British Cactus and Succulent Society Cambridge & District Branch 2009 Programme Join email list for latest information Some pictures from recent shows 2009 Summer Show: View or download the schedule and entry form Note: New venue and meeting day since 2008

The British Cactus & Succulent Society (BCSS) has around 100 branches throughout the country. The Cambridge & District Branch meets on the second Wednesday of each month (except February) in the Memorial Hall, Woollards Lane, Great Shelford, Cambridge, CB22 5LZ.

Here is a map which should open in a new window. Use the controls on the map if you want more of an overview of how to get there.

The Cambridge Branch was formed in 1947, and usually attracts up to 40 people to its monthly meetings.

The meetings start at 7pm, but the first half-hour is just an opportunity to talk to others, stage show plants, and search the sales table for bargains, so you needn't arrive until 7.30pm. As a guide, the meetings sometimes go on until 10pm, but might finish earlier.

Everyone is welcome at the meetings (including non-members). Most meetings have a visiting speaker, often illustrated with slides, or sometimes with plants. Also there are:

• a monthly competitive show with about 14 classes. Awards are presented at the Annual General Meeting.
• a plant sales table, to which anyone may bring their spare plants for sale. The Branch takes a commission on sales - check how this works if you are thinking of bringing some plants.
• sales of pots and other sundries.
• coffee, tea, and biscuits, served during the interval in the talk.
• a library, from which members may borrow books.
• coach outings to nurseries.
• two shows each year. Pictures from recent shows

Do come to one of our meetings. Just come along, or if you want further information then email me, Clarke Brunt, or our Secretary, Paul Hoxey <paul@hoxey.com> (phone 01223 503382), or call our Chairman, Doreen Oakman, on 01763 260819. If you want, you can join or request a membership leaflet online. Note that, like other branches, the Cambridge Branch has to be self-financing, and does not receive any money from your subscription to the British Cactus & Succulent Society. Entrance to our meetings costs £1, and you can also contribute to our fund-raising by buying a raffle ticket.

Join our email list to be kept up to date. Just fill in your details to receive occasional news by email about the branch activities.

2009 Meetings

Wednesday 14th January 2009	Annual General Meeting Although the main purpose of the meeting is to review the year 2008 and elect committee and officers for 2009, once the business is over we move to the more important matter of consuming lots of food and drink!
Friday 20th February	Annual Dinner, The Green Man, Shepreth.
Wednesday 11th March	John Watmough - Succulent Compositae The succulent members of the 'daisy' family.
Wednesday 8th April	Mal Weobley - Turbinicarpus and Allied Genera Favourite small-growing plants mainly from Mexico.
Wednesday 13th May	Chris Davis - Central Mexico 2005 Part 1: Puebla to Oaxaca A visit through part of Mexico to cactus habitats.
Sunday 31st May	Summer Show held at our usual meeting venue, Memorial Hall, Woollards Lane, Great Shelford, Cambridge, CB22 5LZ. It's unfortunately no longer practical to hold the show at a local garden centre - costs of marquee and table hire have become prohibitive. A picture of one of the exhibits at a previous show - click for more pictures. View or download the schedule and entry form. Get Acrobat reader (if you don't have it already).
Wednesday 10th June	Paul Hoxey - Cacti from the greenhouse Presumably illustrated with real plants from our Secretary's greenhouse.
Saturday 20th June	Zone 6 Show - Kettering Branch A show for all the branches in the area.
Wednesday 8th July	John Hughes - Meeting Marlon: travels in Brazil Brazilian botanist Marlon Machado is a most useful travelling companion on trips to see the cacti of his country.
Sunday 12th July	Zone 6 Open Day Coventry Branch. This year the members of Coventry Branch open their collections to visitors.
Wednesday 12th August	John Arnold - Bolivia Our National Society Chairman visits one of the countries where his favourite plants come from. Expect to see the genera of cacti Rebutia, Sulcorebutia, Lobivia, etc.
Wednesday 9th September	Bob Potter - Madagascar Revisited A visit to see the unique flora of the island.
Saturday 26th September	Zone 6 Convention This year, it's Leicester branch's turn to host the convention for members of all the branches in the local zone. Details on their website.
Wednesday 14th October	Mini Autumn Show held at our usual meeting venue, Memorial Hall, Woollards Lane, Great Shelford, Cambridge, CB22 5LZ. Usual meeting time. A picture of one of the trophies - click for more pictures. The schedule and entry form will be available for download here when ready.
Wednesday 11th November	Colin Walker - Macaronesian memories: the succulents of the Canary Islands, Madeira, and Morocco. A visit to some of the islands which comprise Macaronesia, also to part of the African mainland.
Wednesday 9th December	Bill Morris - Make a book of it: Binding Journals Bill applies his book-binding skills to cactus and other journals. Bill's talks are always fascinating, whatever the subject.

2010 Meetings

Other Cactus & Succulent Resources

• Clarke Brunt's Cactus and Succulent Page
• British Cactus & Succulent Society page.
• BCSS Zone 6 page for details of all the branches in Zone 6 of the BCSS.
• Tony Mace's Cactus and Succulent Mall, which includes a vast amount of information with links to many other sites.
• Richard Hodgkiss' Succulent Plant Page
• Ralph Martin's Cactus & Succulent Page including details of the BCSS Cardiff Branch, and a search engine for field collection numbers and collectors.
• Cactus Center Club based in Spain, and in Spanish, which after all is the language of many countries where cacti grow.