Keith Richards - London North
Once a month there is a general meeting, usually with an outside speaker who is unpaid. I thought it might be an idea to give a more detailed description of the two groups I attend:

• Reading the World. We meet fortnightly and have done so for nearly ten years. The original group was called Reading the Modern but, a few years ago when I became very involved nationally, the co-ordinator's role passed seamlessly to another member who gave the subject matter a new slant. I completed a long term project last year, a consideration of Proust's In Search of Lost Time. This took six years and I cannot think of a more profitable way of approaching the book...meeting at fairly long intervals with a sympathetic and sensitive collection of friends. This year our 'long term project' is Melville's Moby Dick.
  

• Chamber Music. When I retired I took up the 'cello and, in common with others in this group, have always longed to play with others. We meet weekly and help each other under the sensitive guidance of a co-ordinator who seems to know the best music to stretch and yet never discourage us.There are now nine of us. We performed a few weeks ago at our tenth anniversary celebration. This was rather controversial as some poeple thought we were meeting just for the sake of playing and learning together. Others fruitfully disagreed!