On Monday 9 October Roy Vickery will be talking to the Preston Society – www.prestonsociety.co.uk – about the Folklore and Uses of Native Plants.  The meeting, which starts at 7.30 p.m. will be held in St Mary’s Parish Church, Church Avenue, Penwortham, PR1 OAH.  Guests welcome, £3.

Report:  Unfortunately the meeting place was difficult to find, so the speaker arrived late.  Sorry!  However, about 70 people waited to hear Roy’s talk, which focussed on a small number of common plants, including bramble (Rubus fruticosus), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and elder (Sambucus nigra).  Questions and discussion followed.  Founded in 1876 the Preston Society meets every Monday and offers a wide range of talks on a wide variety of natural history topics, and can be thoroughly recommended to anyone interested in such matters.