Lectures 2022-2023

Thursdays at 2.00pm in St Barnabas Church Hall, Main Street, Swanland.   Click on image for directions Direction map

These Lectures meetings were held between August 2021 to the end of July 2022.

Lecture meetings are held at 2.00pm on the first and third Thursdays in each month from September to July, afterwards there is tea/coffee and biscuits and a chance to catchup with our members.

To read a Speakers Biography please click on Speakers Name if link available. We have a few recordings of the Lectures done during the covid crisis, you can check 2020 / 2021 lecture pages for them by going on the menu and clicking the Lectures Tab.

Date: Speaker: Subject: About:
01st September 2.00pm Colin Bradshaw Saints, sinners, sailors and smugglers - amongst others! Colin will talk about some of the famous people who visited or lived on the North York Moors. In his role as a Voluntary Ranger for the National Park he has researched their stories and illustrated these with photographs.
15th September 2.00pm Malcolm Brooke Bomber Command Malcolm's presentation looks at the history of 49 Squadron from World War 1 to the nuclear tests of the 1950's : the personalities, the locations and the operations. Malcolm will also describe his involvement in the photographic project to record the headstones of all those who died serving in the squadron. .
06th October 2.00pm Graham Buckton The Convoy Rescue Ships. The convoy rescue ships accompanied Atlantic convoys in World War 2 to rescue survivors from ships that had been attacked. These were typically small freighters with passenger accommodation converted into rescue facilities. Theirs was a demanding role in a very dangerous situation.
20th October 2.00pm Jane McKeown Volunteering in Country Houses” - NADFAS and the work done by Heritage Volunteers and Church Recorders Due to personal reasons our original speaker for May 20th has had to cancel. Instead we have Jane McKeown who will talk to us on ‘Volunteering in a country house.’ I’m sure we have all been impressed at the breadth and depth of knowledge displayed by these volunteers whenever we have visited a ‘House’ and I am sure Jane will give us many interesting details about their role. She talked to us in July on ‘Army Wives’ and once pre-Lockdown - both talks engendered a lot of interest and debate. ‘
03rd November 2.00pm Malcolm Lawrenson Howard Carter and Death on the Nile November 2022 is the month scheduled for the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza. The celebrations will be timed to coincide with the centenary of the discovery of a sealed tomb in the Valley of the Kings by Howard Carter on 5th November 1922.
17th November 2.00pm Kate Billmore, Peter Barnard Life As A Tudor Musician. hey will be presenting on 'Life as a Tudor household musician', playing music on a wide range of instruments in use at in the second half of the 16th century as well as singing. They will talk about the instruments and their manufacture, and also showcase and talk about their costumes. They will be very willing to take questions after the presentation.
01st December 2.00pm Margaret Hanson. The things they carried - the human touch. ….a journey visiting History, Literature, Philosophy, some smiles and one naughty word.
15th December 2.00pm    Christmas Event / Carol Service???  
05th January 2022 2.00pm  John Peck  The Romans In Welton. The story of the archaeological discoveries in Welton in the 1970s on the site of what is now Omya Quarry. A Roman villa was uncovered and evidence of a farming community which lasted about 400 years.
19th January 2.00pm  Alan Deighton  "George Warburton Sizer and Vera Brittain  This talk will discuss the collaboration between local novelist George Sizer, now almost forgotten, and Vera Brittain one of the foremost English writers and cultural figures of the pre war years.
02nd February 2.00pm  Eddie Lawler  Tracking the Brontës  With Covid on the decline (we hope) Eddie's presentation "Tracking the Brontës" is back on the road. It's a one-hour presentation with music, of the Brontë story in connection with the birth of the railways.
16th February 2.00pm  Anne Sherman  Life of the Early Victorian Deaf and Dumb in East Yorkshire.*  Victorian England is known for its treatment of the poor and its disabled, but how did they treat those who were deaf from being infants? This presentation looks at how deaf children who were born in the 1840's lived. Taken from research on a cohort living in East Yorkshire, we will look at believed causes of deafness at that time, family life, socialisation, education and the occupations available to them.

* Disclaimer: The term 'deaf and dumb', although not acceptable in today's society was the accepted description in the Victoria era. Its use in this presentation reflects that and does not imply any irreverence or insult to today's deaf society.
02nd March 2.00pm  Jenny Scruton.  Mans Best Friend: Commemorated For Ever!  Jenny will be telling the stories of heroic animals - some who have saved their owners lives and others who have contributed to the defence of our country in war time.
16th March 2.00pm Chair Annual General Meeting  Swanland u3a AGM please attend so we will meet our quorum.
06th April 2.00pm John Wilson. The Queen's Money – The History of Banknotes Through the Reign of Queen Elizabeth II,  The talk is about the different issues of banknotes, how they have changed and the ways in which the Bank of England tries to stop counterfeiting.
I have always had an interest in banknotes and my travels as a chemical engineer, and also as a tourist, have enabled me to collect banknotes from around the world.
I have collected English notes since I was in my teens and have a modest collection. At their best banknotes are an art form and they can show a lot about our county's culture.
20th April 2.00pm Neil Hanson In At The Top.  His talk “Inn & Out at the Top” is a laugh-a-minute tour of the quirks and foibles, highs and lows of his time running Britain’s highest inn back in the 1970s and 1980s. A hugely engaging storyteller, Neil’s account of grappling with tight-fisted farmers, eccentric characters, bizarre local customs, naturist weekends, “lates and lock-ins”, police raids, rats in the attic, close encounters with magistrates and planners, and the shooting of a famous 'double glazing commercial, is suitable for all audiences'.
04th May 2.00pm Nick Dahlgreen Writing and publishing a debut novel - local author.  Nick has put together a presentation from a new author's perspective on the writing, publishing, and marketing process, and some extracts from his debut novel. It's an insight into how to pick your way through this whole new world.'
18th May 2.00pm John Scotney A Glimpse of New England. New England, is in the North Eastern part of the United States which includes the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The region was named by Capt. John Smith, (1580-1631) who explored its shores in 1614 for some London merchants.
01st June 2.00pm Kathleen Barnett Making a difference…the story of a Hippo, Orca and Hyena  An illustrated tale about a hippo, an orca and a hyena, who were orphaned in the wild and rescued by humans supported by Born Free
15th June 2.00pm Paul Schofield Hull and the movies  Paul Schofield will be telling us about some of the actual stories behind these streets together with what happened when Hull became 'Hullywood'.
06th July 2.00pm John Senior Switzerland  John Senior, Chair of Pocklington u3a who will talk to us about the lovely country of Switzerland. It is also a fascinating country especially its geography and customs
20th July 2.00pm Margaret Boyd Tophill Low, past, present and future  The talk will inform you about the Tophill Low story: from early historic beginnings of settlements in the area, the development of the clean water production site to the creation of the current nature reserve. The talk will then concentrate on the wildlife that is seen and the management of the nature reserve now, touching on the future plans for the reserve.