Beijing to the Gobi Desert overland

The next meeting of the Institution takes place on Thursday 24 November at 7.30 pm in the lecture theatre of Paisley Museum. The speaker will be Fred Daniels talking about the above.

Mr Daniels has kindly supplied us with the following information.

Fred has lived most of his life in Edinburgh[please do not hold this against me]he left school in the fifties and became a bookseller,great job but no money after serving his time as a bookseller he went into marketing and then with his wife Rita bought a guest house in Edinburgh.sold that after a number of years and ended up in printing.Fred with Rita have travelled to 91 countries,which include Tibet-Iran-Syria-Libya ect.on the social side Fred coached athletics for Edinburgh Southern Harriers and also team manager,he plays golf follows Hibs loves Speedway and of course travelling.

.Non-members are welcome at a cost of £3.00.

Scottish Islands

The next talk will take place on 10 November 2016 in the lecture theatre of Paisley Museum. Please note this is an afternoon lecture and will begin at 2 pm.

The speaker will be Heather Willimott, Past Chairman of the Glasgow Royal Scottish Geographical Society, member of Kirkintilloch Mountaineeriing Club and a member of the John Muir Trust. She will speak on the topic of Scottish islands.

Non-members are welcome,at a cost of £3.00.

Marjorie Clark - Mary Slessor

The next meeting of the Institution will take place on Thursday 27 October at 7.30 pm, in the lecture hall of Paisley museum.

There is a change of speaker from that in the syllabus,who will now be Marjorie Clark. The subject is unchanged, i.e. Mary Slessor.

The following biographical details have been kindly supplied by our speaker.

I (will)  have recently retired from the post of Coordinator of the Church of Scotland HIV Programme (part of the World Mission Council);  prior to that I worked for 13 years as Area Coordinator for Fife, Central and North Scotland for Christian Aid, and prior to that I taught Religious Education, in Callander and then Aberdeen.   I am based in Perth, but was brought up in Carnoustie  which explains my passion for playing golf.  Growing up near Dundee, I heard the stories of Mary Slessor from a young age, and she quickly became a heroine; the stories of her work with twins  touched a chord with me as I myself am a twin.   

Non-members are welcome and the cost will be £3.00.

Scottish womens experiences in the past - medieval or other periods. 13 October 2017

The next lecture on the above subject will be given by Margaret Anderson, lecturer in Scottish History within the adult education department at Glasgow University.

The lecture will take place in the lecture room at Paisley Museum on 13 October at 7.30 pm.

If you wish to join the Institution the current fees are £15.00 per annum.

Visitors are welcome at a cost of £3.00

Paisley Radical Trial 1820 22/09/2016 at 7.30 pm

Due to unforeseen circumstances we were unable to host this last year and Tom Dowds has kindly agreed to deliver this lecture as our opener for 2016/17.

Although Paisley had not been directly involved in the Radical Rising in early 1820, the government was determined to root out what it regarded as trouble-makers and set up a commission to try suspects under English Law, and two Paisley Radicals were put on trial, charged with treason.  Trials in Glasgow and Stirling led to the execution of James Wilson of Strathaven, John Baird of Condorrat and Andrew Hardie of Glasgow, along with the transportation of other Radicals.  When James Spiers was arraigned in Paisley, the authorities were in for a surprise as the hand-picked jury stubbornly refused to be intimidated and bullied into finding him guilty, and the government decided to abandon all other trials throughout Scotland.

The lecture will take place in the Paisley Museum's lecture hall. We look forward to seeing all members, old and new, guests and visitors.

Meetings 2016/17

The meeting dates page has been updated with details of speakers and topics for 2016/17.

Glasgow's Grand Central Hotel

The final meeting of this session will take place on 10 March 2016.in the Lecture Hall of Paisley Museum. The AGM will start at 7.15, followed by a talk on the above subject by Jill Scott and Bill Hicks.

Jill Scott advised us of the following:

Our background is very straightforward...Bill Hicks and I are both former newspaper journalists (we worked for The Sunday Post) and were given the opportunity to write the history of the Central Hotel following its refurbishment in 2009/10.  With new owners carrying out the refurbishment the hotel was entering a new era in Glasgow's history following many years of decline. Amazingly its history had never been documented despite the fact the building has had a landmark place in the city's life since 1883. Many stars of stage and screen in the past have stayed there, from Mae West to the Beatles and Cliff Richards.

Non-members are welcome to attend the talk at a cost of £3.00.

A Way Forward

The next meeting of the Institution will be on Thursday 25 February, in the Lecture Theatre of Paisley Museum at 7.30 pm.

The speaker will be Lyn Carse from Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Cairns, Vikings and Clearances. The work of the Ardnamurchan Transitions Project (ATP)

Our next talk on February 11, will be delivered by Phil Richardson, a director of ATP. For more information on the project you can visit their website here: Ardnamurchan Transitions Project

The talk will commence at 7.3o. Non-members can attend at a cost off£3.00.

Cornwall and the Eden Project

The next meeting of the Institution will take place on Thursday January 28, at Paisley Museum starting 7.30 pm.

The speaker will be Douglas keith

Non-members are welcome at a cost of £3.00.

Challenges and Opportunities in 21st Century Universities

The next meeting of the Institution will take place on Thursday January 14, at Paisley Museum starting 2.00 pm.

The speaker will be Professor Craig Mahoney, Principal of the University of the West of Scotland.

Please note this is an afternoon lecture.

Non-members are welcome at a cost of £3.00.