1st October Master Beekeeper, Daisy Day
Welcome back and subs night, followed by a visit from Daisy Day
We will look at honey bees, what goes on inside a hive throughout the year, their behaviour and how they communicate. We will also look at the relationship between flowers and bees. Did you know that honey is the only food stuff that doesn’t rot? Did you know that honey bees live all year round? Daisy will be bringing along some local honey with her for sale
15th October: Richard Hilson – Daffodils
Richard is a daffodil enthusiast, and has kindly agreed to share with us his knowledge of growing and showing daffodils, the best way to grow them, and the optimum time to apply feed to encourage better displays.
29th October: Mark Saunders – Garden Inspiration
Mark is the Head Gardener at Fittleworth House, and his colourful lecture will look at a wide range of gardens, large and small, famous and private, and how they can inspire our own gardens.
12th November: Ian Currie – Droughts, Deluges and Dust, 350 Years of Weather in the South East
Ian Currie is a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society and is based at the SE local Centre in the University of Reading. He is an expert on the history of weather in the UK. Our weather has always made the headlines, be it the great storms of 1703 and 1987, or the heat wave in July 2022, when temperatures topped the 38C mark (100F) across the South East, and a new national record was set. But many people still remember the blazing 1976 Summer. This talk will take you through several centuries of weather with an emphasis on South East England.
26th November: Geoffrey Mead – Feeding the Nation
Farming is a vital part of the nation’s identity, whether the arable fields of East Anglia or the sheep in the South Downs. This talk looks at the regional variety of farming. Weald and Downland, coast or upland and how it has developed over time to give us important farm subjects such as South down sheep, Sussex cattle and Dorking fowls. We will also learn how agriculture has changed over the past 200 years.
2025
7th January: AGM.
Happy New Year! As usual our AGM will take a short time, here is the opportunity to join the committee or tell us how we could make our society even better! The AGM will be followed by a presentation of our shows and outings from 2024, and we will be testing your general knowledge with a quiz or two!
21st January: Andrew Latham – First Aid in the Garden
Andrew has been a St John Ambulance Volunteer for over 40 years and is a Community First Responder and Emergency Responder for the NHS Ambulance Service responding to 999 calls for them. He will talk to us about his work and how to deal with First Aid incidents that can occur when gardening. You will be surprised at the number of hidden perils in the garden that injure people every year! You can find out a bit more about Andrew and his work as a Public Governor of the South East Coast Ambulance Service here.
4th February: Sorin Caraiman – The History of Horsham Park
Sorin is the Parks Operations Manager for Horsham District Council and, along with his other responsibilities, is involved in the care and upkeep of Horsham Park. He will tell us a little about his role at the Council, and how Horsham Park came into the Council’s ownership and continues to be such a treasured open space in the centre of the town.
18th February: Ryan Greaves – Amphibians and Reptiles
We welcome back Ryan, who is a volunteer with the Sussex Amphibians & Reptile Group. In this illustrated talk we will look at our five fabulous species of native Amphibians and a few rarities which occasionally turn up in ponds. We will discuss their physical characteristics lifestyles and breeding requirements. We will also discover our six wonderful native species of reptile and discuss how to identify and record them. Ryan will examine how at risk these species are and the reasons for their decline. We will then look at the many ways we can encourage them through gardening and habitat creation.
4th March: Steve Webster – A Day in the Life of a Ranger
Since volunteering at the age of 14, all Steve Webster wanted to do was work in conservation. His talk describes his passage into the industry and explores the many different roles he has had during a 40-year career with local authorities, Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB. Illustrated with many of his own photographs and punctuated with anecdotes and humorous happenings, he explains just how varied being a Countryside Ranger and conservationist can be. Highs, lows and how he became one in a million!
Clayton Moore was the TV Lone Ranger from 1949-57. What a Hero!