Stanfords are hosting an author event and book signing on Friday 8th June at 7.30pm at the QEH Theatre, Jacobs Wells Road.

Big Catch, which is also a BBC2 6-part series, follows Monty Halls to Cadgwith Cove on the eastern tip of the Lizard Peninsula where he lives the life of an artisan fisherman. From this remote Cornish village, he tells the story of British fishing, its heritage, and the sad decline of these last hunter-gatherers and their ancient way of life.

Tickets are £8 from Stanfords 0117 9299966.

We've confirmed the venue dates, now we're starting the process of booking our speakers. The dates are:

2012 October 3rd
2012 October 17th
2012 October 31st
2012 November 14th
2012 November 28th
2012 December 12th
2013 January 9th
2013 January 23rd
2013 February 6th
2013 February 20th
2013 March 6th
2013 March 20th

The 4th annual Sir Edmund Hillary Memorial Lecture: Alan Hinkes OBE presents KANGCHENJUNGA Finale and the 8000m Peaks

Tuesday 29th May 2012 at 7.00pm (doors open 6.00pm) at the Royal Geographical Society, London, SW7 2AR

Hinkes is the first Briton to climb all the world’s fourteen 8000mpeaks. His final peak was Kangchenjunga, climbed in 2005, fittingly almost 50 years to the day after George Band and Joe Brown first climbed it, in 1955.

To include a tribute to the Himalayan Trust’s much loved late Chairman, George Band OBE. Introduced by Rebecca Stephens MBE

Tickets £17.50 each. Online from www.worldexpeditions.co.uk

By post astill.tony@gmail.com  Tel. 02380293767 or on the door - cash only

Well, that's another season gone - what happened to the year?

Our prize draw went down pretty well last night after Holly Budge's tales of skydiving down Everest and riding 1000km across Mongolia.(I'd prefer the skydive, horses tend to have their own ideas about what to do and they rarely coincide with mine...)

Anyway, we successfully gave away two season tickets to next year's series, a £100 Voucher from Snow and Rock, a stunning Brinje fleece from Nordic Life, a seriously warm duvet jacket and a fleece from Mountain Kingdoms, a lovely book and two wall maps from Stanfords.

Many thanks to all our sponsors, congratulations to the winners and for those of you who now regret not filling in the back of your tickets - we'll be back in the Autumn so you can try again then.

We'll be announcing our new line-up on our website as we negotiate the various arrangements with our speakers, so keep you eye on our site and another eye open for any emails from us.

best wishes at the season's end from Dick, Steve, Jon and Steve

Stanfords are hosting an author event with Stuart Maconie. Stuart's book 'Hope and Glory: The Days that Made Britain' [pub Ebury Press] goes in search of the places, people and events that have shaped modern Britain. Starting with the death of Queen Victoria, to the Battle of the Somme and the General Strike, and on to the docking of the Empire Windrush and Bobby Moore raising the Jules Rimet trophy, he chooses a defining moment in our nation's story from each decade of the last century and explores its legacy today.

Saturday 19th May 2012 - 7.30pm in the QEH Theatre Berkeley Place, Bristol BS8 1JX - entrance on Jacobs Wells Rd.

Tickets, £7, should be purchased in advance from Stanfords, 29 Corn St, Bristol BS1 1HT, or by phoning 0117 9299966.