Each monthly meeting generally
consists of a speaker giving a slide show, practical demonstration or talk about a topic likely to be of interest to cacti and succulent growers. A selection of plants is usually available for purchase, and some of the branches hold a library of books which can be borrowed on a monthly basis. Attending these meetings is an ideal way of learning more about the hobby - and if you have cacti or succulent plants which require identification, bring them along - someone will help you put names to the plants and tell you more about how to look after them.
| Southampton Meetings
usually 1st Tuesday each month 7:30pm start St James's Parish Hall Church Hill (A27) West End SO30 3LT |
Portsmouth Meetings
usually 3rd Saturday each month 7:30pm start St Colman’s Church Hall St Colman’s Avenue Cosham PO6 2JJ |
Isle of Wight Meetings
usually 3rd Friday each month 7:30pm start St. Paul’s Parish Centre School Lane, Barton Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 2HS |
| Date | Branch | Subject/Speaker/Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Jan | Soton | No meeting |
| 18th Jan | IOW | Plant auction and members’ slides |
| 19th Jan | Ports | Lithops: A review (Eddy Harris) |
| 5th Feb | Soton | Short Talks by Branch Members |
| 15th Feb | IOW | Branch Quiz and Members’ talks |
| 16th Feb | Ports | Argentina Part 2 (Cliff Thompson) |
| 4th Mar | Soton | Asclepiadaceae (Tom Radford) |
| 15th Mar | Ports | Basic Botany for Cactophiles (Mal Woebly) |
| 21st Mar | IOW | Society Slides / Dudleya (Photographs by Dudleya expert, the late Sonia Barker-Fricker) |
| 22-24 Mar | Soton | Display / Plant Sales @ Spring Garden Show, Broadlands, Romsey |
| 1st Apr | Soton | Mesembyranthemums (Terry Smale) |
| 18th Apr | IOW | Argentina Part 2 (Cliff Thompson) |
| 19th Apr | Ports | Bring and Buy Sale |
| 6th May | Soton | Grafting - Practical & Slides (Stuart Riley) |
| 16th May | IOW | No meeting |
| 17th May | Ports | Conophytums (Terry Smale) |
| 24-26 May | Soton | Display / Plant Sales @ Whiteley Village Shopping Outlet - now cancelled |
| 3rd Jun | Soton | Euphorbias for You (Dr Gillian Evison) |
| 7th Jun | Ports | Portsmouth Summer Show @ Wickham Community Hall, Dairymoor, Wickham |
| 20th Jun | IOW | Bonsai (Terry Evans) |
| 21st Jun | Ports | South West USA (Ian Woolnough) |
| 21-22 Jun | Soton | Display / Plant Sales @ Craft/Garden Fair, Hilliers Arboretum, Ampfield |
| 1st Jul | Soton | Unusual Cacti (Stirling Baker) |
| 18th Jul | IOW | What I did last Winter (Paul Klaassen) |
| 19th Jul | Ports | Lophophoras (John Watmough) |
| 26-27 Jul | Soton | Display / Plant Sales @ Solent Fuchsia Show, Titchfield Community Centre |
| 29-31 Jul | Soton | Display / Plant Sales @ New Forest Show, Brockenhurst |
| 5th Aug | Soton | South African Miscellany (Ian Acton) |
| 15th Aug | IOW | Open Afternoon @ Jack and Pauline Buckett, 23 St. John’s Wood Road, Ryde |
| 16th Aug | Ports | No meeting |
| 16th Aug | BCSS National Show @ Wood Green Animal Centre Godmanchester, Cambs | |
| 2nd Sep | Soton | Cerenaceae - An introduction to Columnar Cacti (Tony Mace) |
| 19th Sep | IOW | My A-Z of our Hobby Part 2 (Bill Morris) |
| 20th Sep | Ports | Madagascar (Leo van der Hoeven) |
| 4th Oct | Ports | Portsmouth Autumn Show @ Christ Church Hall, Widley, Waterlooville |
| 7th Oct | Soton | Beyond the Chirachuahas (Arizona) (Doug Donaldson) |
| 17th Oct | IOW | Sea to Sierra (Doug Donaldson) |
| 18th Oct | Ports | Mexico Parts 1 and 2 (Stuart Riley) |
| 4th Nov | Soton | Canary Islands : Wild & Tamed (Jonathan Clark) |
| 15th Nov | Ports | Annual General Meeting |
| 21st Nov | IOW | Agave, Haworthia and Aeonium (Stuart Riley) |
| 2nd Dec | Soton | Annual General Meeting, followed by Christmas Social |
| 6th Dec | Ports | Christmas Social/American Supper |
| 19th Dec | IOW | Annual General Meeting and Christmas Social/American Supper |
Note: Amendments are very rare, but
if they are necessary, they will be posted on this website. If travelling
from a distance to attend a particular event, please check here (or phone the
secretary of the relevant branch) a day or two before the event.
| BCSS Southampton Secretary:
Ms Margaret Corina, Tel: 023 80779057 Southampton Website |
BCSS Portsmouth Secretary:
Ms Leslie Akhurst, Tel: 01329 841123 Portsmouth Website |
BCSS Isle of Wight Secretary:
Mr Peter Collard, Tel: 01983 405326 |