10th December 2025- Susie Turner and Annette Jude

It is difficult to imagine a more appropriate, or enjoyable, entertainment  for our pre-Christmas Ladies Lunch than the ‘Christmas Extravaganza’ provided for us by Annette and Susie -‘A Class Act’ by name and in every sense. Bringing their vast musical experience to the occasion- from Broadway style productions with TV’s Helen McDermott to charity shows with ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ winner and Chelsea Pensioner, Colin Thackray- it was apparent from the first moment that Annette and Susie were in complete command of their audience. They provided us with a memorable  journey through the ‘Songs from the Shows’ precisely tailored to the occasion and it was truly a perfect start to the Christmas season for all of us.

19th November 2025- Chris Rout

Having worked in Australia and Canada before joining the Police for five years and subsequently working as a paramedic for twenty years, it was fair to say that Chris brought not only an excellent dry humour but also huge life experience to his immensely entertaining talk to us on his experiences-and adventures- as a paramedic and Resuscitation Officer to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough N.H.S. Trust. We learned much about the demands on the ambulance service, ways in which we might reduce the burden by distinguishing a true emergency from something more trivial (with a few of the more trivial examples(!)) and how even £1,000,000 of travel insurance cover is, in some situations, far from enough where specialist medical care in a foreign country, and the costs of repatriating a patient to the U.K., may be involved. Chris’s talk was both sobering and entertaining in equal measure and we owe him a very big debt of thanks for giving up his valuable time to come and share his experiences with us in such an immensely enjoyable way.

15th October 2025- Stephen White

Supported by some stunning photography, Stephen took us on an informative tour through the main contenders for ‘best rose’ in the Peter Beales’ catalogue. He explained how the business developed from its early beginnings of ‘a few roses in a field’ into the ultimate family business where exciting new varieties of rose were bred each year and every member of staff was made to feel like one of the family. That team ethic inevitably led to multiple years of success as a gold medalist exhibitor at Chelsea Flower Show and the production of roses much beloved by both members of the Royal Family and stars of stage and screen. Perhaps the most salient lesson for we amateurs was Stephen reassuring us ‘how difficult it is to kill a rose’, although there may be several with evidence to the contrary(!) Much thanks are due to Stephen for bringing us his vast knowledge in such an interesting and informative way -and condensing it into a format that, even after a good lunch, it was easy to understand.

17th September 2025- Neil Haverson

If you have ever tried anxiously exiting your boss’s office through what you thought was the door only to find yourself walking into a cupboard, or if your ‘smart’ ‘phone has ever broken into song in your doctor’s surgery and you haven’t a clue how to stop it, then you have a kindred spirit in Neil! In the space of 40 minutes, he took us not only through a concise history of newspaper printing but also a highly entertaining jaunt through his career, from his earliest days when he would willingly turn his hand to anything in order to ‘get on’, to his later times when writing his regular missives from ‘Fortress H’ which became something of an institution at ECN. Neil’s talk was a thoroughly entertaining-and educational-way to relax after lunch, and was greatly enjoyed by all.

20th August 2025- Malcolm Robins

Any talk spanning such diverse subjects as the first murder conviction based on DNA evidence and magistrates ruminating for an entire day on the beef content of sausages has to be worth listening to.

Woven against the background of a lifetime’s experiences in the law from one of the leading defence and prosecuting lawyers in Norwich, both in private practice and with the C.P.S., this was the perfect antidote to what might otherwise have been the sleep inducing effects of the excellent bread and butter pudding we enjoyed over lunch!

Mixing interesting ‘behind the scenes’ facts with great good humour, the talk was deeply appreciated by us all, not only for that but also for the care and trouble-and the able assistance of Margaret Robins-which had so obviously gone  into its preparation; another relaxed occasion much enjoyed by us all.

16th July 2025- Nick Brewin

Prior to retirement, our speaker,  Nick Brewin, had been Emeritus Professor and research lead specialising in crop genetics at the John Innes Centre. On this occasion, though, he treated us to a deep dive into some of the more curious and entertaining aspects of the history of Norwich Cathedral drawing from his knowledge as an accomplished Cathedral guide. His polished delivery and amusing anecdotes kept us all in rapt attention even after a good lunch and was much appreciated by all.’

18th June 2025- Stephen Poulter

Our President unfortunately had to miss today’s meeting, his rather flimsy excuse being  that it was his son’s wedding. Any concerns were swiftly dismissed, however, as the Vice-President stepped seamlessly into the breach and conducted proceedings with his trademark good humour and typical aplomb. His introduction of our speaker, Stephen Poulter, was so well prepared that it actually covered a significant part of the talk Stephen was about to give(!) The talk which followed, though, was highly entertaining- and definitely one which the President was extremely sorry to have missed.

14th May 2025 (Ladies Lunch)- John Vigar

Our First Ladies Lunch of the year started with a sparkling wine reception on arrival, followed by a few words from the President welcoming and thanking our ladies for their support- and for allowing us out once a month!  A splendid and amusing talk was given by John Vigar, a retired architectural historian and university lecturer who was encouraged  by John Betjeman early in his career and of whose charity he is now a trustee; his off beat and amusing talk, ‘Bedrooms, Banquets and Balls’, traced the story of the English Country House from mediaeval times to the present and was much enjoyed by all who heard it.

16th April 2025 Meeting- Cathy Shelbourne

Another enjoyable and well attended meeting with the talk this time given by Cathy Shelbourne on ‘The Voyage of the Mayflower -from an East Anglian perspective’ . As a member of Toastmasters International and a member of the Society for Nautical Research as well as Editor of the Ipswich Maritime Trust’s magazine, Cathy was obviously an experienced speaker and gave us a fascinating insight into the story of the Mayflower, the likelihood of it having been built in an East Anglian shipyard but with no certainty which, its voyage from the Dutch coast and the hardships experienced both on board and on arrival in the New World.

26th March 2025 Meeting (AGM)

The club convened for the A.G.M. at Park Farm Hotel as usual but the meeting followed a new, more streamlined procedure this year with the President and Vice President being elected individually but the other officers and members of the committee being proposed, seconded and elected ‘en bloc’. All were duly voted in unanimously and as a result the formalities were all conducted in under 20 minutes.

It was further agreed that the membership fee for 2025/26 be increased to £35 with the lunch charge remaining at £27 per lunch attended.                         

Following the meeting and a good lunch, the President followed recent tradition by giving a light hearted talk about his background and upbringing in Southport on the Lancashire coast, including anecdotes on such wide ranging topics as the public hangman, Albert Pierrepoint, to the birth of Brumas the Polar Bear, the setting of the World Land Speed Record on the beach to the disastrous hypnotising of the local football team, the building of the Southport, Babbacombe and Gt. Yarmouth Model Villages and escorting Miss World.