Recent-speakers

14th September 2026

Mark Lllewellin

Mark Llewellin DL.

The High Sheriff of Greater Manchester

returned to share with us

‘With Friends like These’

Mark was born in Bristol and raised in the Cotswolds.

He moved to Tameside in Greater Manchester in 1992 with his partner Roy Barraclough MBE,

best known as Alec Gilroy in Coronation Street and as Les Dawson’s TV side-kick.

 Mark became Marketing Director at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre,

and later, ran his own marketing and events company and was joint owner of Daisy Nook Garden Centre in Oldham for almost 15 years.

He is a published author, playwright, actor and popular public speaker. Something which has helped him support a whole host of charities.

Upon Roy’s death in 2017 he took over his patronage of Willow Wood Hospice, which serves Tameside and Glossop, and subsequently served as Vice Chair of Trustees until 2024. He still supports the charity, which is very close to his heart.

He was commissioned as a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester in 2024.

14th September 2026

Richard Venables Q.P.M.

Richard Venables Q.P.M.

(Queen’s Police Medal)

Screenshot

‘Disaster Detective’

 “Richard is a retired Detective Inspector from South Yorkshire Police, having served between 1976 and 2006. He was on duty at the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 and following that incident, he was given responsibility for devising protocols for victim recovery and identification after major disasters. He became a Police national advisor and trainer in Disaster Victim Identification, gaining experience after being deployed in a number of notable events both in the UK and abroad.

On retirement he was decorated with the Queen’s Police Medal, for his distinguished service in relation to Disaster Victim Identification.

He is a world-renowned expert in the subject.

His auto biography entitled ‘A Life in Death’, was published in 2016 and reached the top 10 in all book sales on Amazon. In 2017, his book also won the prestigious national award, ‘The People’s Book Prize.’ “

21st August 2026

August Trip Out

1368^th Luncheon

Friday 21st August 2026

The Manchester Luncheon Club 

Celebrate  our August Summer Outing

with a bespoke Afternoon Tea

including a welcoming

Glass of Champagne

In the

Iris Lounge  at Cloud 23 Sky Bar

 at the

 Manchester Hotel

Deansgate.

17th July 2026

Roger Browne

Roger Browne

Roger Browne is a raconteur, writer, director, actor, singer and pianist. 

He has appeared on many cruises and in jazz clubs and jazz festivals in the UK and many other countries.

15th June 2026

Carol Lee

 Carol Lee, BA (Hons), who is an experienced family historian with a strong academic background and who has turned a beloved hobby into a career she truly loves. With a deep curiosity for uncovering the past and a passion for storytelling Carol has spent years researching family histories, bringing ancestors lives to life and discovering their roots. She is writing her first book, which is grounded in research on a family member’s experience as a Prisoner of War during World War II.

 ‘The Man who Crawled to Safety’

15th May 2026

Paul Whittaker OBE

Paul Whittaker OBE

‘Music to Your Ears’

 Paul has been deaf all his life but pursued a career in music, both as a performer and a workshop leader.

He shared with us some of his stories about his life and the people he has worked with.

One of Paul’s major interests is signed song and he will  only perform a couple of those, he encouraged us to join in with a Beatles number!!

13th March 2026

Simon Michael

Following his sensational talk on

September 15^th last year,

were delighted that

Simon Michael

(Author)

 returned with

‘My Life in Crime part 2’

16th February 2026

Dr Karen Castle

Dr Karen Castle is now a University Tutor – her specialism is Leadership and Management.

She is senior lecturer and course leader for the Ministry of Defence programme.

 However, her professional life hasn’t always been so well structured as she spent 10 years in prison.

In her talk she told us how she ended up in the prison system, shared some of the challenges and opportunities that prison life presented.

16th January 2026

John Schofield

‘So, you want to be an aircraft salesman.’

This was the story of John’s personal journey during the rise and fall of the British Civil Aircraft Industry.

John spent 30 years in the sales department of British Aerospace,

which is now BAE Systems,

flew well over 1000 times, visited 72 countries,

and met some very interesting people along the way. 

15th December 2025

Marilyn Shalks

“The History of Manchester Theatres”

This  included some interesting facts connected to the theatres and some of the artists who appeared there.

17th november 2026

Brian Topping

We welcomed the return of

Brian Topping

who continued his

“Tales of a Customs Officer”

‘A World of Mules and Minders’

Drawing from his and other officers’ experiences at Heathrow Airport during the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

He  guided us through the background and history of drug smuggling; provide examples of detections and investigations:

the skill of officers in maintaining this success: and some amusing anecdotes when things didn’t go quite right for the smugglers.

17th October 2025

Brian Groom

Author and Journalist Brian Groom .

Brian, originally from Stretford, then Whalley Range, attended Manchester Grammar School and Balliol College, Oxford. He was Sports editor in Goole, Yorkshire and then most of his career was spent at the Financial Times where he did most of the top writing and editing jobs.

Now a writer and historian, Brian will share with us how he researched and wrote Northerners and Made in Manchester and what we can expect next.

Made in Manchester tells the story of the people who built what Asa Briggs called the ‘shock city’ of the Industrial Revolution and the impact they have had on the world. Like Brian’s first book, the bestselling Northerners: A History, from the Ice Age to the Present Day, it combines historical narrative with social and cultural themes and colourful portraits of personalities, famous or not. Examining Manchester’s past and present and the role it can play in Britain’s future.