IT WAS a pleasure to listen to the photographer Mike Wilkes speaking about the Cloud Forest and Galapagos Islands at our January meeting. It is hard to do justice to his talk because you need to see his photographs which capture the landscapes and the peoples of these places and provide the background to his wildlife photos. On a winter’s evening we had a pleasant escape to exotic plants and animals in a warmer climate. Mike is an entertaining speaker and always draws a crowd. We were sorry to hear about his recent ill health so were especially grateful to him for taking the trouble to keep his visit to us. Get well Mike and you come back to speak to us soon!

Our next meeting is 7.30pm Tuesday, February 16 when we welcome back Susan Russell who will talk to us about ‘50 Shades of Green’. No, that isn’t a misprint! We are sure that it will be a stimulating and inspiring talk. Susan is an experienced nursery woman offering advice to suit all gardens.

We are a friendly and sociable group so come and join us and escape the gloom of winter for a couple of hours. It is £5 to become a member and £2 a meeting or £3 as a visitor.

CAROLE HOUGHTON