talks programme
30th april to 27th august 2025
Wednesday 30 April 2025
Joanna Bogle
Sue Ryder - the remarkable story of Baroness Ryder of Warsaw.
Joanna Bogle will show how Baroness Sue Ryder lived her life for others. She became a household name in the UK in the 1950s thanks to the homes she founded and the help she gave to the survivors of the concentration camps, the disabled and others needing of long-term care who she brought to Britain. This work was funded partly by the well-known high street charity shops. Her story includes her service with the SOE in World War II, prison visiting in Germany in the post-war years and long-haul relief work in countries all around the world.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 7 May 2025
Sally Smith
Magnificent Women and Flying Machines: The first 200 years of British women in the sky.
Author Sally Smith will tell the stories of the women who achieved real firsts in various forms of aviation: in ballooning, parachuting, gliding, airships, fixed-wing flight and the International Space Station! This lively talk will be full of entertaining adventures and will celebrate Britain’s wonderful women of the air.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 14 May 2025
Ian Aspinall and Forum AGM
Exeter’s Guildhall and the work of a Mace Sergeant.
Mace Sergeant Ian will describe his duties and explain the importance of Exeter’s Guildhall.
The Exeter Forum AGM will follow this short talk.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 21 May 2025
Richard Parker
The development of the Quay since Roman times, as seen through reconstruction drawings.
Archaeologist and historian Richard is known for his intricate, detailed reconstruction drawings of buildings and scenes. He will show how the area around Exeter Quay developed over the last 2000 years, using his own reconstruction drawings, and will explain how he creates these works of art.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 28 May 2025
No meeting
Spring half term break
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 4 June
Todd Gray
The British Empire in Exeter, 1575-1996
Historian and author Todd Gray makes a welcome return to the Exeter Forum to look at Exeter’s place in the British Empire and the empire’s place in the hearts, minds and lived experiences of its people. Todd will use his research on the writings of administrators, adventurers, artists, collectors, explorers, merchants, missionaries, prisoners, scientists, settlers, travellers and visitors to tell this story.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 11 June 2025
Emma Laws
Now we are rather older: revisiting Winnie-the-Pooh.
Winnie-the-Pooh is one of the best-loved and most successful children's characters of all time. Emma will make a welcome return to the Exeter Forum and will use her experience authoring a book about Winnie-the-Pooh to show how the stories and characters evolved.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 18 June 2025
Giles Trelawny
An introduction to landscape history
Giles Trelawny will draw on his experience of history to look at how we can read a landscape and learn about how it evolved over time. Giles taught history to A level in Exeter, inspiring many young people to study the subject further.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 25 June 2025
Patrick Galbraith
Uncommon Ground
Patrick Galbraith is a journalist and author whose work has appeared in The Times, Granta, The Spectator, and The Times Literary Supplement. He will talk about his book Uncommon Ground: Rethinking our relationship with the countryside, looking at land ownership and who gets to decide what happens to our rural areas.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 2 July 2025
Sue Julyan
The current roles and challenges of Citizen Advice Exeter
Sue is Chief Executive Officer, Citizens Advice Exeter and Citizens Advice Torbay.
She will look at the very valuable role of Citizens Advice in offering free, independent, impartial and confidential advice whatever the problem is, and whatever the situation. Citizen Advice is a local charity that relies on fundraising to support its work.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 9 July 2025
John Davidson
The lost rivers of Exeter
500 years ago, Exeter had several important rivers and streams running through the city to the Exe. Today some are remembered only through street names or dips in the road, but you can glimpse others occasionally where they appear on the surface. John will look at what happened to these lost rivers and why they are still important today.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 16 July 2025
Gary Winter
The work of the Samaritans
Gary will show how over 120 volunteer Samaritans in the Exeter area respond to 30,000 callers and web chats a year. He will talk about their other work, including offering wellbeing talks to school students, and working with 'Listeners' in Exeter Prison offering emotional support to prisoners.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 23 July 2025
Professor David Moss
The Poor from 1558 to Modern times
Who were the poor in 1558 and why is that date important? How does the idea of “the poor” change over the next 400 years and why is it still important today? Professor David Moss will draw on his extensive research and experience to address these questions.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 30 July 2025
Baz Wade
The Trials and Tribulations of a first-time novelist
Author Baz Wade will show how he wrote his novel Karim, King of England, a racy political thriller. He will cover the process of researching and editing a novel and some of the experiences on the journey from idea to publication.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 6 August 2025
Dr. Reuben Ayres
The 1832 Exeter Cholera Epidemic and its aftermath
In 1832 a disastrous cholera epidemic struck Exeter. Reuben’s talk will look at why it happened and how it spread through the city. Its effects on the population both during the epidemic and afterwards will also feature. Dr Reuben Ayres DM FRCP, was Consultant Gastroenterologist at the RD&E.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 13 August 2025
No meeting
Summer break
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 20 August 2025
No meeting
Summer break
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 27 August 2025
No meeting
Summer break
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 3 Sept 2025
Meetings resume
Joanna Bogle
Sue Ryder - the remarkable story of Baroness Ryder of Warsaw.
Joanna Bogle will show how Baroness Sue Ryder lived her life for others. She became a household name in the UK in the 1950s thanks to the homes she founded and the help she gave to the survivors of the concentration camps, the disabled and others needing of long-term care who she brought to Britain. This work was funded partly by the well-known high street charity shops. Her story includes her service with the SOE in World War II, prison visiting in Germany in the post-war years and long-haul relief work in countries all around the world.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 7 May 2025
Sally Smith
Magnificent Women and Flying Machines: The first 200 years of British women in the sky.
Author Sally Smith will tell the stories of the women who achieved real firsts in various forms of aviation: in ballooning, parachuting, gliding, airships, fixed-wing flight and the International Space Station! This lively talk will be full of entertaining adventures and will celebrate Britain’s wonderful women of the air.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 14 May 2025
Ian Aspinall and Forum AGM
Exeter’s Guildhall and the work of a Mace Sergeant.
Mace Sergeant Ian will describe his duties and explain the importance of Exeter’s Guildhall.
The Exeter Forum AGM will follow this short talk.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 21 May 2025
Richard Parker
The development of the Quay since Roman times, as seen through reconstruction drawings.
Archaeologist and historian Richard is known for his intricate, detailed reconstruction drawings of buildings and scenes. He will show how the area around Exeter Quay developed over the last 2000 years, using his own reconstruction drawings, and will explain how he creates these works of art.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 28 May 2025
No meeting
Spring half term break
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 4 June
Todd Gray
The British Empire in Exeter, 1575-1996
Historian and author Todd Gray makes a welcome return to the Exeter Forum to look at Exeter’s place in the British Empire and the empire’s place in the hearts, minds and lived experiences of its people. Todd will use his research on the writings of administrators, adventurers, artists, collectors, explorers, merchants, missionaries, prisoners, scientists, settlers, travellers and visitors to tell this story.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 11 June 2025
Emma Laws
Now we are rather older: revisiting Winnie-the-Pooh.
Winnie-the-Pooh is one of the best-loved and most successful children's characters of all time. Emma will make a welcome return to the Exeter Forum and will use her experience authoring a book about Winnie-the-Pooh to show how the stories and characters evolved.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 18 June 2025
Giles Trelawny
An introduction to landscape history
Giles Trelawny will draw on his experience of history to look at how we can read a landscape and learn about how it evolved over time. Giles taught history to A level in Exeter, inspiring many young people to study the subject further.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 25 June 2025
Patrick Galbraith
Uncommon Ground
Patrick Galbraith is a journalist and author whose work has appeared in The Times, Granta, The Spectator, and The Times Literary Supplement. He will talk about his book Uncommon Ground: Rethinking our relationship with the countryside, looking at land ownership and who gets to decide what happens to our rural areas.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 2 July 2025
Sue Julyan
The current roles and challenges of Citizen Advice Exeter
Sue is Chief Executive Officer, Citizens Advice Exeter and Citizens Advice Torbay.
She will look at the very valuable role of Citizens Advice in offering free, independent, impartial and confidential advice whatever the problem is, and whatever the situation. Citizen Advice is a local charity that relies on fundraising to support its work.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 9 July 2025
John Davidson
The lost rivers of Exeter
500 years ago, Exeter had several important rivers and streams running through the city to the Exe. Today some are remembered only through street names or dips in the road, but you can glimpse others occasionally where they appear on the surface. John will look at what happened to these lost rivers and why they are still important today.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 16 July 2025
Gary Winter
The work of the Samaritans
Gary will show how over 120 volunteer Samaritans in the Exeter area respond to 30,000 callers and web chats a year. He will talk about their other work, including offering wellbeing talks to school students, and working with 'Listeners' in Exeter Prison offering emotional support to prisoners.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 23 July 2025
Professor David Moss
The Poor from 1558 to Modern times
Who were the poor in 1558 and why is that date important? How does the idea of “the poor” change over the next 400 years and why is it still important today? Professor David Moss will draw on his extensive research and experience to address these questions.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 30 July 2025
Baz Wade
The Trials and Tribulations of a first-time novelist
Author Baz Wade will show how he wrote his novel Karim, King of England, a racy political thriller. He will cover the process of researching and editing a novel and some of the experiences on the journey from idea to publication.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 6 August 2025
Dr. Reuben Ayres
The 1832 Exeter Cholera Epidemic and its aftermath
In 1832 a disastrous cholera epidemic struck Exeter. Reuben’s talk will look at why it happened and how it spread through the city. Its effects on the population both during the epidemic and afterwards will also feature. Dr Reuben Ayres DM FRCP, was Consultant Gastroenterologist at the RD&E.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 13 August 2025
No meeting
Summer break
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 20 August 2025
No meeting
Summer break
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 27 August 2025
No meeting
Summer break
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday 3 Sept 2025
Meetings resume
