Our Programme of Morning Presentations and Afternoon SIG Sessions are coordinated by Jocelyn Welch and Sandra Hill. They can be contacted by email by clicking on their names and using our "Contact Us" page.
If you would like to download a simplified copy of our current Summer 2026 programme, as updated on 18th April 2026, click here
Summer Term 2026
Thursday Morning Presentations in the Studio
| Date | Speaker and Topic |
| 16th April | Racheal Lee (Wren) "Guardians of the Canopy: the Welsh Plant Health Surveillance Network" |
| 23rd April | Gill Evans "The Wye Valley Walk or Where's the River Gone Then?" |
| 30th April | Taniya Keoghan "Splash Dragons - A Short Introduction" followed by "Every Picture Tells A Story" |
| 7th May | Andreas Giorgallis "Legal Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage" |
| 14th May | Theatr not available to us It is being used by the BBC for the production of "Any Questions" |
| 21st May | Laura Woodside-Jones "Where is Armenia?" |
| 28th May | Brecknock Sinfonia A morning of music and talk with members of the orchestra. "From Bach to Bruckner" |
| 4th June | Wales Air Ambulance What we do, how do we do it, and how we are funded |
| 11th June | National Trust Wales How the National Trust care for Y Bannau |
| 18th June | Natasha Tyler "Greatest Hits of Cider" |
| 25th June | Robert East "Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill" |
| 2nd July | Richard Ellis “The Fine Art of Crime – A Beginners Guide” |
| 9th July | Ian Upjohn "The Monuments Men" |
Thursday Afternoon - Special Interest Groups
| Date | First Session 1.15 pm -2.15 pm | Second Session 2.30 pm - 3.30 pm |
| 16th April | Art Appreciation (St) Family History (MR) | Earth Science "Changing sea levels" (St) |
| 23rd April | Archaeology Tim Hoverd "The Herefordshire Horde" (St) What the Papers Say (MR) | British Constitution and Human Rights (St) Bookshelf (MR) |
| 30th April | Architecture and Landscape "Windsor Castle and Parkland" (St) | Welsh Pronunciation (St) Play reading "The Real Thing" by Tom Stoppard (MR) |
| 7th May | Gardening (St) Play reading (MR) | Aspects of History (St) Creative Writing (MR) |
| 14th May | Theatr not available | Theatr not available |
| 21st May | Archaeology Jenny Hall "Abbey Cwmhir Archaeology of Earth Platforms" (St) Play Reading (MR) | Architecture and Landscape Three Ten Minute Landscapes (St) |
| 28th May | Art Appreciation (St) Family History (MR) | Gardening (St) Poetry "Summer" (MR) |
| 4th June | Earth Science (St) Creative Writing (MR) | Welsh Pronunciation (St) Poetry (MR) |
| 11th June | Science Questions Answered (St) | Aspects of History (St) |
| 18th June | Archaeology Malcolm Best will talk about industrial archaeology relating to Ystradgynlais (St) | Art Appreciation (St) |
| 25th June | Philosophy (St) Bookshelf (MR) | Science Questions Answered (St) Creative Writing (MR) |
| 2nd July | British Constitution and Human Rights (St) Poetry "The Seaside" (MR) | Gardening (St) What the Papers Say (MR) |
| 9th July | Architecture and Landscape The Arts and Crafts Movement in Architecture (St) | Philosophy What does the decline in reading mean for the future of society? (St) |
Background Information about the Morning Speakers and their presentations
Summer 2026
16 April - Racheal Lee (Wren)
Guardians of the Canopy: the Welsh Plant Health Surveillance Network
My talk will be an insight into the work I do around tree health. I am a forest biologist and project lead for the Welsh Plant Health Surveillance Network, a ground-breaking Welsh Government funded project monitoring forests across Wales for native and invasive pests and pathogens that may pose a threat to the health of trees. Data from my surveillance is used to inform the development of priority goals and policies relating to woodland management in Wales.
A bit about me, I moved to Wales from Devon in January 2022 for this post, initially for 1 year, but on its success, the Welsh Government continued to fund it to date, and here I am four years later! I am very much a tree lover, a tree hugger and admirer of all things nature. I am a keen and intrepid explorer and open water dipper, taking to the hills at any opportunity to spend time outdoors and learn all that I can about the natural world. I adopted for myself the pseudonym 'Wren' many years ago, not just for my love of birds, but from a great friend who once described me to be like a 'small bird with a big voice'; how terribly endearing!
23 April - Gill Evans
The Wye Valley Walk or Where’s the River Gone Then?
I'll be talking about the Wye Valley Walk, which I did in stages with my walking group back in 2013 and 2014. As well as describing the walk, I'll be focussing on the outstanding natural features, landmarks, history and general wonders to behold along the route which explain what an amazing experience it was to follow the trail.
I've been a member of Brecon U3A since 2012. Over the years I set up and ran the former Wildlife SIG organising talks and site visits, I reorganised and maintained the Brecon U3A archive, managed the weekly noticeboards, produced regular updates on U3A activities for the local press, gave talks and served on the committee.
30 April - Taniya Keoghan
Splash Dragons - a short introduction - followed by Every Picture Tells a Story
Taniya has been a member since 2018 and last spoke to us in October on The Turkish Invasion of Cyprus July 1974. Today, we take a walk through her photo album.
7 May - Andreas Giorgallis
Legal Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage: Law, Ownership and the Politics Beneath the Waves
This talk explores how the law is responding to the growing challenges posed by underwater cultural heritage (UCH). From ancient shipwrecks to submerged landscapes, heritage beneath the waves raises complex legal, ethical and political questions. On the one hand, international frameworks such as the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage seek to regulate access to and safeguard UCH. On the other, increasing technological capability and commercial interest are placing these sites under mounting pressure.
Using the well-known case of the San José shipwreck as a starting point, the talk examines disputes over ownership, salvage rights, and the competing claims of states, private actors, and Indigenous communities. It also considers how these global debates resonate within the UK, where questions remain about the adequacy of existing protections and the UK’s position outside the 2001 UNESCO Convention. How should the law balance preservation with access? Who owns underwater heritage? These are some of the questions the talk will address.
Andreas Giorgallis is a Research Associate at the School of Law and Politics at Cardiff University, where he currently works on issues of land and maritime delimitation, with a particular focus on disputes in Africa. He completed his PhD at the University of Glasgow, examining the restitution of Ethiopian Tabots held at the British Museum. His publications cover various aspects of cultural heritage, including its definition.
21 May - Laura Woodside-Jones
Where is Armenia?
Few people know much about Armenia, but a trip around the country reveals a rich history of ancient, untouched monasteries, the Silk Road, arid mountains, forested nature reserves, a major high-altitude lake, and fruit bearing plains. Views of Mount Ararat accompany the inquisitor. The nation is proud of its heritage as the first nation to officially adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301, even before the Roman Empire: A 20th Century genocide and 80 years of Communist rule add to the mix.
Laura has been a member since 2024 and runs the Gardening SIG.
28 May - Brecknock Sinfonia
A morning of music and talk with members of the orchestra.
" From Bach to Bruckner" How we have managed to run a successful symphony orchestra in Mid-Wales, brining classics to Brecon since 2007. A talk with live music, including a taste of the upcoming Elgar Cello Concerto (with Sonia Hammond) and more.
4 June - Wales Air Ambulance
What we do, how we do it, and how we are funded.
11 June - National Trust Wales
How the National Trust Wales care for Y Bannau.
A talk on the sites managed by National Trust Wales, including Pen y Fan, and the project at Ty Mawr
18 June - Natasha Tyler
Greatest Hits of Cider
From the Wild Apple Forests of Kazakhstan to the cider riots of 1763, through to its downfall in the 20th Century and its current resurgence as a craft drink.
I run Ty Madoc Cider alongside my family and The Wobbly Owl Cidery in Hay on Wye. My background is in research and I’m fascinated by the people and places that make up our heritage, so delving into the quirks that have shaped cider is as exciting as making the drinks themselves.
25 June - Robert East
Jeremy Bentham & John Stuart Mill: Are their views relevant today?
Jeremy Bentham advocated the idea that the best guide to creating good laws was the ‘greatest happiness of the greatest number’. While John Stuart Mill initially supported Bentham’s views, his approach changed and, instead, he developed the ‘harm principle’, arguing that the only behaviour of individuals that should be made unlawful is that which causes harm to others.
This session examines the views of these two protagonists, probably the most famous English philosophers of the nineteenth century, with reference to their applicability today.
Robert has been a member since 2023 and leads the British Constitution and Human Rights SIG. Last May he gave a morning talk 'Is Torture Ever Justified?'
2 July - Richard Ellis
Richard Ellis has been investigating art, antique and cultural property crime for over 40 years and has lectured extensively on the subject.
He formed and ran the Art & Antiques Squad at New Scotland Yard, was general manager of Christie’s Fine Art Security Services and in 2005 together with security and conservation specialists established the Art Management Group Limited.
He has worked internationally both in the public and private sectors and his many recoveries include “The Scream” stolen in 1994, over 7,000 antiquities looted from Egypt and China to his family’s own silver stolen in a burglary in the early 1970’s.
The lecture will look at who steals art and why, using actual cases to show how stolen art is used in criminal enterprise and how forensic science is used both to identify criminals and authentic real art from the fakes and forgeries.
9 July - Ian Upjohn
The Monuments Men
Awaiting info