25 Years of Transforming Leisure     We can all have some very set ideas about Leisure Centres, what they involve and who uses them.  Perhaps we think that only the fit and active among us use them!  Sarah’s talk, however, gave us a much wider insight into why, as a nation, we need to view Leisure in a far more holistic way and provide Centres that cater for all age groups with their many diverse needs and abilities to keep fit and stay healthy. The key aim being to create a much healthier and active society.  Sarah referred to examples of where new-style Leisure Centres had become a community hub of health and wellbeing as they brought people together socially as well as actively. At the end Bridget thanked Sarah and said  “Thank you for a fascinating talk this evening.  When I saw

    Toby Pinn, who has entertained us on a number of occasions gave a most interesting talk at our Speaker Meeting on ‘The Fine Art of Valuation. Price is what you pay, value is what you get‘.He had brought a selection of objects and used these to show how prices change because of fashion and popular demand and because of the change in the value of gold and silver.The value of an item is dictated by market forces and therefore subject to constant change.Toby said that platinum used to be the most valuable metal, but its value had been overtaken by that of gold, while the value of silver had dropped.This affects the monetary value of objects but he pointed out that objects often have a value beyond price.Thank you Toby, it was a fascinating evening and we are already looking forward to your

    We welcomed our Margaret Parkinson our Regional President  who joined us at our Speaker Meeting .  Thank you Margaret is was lovely seeing you here in Bristol.       Alison Bevan, Director/CEO gave a  fascinating talk about the history of Royal West of England Academy (RWA).      The RWA is Bristol’s first Art Gallery, described by Sir Nicholas Serota as one of the most beautiful galleries in the country.  The RWA began its existence in 1844 at the instigation of a woman artist, Ellen Sharples for the promotion of Fine Arts. It soon became an important and well-regarded art institution. One of the main activities has been to hold an Open Exhibition, with a brief break during the Second World War (when the building was requisitioned for use by GI’s stationed in Bristol). The annual exhibition has shown thousands of artworks by amateur artists as well

    Welcome Sharon:   Before our Speaker Meeting we were delighted to welcome Sharon.  We know she will enjoy our programme work and will settle in quickly        Clive started by telling us that that the following story came about because of a photograph he found of his grandfather in the first world war.      He then told us that in 1914 a large area between Ashton Gate and Cumberland Basin was developed to house the Bristol International Exhibition.  They planned a trade fair and amusement park supported by the great and the good of Bristol.  200 workmen a week worked for just 10 weeks and then it opened.  He showed us many pictures of the site as it developed, and it was nicknamed “White City”.  It was an amazing site, that could be viewed from Bedminster Down.  The funds £100,000 were

  At our evening meeting on November 13th the speaker was Nick Houndsfield whose vision and determination was the inspiration for The Wave, an inland surfing lake just outside of Bristol. It is an amazing story of how the Wave was built in 2019/2020, his philosophy behind the company focussing on the environment, health, sustainability and accessibility for all, men, women, children and for those with disabilities.  It was born out of a passion for technology, nature and human health. All should have enjoyment and fun. The team is working towards the ultimate goal of Paralympic inclusion for surfing. It was a truly inspiring evening given by a very modest man, thank you Nick.  

Speaker Meeting10 July: Louise Mitchell CBE, CEO of Bristol Beacon Our July speaker was Louise Mitchell CBE, the CEO of Bristol Beacon.  She first came to speak to us in 2016 at the beginning of the massive refurbishment project.  She headed up the project which has transformed the Bristol Beacon (previously known then as the Colston Hall) into what promises to be a world class music venue of international standing. Her aim in 2016 was that the Hall would have wider use as a music venue and education centre.  In its refurbished state, the main Concert Hall will offer a diverse and dynamic range of music from orchestral classical to jazz to pop and much more in between!  Styles to attract not only a variety of audiences but also top-class performers. Besides the main Concert Hall there are also smaller, adaptable rooms suitable for conferences,

  Gary started by telling us that his talk would be a brief outline of slavery in Bristol and Bristol’s involvement.      He said that all ancient civilizations had slaves and quoted the Bible on a number of occasions saying that it was pro-slavery and that slaves should be treated better.  Eventually slavery started to die out because it was said that if you were a Christian you could not have a slave. In the 15th Century John Cabot, encouraged by Henry 8th, was Bristol’s the first link to the slave trade.  John’s son Sebastian Cabot was a slave trader, at first only one or two people wanted to get involved then many more as they realised that amount of money it would attract.  Bristol’s involvement started with the sugar trade where they relied on the use of African slaves.  Due to the civil