Chichester's Talks At Six revived and ready to go after four-month break

Talks At Six founder Marilyn Humphrey had decided to give up the project in 2024. “I’d been running it since 2016 and we’d made over £40,000 for over 100 different charities in those eight years. But the idea was to have fun – and I was just exhausted with the organisation. Especially the IT. I had been asking people to come forward to help for over a year but until the very last minute it seemed hopeless.”

Fortunately, shortly before the last talks of the 2024 series, word reached Mark Elliott and Simon O’Hea of the Festival of Chichester who felt there must be a way to save such a valuable cultural asset.

Mark said: “I love Talks At Six and couldn’t believe that something so inspiring – both intellectually for the listeners and financially for the charities – was just going to stop. So Simon and I sat down with Marilyn to hammer out a solution. We discovered that she was still as keen as ever with the concept – that all of the donations received go 100 per cent to the speaker’s chosen charity – but she had been sending emails by hand replying individually to everyone who signed up for a seat. It was unsustainable. When we pointed out that there were ways to automate the process, Marilyn decided that maybe there was hope!”

A grant from Chichester City Council helped fund a revamp of the website (www.talksatsix.co.uk) and the mailing system. And an informal team of supporters, including long-term helpers and new friends, has been formed to help coordination.

“With all this in place, we were delighted to hear that Marilyn would continue to be the public face of the talks.

“Upcoming talks will include ever-entertaining Rupert Toovey on Art Investment, Anthony Penrose on his famous mother Lee Miller, and author and geisha expert Lesley Downer giving a fascinating account of feisty women in Japanese history. Ever a favourite speaker at Talks At Six, UCL archaeologist Mark Roberts will look at the importance of Sussex’s coastal plain.”

And to kick things off, on Thursday, March 27, Mark Elliott himself will give the first talk of 2025, focussing on Azerbaijan – a country about which he has been writing travel guides since 1998.

“The Festival of Chichester is a voluntary role, and my day job is as a travel writer” says Mark, who has contributed to over 75 guidebooks during his career.

“We wanted to make sure the booking system and emails were working OK so I thought I’d better give the first talk. That way if nobody comes at least it’s only my presentation that loses out!”

Talks At Six take place at the Bassil Shippam Centre, a short walk east of New Park. Starting time is 6pm on the fourth Thursday of each month (except in August and with two talks in July).

“It’s wise to book a seat on www.talksatsix.co.uk but drop-ins are welcome as long as there’s space. If you’d like to help with the organisation, please contact Marilyn Humphrey on [email protected] – there’s particular need for a publicity coordinator.”