refurbishment. Sue told us much more about their family life. Picture © Sir John Soane's Museum.
 
89. June — David Edgerton: The Rise and Fall of the British Nation: a Twentieth Century History. Professor Edgerton painted a vivid picture of the changes in the UK between 1900 and today.  In 1900 we were the only great free-trading nation in the world, importing half of our food and exporting more coal than anywhere else. There was political tension between the desire for an imperial economy and the belief in a global free trade economy. After the war our economy became almost self-sufficient with nationalisation and the growth of infrastructure. Later governments can be said to have lived off the product of that programme of national reconstruction. We reinvented ourselves in the 1970s as part of the EU and overseas manufacturers began to dominate. This was a fascinating and eye-opening talk; more insights can be found in David's book The Rise and Fall of the British Nation: a Twentieth-Century History. Or you can read an article by Professor Edgerton here.

88. May — Lis Howell: There are fewer than you think: why expert women are under-represented on the news. Since 2010 Professor Howell and her students have been studying the trends in the numbers of female experts being used in news programmes. Her "Expert Women Project" has mapped the changes over the last eleven years. The figures are more encouraging now than in the past and the current man to woman ratio stands at 2.2 to 1. The numbers fluctuate according to what is in the news at the time, for example, during the Super League crisis the figures rose to 2.9 to 1, whereas during the coverage of the murder of Sarah Everard the ratio of male experts to females fell to 1.6 to 1; so the nature of the story has a noticeable effect on how it is covered. You can see the recording of Lis's presentation here.

87. May — Sarah Corn: The Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret: a Contemporary Approach to Curating. If we weren't already grateful to live in the age of anaesthetics and analgesics before this presentation, we certainly are now! Sarah's slides showcased an alarming array of saws, knives and other tools which were used in those early days at St Thomas' Hospital, and she recounted the tale of the surgeon who was so keen to impress the onlookers with his speed that he had a 300% mortality rate — he killed the patient and also two of the spectators. She took us through the history of the hospital, the church and the operating theatres. The old operating theatre for women, which was rediscovered in 1959, is now open as part of the museum and herb garret, and welcomes international visitors as well as school parties and research students. We all enjoyed Sarah's knowledgeable and informative talk. Recording of the presentation here.

86. April — Philip Kenrick: The Romans in Algeria: an under-appreciated heritage. Philip made a welcome return visit to us when we were taken on a tour of the historic sites of Algeria, the largest country in Africa. The Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans invaded and immigrated to Algeria over many centuries, followed more recently by the French. We were aided throughout the talk by Philip's excellent slides which showed many extensive Roman remains. The French in the 19th Century demolished some ancient buildings and used the materials for military purposes but the good news is that there are still many sites yet to be fully excavated.
Link to Philip's website and Tours here — click on the image:
Recording of the presentation here.


 
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