It's that time of year again for a bit of festive fun in our Xmas Mingle & Jingle event. This time we have a local performer, Laura Bailey who is originally from Maryport, but now based in Cockermouth. Laura has been working hard this year to make her mark on the local music scene — sharing her love of classic songs and creating joyful community moments through music. For this special occasion, she’ll be performing a selection of her favourite Christmas songs in her signature piano and vocal style – all designed to get you singing along and feeling the Christmas spirit!

Local author Alan Cleaver will be talking about the Cumbrian postal routes walked - and sometimes cycled - by rural postmen and women. These routes could be up to 20 miles long through beautiful but difficult terrain. Alan will outline the routes (which are all public paths) and reveal something of the loyal public servants who walked them six days a week in all weathers. All rural post has, since the mid-1970s, been delivered by van. And Alan will ask whether there is a future for the handwritten letter in an age of texts, emails and other digital messaging.

Leslie and wife Jan got to Vic Falls in Zimbabwe thanks to the last leg from Johannesburg being flown by a South African pilot who seemed to be listening to the Rugby World Cup final in Japan most of the time (when we got beat you may remember). They spent a few days there and in Botswana before starting the main part of the journey where they drove 1500km east-west across Namibia to the Skeleton Coast. The talk will be mainly about the wildlife encountered and how rhinos seem only to cross the road at the zebra crossing.

Having worked for many years in the oil industry, Philip is now a writer and public speaker. As well as his time in Iraq, the talk will cover spells in North Africa, Kazakhstan and Russia. He will bring it up-to-date by also telling us about his ongoing career writing detective novels.