TOPICS from bones in caves to the industries of Ulverston are included in the new talks programme of a 141-year-old Furness club.

The Barrow Naturalists' Field Club was founded in 1876 and holds its meetings at 7.15pm in the Trinity Church Centre, on Warwick Street, Barrow.

Members pay £2.50 to attend and £4 for others. All are welcome.

The series got underway this week with a look at hedgehogs by Irene Cannon and next Monday Ian Boyle will be the lecturer on the Archaeology of the Duddon Valley.

The rugged countryside between villages such as Broughton and Ulpha has been inhabited for thousands of years and digs and field walkers have recorded evidence of stone houses and industrial activity.

On October 16 the topic is the Baroness of Belsfield with Ian Jones and on October 23 Brian Morrell will talk about Caverlock Reserve.

Pat Ashcroft is the speaker on October 30 with the curious title Cambodia (Not) and on November 6 you can find out about alpacas with Maggie Hook.

Alan and Julie Walker have the theme Out of Africa on November 13 and on November 20 it is More Trails and Travels with Mark Newbrook.

November 27 has a talk from Alan Oatway on Washington Wild Flowers and on December 4 Stephe Cove has a talk on Dry Stone Walls.

The last meeting of the year will be a quiz with questions set by Mike and Lynda Garforth.

On January 4 Maurice Steel has a talk called From a Tiny Acorn while on January 15 you can hear about Disappearing Swifts with Tanya and Edmund Hoare.

Burma is the topic for John Falkingham on January 22 and on January 29 Mike and Lynda Garforth will talk about Cambodia, Vietnam and the Mekong River.

February 19 sees the visit of The Mail's Memories Page writer Bill Myers with a presentation on the Industries of Ulverston.

The illustrated talk includes everything from water-powered mills to elecctronics as Ulverston has sought different ways to earn a living in a changing world.

On February 26 Neil Honeyman will be describing the radical changes needed to create a major Cumbrian reservoir in a talk called Haweswater.

Tom Lord will be the speaker on March 5 with a talk called Bones in Caves and on March 12 Rosemary Holmes will look at the Beijing to Lhasa Railway.