On the first Thursday of the month (except August) we have a Monthly Meeting at Ewen Hall, Barnet. We meet from 9.30am to socialise over a cuppa. You can also find out about groups you might like to join and outings, trips and cruises you may like to book a place on.
At 10.30am we have talks given by guest speakers from a wide range of professional and other backgrounds. Topics range far and wide from, for example, climate change to art history, hidden places in London to how to avoid being scammed – and everything in between.
Ewen Hall is fully accessible for wheelchair users with a ramp provided to negotiate the few steps to the area where tea and biscuits is served. The talks are held in the adjoining church hall, which is also fully accessible. The sound system we use for the talks has provision for hearing loop users. Click here for full details about coming to Ewen Hall.
Printer Cartridges for Charity
If you have any empty printer cartridges please bring them when you come to the Monthly Meetings. We collect them to raise funds for Cherry Lodge, the charity based in High Barnet which supports people living with cancer. Please note: we only accept cartridges made by Advent, Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Kodak and Lexmark. If you have any queries, please contact Irene Nichols of our Climate Change and Ecology group.
Our next guest speaker presentations in 2026
4 June:
A beginning, a muddle and an end
In this entertaining talk, award-winning author of five novels (so far), Bobbie Darbyshire will explain how the complex fictional world arrives in a novelist’s mind. Just where does she get her ideas from – and how does she make them into page-turning stories? Could it be from any of her previous varied jobs as mushroom picker, cabinet minister’s private secretary or film extra
2 July:
Caravaggio's Boy
In this fascinating talk, Barnet painter, art lecturer and novelist Keith West will take us on the rollercoaster life story of Michaelangelo Caravaggio. How did this ‘wild boy’ from Rome become the greatest Italian painter of the Baroque period? What caused his dramatic fall from grace? And why has his global reputation since soared?
3 September:
How Artists Change Art History
The history of art over the centuries may appear to be a series of movements (-ism after -ism!) But, as art historian and broadcaster Estelle Lovatt will reveal in this entertaining and enlightening talk, it’s all down to those individual artists – from Rembrandt to Rothko, Manet to Emin to name just a few – whose passion, imagination and creativity have delighted and/or challenged our thinking about the world. Photo: Cristina Schek.
Recordings
If you have missed one of our talks, you can catch up with them here. Please note: use the usual password to access this members-only page. Some of the talks have not been recorded due to copyright issues.
The Fab Four rose from near-obscurity in 1962 to the heights of global Beatlemania just three years later. In this talk, music author Martin Orkin will regale us with the […]
What do Spike Milligan, Dame Barbara Cartland and cycling champion Dame Laura Trott (pictured) have in common? They – and a vast cavalcade of famous showbiz and sports stars – […]
Memories of our childhoods, happy or sad. We all have them. Peter Cox, a writer and member of Barnet u3a, decided to interview some 100 fellow members to record theirs for […]
In this this talk, Gaye Illsley, an independent living expert, will explain how a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) helps legal decision-making about a person’s health and welfare, property and financial […]
Three months after war was declared on 3 September 1939 the Government introduced rationing. Everyone received a Ration Card. No card? No food. We are delighted to welcome back Dr […]
What do Surrealism, Ben-Hur and The Jazz Singer have in common? While all very different, they all appeared in the 1920s. In this talk, art historian Colin Lomas will tell us about the art, films and […]
Henri Matisse is one of the most famous and admired of modern artists. As a prolific painter, sculptor and printmaker he created a huge range of influential artworks. And yet, […]
Not what you might think but this is, in fact, an old name for the viola flower! Professional gardener (and judge for the London Gardens Society) Caroline Broome will explain […]
In this talk, historian Dr Helen Fry will unveil the true story of the women who, defying the conventions of their time, took on an extraordinary range of roles in […]
A Foggy Day, Embraceable You, Summertime – just a few of the fabulous songs written by brothers George and Ira Gershwin around 100 years ago and still hugely popular. In […]
Question: What’s four hundred years old, runs 40 miles from Hertfordshire to Islington and has helped keep Londoners healthy? Answer: The New River. Join Richard Thomas as he takes us […]
If you have travelled in Asia, you probably came across elephants in captivity or maybe even in the wild. But did you know that the future survival of these majestic […]
Clearing out her late mother’s house, Timandra Slade came across a briefcase, which contained information about her father’s wartime experiences. Not only did she learn about his perilous ‘home run’ […]
The Bull Theatre and the Artsdepot are lively local centres for music, drama and lots more. Many of us must have attended events at one or both. But do you […]
