The University Women's Club Official Website

Events Details

This section describes the regular organised events that take place at the Club, including their usual format, time and cost.   Details of dates, topics and speakers can be found on the Events Diary page.

Evening events

Daytime events


Weekend events

Please select a category

We offer a full programme of events.   Please feel free to invite friends and guests.   They are most welcome.All bookings should be made through the Club's Reception:

2 Audley Square Luncheon Club2 Audley Square Luncheon Club logoThe 2 Audley Square Luncheon Club gives local residents and business people the opportunity to use the Club at lunch time for an annual fee.   Luncheon Club Membership entitles the holder and guests to use the Bar, Dining Room and Cloakroom on the Ground and Lower Ground Floor of 2 Audley Square between 12:00 noon and 3:30 pm Mondays to Fridays (except public holidays).   Membership is £85 per annum and is non-transferable.   Full terms and conditions can be obtained from Reception.

Format:3-course lunch and drinks
Location:Dining Room and Bar
Timing:12 noon to 3:30pm, Monday to Friday
Cost:Membership: £85pa, Lunch: £18pp, inclusive of VAT, plus a discretionary service charge of 12.5%
Booking:Required: Luncheon Club reservations 020 7491 1771

 Back to topAt Home in the Library with Family and FriendsAt homes - informal social gatherings for bar snacks and drinks on Friday eveningsInformal Friday evenings when members and their guests can get the weekend off to a good start with a relaxing evening of chat, accompanied by drinks and food from the special bar menu.   Drinks served by the glass are half-price during Happy Hour, 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

All Club Members are most welcome.  Why not stay for the weekend, taking advantage of our weekend package deal and make this a great start to a fun two days?  

Forthcoming dates are:   6 and 20 June, 11 and 25 July, 12 and 26 September, 10 and 24 October, 14 and 28 November, 12 December.

The second At Home in each month may be used to introduce new and prospective Club Members to the Club, its facilities and its existing Members.  

Format:Informal chat over food and drink
Location:Library
Timing:7:00pm, 2nd and 4th Friday each month
Cost:Food and drink ordered from the special bar menu
Booking:Not required

 Back to topChairman's ReceptionsChairman's Receptions, for new Members to meet people and see the ClubThese are held quarterly in the Drawing Room.   They offer those who have recently joined or applied for Membership the opportunity to meet the Chairman and Members of the Club while enjoying wine and a 2-course buffet.   There is an optional conducted tour of the Club rooms.   Any Member who would like to attend is invited to book with Reception.

The next Chairman's Reception will take place on 10 June 2008.
Format:2-course buffet with glass of wine
Location:Drawing Room
Timing:6:30pm, approximately quarterly
Cost:£17, inclusive of VAT and service
Booking:Required

 Back to topChristmas Lunch and DinnerChristmas lunch and dinner, traditional meals with carols afterwardsEnjoy a three-course festive meal with all the trimmings, followed by traditional carols with mince pies and coffee.

All Club Members and their guests are most welcome.  A great way to wind down after a Christmas shopping trip to nearby Oxford Street and Knightsbridge, or a pleasant way to prepare yourself for the rigours of such an outing! 

Dates for 2008 will be announced later.
Format:Wine reception and meal followed by carols
Location:Drawing Room and Dining Room
Timing:12:30pm for 1:00pm for Christmas lunch and 6:30pm for 7:00pm for Christmas dinner
Cost:£27.50, inclusive of VAT and service
Booking:Required

 Back to topDinings-InDinings-In, fabulous meals and interesting speakersThese are companionable Club dinners, usually rounded off by a short entertaining talk from a guest speaker.  They start with a wine reception, giving the opportunity for diners to meet each other and the speaker in the Club's elegant Drawing Room.  This is followed by a three-course meal in the Dining Room, prepared by our superb Chef and his team.  The talk and any questions take place over over coffee and chocolates. 

Next in the programme is David Tadd.   David has recently retired from his post as Head of Forensic Investigation and Operations at New Scotland Yard.   He served with the Metropolitan Police for more than 40 years and in a career spanning five decades has been involved in the investigation of numerous high-profile crimes as far back as Lord Lucan to, more recently, the London bombings of 7 July.   Much of his career was spent in the Anti-Terrorist Branch, and as a fingerprint Expert he led the fingerprint elements of investigations into many of the IRA atrocities - most notably the Brighton bombing.  

On New Year's Eve 2004 David was the first Forensic Officer from the UK to be deployed to Thailand to assist in the identificaiton of some 5,000 victims of the Tsunami.   David's talk is his personal story of his involvment in what he described in the media as "The biggest forensic challenge the world has ever seen".   The talk will be a journey covering the 15 months that it took to conclude the identification programme, covering many aspects of a harrowing and chaotic operation of enormous proportions.   It will also provide an in-depth understanding of the forensic processes adopted both in Thailand and the UK to ensure that victims were conclusively identified and returned to bereaved familes.  

Although a very sad subject, David's talk is sure to be truly inspiring.

Format:Wine reception and dinner followed by talk and questions
Location:Drawing Room and Dining Room
Timing:7:00pm for reception, 9:00pm guest speaker
Cost:£27.50 inclusive of VAT and service
Booking:Required

 Back to topEaster PackageEaster Sunday lunchSubject to demand, the package includes a wonderful two-course dinner on Friday night and breakfast on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.   See our Facilties page for further details.

Format:Easter Sunday package
Location:Dining Room
Timing:21-24 March 2008, subject to demand
Cost:From £149, inclusive of VAT and service
Booking:Required.

 Back to topFashion ShowFashion Show to raise funds for the ClubAs part of the Club's fundraising activities, Talbot's of Regent Street, a prestigious American ladies' fashion house, exhibit their seasonal collections at the Club.   This is a chance to see the latest fashions from the comfort of your Club and also contribute to the fundraising activities.   Following successful inaugural shows in October and March, it is planned to make this a regular event in the Club's calendar.   Members are welcome to bring guests.

Format:Wine, canapés and a Fashion Show
Location:Library
Timing:7:00pm
Cost:£12 per person, inclusive of VAT and service
Booking:Required

 Back to topFrench CaféFashion conversationParlez-vous franglais (only)?   Lost for words across the Channel?   Or simply wanting to practise your French in a civilised setting?   Come along and enjoy some interesting French conversation with friends and un petit verre to drink.   This event is hosted by Sylvie Levi-Roos who is an interpreter and will be happy to guide you.   All levels are welcome.

Format:Wine, bar snacks and French conversation
Location:Library
Timing:6:00pm
Cost:£8.00 per person, inclusive of VAT and service
Booking:Required

 Back to topGala Christmas Fair
An annual charity event featuring approximately 15 stalls selling high-quality goods.   Other attractions include a prize raffle and tombola.   Morning coffee, light lunches, afternoon tea and drinks with canapés will be on sale in the Dining Room.

This is an excellent opportunity to support both a very worthwhile women's charity and the Club, and to get your Christmas shopping done at the same time.   Bring your friends and enjoy the fun while contributing to two good causes.

Format:Christmas Fair
Location:Library, Drawing Room, Dining Room
Timing:TBA
Cost:Entrance fee £5
Booking:Not required

 Back to topLibrary TalksLibrary Talks, where writers talk about their booksThese informative talks are well attended and much enjoyed, with many staying to linger over the excellent dinner produced by our resident chef.

Next in the Library Talk calendar is Laurel Herman on YOU Are Your Own Best Business Card.   Laurel, Managing Director of Positive Presence, describes the company as being an "intelligent image consultancy for intelligent people".   She says that in business the logo, brochure, website and other publicity material are important, but it is YOU, when YOU walk in the door, who wins - or loses - the job, the deal or even the relationship.   Or anything else at stake.  . This topic is currently very popular as it is informative, thought-provoking and interactive, and aims to give you the right tools for any challenge you may have in your life.  
Thank you to members who have so kindly volunteered to act as emergency speakers.   We have started a list and would like to hear from anyone else who has a prepared talk, perhaps illustrated, which would be of interest to the members.

Format:Coffee and presentation followed by two-course dinner
Location:Library and Dining Room
Timing:Talk at 7:00pm, buffet at 8:00pm
Cost:£6 for the talk only, £20 for the talk and dinner, both inclusive of VAT and service
Booking:Required

 Back to topMembers' ExhibitionsMembers' Exhibitions - a chance to see what our talented Members can produceCalling all Members who would like to co-operate to raise a contribution to the Club Regeneration Appeal Fund by exhibiting and selling their Art and Craft work.   There will be a charge for exhibiting and for viewing, and the Club will levy a commission of 25% on all sales.

Offers please of painting, drawing, print making, sculpture, pottery and all types of textile work.   If you are interested in exhibiting, please contact the Club to discuss your work.

A buffet supper will be available after the exhibition. 
Format:Exhibition followed by buffet supper
Location:Drawing Room
Timing:4:00pm to 8:00pm
Cost:TBA
Booking:Required for the buffet supper

 Back to topPlay ReadingsPlayreadings, informal readings covering a wide range of playsFor drama-lovers everywhere, a chance to play your favourite characters in a wide variety of plays.   This is an enjoyable way of getting to know new plays, or revisiting old favourites, in relaxed company.   Why not come along and play your part?

The Group meets in the Drawing Room at 7:00pm on the third Monday of each month to read a play.  Everyone gets a turn – parts are allocated as and when the characters appear in the script, and changed if people feel that they have too much or too little to say.  There is an "interval" for refreshments from the Club's bar snack menu, and the event usually finishes at about 10:00pm.  Each reader pays for her own refreshments, but the event itself is free of charge. 

Please bring your own copy of the script – these can be borrowed from public libraries or purchased from good book shops (e.g. Waterstones on Gower Street or Piccadilly, French's Theatre Bookshop on Fitzroy Street, www.amazon.co.uk or www.samuelfrench-london.co.uk).  Treats to come include: 
16 June 2008 Sue Townsend: Groping for Words
Comedy with a thought-provoking core, set in an evening institute trying to improve adult literacy.
21 July 2008 Joseph Kesselring: Arsenic & Old Lace
Satirical classic whodunit with multiple murders and unlikely murderers.
15 September 2008 J.M. Barrie: What Every Woman Knows
Wylie by name and wily by nature, Shaw's heroine succeeds by intelligent surrender in a male-dominated world.
20 October 2008 Aphra Behn: The Lucky Chance
The plots revolve around dodging unwanted marriages - sometimes successfully, sometimes not.
17 November 2008 Henrik Ibsen: A Doll's House
Secrets from the past catch up with a devoted wife at Christmas, and change her life forever.
19 January 2009 William Shakespeare: Twelvth Night
See in the New Year wtih one of Shakespeare's best-known comedies, replete with identical twins, mixed-up lovers, scheming binge-drinkers and pompous fools.
Format:Script reading
Location:Drawing Room
Timing:7:00pm on the third Monday in each month, excluding August and December
Cost:Food and drink ordered from the bar snack menu
Booking:Not required

 Back to topSummer PartyThe Summer Party, complete with Champagne and Pimm's in the gardenThe Summer Party is our annual celebration of summer at the Club.   Taking place on an evening adjacent to the Club's AGM, it is a light-hearted event replete with good food, good wine and good company.   It's a red-letter date for your diary.

Format:Wine reception and dinner
Location:Drawing Room and Dining Room
Timing:The evening before or after the AGM, 7:00pm
Cost:£27.50 inclusive of VAT and service
Booking:Required

 Back to topTheatre VisitsTheatre Visits to popular matinee performancesTheatre trips are usually a matinee performance in the West End, followed by dinner.   The next play is The Chalk Garden by Enid Bagnold, 2.30 at the Donmar Theatre on 28 June 2008.   Tickets are available at £12.50, and a two-course dinner with a glass of wine at Bertorelli's afterwards will cost a further £20.. Anyone wishing to attend future performances should contact the organiser, Gwyneth Griffin, on 01702 480698 or 07970 220996.   Ticket money is required well in advance of the performance date, please.

Format:Matinee performance at a West End theatre with dinner afterwards
Location:Dining Room
Timing:Approximately 2:00pm at the Theatre
Cost:£25-£40
Booking:Required

 Back to topWine TastingWine glassThe Club's wine lists are regularly updated to provide Members with a varied range of options to suit all tastes and budgets.   As part of the update process, Members (and their guests) are invited to take part in wine tasting events when contenders for the new wine list are evaluated.   Nibbles are provided, and all Members are welcome to drop in and help with the selection, for a small charge.

Format:Nibbles and a variety of wines to taste
Location:tbc
Timing:Ad hoc
Cost:£5 inclusive of VAT and service
Booking:Required

 Back to topYoung Members' GroupThe Young Members' Group organise a variety of exciting eventsAn informal group of teenagers and twenty-somethings who organise ad hoc events to meet each other in convivial surroundings.   Events include coffee mornings, Dinings-In, Oxford Street shopping, a Christmas drinks party with the East India Club Young Members and a Summer Cocktail Party.

Format:Varied
Location:Various
Timing:Ad hoc
Cost:Variable
Booking:Required

 Back to top