Talks at Six series in Chichester set to close after eight years of success

Unless someone comes forward who is prepared to run it along the same charitable lines, then Dickie Bows and Petticoats by Dawn Gracie on Thursday, November 28 will be the final session.

Marilyn said: “We have had such fun finding speakers and hearing some great talks on a wide variety of subjects and have met some wonderful people. But there is always a time to move on. Technically I find it tricky, and (my son) Freddie has other commitments. So, it is best to stop while still ahead. We will have had 178 talks since 2016 supporting over 100 different charities, attended by nearly 10,000 supporters, and hopefully we will have raised by the end of the year more than £40,000 for those charities.”

Crucial for Marilyn is that every single penny raised through donations (the talks are free to attend) has gone to charity: “And I did wonder whether somebody might be prepared to run it on that same basis and if there was someone then I would be quite happy (contact her on [email protected]). But it really is quite a lot of work. You've got to find 18 speakers a year and find the hall and there’s a lot of admin and there is so much to do that I suspect someone else could do in a better way because I do it in a fairly laborious way! You have got to go out and find new speakers. But really my main thing is the technical side of it. I realised that I'm not getting any better at it and after eight years you would have thought I would have cracked it but I haven't and really I just think it's time to move on.”

Freddie and also Julia Sander have been a huge help over the years: “But it is just starting to feel that it is more than I can handle. But I do feel very, very pleased when I look back at it and very happy. It has been a success. When I started, I didn't have a clue whether it would last a week or a fortnight. I was really stepping into the deep end but we have now had more than 10,000 people attend and I hope by the end of the year we will have raised more than £40,000 for all those different charities.”

Coming up:

Thursday, September 5 – Ukraine, Gaza and Iran: Challenges for Western Democracy by Con Coughlin. Executive defence and foreign affairs editor at Telegraph Media Group, Con will discuss the many problems in the Middle East and Europe, and the challenges we face in the coming years. Charity: Alban Head Charity.

Thursday, September 26 – Behind the Privet Hedge: Suburban Gardens and the Beautification of Britain by Michael Gilson. There was an explosion of suburban gardens in the early 20th century. Post war their stereotypes were symbols of dull, middle-class conformity, but were about social change. Charity: Save the Children.

Book online at [email protected] or just come along on the night. Talks at Six is held at Bassil Shippam Centre, Tozer Way, PO19 7LG, from 6-7pm.