Each lecture is self-contained and the topics covered range widely over many areas of interest. There is chance to socialise and discuss with the speaker during each session.
Lectures now on the afternoon of the 4th Wednesday each month - at Eastside Community Centre
The aim is to provide a series of lectures that consider different areas of human and academic interest – from science and environmental concerns to art, music and history.
Presentations have also addressed local projects and developments – the Esk Energy and the ‘Land of Iron’ projects together with the NY Moors railway have all been the subject of previous talks, for instance.
All are very welcome to come to our group sessions on a regular or one-off basis.
This depiction of our solar system was part of a recent lecture on the search for life beyond Earth
Past programme:
September, 2025
'THE INVENTION OF NATURE' Rick Harwood
October, 2025
'WHAT D'YOU MEAN, YORKSHIRE?' Eddie Lawler
November, 2025
'CANON ATKINSON AND HIS FORTY YEARS IN A MOORLAND PARISH' Peter Sotheran
December, 2025
'DR LIVINGSTONE, I PRESUME?' Fran Sandham
January, 2026
'A WALK THROUGH STAITHES'. Bill Hinchley & Isabelle Harrison
February, 2026
'Mad Woman Walking – PILGRIMAGE TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA’ Joanne Aston
March, 2026
‘AROUND THE UK IN CLASSIC RAILWAY POSTERS’ Jane Ellis
April, 2026
‘AN EVENING BETWEEN THE COVERS WITH RICHARD HODGSON’
May, 2026
‘FROM CHASING VENUS TO VOYAGER: MEASURING AND EXPLORING THE HEAVENS’ Rick Harwood
June, 2026
'THE BLAYDON RACES' Fool's Gold
Forthcoming programme [2026/27]:
Please note that our lectures will now take place on the afternoon of the 4th Wednesday each month
Wednesday, September 23rd
"THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK' Roger Browne
Roger is a professional pianist, speaker, raconteur and singer and has visited us before – most recently to talk very entertainingly about the ‘Golden Age of Radio’. Roger will be presenting some of the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th century that have stood the test of time. You will recognise popular and enduring tunes from the 1920s to the 1950s that were created for Broadway theatre, musical theatre and Hollywood musical film.
All very welcome / Eastside Community Centre / class fee £1.00
Wednesday, October 28th
'ONCE UPON A TIME IN OXFORD (AND WHITBY): the Origins of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland'
Mark Davies
Lewis Carroll’s earliest published work – long before Alice – was inspired by Whitby. It was a place he revisited many times,
Mark Davies is a trustee of the Lewis Carroll Society and has published books on his life and connection to Oxford and Whitby. Mark gave talks earlier this year in connection with Whitby Museum’s ongoing ‘Alice in Whitby’ exhibition, which reimagines Alice through the Museum’s costume collection.
All very welcome / Eastside Community Centre / class fee £1.00
Wednesday, November 25th
'DELTA CHARLIE DRONES' David Creek
Delta Charlie Drones is a company that produces aerial images of Whitby, the coastline and our coastal/moorland villages for commercial company publicity. David's impressive images also appear regularly on Facebook. He will give a presentation on the images and their production - including a demonstration of drone usage. This will be a talk with some difference!
All very welcome / Eastside Community Centre / class fee £1.00
Wednesday, December 16th
'THE. MARINE LIFE OF FILEY BAY' Keith Clarkson MBE
In 2019 Keith was awarded an MBE for his services to wildlife conservation. He has an extensive interest and experience with national parks and the RSPB. At Bempton Cliffs, at the heart of the UK's largest mainland seabird colony, and with the support of a fantastic team of staff and volunteers, he was able to lead the transformation of this stunning nature reserve into Britain's most accessible seabird colony. Now retired, he continues to explore the wildlife of the Filey Bay Area.
Note that this lecture is one week early because of the Christmas period.
All very welcome / Eastside Community Centre / class fee £1.00
Programme for 2027
Wednesday, January 27th
'POTASH & SAND: From Volcanic Fire to Stained Glass' David Wadkin MBE
A Journey Through 3,600 Years of Colour, Craft and Creation. Long before stained glass illuminated churches and cathedrals, nature created the very first glass in the heart of volcanic fire. Early humans prized this natural glass — obsidian — and used it even before flint. Over thousands of years, we learned to recreate this miracle ourselves, discovering that two simple materials, potash and sand, could be transformed by intense heat into something extraordinary.
This talk explores the remarkable story of stained glass: where the world’s finest surviving examples can still be found, the hidden meanings behind colours and symbols, and the turbulent moments when stained glass in Britain was deliberately targeted for destruction — and the surprising reasons why. Finally, David shares a selection of stained‑glass pieces he has restored, designed and created — each one a testament to the enduring magic of turning raw earth into radiant light.
All very welcome / Eastside Community Centre / class fee £1.00
Wednesday, February 24th
'SHAPING OUR LANDSCAPE' Tim Burnhill
The retreat of glaciers at the end of the Devensian glacial maximum (around 12,000 years before the present) left behind the unique landscape of high moors, dales, gorges, and dry valleys that we associate with the North York Moors. The action of this ice sheet modified the preglacial landscape that had been establish during the Tertiary period (65 to 2.58 million years ago). During this talk Tim will illustrate this landscape using high resolution DEM (digital elevation model) images. He will focus on topography of Eskdale, particularly those parts of the valley that were located at the ice front during the Devensian times.
All very welcome / Eastside Community Centre / class fee £1.00
Wednesday, March 17th
'DISCOVERING THE NIGHT SKY' Stephen Bowden FRAS
Stephen Bowden is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (FRAS) and he will share photographs of deep sky objects such as Galaxies and Nebulas including detailed images of our closest star - most of these taken from his back garden observatory near Filey. Stephen also explains in simple terms how the Northern Lights are generated, together with photographs taken of the aurora from Filey and Scarborough area. Stephen is happy to share “how” the photographs were captured so that audience members with similar aspirations could achieve the same results.
Note that this lecture is one week early because of the Easter period.
All very welcome / Eastside Community Centre / class fee £1.00
Wednesday, April 28th
‘THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD’ Fool's Gold
‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’ is the new presentation from Fool’s Gold. Based on Charles Dickens' last unfinished novel, the show features all the key components that have made Fool's Gold shows so popular in the past - great acoustic music performed live with plenty of chance to join in, enthralling storytelling of a mysterious tale, with great projected visuals. Of course, Dickens never finished the mystery, so the audience will have chance to do that for him!
All very welcome / Eastside Community Centre / class fee £1.00
Wednesday, May 26th
'UNDERGROUND SCIENCE RESEARCH: Boulby Mine Laboratory' Jonathan Gutteridge
Boulby Underground Laboratory is the UK’s deep underground science facility. The lab has changed a lot since 2018, when they last came to speak to us on their research on dark matter. There is a great deal of new science to catch up on - including low-background particle physics, dark matter detection, Earth and environmental science, astrobiology, planetary exploration, and quantum technologies. The work of the lab featured in a recent Times article that outlined some of the interests of the lab.
One of only a dozen deep underground facilities worldwide, Boulby Underground Lab hosts science that, crucially, can’t be done on the surface.
All very welcome / Eastside Community Centre / class fee £1.00