11 February

Saxmundham 2.00pm

Christchurch Mansion: the development of Christchurch Mansion, who lived there and the role of the Friends of Ipswich Museums - Erica Burrowes.

29 February

Kesgrave 2.00pm

Just William: the life of Richmal Crompton and the tales of William Brown - Terry Taylor.

3 March

Felixstowe 10.30am

The Foundling Hospital and Museum: an insight into the Foundling Hospital established in 1739 by the philanthropist Thomas Coram to care for babies at risk of abandonment - Ruth Miller.

10 March

Saxmundham 2.00pm

Change of Programme

Brussels and the EU: The Nuts and Bolts of Decision-Making: An inside, non-political look at the processes by which decisions are taken in Brussels.  The speaker, Elisabeth Sweeney, is an EU civil servant.

21 March

Kesgrave 2.00pm

Helms, Hatchments and Hedgehogs: an introduction to Heraldry - Chloe Cockerill.

4 April

Woodbridge 10.30am

The Art of Leonard Squirrell (1893-1979): a nationally known Suffolk artist, his pictures of historic buildings, villages and landscapes were familiar to thousands due to reproduction in calendars, travel posters and books - Mark Beesley.

7 April

Felixstowe 10.30am

Change of programme: John Constable - a life of adversity: the story of Constable’s determination and struggle to get his unique and challenging style of painting accepted within British culture - Geo Fradgley.

14 April

Saxmundham 2.00pm

The Origin and Development of Surnames: the evolution of surnames with particular focus on Suffolk names - Derek Palgrave.

25 April

Kesgrave 2.00pm

Atlantic Children: the family who took a year out to sail to the Caribbean - Juliet Dearlove.

5 May

Felixstowe 10.30am

Change of programme:  Saving the Remains of Britain’s Wartime Radar : at the start of WW2, a chain of twenty radar stations already stretched from Ventnor to Netherbutton. This talk will describe the remarkable story of the development of British radar and how the site at Bawdsey played its part. - Mary Wain (Chair of the Bawdsey Radar Trust).

12 May

Saxmundham 2.00pm

The Story of Advertising: the development of advertising from market stalls to printed advertising, including enamel signs and modern media - Stuart Bowell.

23 May

Kesgrave 2.00pm

Gardening for Wildlife: advice and ideas with particular reference to Flatford Mill Garden - Isabel Morgan (standing in for Shirley Sampson who is on maternity leave).

6 June

Woodbridge 10.30am

The East Anglian Film Archive: a selection of clips showing life in East Suffolk from the 1930s-1960s including farming ways, wartime activities, changing transport, industry and home life - David Cleveland.

13 June

Kesgrave 2,00pm

Annual General Meeting.

4 September Kesgrave

10.30am – 1.00pm

Refreshers’ Fair (previously known as Launch Day): your opportunity to see what Groups will be offering for the coming year.

28 September

Kesgrave 2.00pm

The Dr Doolittle in all of us: a thought-provoking introduction to animal communication and animal telepathy - Jane Summers.

1 October

Felixstowe 10.30am

Sutton Hoo: a window on a cosmopolitan civilisation that remains tantalisingly obscure - David Phelan.

5 October

Woodbridge 10.30am

The Colchester Earthquake of 1884: few people know that the largest earthquake in England for 500 years struck just south of Colchester in April 1884 - Dr Jonathon Belsey.

8 October

Saxmundham 2.00pm

Aldeburgh Lifeboat: the history of the RNLI with particular emphasis on the Aldeburgh Lifeboat Station and the work carried out today - Steve Saint.

26 October

Kesgrave 2.00pm

Greed, Sex and Death - Art in the Dutch Golden Age: the hidden messages in the works of Vermeer, Rembrandt and their contemporaries - Katie Ward.

5 November

Felixstowe 10.30am

The Asiago Plateau - Battle in the Clouds: a WW1 battle fought on the Italian front - Antony Pittaccio.

12 November

Saxmundham 2.00pm

The Truth about Climate Change: a look at some of the evidence of how the climate of our planet is changing. Should we be concerned? - John Midwinter.

30 November

Kesgrave 2.00pm

The Railway to Ipswich and Beyond: the building of the Ipswich Tunnel and the line from Ipswich to Bury St Edmunds - Mervyn Russen.

1 & 3 December Greshams Christmas Lunches

12.30 for 1.00pm

A Tudor Christmas: a celebration of the festive season as it was under Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, combining music, mirth and merriment - Ancestral Voices.

7 December

Woodbridge 10.30am

The Natural History of the Falkland Islands: a flavour of life in this remote British outpost, including the unique habitats of the islands and aspects of the landscape, spring flowers, mammals and birds - Anne Kell.

7 January

Felixstowe 10.30am

GPS and SatNav: how it works, the technology that has made it possible and some of the amazing facts that lie behind its success - John Midwinter.

14 January

Saxmundham 2.00pm

Migration – the Incredible Journey: the scientific methods revealing the mysteries of animal migration and the amazing journeys undertaken - Pete Rowberry.

25 January

Kesgrave 2.00pm

The Mythology of Richard III: was he really a usurper and villain? How was his skeleton discovered and why was he buried in an Anglican Cathedral? - John Ashdown-Hill.

1 February

Woodbridge 10.30am

Suffolk Connections to Waterloo: the input made by Suffolk men and others who served for periods at Woodbridge and Ipswich Barracks - Peter Driver.

4 February

Felixstowe 10.30am

The Work of a Wildlife Crime Officer: an illustrated talk covering numerous cases and problems regularly encountered, current legislation and its associated issues - Barry Kaufmann-Wright.