LAST Wednesday one of our own colleagues, Jack Heathcote, presented our members with a truly first-class slide show.

Jack, a member of the local camera club, proved to us that his knowledge of photography was something very special. Jacks first batch of slides took us to Scotland. We saw some of the beautiful castles and their well kept gardens, the lochs and the mountains. At Spean Bridge we saw the impressive war memorial to all the commandos who lost their lives in the Second World War. The surrounding ragged terrain was their training ground. At this point, Len Mears, one of our members, stated that during the war, serving on a motor gunboat with coastal forces, he had attended the commando unit, and on one occasion with full equipment had hiked up the 4,400 feet Ben Nevis, as part of his training. Due to mist on top of the mountain he was denied the magnificent view from the summit.

From Scotland, Jack took us to Wales in the area of Portmerion, where we saw gardens designed by William Ellis, who was given a Knighthood for his outstanding contribution to the beauty of the area and his architecture covering 70 acres of lakes and woodland. Jack had also spent some time walking, and we saw him with a group of climbers in the area of Cader Idais and Snowdonia National Park.

Jacks final batch of slides were set to music by Richard Strouse, and we travelled by locomotive from Lake Como in Italy, across to Switzerland, looking out early morning onto the Dolomite mountains, snow capped peak of St Moritz, and the beauty of the waterfalls cascading down the mountainside.

Our president thanked Jack, and hoped he would return soon with more of his slides.

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, March 16, at 2pm, when our guest speaker will be Frederic Hodson, his subject, "Leather".

TN