18th September 2025

Are we alone in the universe? After centuries of scientific development, we humans are no closer to a definitive answer, although we now have sufficient knowledge of the size and nature of the universe to arrive at the reasonable conclusion that we are unlikely to be the only sentient life forms to have evolved.

In addressing the question of whether or not there may be life elsewhere, the speaker at today’s meeting, club, member Paul Davies, discussed the evidence available to us. As he pointed out, claims for the existence of extra-terrestrials date back thousands of years but it has been only during the past couple of centuries, following major discoveries in astronomy, physics and mathematics, that making contact (either friendly or hostile) with such creatures has been thought feasible. However, there are major limiting factors to be considered in assessing the possibility of the existence of life in other parts of the cosmos, and the likelihood of being able to make contact. Firstly, there is the sheer scale of the universe. Not only is it spatially vast, but it is populated by billions of galaxies, each of which contains billions of stars. It is reasonable to assume that if only a tiny proportion of these stars are orbited by planets similar to those of our own solar system there must nevertheless be a significant total number of these exoplanets with the potential for life to evolve.

Next, there is the question of the level of evolution achieved by life on these planets and how this compares with that on Earth. We can be certain that other ‘intelligent’ life does not exist within our own solar system but, in the past few years, evidence has come to light from advanced exploratory spacecraft that conditions favourable for the evolution of primitive life forms exist on the moons of the outer planets. There also seems to be evidence that primitive life has existed on the planet, Mars.

Beyond our solar system, any contact between alien beings and ourselves would need to take into account the time taken for any electromagnetic messages (travelling at the speed of light) to reach us. It could be that by the time the signal is received, one or both of the life forms could no longer exist.

In his concluding remarks, the speaker expressed his own belief that there is almost certainly life elsewhere in the universe and it is highly possible that there are intelligent life forms out there; but it is unlikely that we shall succeed in making contact.

Christopher Jewitt and Paul Davies

4th September 2025

The overwhelming majority of the general public would probably experience some difficulty if asked to define the meaning of Social Sciences. This is a field of study that is often misunderstood or even a source of mystification and so, at this meeting, it fell to Club member David Webb (Emeritus Professor of Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University) to explain this particular branch of science.

David opened his talk by describing the differences between sociology and social science. In both cases they encompass the understanding and study of the behaviour of human beings and the relationships between them. However, social science includes other related topics such as economics, psychology and anthropology.

To illustrate the diverse ways in which people react to situations that are different from their own experience and attitudes, the speaker gave a number of examples about which a more nuanced view could be taken than that commonly held. For instance, in the folk memory of the Second World War, Bomber Command has played second fiddle to the heroic endeavours of Fighter Command. This might be to do with the ideal of individual, almost chivalric, combat of the young, sometimes socially privileged fighter pilot, whereas bombers have a more industrial approach to warfare, where killing  (often of civilians) is remote and less invested with glamour – and, of course, there was the residual collective  guilt that ‘carpet-bombing’ was tantamount to a war crime.

Another topic was that of the traveller community. David described how the social reaction to those who are not settled, the labelling of them as ‘deviant’, the sanctioning of their life style and the shaping of travellers’ own identity as ‘outsiders’ all lead to a spiral of antagonism between the settled and the traveller – from which it becomes progressively difficult to pull back.

Finally, he considered ‘charity’, as being something of which we are all in favour. “Or are we?”, he asked. At first sight, the voluntary gift of money or time to those in need seems honourable, but there is plenty of evidence that charitable giving serves as way for the giver (especially if wealthy) to enhance their social standing, to build up their reserves of influence and to shape the direction of the lives to whom their giving is directed. Those in receipt of charity may be required to display their need, which easily places them in the position of supplicant, and may also reinforce stereotypes that certain groups are self-evidently deserving. It’s not an easy transaction (based on power), raising questions over who may in fact be benefitting from the giving of charity.

This was an interesting talk which provided much-needed clarity to the subject of Social Science.

Davide Web and Christopher Jewitt

21st August 2025

Ian Johnston and Paul Davies

7th August 2025

Few people who have been fortunate enough to see elephants in their natural habitat in Africa can fail to be impressed by these remarkable animals. At today’s meeting, his enthusiasm and fascination for this subject was explained by the speaker, Club member, Richard Chaplin. Illustrating his presentation with photographs taken during his many trips to East and southern Africa, Richard described the evolution, physiology and behaviour of the two species of elephant, African (Loxodonta Africana) and Asian (Elephus maximus), but with particular emphasis on the former (whose Latin name refers to the lozenge-shaped indentations in its molar teeth.)

Evolving about six million years ago from a source common to the two species of elephant and mammoths, the African group further evolved into two subspecies, Savanna and Forest which, as their names indicate, are generally found in different environments. Each type has distinct features, but interbreeding occurs where their ranges overlap. Standing four metres tall at the shoulder and weighing up to seven tonnes, the males are notably bigger than the females. Both sexes can live up to 60 or 70 years and, in addition to their well-known ‘trumpeting’, can communicate by means of a very low frequency rumble that can carry for a distance of 20 km. Apart from the massive tusks, an elephant’s trunk is probably the most unusual feature of the animal in that it is, in many ways, more versatile than the human hand.

The speaker continued by describing the animals’ diet which is a varied mix of vegetable matter ranging from grass and leaves to roots, sticks and even whole branches. As for their relationship with each other, their society is matriarchal and particularly protective of their young. They are generally tolerant of the presence of humans though will invariably assert their dominance; they seldom tolerate predators and will seek to displace them; in any event if they feel threatened they can charge, usually in a mock display, but a full charge is terrifying and can have severe outcomes.

This was a most informative talk much appreciated by Richard’s audience, many of whom had been unable to attend the Zoom meeting in 2020 when he first gave it.

Christopher Jewitt and Richard Chaplin

17th July 2025

This was the third in a series of talks by club member John Hayes. The first two, given by him in 2022 described his life experiences from starting out as a ‘born again’ Christian, through a series of personal upheavals to reach a point at which he found that he had lost his faith. After a succession of unskilled or semi-skilled jobs, he rediscovered his sense of purpose when he found employment in the ‘legal costs’ business, eventually establishing his own company which grew until he employed over a hundred people in a dozen offices around the UK.

In this latest talk, he described the principal things that have given, and continue to give, meaning to his life in retirement – the enjoyment of walking in the countryside, listening to classical music, the study of fine art, his work, and politics. He is an active supporter of the Welsh National Opera and, although no longer a member, was once very much involved with the Labour party.

Christopher Jewitt and John Hayes

3rd July 2025

Air transport these days is so overwhelmingly dominated by jet-powered aircraft that it can be easy to overlook the amount of effort and determination that was involved in developing the jet engine. Perhaps the most famous pioneer in jet engine technology was Frank Whittle, the story of whose life and career was related to us today by club member Brian Holland. Although now retired, Brian had been an aeronautical design engineer in his career, and therefore he was well qualified to talk on this subject, much of which involved an understanding of the detailed technology underlying the evolution, over several decades, of the jet engine.

Frank Whittle was born in Coventry in 1907, but his family soon moved to Leamington Spa. Having won a scholarship to the local grammar school, Leamington College, he displayed practical engineering skills and spent much of his spare time in the local reference library studying, amongst other things, the theory of flight. Between 1923 and 1926 he served an aircraft apprenticeship which culminated in a recommendation by his commanding officer for officer training at RAF Cranwell College. It was during his time at Cranwell that he learned to fly and, as a requirement of his academic course, he produced a thesis on potential aircraft design developments. Recognising the limitations of propeller engines at higher altitudes he examined ways of developing an alternative means of thrust which resulted in his patent for a turbojet which was granted in 1930. The proposal consisted of a compressor delivering air to combustion chambers which in turn delivered heated and expanded air to a turbine to drive the compressor, the residual energy being accelerated through propelling nozzles to generate thrust.

The speaker continued by describing Whittle’s RAF career, during which time he continued working on his concept designs but was unable to get support from the Air Ministry. Then, in 1936, with others, he set up Power Jets Ltd with the aim of further developing his ideas. Eventually, during the height of World War II, the first British turbojet-engined aircraft, the Gloster E28/39 was produced. This was followed in 1943 by the Gloster Meteor – the only British jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the war. Thus, the stage was set for the rapid development of military and civil jet aircraft after the end of hostilities.

 Christopher Jewitt and Brian Holland

19th June 2025

The membership of this club includes people with widely varied personal career histories, but member Rod Prince gave this talk on a most unusual topic by describing his experiences over a 35-year association with camel racing in The United Arab Emirates. Having joined a specialist UK manufacturer of animal feeds in 1988, Rod soon became involved in developing improved feeds for the racing camels and other animals – such as horses and deer – kept and prized by the rulers of the Gulf States; an association that continued until his retirement in 2023.

As the speaker pointed out, probably because of its unconventional appearance and ungainly way of moving, the camel has been described as a horse designed by a committee. However, to balance this somewhat unkind assessment, the camel must be given credit for the ways in which it is adapted to the harsh conditions in which it lives. Their humps let them store 20kgs of fat, which they can live off for weeks and even months. They can lose 25% of their bodyweight over a continuous period of starvation, and they can survive 7-10 days without water – and make up the loss in just ten minutes by drinking up to 40 gallons in one go. And obviously, being desert dwellers, they can tolerate huge variations in temperature.

Rod continued with a description of the features of the camels which are bred specifically for racing, in contrast with those used as beasts of burden. In fact, racing camels share many characteristics with racehorses, being required to achieve high speeds (of up to 40 mph), if only for relatively short distances. Apart from speed, a racing camel needs to have stamina, agility and, of course, heat tolerance. The history of camel racing is deeply rooted in Bedouin society with these animals being an indication of the wealth, power and prestige of their owners. Races are now a multi-million-dollar industry with huge-value prizes awarded to the winners. For this reason, an individual animal can cost up to $3 million. Even higher sums can be demanded in the case of camel beauty competitions in which, among other physical attributes, they are judged on the length of their eyelashes. Yes: really!

Rod Prince and Paul Davies

5th June 2025

Ask most people to name the largest of their body’s organs and they would probably choose an internal one, such as the liver, brain, lungs, heart, or kidneys; but far larger (and heavier) than any of these is the skin. This was the subject of today’s talk by club member, David Gawkrodger, who is Honorary professor of dermatology at Sheffield University.

Opening his presentation with a description of the structure of the skin, David also explained its main functions which include serving as a barrier against injuries and ultra-violet light penetration, and as an immune defence against external agents and infections. At the same time, it acts to prevent the loss of body fluids, and it regulates the body’s temperature. Of particular relevance to his older-generation audience, he discussed the process of skin-aging, most of which is due to the effects of sunlight. For this reason, and to reduce the threat of developing skin cancer, there are preventative measures which should be adopted throughout life, the most important of which is protection against the sun’s harmful radiation. Other effects of aging manifest themselves in hair-loss (for both men and women) and degradation of the nails on fingers and toes.

The speaker also described, with illustrations of typical examples, some types of skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne and cancer. Many of these, especially eczema are very common in the population. Different treatments have been developed over many years but now most involve the use of drug therapy, although skin cancers usually need to be removed surgically or by radiotherapy. The current fashion for tattoos poses few risks these days, but artificial nails cause damage to the natural nails to which they are attached.

David’s talk gave a most instructive and fascinating insight into this aspect of the body that is very often taken for granted.

 David Gawkrodger and Christopher Jewitt

22nd May 2025

One of the many consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the chronic condition known as ‘long Covid’. Most people infected by Covid-19 (since the development of effective vaccinations against the disease) have recovered within a few days or weeks of the onset of their first symptoms and have made a full recovery within twelve weeks. However, for some people, the symptoms can last much longer. This is called long Covid or post Covid-19 syndrome and its symptoms include extreme tiredness, breathing difficulties, problems with memory and concentration (‘brain fog’), heart palpitations, dizziness, joint pain and several other abnormal conditions. Of two hundred such, many are exacerbations of existing ones.

In this talk, club member Kim Rainsford, who is Emeritus Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Sheffield Hallam University and is an internationally recognized expert in the field of analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs, discussed how new therapies have been (and continue to be) developed to meet the challenges of this serious public health issue.

In one study of patients with long Covid. the effectiveness of medicines that are used to treat other conditions is being examined. Researchers will measure the impact of three months’ treatment on people’s symptoms, their mental health, and ability to return to daily tasks such as going to work. Antihistamines, anti-clotting drugs and anti-inflammatory medicines are being tested, and other drugs may be added to this platform trial. The study will also assess whether MRI scans can help diagnose organ damage. In addition, researchers will test an app which tracks people’s symptoms and provides rehabilitation.

Kim Rainsford and Christopher Jewitt

8th May 2025

Psychological trauma, commonly known as ‘PTSD’ (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a mental health condition that can develop after a person has experienced, witnessed, or been exposed to a traumatic event. The symptoms include repeated ‘flashbacks’ and re-living the trauma to the extent that the sufferer’s daily life is severely affected by it. While many people experience stress and anxiety after witnessing a traumatic event, PTSD occurs when these feelings persist. The ways in which the condition can develop and, more importantly, be treated, were the subject of today’s presentation by a guest speaker, Dr. Nick Ford, an Australian colleague of club member, Kim Rainsford who introduced him.

The speaker, who is a Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry at the University of Adelaide has made a particular study of the effects of trauma on military personnel and first responders (e.g. the police and other emergency workers) in Australia. He started his talk by describing the types of traumatic event experienced by of some of his patients. These included exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence, or combinations of any of these, resulting in many cases of suicide by the witnesses. Even if the outcome of a traumatic experience is not as drastic as suicide, the effect in terms of continuing ill-health can be devastating for the sufferer. Furthermore, there can be enormous costs to society as a whole because, when the illness strikes highly and expensively trained military and first responders, it causes them to experience a reduction in capacity for work. There may also be costs incurred through sickness payments and, in many cases, financial compensation.

Nick then explained the processes whereby the brain normally responds to external stimulae and events, and how these responses can be disrupted by traumatic experiences with the result that a person’s character and behaviour may be completely changed. However, with the appropriate treatment – be it medication, psychotherapy and/or counselling – patients can be helped to overcome these experiences and to resume their former lifestyle, albeit in a less stressful environment.

Unsurprisingly, this talk generated a large number of comments and questions from the audience. In responding to these, the speaker added his thanks to the club’s Equipment Officer, Ainslie Kelly, who had helped him in compiling his presentation.

Ainslie Kelly, Nick Ford and Kim Rainsford

17th April 2025

With ‘growing the economy’ the stated aim of the UK’s government as the means by which the country’s prosperity can be improved, an important factor in achieving this objective is to increase productivity in all sections of the economy, an important part of which is farming. It was highly topical therefore that today’s talk was on this subject, the speaker being a guest, Andrew Critchlow who is the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) County Advisor for Derbyshire.

Opening his talk with an outline of his own background and career, Andrew described how, in 1986 at the age of 20, having graduated with a degree in Agricultural Science, he had taken over the running of his family’s farm in Edale after the untimely death of his father. In partnership with his mother, he modernised the farm, expanded its dairy herd, and persevered with full-time farming until he decided to step back in 2006.

Since then, he has been representing the farming industry and agriculture in Derbyshire, including his work for the NFU since 2012. In this role, he supports the interests of the Derbyshire farming community, engaging with government and other bodies on matters of particular relevance to the county in all its variety from the high land of the Peak District, the magnesian limestone country of northeast Derbyshire, and the lowlands in the south.  His role involves not just discussing food production but also ecosystem services, defined as the benefits that humans derive from healthy natural ecosystems such as carbon storage, water catchments and flood management, biodiversity, recreation, and production of food, timber and animal products.

Turning to the question of agricultural productivity, the speaker showed a series of graphs to illustrate how it had fluctuated in Britain in the past, and how it is expected to develop into the future. Since 1865, the year in which annual agricultural censuses were established, the trends in farm animal populations have broadly followed those of the UK’s human population. However, the farming labour force has decreased dramatically, an indication of the effects of the productivity improvements brought about by mechanisation and the use of fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides. Notwithstanding the significant increases in output that have been achieved, it remains that our country is only 60% self-sufficient in terms of the food consumed by us (down from the figure of 80% in the 1980s). This, in itself, is an unwelcome trend.

Christopher Jewitt and Andrew Critchlow

3rd April 2025

Although not a word recognizable to most people these days, ‘Shrievalty’ refers to the ancient office of sheriff, the oldest Crown appointment in continuous use since pre-Conquest times. At today’s meeting, club member Kim Staniforth gave an extremely informative talk about the long history of the role, and his own experience of serving as High Sheriff of South Yorkshire during 2001/2002.

As Kim explained, the word ‘sheriff’’ is a contraction of the term ‘shire reeve’ and designated a royal official responsible for keeping the peace (a ‘reeve’) throughout a shire or county on behalf of the king. The office may date back as far as the 9^th century, but it was certainly in existence by 1020. Thereafter, in spite of the changes to society and its administration brought about as a result of the Norman Conquest (1066), the term was preserved in England. The original duties of a sheriff included acting as the king’s administrator, enforcing the law and, importantly, gathering taxes on behalf of the Crown. Unsurprisingly, it was this latter duty that could made a sheriff unpopular in the eyes of the general population especially if, in his zeal to collect taxes for the king, he also retained some of the proceeds for his own ends – his being an otherwise unpaid office.

Over time, many of a sheriff’s former duties were transferred to other administrators, such as civil servants under the direct control of central government. Justices of the Peace and the Police became locally responsible for matters of law and order, with the result that the office of High Sheriff was left with a role that, nowadays. is largely symbolic and traditional. From once being an appointment for several years (or even life), the current term of tenure is for one year, and can see either men or women fulfilling the office.

The speaker concluded with a description of his experiences during his tenure as High Sheriff of South Yorkshire. Primarily, his duties were to support the Lord Lieutenant as the monarch’s representative in the county. He also attended a multitude of official functions at venues such as universities, churches, and assemblies of the judiciary. It was essential that he remain apolitical, especially at times when, as Returning Officer at elections, he needed to be demonstrably neutral.

Clearly, he had taken great pride in serving the community, even though the workload had at times been heavy and exhausting.

Chris Jewitt and Kim Staniforth