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Previous events
Thu 9th Apr 2026
2:00 pm
Dave Pinion: South Georgia to Antarctica and back. An amazing journey.
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 4th Dec 2025
2:00 pm
Note this is the FIRST Thursday of the month. Pre-booking required, click to find out how.
Thu 13th Nov 2025
2:00 pm
AKA a TV/Film Extra, and how he fell into the industry 6 years ago after a visit to his local library
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 14th Aug 2025
2:00 pm
Features images & great songs from 50s, 60s & 70s
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 12th Jun 2025
2:00 pm
The remarkable story of Battle of Britain Pilot Squadron Leader Victor Ekins MBE, DFC
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 8th May 2025
2:00 pm
Sailing 33 days in a temperature of mostly -30°C, they visited the huts of Scott and Shackleton, walked with penguins, saw seals, seabirds and whales.
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 10th Apr 2025
2:00 pm
Last year we really enjoyed Martin Orkin's talk about Simon & Garfunkel, and this time we hear about Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon.
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 13th Mar 2025
2:00 pm
The speaker from the Co-op will cover: Protecting your family’s nest egg, Inheritance tax, Stopping ‘sideways disinheritance’, Lasting Powers of Attorney
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 13th Feb 2025
2:00 pm
Imagine standing over a bomb - you need to make a choice. Remember, your life depends on it.
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 9th Jan 2025
2:00 pm
The lives of William Moorhouse VC and his son Billy, airmen in two World Wars
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 12th Dec 2024
2:00 pm
Hear the famous Christmas story delivered by a Victorian gentleman who is a great friend of Charles Dickens.
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 14th Nov 2024
2:00 pm
I covered Live events, headlining tours & TV Shows of all the top artists from Cliff Richard, Jim Hendrix, Beatles to the Rolling Stones.
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 10th Oct 2024
2:00 pm
My great grandfather is William Coltman and he was involved in WW1 but refused to fight and kill as a result of his faith but went to war as a […]
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 12th Sep 2024
2:00 pm
When knights were still jousting, there was another deadly battle. This was a time when choosing the right words was a matter of life and death
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 8th Aug 2024
2:00 pm
Len was Hertfordshire Police dog handler (Frontline) for 17 years handling German Shepherd dogs for general duty plus a black Labrador and a black and white English Springer spaniel both […]
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 11th Jul 2024
2:00 pm
Speaker: Peter Tatam. There are many strange tales associated with the fens, many of which are shared with the audience.
Venue: St Ives Corn Exchange
Thu 11th Apr 2024
Bridge over troubled water: the Simon & Garfunkel storyAt 2 pm Martin Orkin
Thu 8th Feb 2024
You Can't Be Serious: Tales of a Wimbledon UmpireAt 2 pm Alan Gray
2023
| December | Members | A DIY Christmas Entertainment (see photos) - Ukulele, Singing for Pleasure, a short Pantomime, communal singing |
| November | David York | Tips on Scams & Cybercrime from Cambridgeshire police's "Cyber & Fraud Prevention Officer" |
| October | Roger Leivers | House of Spies (in Godmanchester) |
| September | Nigel Start | A history of gardening in Britain |
| August | Philip Caine | The author gave us insights into his career from Barrow to Baghdad, and led him to become an author |
| July | Martin Orkin | The Beatles Story - with many music extracts which got feet tapping and even some singing |
| June | Tony Kirby | The Rise & Fall of Seaside Resorts since 1750 |
| May | Paul Smith | Thomas Cook & The Origins of Popular Tourism |
| April | Paul Robbins | A decade of change - Life in 1960's Britain (which many of us could relate to) |
| March | Neil Dickinson | Arsenic's Toxic Legacy - Cornwall was the world’s biggest exporter and arsenic could be mistaken for sugar! |
| February | Jim Stebbings | A musical insight into the Topsy-Turvey World of Gilbert & Sullivan |
| January | Cathy Shelboune | Several short accounts of maritime heroes as selected from her pack of cards |
Earlier years' Open Meetings topics can be found in the Open Meetings Archive.