Speaking on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025, we have :

1st: Jo Bradshaw – Mountains of Patience – Climbing Everest and The 7 Summits. 

As the famous saying goes ‘All good things come to those who wait’ and this is particularly relevant to Jo and her 7 summits project. She will take you on a whistle stop tour to all 7 continents, from the jungle to the polar regions and everywhere in between whilst following in the footsteps of the first woman to climb all 7, Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei. What makes each mountain so unique and why on earth did she take on this monumental project whilst raising funds and awareness for children’s mental health charity Place2Be.  

Find out more at these links:

• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/_jobradshaw/
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jobradshawadventurer/
• LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-bradshaw-keynotespeaker/
• 7 summits web page – https://www.jobradshaw.co.uk/7-summits

2nd: Maria Hickey – Japan Unfolded: A Cultural Journey with Maria Hickey

Join Maria Hickey (aka Sakura) on Saturday 3rd May for a unique cultural experience through Japan!

Maria, a passionate photographer, will offer you an exclusive look at Japan, showcasing its beauty through her lens. From lesser-known festivals to ancient temples framed by delicate cherry blossoms (sakura), you’ll explore a side of Japan that few get to see.

Having spent approximately three years living and working in Japan with programmes like the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, the Ship for World Youth Programme, Peace Boat and the GET Programme, Maria brings a wealth of authentic experiences. She’s even participated in the Queen Himiko contest!

As an avid artist with a love for crafting, Maria will also lead you in a hands-on demonstration of making an origami heart to take home. All you’ll need is a square piece of paper if you’d like to join in.

We encourage you to submit any questions for Maria in advance for the Q&A session.

• Facebook: sakura.154356
• Instagram: sakura_crafts_mh

Date & Time: Saturday 3rd May 2025

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

Speaking on Saturday, June 7, 2025, we have:

• 1st: Ash Bhardwaj – Why We Travel.
• 2nd: Mary Fogarty – Sri Lankan voyages round my father.

1st: Ash Bhardwaj – Why We Travel

Join award-winning journalist, podcaster and broadcaster Ash Bhardwaj for a captivating talk inspired by his critically acclaimed book, Why We Travel, covering what makes a journey truly meaningful, and why do some trips fall flat? Ash shares lessons from his global adventures and bestselling book “Why We Travel”. Blending psychology, storytelling, and real-world experience—from trekking across Uganda to soldiering in Estonia — Ash reveals how understanding your motivation can transform travel, work, and life.

Ash has reported from 50+ countries for the BBC, The Telegraph, Guardian, and more—and brings unmatched insight to the intersection of culture, purpose, and exploration.

2nd: Mary Fogarty – Sri Lankan voyages round my father.

Returning to Sri Lanka in 2023 – for the first time since 1986, when she went to visit her father who was working in Colombo – Mary was surprised by how much the country began to affect her.

She arrived at 3 am and only discovered what lay outside her hotel window three hours later – a beach of golden sand and the glistening Indian Ocean. Soon she was off to see bears in the national park, followed by Buddhas, stupas, temples and sacred mountains. In Kandy, visits to the Temple of the Tooth and the Botanical Gardens began to bring back memories of being there with her parents – with more and more flooding back at the tea estates in Nuwara Eliya and then the wonderful fort area at Galle, back once more on the Indian Ocean.

The country slowly took its hold of her, and she went back again last year to explore more memories and discover new ground. Now, with another trip looming, Mary outlines just why and how the country means so much to her.

Date & Time: Saturday 7th June 2025

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

Speaking on Saturday, July 5, 2025, we have :

1st: Stuart Bradford – Across Russia from Moscow to Kamchatka

Stuart Bradford lived and worked in Russia for over seven years, a period which was the inspiration for his book Caviar Vodka and Tears. He will share some of his travel experiences in this huge and varied country, from Moscow overland to Vladivostok, and also the magical and remote region of Kamchatka.

Find out more at:

•  trouspinettravels.com
• caviarvodkaandtears.com

2nd: Sophy Roberts – A Training School for Elephants

Sophy Roberts, author of ‘The Lost Pianos of Siberia’, will be talking about her latest Sunday Times bestselling book: ‘A Training School for Elephants’. Tracing a strange, 1879 journey made to Lake Tanganyika by four Indian elephants, her tale weaves history and modern travel writing in a fascinating journey that takes her to Congo, Tanzania, Belgium, India and Iraq. Sophy’s illustrated talk will feature both contemporary photography from her travels, as well as rare archive footage.

Find out more at:

• www.atrainingschoolforelephants.com
• www.lostpianosofsiberia.com
• www.sophyroberts.com
• Instagram – @sophy_roberts

The previously advertised talk by Laura Coffey – Enchanted Islands has had to be postponed until November.

Date & Time: Saturday 5th July 2025

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

Speaking on Saturday, September 6, 2025, we have :

1st: Russell Maddicks – El Salvador – Transformation of a Nation.

This tiny Central American country, known as the Pulgarcita de las Americas (Thumbelina of the Americas), has gone from being the most dangerous in the region to being the safest.

Travel writer and guidebook author Russell Maddicks explains why now is the time to visit and all the places you must not miss, including the volcanoes you should climb, the crater lakes you should bathe in, the quaint colonial coffee towns you should spend time in, and the Pacific beaches blessed with golden sands and warm shallow waves that await you.

He will also take you to the heart of San Salvador, the capital city that was once shunned by travellers due to its risky reputation but is now a delight to explore.

Russell Maddicks is a freelance journalist, travel writer, and guidebook author who focuses on Latin America and Spain.

A member of the British Guild of Travel Writers, he has spent the last 30 years exploring Latin America and has written guides to Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

He is currently researching and writing a series of articles about El Salvador, which he has visited extensively, witnessing firsthand the dramatic changes in the country’s security situation and honing his pupusa making skills to the point of near perfection.

Follow him on X and Instagram – @LatAmTravelist

2nd: Olivia McGregor – Guyana

Olivia travelled to one of the last biodiverse wildernesses on earth, commonly referred to as ‘The Lost World’ in Guyana. She spent a month living in an indigenous Makushi Amerindian village, as their first foreign visitor. She documented the profound changes that are radically altering their way of life in light of the transformation Guyana is undergoing. 

Guyana has been undergoing a transformation since the recent discovery of crude oil which has made it, by some accounts, the world’s fastest-growing economy. Olivia went to investigate the implications of this for the region’s unrivalled biological and cultural diversity, and specifically for Makushi people.

Since time immemorial Makushi people have been the caretakers of ‘The Lost World’ that has helped protect this vestige of the world’s biodiversity. Olivia went to find out whether that is changing in light of their changing ways of life. 

The talk Darran Rees – Love Letter to Romania has had to be postponed.

Date & Time: Saturday 6th September 2025

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets: