Talk Series
S. Margaret's is proud to host a talk series, held usually on the first Saturday of every month (except April and August), from 2.30pm - 3.30pm with a range of speakers covering a range of fascinating topics. Entrance is FREE, with free refreshments and a chance to chat with our speakers after their presentation. Why not look on our worship and events tab for more information about what is coming up? You would be most welcome.
Dates for 2026:
February 7th Mick Perrier - Professional church musician for half a century, he's seen it all, and he has tales to tell!Mick Perrier, organist,
choirmaster, Birmingham Diocesan Music advisor and RSCM Council Member, Area
Chair and Examiner, shares memories of his time in church music, and the gift
of working with people of all backgrounds and traditions to turn air into blessings
through pipes and vocal cords. The graces of working together, and the bumps on
the way. Also with insights on the place of music in worship, Mick offers an
amusing, but deeply reflective and engaging talk on human relationships, the
Song of Creation, and unexpected graces.
March 7th - Professor Hugh Houghton - The Revd Professor Hugh Houghton is an acclaimed and respected speaker, and Professor of New Testament Textual Scholarship at the University of Birmingham in addition to being one of the editors of the Greek New Testament for the United Bible Societies. In this richly illustrated, accessible and engaging talk, he explains the story of our scriptures - how the text of the New Testament has been transmitted to the present day and how modern scholars are creating and using digital tools to understand the evidence and make it more widely available.
May 2nd - Revd Georgine Byrne - Faith and Fiction. Join us for a thrilling discussion on faith in crime fiction with author Georgina Clarke! From the Golden Age to current day, crime fiction has drawn upon Christian stories and themes such as justice, redemption, innocence, and the prophetic voice; and of course some of these books even feature a clerical detective. Georgina Clarke the acclaimed author of the Lizzie Hardwicke mysteries set in 18th century London and The Dazzle of the Light – which was inspired by the Forty Thieves, a gang of notorious female thieves in East London – will be talking about her novels, faith in crime fiction and also what religious people – vicars, priests, monks and nuns – actually do and why they might make good sleuths.
As well as an author, Clarke – as Georgina Byrne – has been a priest since 1998, and variously a vicar, bishop’s chaplain, director of ordinands, and cathedral canon here in Worcester and currently teaches Christian doctrine and contextual theology at The Queen’s Foundation, an ecumenical theological centre in Birmingham.
June 6th - David and Pam Humphries - How we Got Here: the story of back to back housing in Birmingham. David and Pam are experienced speakers and tour guides and give fascinating heritage talks about Birmingham and its history. Find out the intriguing story of what was happening in Brummagem Town in the 18th and 19th centuries that led to half the population living in back to back housing... and why they subsequently disappeared...
July 4th John Hall: From Now back to the Big Bang. Looking at the relationship of faith and science, John presents a comprehensive talk exploring some of the big questions of how it all began.
September 5th: Andrea Burley: The Corbett Hospital. 40 years ago, Andrea trained as a nurse at the Corbett Hospital. When she retired from nursing, she started researching John Corbett and the history of the hospital. She shares her findings in this fascinating talk about such an important part of our local community.
October 3rd Nigel Metcalf: Crumbs! A history of Our Favourite Teatime Treat. Nigel is a retired librarian and records manager. He has an interest in family, social and industrial history. He serves us an irresistible talk showcasing the history of the biscuit from Roman times to today, the history of major biscuit producers as well as of individual biscuits. He also considers when a biscuit is not a biscuit and which biscuits are the most dunkable. Refreshments will of course include... biscuits...
November 7th Chris Millward: Restoring Nature and the Power of Community on the Urban Fringe. Chris is the co-founder of Team4Nature and volunteer Conservation Manager at Bibbey’s Wild Farms. He is a passionate conservationist who works with farmers to help nature recover. His talk not only details the amazing results achieved in the local area but also gives examples of how everyone can contribute by making small changes in their garden.December 5th a Black Country Christmas! Instead of a talk - Come and hear the Christmas Story told in the local dialect in an animated version by our Linda and Susan. An absolutely bostin' family afternoon out with a lorra laughs, and yet a great way to engage with the real meaning of Christmas