28/05/2026
JUNE DICKENS FELLOWSHIP MEETING
Our next Fellowship meeting is next Tuesday, June 2nd at 7.00 pm in Bleak House.
We are very pleased to welcome Darran Cowd who is going to talk about developments and initiatives planned for the Dickens House Museum. Darran is the Museums Manager for Thanet District Council having moved on from managing Dickens House. A fellowship member, Darran has always been a very knowledgable and enthusiastic supporter of all things Dickens in Broadstairs. He has big plans for all the museums under his management and it should prove a very interesting and informative evening with a chance to ask questions and express views.
We hope to see you there, guests are very welcome. The guest fee for the evening is £5 but should you opt to join the fellowship that £5 goes towards your subscription.
THE MAY MEETING - FUNNY DICKENS
Our May meeting enabled those attending to share their favourite amusing characters and events in Dickens’ writing and, once again, it proved to be a highly entertaining evening.
We noticed that it is the minor characters that are the most amusing (although perhaps excepting Sam Weller, whom no one could call “minor”!).
Favourites included: Mr Turveydrop Bleak House; Bob Cratchit A Christmas Carol and Mr Wilfer Our Mutual Friend as fabulous fathers; Flora Finching and Mr. F’s Aunt Little Dorrit; T***s Dombey and Son and Barkis from David Copperfield ( because he was “willing”)
Our preferred dinner guests would have made for a very interesting meal indeed – imagine a table including:
Pip, Mr Jaggers and Herbert Pocket from Great Expectations; Nancy from Oliver Twist; Nicholas Nickleby because his nominee felt sorry for him; Mr Dick from David Copperfield; Inspector and Mrs Bucket from Bleak House and Mr F’s Aunt and Barkis (again…). Barkis would leave in good time in order to “go out with the tide”.
These discussion evenings are a good opportunity to hear others views of books and characters, especially ones that you may not yet have come across. There’s always a few surprises and it’s always enjoyable.
AND THE REST OF 2026…
In July our speaker is Ian Keable who will be talking on Dickens’ interest in conjuring, magic and the supernatural and will be performing some of the magic tricks for us. This is a Saturday event, July 18th. If fellowship members do not fill seats the event will opened out to guests so please watch this space.
There is no meeting in August.
September: “Charlie’s Angels ( and Devils)” offer another look at some of Dickens’ women.
October: Carolyn Lambert from the Gaskell Society discusses the sometimes-fraught relationship between Dickens and Mrs. Gaskell.
November: Annual General Meeting.
December Members’ Social and performances of A Christmas Carol by the Dickens Declaimers – dates and venues to be confirmed.
