Quest Lecture Group

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Programme of public lectures on historical, local, cultural and general interest topics open to all in the South Lakes area of Cumbria (Milnthorpe, Arnside, Kendal, Grange), held twice monthly from September to March at the Athenaeum, Leasgill

21/03/2026

END OF THE SEASON
Thursday sees the last of the talks in our 2025-6 season with "The Life, Loves & Films of Errol Flynn followed by our annual lunch.
Next season is all set up and the annual subscriptions will remain at £18 for 12 talks, including refreshments - what a bargain! The next programme is ...
24 Sept: Ann-Marie Michel - “Troublemaker, life & art of Caravaggio”
8 Oct: Ron Blackburn - “The Red Squirrel”
22 Oct: Steve Barrett - “Unidentified Flying Objects”
12 Nov: Andy Lowe - “Lakeland Architecture”
26 Nov: Rob David - “Muncaster Castle’s Wartime Secret”
10 December: Martin Gittins - “Crazy Christmas Customs”
14 Jan: Julian Blatchley - “Norsemen in Lakeland”
28 Jan: Caroline James - “Celebrity Chefs - behind the apron”
11 Feb: Mark Hatton - “Murder on the Moors”
25 Feb: Alan & Julie Walker - “Wildlife Photography - Japan”
11 Mar: Gordon Emery - “Curious Cumbria - Oddities”
25 Mar: John Mather - “Sir Thomas Bouch, Victorian Engineer”

11/03/2026

QUEST TALK: LIFE, LOVES & FILMS OF ERROL FLYNN
Thursday 26th March, 10:00am
at the Athenaeum village hall, Leasgill, nr Milnthorpe LA7 7ET
COLIN PENNY tells the story of Errol Flynn, one of the most popular, charismatic and infamous film stars ever to have graced the silver screen. The quintessential swashbuckler, his films remain perennially entertaining.
Tasmanian-born Errol was one of the original hellraisers of Hollywood. A Don Juan both on and off the screen he is often viewed as a man more intent on pursuing his leading lady than he was in pursuing a career as a serious actor. There is no doubt that he was a director's nightmare - frequently turning up to shoots late and either hungover or still drunk from the night before. He was a scoundrel with women; a man who 'loved them and left them’.
This is the final talk of our season, followed by the meal at Crooklands for those who have booked.
Guest admission £3 including refreshments. No need to book, just pay on the door. Enquiries to [email protected] For the full programme of talks through to 2027, see our new website: questcumbria.co.uk

01/03/2026

CROOKLANDS MEAL
Quest members are invited to our usual end of season meal at the Crooklands Hotel after our last meeting on 26th March. £29 gets you two courses - starter and main or main and sweet. You can book, pay and make your menu choices at our next meeting on 12th March.

23/02/2026

QUEST TALK: MORE TV MEMORIES OF CUMBRIA
Thursday 12th March, 10:00am
at the Athenaeum village hall, Leasgill, nr Milnthorpe LA7 7ET
Former broadcast tv crew JIM BOWNASS & ANDREW LEITCH will be presenting more local television stories of yesteryear from their archive.
Guest admission at £3 for a single talk including refreshments. No need to book, just pay on the door. Enquiries to [email protected] For the full programme of talks, see our new website: questcumbria.co.uk

08/02/2026

We now have a website questcumbria.co.uk and the 2026-7 season of talks is now booked

06/02/2026

TALK: SAMUEL HASLAM of HEVERSHAM
Thursday 26th February, 10:00am
at the Athenaeum village hall, Leasgill, nr Milnthorpe LA7 7ET
Professor IAN HODKINSON will tell the story of Samuel Holker Haslam (1797–1856) an English naturalist whose plant and insect specimens are to be found in several museum collections. Born into a family of cotton manufacturers in Lancashire, Haslam used his inherited wealth to set himself up as a country gentleman in Heversham. He collected plants, insects and books, observed birds, gardened, farmed the land and was a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London.
Guest admission at £3 for a single talk including refreshments. No need to book, just pay on the door. Enquiries to [email protected]

21/01/2026

TALK: SCHOOL LIFE in the 50s and 60s
Thursday 12th February, 10:00am
at the Athenaeum village hall, Leasgill, nr Milnthorpe LA7 7ET
Judith Shingler and Alison Peak return with more treasure from the Ambleside Oral History Archive, which contains recorded memories of over 500 local residents, from the 1800s to the present day. Remember school milk, the eleven-plus and spotted dick? "We had to go out in all weathers in plimsolls and a t-shirt and then you had to hang your wet shoes and socks and stuff on the railings around the coke boiler"
The subscription to Quest for the remaining 4 talks of our season is just £9, including refreshments. A bargain! Guest admission at £3 for a single talk. No need to book, just pay on the door. Enquiries to [email protected]

05/01/2026

TALK: TITANIC - A SEAMAN’S PERSPECTIVE
Thursday 22nd January, 10:00am
at the Athenaeum village hall, Leasgill, nr Milnthorpe LA7 7ET
A life-time seaman's view of what caused the world's most famous shipwreck, which uses an experienced and professional eye to eliminate the misunderstandings and focus on what really happened. Captain JULIAN BLATCHLEY is a professional seaman; he has sailed recreationally and professionally for 5 decades. His career has included commanding and piloting supertankers, over a hundred and fifty thousand miles of ocean and offshore sailing, and several years as a charter yacht skipper.
The annual subscription to Quest remains at £18, which includes all 12 talks and refreshments. This is reduced proportionately if you join now for the last six talks. A bargain! Guest admission at £3 for a single talk. No need to book, just pay on the door. Enquiries to [email protected]

30/12/2025

TALK: YOU’RE NOT HERE TO ENJOY YOURSELF!
Thursday 8th January, 10:00am
at the Athenaeum village hall, Leasgill, nr Milnthorpe LA7 7ET
Here's a picture of David Fairs himself, taken from his book cover.

19/12/2025

TALK: YOU’RE NOT HERE TO ENJOY YOURSELF!
Thursday 8th January, 10:00am
at the Athenaeum village hall, Leasgill, nr Milnthorpe LA7 7ET
DAVID FAIRS: 25 years in the army as a commando and parachutist, 1000 miles down the Nile by canoe, Fellow of the Geographical Society, manager of a Pontins holiday complex, leading to setting up his own international adventure business. Is the title of David’s talk what he says to his clients or what the army said to him? (This is not a picture of David, by the way).
The annual subscription to Quest remains at £18, which includes all 12 talks and refreshments. This is reduced proportionately if you join now for the last six talks. A bargain!
Guest admission at £3 for a single talk. No need to book, just pay on the door. Enquiries to [email protected]

11/12/2025

SEASON’S GREETINGS TO ALL QUEST MEMBERS
We’re half way through our season, with just six talks left - the next on Thursday January 8th. Plus, of course, our annual lunch at Crooklands on 26th March. Next season’s programme is already under preparation. Any recommendations for speakers always welcome - send to Adrian - [email protected] or buttonhole him at a meeting.

Address

The Athenaeum, Leasgill
Milnthorpe
LA77ET

Telephone

+441539564030

Website

http://questcumbria.co.uk/

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