After the success of sold-out events with broadcaster Kate Humble and legendary Magnum photographer David Hurn, regular evening talks are continuing at Tintern Village Hall featuring well-known writers and personalities. These are all in aid of the consolidation of the former Church of St Mary’s in Tintern, a ruin which is now being returned to safety by the Lower Wye Valley Buildings Preservation Trust.

Jo McCrum, Secretary of the Trust, says, ‘We are thrilled to be continuing with our series of successful talks in Tintern, which are raising essential sums for the ongoing work at St Mary’s. Welcomed by our committee of volunteers, people who come along to these enjoyable evenings can be reassured that every penny they spend goes straight towards the restoration of this beautiful and historically important church.’

The Trust are meanwhile moving forward at pace with saving St Mary’s, and are currently in the process of buying the church building from the Crown Estate, with conveyancing sponsored by Monmouthshire solicitors Feakes & Co .

Next up in this stimulating series of Tintern Talks is Candida Meyrick, highly regarded novelist (as Candida Clark) and author of Be More Bird, which tells the true story of her relationship with a Harris hawk which she adopted whilst undergoing cancer treatment during the Covid lockdown. The evening is a must for anyone who loved H is for Hawk and Raising Hare. Friday 24th April at 7.30.

This is followed by an ‘in conversation’ with Keggie Carew on Friday, May 15,, much-praised author of Dadland, which won the 2016 Costa Biography Award. For those who love tales of derring-do such as Operation Mincemeat the book describes her relationship with her unconventional father, who was an undercover guerilla agent in Burma during the 2nd World War but sadly lapsed into dementia in his later life. Keggie will also talk about her more recent books: Quicksand Tales, about the bizarre range of jobs she took as a young woman, and Beastly, which explores the 40,000 year old relationship between humans and animals and was shortlisted for the prestigious Wainright Prize.

On Friday June 2nd celebrated historian and best-selling author Professor Ronald Hutton will talk on the cryptic and enthralling monuments and spiritual, not to say bloodthirsty, practices of our past forebears with The Pagan Religions of Ancient Monmouthshire.

After learning what and why from Ronald Hutton the next Tintern talk moves on to discover how these monuments were actually made, with ‘A Life in Ruins’, featuring stonemason Andrew Ziminiski, author of Building Britain and Church Going – 2025’s ‘Book of the Year' in The Times andThe Telegraph.

And at a very special event in October in collaboration with Monmouth’s Savoy Theatre, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, will talk to poet Pele Cox about his life and work.

All bookings via www.ticketsource.com/lwvbpt for Tintern Hall, otherwise www.monmouth-savoy.co.uk

Donations to the St Mary’s campaign can be made at www.justgiving.com/campaign/savestmarystintern

Ongoing news is to be found at Facebook/Instagram @lwvbpt