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 |
| 4th June | John Tyler "Sir Marc Brunel" |
| 11th June | David Mitchell "The Evolution of the Sailing Ship" |
| 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 | National Trust Wales "How the National Trust care for Y Bannau" |
Thursday Afternoon - Special Interest Groups
| Date | First Session 1.15 pm -2.15 pm | Second Session 2.30 pm - 3.30 pm |
| 4th June | Earth Science (St) Creative Writing (MR) | Welsh Pronunciation (St) Poetry (MR) |
| 11th June | Science Questions Answered (St) Scrabble (Bar Area) | 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
4 June - Sir Marc Brunel
Born in France. As the second son of a wealthy farmer, he was expected to train for the Church but he rebelled and joined the navy. During the French Revolution, he escaped to America, learned about surveying, architecture, and engineering. He then moved to England where he developed methods of mechanised production and successfully tunnelled under the Thames. He was declared bankrupt, was knighted by Queen Victoria and he trained his son. (Isambard Kingdom Brunel).
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.