Monthly Meetings

We meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 10.30am at Dagnall Street Baptist Church, Cross Street, St Albans AL3 5EE. 

The doors open at 10.00am when members can get together, enjoy refreshments, visit the book swap table, see details of the latest planned trips and holidays, and discuss joining activity/interest groups, before the meeting starts. 

If you are considering membership and would like to sample a meeting please contact our Membership Secretary (memsec@verulamu3a.org ) who will arrange a welcome for you.

2025

14th January 2025
Andy Smith – Love and Laughter
Andy Smith is a performance poet, author and former business communicator who has two artificial limbs, three fine children and a whippet. He also had a couple of feisty chickens until Basil Brush made their acquaintance. Andy engages, entertains and gently challenges his audiences with original poetry, humour and the occasional smattering of history.
Someone a lot wiser than Andy Smith once said: “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people” ... and maybe ‘true love’ is even shorter? Come and peep into the pleasures and pitfalls of Andy’s transition from emotional thug to contented spouse in this poetic presentation that meanders through the mysteries of human relationship, and administers a healing dose of humour on the journey.

11th February 2025
Paul Barwick - PC Yvonne Fletcher and the Libyan Embassy Siege
Paul was a Police Officer now retired (34 years’ service) with a career background in the national intelligence and security arena. He worked with partner agencies in the field of national security and counter terrorism. He spoke to us in 2022 about The 2006 Murder of Alexander Litvinenko and gave us a guided spy tour in London in 2023.
He returns this month to recall the tragic tale of the murder of WPC Yvonne fletcher, a young Police Constable who was killed by agents of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi as she stood on duty outside the Libyan Peoples Bureau in April 1984. We remember the events and the aftermath that reverberated around the world. We try to uncover the failure of British Intelligence that led to this terrible tragedy.

11th March 2025
Tony Tutton - The Life, Music and Influence of Buddy Holly
Tony was born in Walthamstow in 1947 (a “Baby Boomer”), His working life was in the Fire & Security industry, but his first love was music. He gave his first performance on stage at the age of six. He joined a skiffle group at the age of 10 and has continued to perform as a drummer, guitarist, and lead singer. Tony celebrated 70 years in the music business in 2023.
Tony gave us a fascinating talk to us in December 2023 about his life and career in the music industry. He will return this month to share with us An Audio & Video Talk featuring Buddy Holly’s music from the 1950s .. and more.

8th April 2025
Peter Burley – Defence St Albans
Peter is a historian and Vice-President of the St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society.  He is co-author of a book on the "Battles of St Albans" (in the Wars of the Roses) and have written and lectured extensively on local history in St Albans.
Peter’s talk will be on "The Defences of St Albans from the Viking Wars to the Cold War".  Most people assume that St Albans has always been a peaceful place devoted to its patron saint and with no military history.  In fact it has been on the front line in several wars and remains of its defences are still visible today.  In the Middle Ages the Abbey was legally a castle with a garrison of professional soldiers. The town was attacked several times by the Vikings, saw fighting in the civil war between Stephen and Matilda, in the Second Barons War and the Wars of the Roses.  In the 17th century Civil Wars it was the main garrison town for Cromwell's "Eastern Association" and the medieval defences were up-graded and
redoubts  constructed in them.  The story ends in the Cold War, and the location of its nuclear bunker may come as a surprise - to be revealed in the talk. 

13th May 2025
Martin Humphries – The Cinema Museum
Martin is a published poet and author. He co-founded The Cinema Museum with his partner, Ronald Grant, in 1984. 
London’s Cinema Museum is devoted to keeping alive the spirit of cinema from the days before the multiplex. Set in historic surroundings in Kennington, close to the Elephant & Castle, The Cinema Museum houses a unique collection of artefacts, memorabilia and equipment that preserves the history and grandeur of cinema from the 1890s to the present day.

10th June 2025
Richard Stark – The West End Coming to:
Richard is a Singer and Entertainer based in Leighton Buzzard and has a wide repertoire of themed shows or bespoke events. Previous engagements include Rhine/Douro River Cruises, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Rugby Stadiums, Opera Holland Park, Festivals and hundreds of Corporate and Private Events.
Richard’s talk will provide a tour of West End shows including info, anecdotes, costumes and chorus singalongs. Songs from Les Misérables, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Kismet, My Fair Lady, Jersey Boys, Grease and others.

8th July 2025
Howard Slater - Richard Rogers (Rogers and Hammerstein)
Howard is a retired qualified lecturer and teacher and has been giving talks for over 30 years, They are fully researched by himself and shown on slides and include original photographs, videos and recordings were relevant, that have been acquired from around the world.
His talk will cover the story of Richards Rodgers who was one of the most well-known American composers of the 20th century. Known for his song writing partnerships, first with lyricist Lorenz Hart and then with Oscar Hammerstein.

12th August 2025 – no talk Summer Break

9th September
Martin Attridge – The Great Fire of London
Martin has lived for over 40 years in Harpenden. For the last dozen years he has given short History and Art talks locally to many groups including Redbourn, Wheathampstead, Luton and Bishop's Stortford U3As. These include The Development of English Silver Hallmarks; The Development of London before 1600; The Great Fire of London; William Hogarth; James Gillray; The Supreme Etcher of London - Wenceslaus Hollar.
At this meeting Martin will …relate the story of the Great Fire of London in 1666: reviewing the conditions that created the fire; how the fire started; the impact on the buildings and the population; the mostly futile attempts to halt its progress; when and why the fire eventually died down; some facts and figures about the fire; the changes in building and public protection arising from the fire. This information has been mainly gathered from many sources including contemporary reports by Samuel Pepys, John Evelyn , The London Gazette and Proclamations following the Great Fire.

14th October 2025
Keith Baldwin - All the King's Horses and all the King's Men
Keith is a former soldier and senior police officer who has been a speaker and voice-over artist since retirement. With several talks in his portfolio, he realised early on that although audiences like to learn and to be informed, they also like to laugh - which goes someway to explain the presence of humour in his talks!'  
Keith’s talk will centre on his time as a soldier in the Household Cavalry (many years ago) but has plenty of facts and interest about the Brigade of Guards in general.   

11th November 2025
A Journey in Northern India – Alison Mess
Alison’s bio to follow.
Alison’s talk will take us through the streets of Old Delhi, the Taj Mahal, Jaipur - the pink city and Wildlife of India including the tigers.

9th December 2025
Jester – Graham and Towse – A Christmas Entertainment
Details to follow.