Miscellany was the title of the evening’s presentation prepared by Peter Briggs and Vic Brookes. Unfortunately, Vic was unable to attend. But one of his AV sequences was the first of the evening. It was a moving reminder of the events of the First World War accompanied by the haunting sound of Emile Sandi singing Abide With Me. The title was Hill 145. Hill 145 was the highest and most important feature on the heavily fortified seven kilometre ridge in France held by the Germans giving them a commanding view of the Allied lines. The Canadian army proved itself a force to be reckoned with, taking the ridge against machine gun positions in a full bayonet charge supported by over 1000 artillery pieces. Vic had combined photographs of the period from the Canadian War Veterans Archive with his own photographs of those positions as they appear today. He then showed the truly magnificent Vimy Memorial that stands so imposingly on the site known then as Hill 145 - a stark reminder of the 11,285 Canadian soldiers killed in France who have no known graves.

The next title was Two Days at the Races. Images were taken at an American themed event that takes place at Prescott Hill in Gloucestershire and involves the biggest and brashest US cars that can be found in this country. There were close ups of engines, shiny bonnets or hoods, license plates and unusual adornments. Photographs within the Demon Drome seemed gravity defying.

Inverary Castle and the countryside of Argyll followed. The opening black and white shot showed low cloud over the loch. The Armoury Hall of the castle itself had special impact. Weapons dating back to 1740 were displayed seeming to almost reach the 21 metre ceiling, the highest in Scotland. The set concluded with images of the grounds, the surrounding area and the loch at sunset. All was accompanied by the music of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

A summer cruise with a difference was taken on the Manchester Ship Canal. The route gave the opportunity to see both of Liverpool’s cathedrals, as well as the industrial sites, various shipping vessels, a Guinness tanker and passage under 21 bridges from the Runcorn Bridge to the M6 all the way to Salford Quays.

Then came a fascinating look at the wonderful architecture and interior design work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh as well as the detail added to interiors by his wife Margaret. Peter’s photographs captured the striking forward thinking of Mackintosh in terms of the architectural function of his buildings and the attention to detail within them. He was a designer who represented Art Nouveau in the UK.

Textures followed and was an opportunity to explore the surfaces of stone in various states of decay and the plant material associated with them. Double Scotch transferred attention to the Isle of Mull and again plant and animal life was shown plus the Caledonian MacBrayne ferries that support the islands of Scotland. Finally, there was a collection of well-known historic sites in our region - from Whitby Abbey in late evening to Fountains Abbey in snow. This was magically accompanied by Rick Wakeman’s version of All Thins Bright and Beautiful.

Many thanks to Vic and Peter for the preparation and development of the evening’s show.

Next week Richard Littlefair LRPS will judge the entries for the Pat Riggs Open Digital competition.