Antiques valuation raises more than £300 for orphans

entertain the guests with ghost stories Karin hinted that his relationship with the Duchess was more than simply friendship.

He is reputed to have fathered one, if not two, of the Duchess’s many children. After the Duke’s death Landseer proposed to the Duchess but she turned him down, causing him to suffer a nervous breakdown.

His last years were marred by mental instability.

In contrast, the Society’s March lecture is a celebration of the arrival of spring. Why not come along and discover the glorious paintings of Joaquin Sorolla?

Jacqueline Cockburn will be sharing her love of his paintings and explaining how he achieved this extraordinary feeling of light and colour.

The talk is on Monday, March 20, at King’s Academy, Binfield - the Society’s new home. The school has excellent facilities including a well-lit car park and plenty of space to mingle while enjoying tea or coffee and biscuits before the talk, which starts at 7.45pm.

Guests are always welcome but do email memsectheartssocietywham@ gmail.com to register beforehand. The talk will also be live streamed and available to watch from home on the society’s own YouTube channel.

n For details, visit: www.The ArtsSocietyWokingham.org.uk

SUE BRYANT

MONEY raised from an antiques valuation event will go to a charity that supports orphanages and poor families in India.

The volunteer-run group SalGO Assist, sends money, and raises awareness in the UK of the needs in the towns and villages in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Held at St Mary’s Church Hall in Winnersh earlier this month, the event raised £318.

People were invited to bring items to be valued by two experts from Wokingham-based Martin and Pole Estate Agents and Chartered Surveyors.

Event organiser Anne Warner says: “We’re very pleased with how it all went.