Sunday 3 May 2026
- Hampstead Women's Club
- May 3
- 12 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Hello!
IIt’s the first May Bank Holiday weekend — a well‑earned break for all. It’s the perfect time to relax, catch up on life admin, reconnect with family and friends, and enjoy all the beauty that nature has to offer. As we return to the week ahead, this newsletter brings you the latest updates, key highlights, and a look at what’s coming up next.
This week we’ll be walking from Island Gardens to Trinity Buoy, a scenic route that follows the Thames Path north, passing through East India Dock Basin, Virginia Quay, and along the Bow Creek towpath to the historic lighthouse and arts complex. We’ll also be heading to the theatre to see Ralph Fiennes star in Grace Pervades, and continuing to build our skills on the tennis and pickleball courts.
Thank you to everyone who voted for our slate of new executive board members. We look forward to seeing many of you at the Freemasons’ Arms on Thursday morning for our club’s Spring Meeting.
Have a great week,
Joyce
Upcoming Events
Sip & Social - The Spaniards Inn on 11 May at 19:30
Chicks n Flicks - Devil Wears Prada 2 on 13 May, time and place tbc
Link Up - Happy Hour at Greenberry Cafe on 14 May at 17:00 NEW
Walkie-Talkies - Rickmansworth Aquadrome on 18 May at 10:30
Book Club - The Master by Colm Toibin on 18 May at 19:30
London Bites - Carmel Queen's Park on 19 May at 12:30 NEW
Evenings Out - Voices with Guy Chambers in Hampstead on 27 May at 20:00 1 TICKET LEFT
Arts & Antigues - Serpentine Galleries on 28 May at 11:00 NEW
Theatre - Black Comedy at Orange Tree Theatre on 16 June at 20:00 2 TICKETS LEFT
Evenings Out - Zoo Nights at London Zoo on 19 June at 18:00 NEW
Click the button below for more details about What's On our activity calendar and to sign up.
If the sign up is full, there is often a wait list to which you can be added. Life is unpredictable and spots may open up nearer the time. If you signed up but cannot make it, please cancel it as soon as possible (via our website or Spaces App) so we can give your spot to someone who may be waiting.
HWC Spring Meeting
FREEMASONS ARMS
Hampstead
7 May from 10:00 - 12:00
Please join us for our annual spring meeting where we will listen to our special guest speaker Jenny Goodhand, introduce our new executive board for the coming year and just enjoy spending time together over coffee and tea. If you would like to volunteer to host or organise any activities next year, this would be an excellent opportunity to speak to the relevant people in person. We are also collecting for Dress for Success, so please bring your items to our event for collection.
Don't forget to RSVP via HWC Website!
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER
Jenny Goodhand, Success & Wellbeing Coach
Jenny Goodhand is a Success & Wellbeing Coach who helps women achieve their personal and professional aspirations while maintaining a sense of balance & fulfilment in life. She helps you become unstuck and move forward positively by using her blend of corporate change management experience, Psychology MSc, personal life learning and numerous coaching qualifications.
TOPIC: “CALMING THE CHAOS”
Feeling stressed, stretched, or overwhelmed? You’re not alone and it doesn’t have to stay that way. In this engaging 30-minute talk, Jenny Goodhand breaks down what's happening when you feel overwhelmed, and guides you through proven strategies to manage it with confidence. You’ll leave with knowledge, clarity and equipped with your own personalised action plan to help you move forward with more balance, energy, and control.
DRESS FOR SUCCESS DONATIONS REQUEST
Thinking about having a spring clear‑out? Once again, our HWC Community Outreach team is inviting Club members who are attending our Annual Spring Meeting to bring along donations of gently used workwear and accessories for Dress for Success (DFS) Greater London.
DFS, a network partner of the US‑based Dress for Success Worldwide, has been supporting women’s economic empowerment for nearly three decades. Their mission is to help women facing disadvantage return to work by providing professional clothing, interview coaching, and ongoing support. Thanks to this approach, around 80% of women referred to DFS successfully secure employment.
We’ll be collecting clean, wearable blouses, skirts, trouser suits, and blazers, as well as handbags, shoes, and other accessories at the Freemasons Arms in Hampstead. All donations will then be delivered to the DFS London headquarters near St James’s Park.
Thank you in advance for your generosity — your support really does make a difference.
Arts & Antiques
Serpentine Galleries
28 May at 11:00 - 13:00
Kensington Gardens
The Serpentine Galleries are currently hosting highly praised, concurrent solo exhibitions by two major painters: Cecily Brown at Serpentine South and David Hockney at Serpentine North. Both shows invite viewers to slow down and immerse themselves in nature, utilising entire different visual language.
We will visit both exhibitions followed by a catch up at a local cafe. Join us!
Sign up online.
Book Club
The Master by Colm Toibin
18 May at 19:30
members house in NW3
Taken from Goodreads: 'Beautiful and profoundly moving, The Master tells the story of Henry James, a man born into one of America’s first intellectual families who leaves his country in the late nineteenth century to live in Paris, Rome, Venice, and London among privileged artists and writers. With stunningly resonant prose, “The Master is unquestionably the work of a first-rate novelist: artful, moving, and very beautiful” (The New York Times Book Review). The emotional intensity of this portrait is riveting."
Sign up opens 4 May
Reading Ahead:
22 June - Caledonian Road by Andrew O'Hagan (sign up opens 7 June)
Please vote for your top 15 books for us to discuss next year. The straw poll vote can be found here https://strawpoll.com/B2ZB9rMNxgJ . You can vote only once! The poll closes on the 1st June at 11pm. A list of the books to vote on and summaries of them can be found here https://claudinescomments.wordpress.com/2026/05/01/books-to-vote-on-for-2027/
Book Share
26 May from 15:00 - 16:30
Location tbc
Please join us for coffee and cake, and bring along a few of your favourite books to lend or swap. Each member is invited to bring up to three or four books they’ve enjoyed, and we’ll chat about our choices over a drink and a snack before swapping them with one another.
Chicks 'n' Flicks
The Devil Wears Prada 2
13 May matinee
The cinema and time will be posted on the website once cinemas announce listing information.
As Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) nears retirement, she reunites with Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) to face off against Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt), her former assistant turned rival, as they compete for advertising revenue amidst declining print media.
Twenty years after making their iconic turns as Miranda, Andy, Emily and Nigel - Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci return to the fashionable streets of New York City and the sleek offices of Runway Magazine in the eagerly awaited sequel to the 2006 phenomenon that defined a generation.
Sign up online.
Community Outreach
Henderson Court
5 June from 13:15 - 15:00
Henderson Court is a daytime activity centre for the elderly run by Age UK Camden.
Please join us for an afternoon of cake and conversation with some of Hampstead older residents.
Sign up online.
Craft & Chat
Join us for craft and chat (and wine and cake!). People wishing to learn to knit or crochet welcome and materials will be provided for you to learn with. Check our calendar for upcoming events
Evenings Out
Voices with Guy Chambers
Circle & Star Theatre
28 Heath St, Hampstead
27 May 2026, 20:00 – 21:30
Voices with Guy Chambers - An evening curated and hosted by Guy Chambers, one of the most influential songwriters in British pop. Guy has done collaborations with Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, James Blunt, Lily Allen, Tom Jones, INXS to name but a few...
For this evening, he opens the room to a mix of artists you already know, alongside emerging talent about to break. Original performers, new voices, and the artists behind the future soundtracks of our lives.
Cost £30.25 pp ONLY 1 TICKET LEFT!
Sign up online. Please note there are no refunds.
Zoo Nights at London Zoo
Outer Circle, Regents Park
19 June at 18:00 - 22:00
This will be our third annual trip to Zoo Nights at London Zoo. Friday nights in the summer are for adults only where there are food trucks, live music as well as lots of animals to visit, all in a relaxed setting. Feel free to bring a partner or friend.
Please buy your tickets (priced at £23.50 each) directly through this link, choosing the 19th June: https://www.londonzoo.org/plan-your-visit/events/zoo-nights
The Van Morrison Alumni Band
Hamstead Garden Suburb
3 July at 19:00
Thanks to Suzie Gregson, an HWC member, we have a few tickets to the Van Morrison Alumni Band at the Proms at St Jude's Event in Hampstead Garden Suburb.
The band is a company of musicians and singers who Van Morrison hand picked to perform with him. They will perform many of his hugely loved songs. They have performed in thousands of concerts all over the world with Van Morrison and appear on 845 of Van Morrisons recording credits. Please not Van Morrison will only be there in spirit and not in person!
Tickets are £40 pp
Sign up online.
Games Night
Join us for a fun evening filled with friendly competition as we play an array of board games. Don’t miss our next gathering—let’s keep the games rolling! No prior experience or expertise required - we play games that are easy to learn!
Check our calendar for upcoming events.
Highlights of London
Trouping of the Colours: The Colonel's Review
6 June at 10:30
This event is full. Please contact Claudine at claudinee@yahoo.com to be placed on the waiting list.
Ladies Day at Royal Ascot
18 June at 12:30
This event is full.
Link Up
Greenberry Cafe
Primrose Hill
14 May 17:00 - 18:30
A casual and informal way for current and new members to get together, chat and socialise.
Change of venue - this time, we meet at Greenberry Cafe during Happy Hour which features special cocktails priced attractively at £9 each till 6pm. Wines by the glass from £8.
A great way to start the weekend and ease into summer!
Sign up online.
London Bites (formerly Pub Lunch)
Carmel Queen's park
19 May at 12:30
Lonsdale Road, NW6
London Bites meets up approx once a month to explore new and local restaurants. This month we will try an established favourite. Carmel is a relaxed all-day restaurant and bar in the heart of Queen’s Park in London, which takes inspiration from the cuisines across the Eastern Mediterranean, creating an accessible, refined menu that seamlessly evolves from morning through to evening.
Sign up opens 4 May.
Musicals
Check our calendar for upcoming events.
Pickleball
Royal Free Rec Club
Fleet Rd, London NW3 2QG
Wednesdays 13:00 - 14:30
Pickleball is a fast-growing, low-impact paddle sport combining elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. Played on a small court with a low net, 2-4 players use solid paddles to hit a hollow, perforated plastic ball. It is accessible to all ages and skill levels, emphasising strategy, quick reflexes, and social interaction.
New term starts 15 April (12 coaching sessions - £192).
JOIN THE WAITLIST - We regularly have spaces available if anyone would like to sub in or just give the sport a try.
Sip & Social
The Spaniards Inn
Hampstead
11 May at 19:30
Sip & Social is a great and relaxed way of meeting new friends and reconnecting with old ones. Feel free to order drinks and food (at your own cost) or just come for a chat and a catch up. If you are new to the club it is a great way of finding out what we have on offer and what we do as well as meeting some of the older members who are a wealth of advice and knowledge.
This month's Sip & Social will be held at The Spaniards Inn on Spaniards Road, Hampstead. Built in 1585 by two Spanish brothers, the iconic Grade II listed London pub served as inspiration to the great Charles Dickens and John Keats. Close to Hampstead Village and Parliament Hill. You may still bump into a modern-day celebrity or two, enjoying the beautiful garden. You might even spot Dick Turpin roaming the hallways – this is one of the most haunted pubs in London. We have secured us a covered outdoor table. There is parking on site or the 210 bus (which connects to the 268 at Whitestone pond) stops just outside.
Sign up is full. Please join our waitlist if you are interested in attending.
Speaker Series
Making Sense of Money and How to Manage It
by Surehka
Member's home followed by MUST Wine Bar
20 May at 19:00
We generally meet at a member's house in NW3. The speaker will give a talk for half an hour followed by half an hour of discussion. We will then go to Must Wine Bar where management have given us discounts on food and wine.
This talk will be given by Surekha who will talk about financial wellbeing, and some of the issues that are especially common to women.
Sign up is full. Please join our waitlist if you are interested in attending.
If there is a topic that you think you would like to talk about next year at Speaker's series please contact Claudine on claudinee@yahoo.com
Tennis
Globe Lawn Tennis Club
190A Haverstock Hill, NW3 2AL
Come join us for weekly tennis lessons at the Globe Tennis Club in Belsize Park. Coach led lessons combine warm ups, drills, cardio games and match play adjusted to meet the needs of each group. Whether you are new to tennis, a bit rusty or a regular player it's a great way to combine exercise with meeting fellow members!
Tues, Wed or Thurs from 10:00 to 11:30
Globe Lawn Tennis Club (190A Haverstock Hill, NW3 2AL)
Cost per term: £275 (11 sessions)
Intermediate – Tuesdays
Beginner – Wednesdays
Mixed – Thursdays
Theatre
Black Comedy
Orange Tree Theatre
16 June at 20:00
An uproarious piece of slapstick vaudeville!
Young sculptor Brindsley Miller is on the brink of success. He is expecting a visit from an influential art collector, whose approval could secure his future. He is determined to present himself as sophisticated and successful.
The problem? His flat is sparsely furnished, most of the contents borrowed without permission from his neighbour. But when a sudden power cut plunges the building into darkness, Brindsley sees an opportunity. In the absence of light, he believes his deception will go unnoticed. Unbeknownst to him, the audience can see everything.
As friends, rivals, lovers and unexpected guests arrive, the situation spirals rapidly out of control, and Brindsley’s desperate attempts to influence events only make matters worse.
Tickets are £53 pp
Sign up online. 2 TICKETS LEFT
Walkie Talkies
Walkie Talkies is an interest group that meets up every Monday morning for walks and chats over coffee. The walks take place across London and we visit parks and interesting areas of London. If you would like to join the WhatsApp Walkie Talkies group, please contact Maria via email below.
4 May - Island Garden to Trinity Bouy Wharf
Meeting Point: 10:30 outside Island Garden DLR station
Sign up is full
11 May - no walk
18th May - Rickmansworth Aquadrome
Meeting Point: 10:30 outside Rickmansworth Station
Sign up opens 10th May
25th May - Deptford
Meeting Point : 10:30 outside Deptford Bridge DLR station
Sign up opens 17th May
Wellness
Wellness meets up monthly for an event focused on nurturing our mind, body and spirit. Led by Dr. Summya, GP & wellness leader, this group is all about making health fun, friendly, and achievable.
Check our calendar for upcoming events.
Men's Auxiliary of HWC
The Men's Auxiliary of HWC meets on one Thursday a month at a pub in Hampstead. To participate, have your partner text Patrick on 07827 604148 to join the WhatsApp group.
APPI Physio & Pilates
HWC is proud to partner with APPI Physio & Pilates!
All HWC members enjoy 15% off all services for the duration of their time at appi (excluding special offers and memberships).
MUST Wine Bar
MUST Wine Bar sponsors our speaker series. They passionately believe wine is to be enjoyed, explored and experienced by everyone and with more than 70 wines by the glass from over 20 countries and 18 fine wines, they truly are a wine lover or enthusiasts dream...all in a totally relaxed, cozy and welcoming wine bar environment.
FIWAL
FIWAL’s aim is to broaden friendship, understanding and communication amongst international women in London. Over the years, we have achieved this through FIWAL’s own events as well as the wonderful events organised by our members where all FIWAL Members have the opportunity to connect, share and celebrate. Besides the social value of these events, funds are often raised to assist with charitable causes relating to their homeland or their local communities here in the UK.
Click here to view their latest newsletter.
2025-26 Executive Board
President - Manisha Walia
Executive Vice President - Michele Higgins-Glazer
Vice President of Communications - Joyce Moeller
Vice President of Membership - Susan Kennedy-Scott
Vice President of Programs - Claudine Goldingham
Secretary - Bridget O’Donovan
Treasurer - Maureen Clark-Darby
Website Manager - Jane Talbot
Standing Committee Chairs/Co-Chairs
Arts & Antiques - Afsaneh Yasreby, Minoo Tuffield
Community Outreach - Caroline Smith, Sian Jones
Evenings Out - Marilyn Kendall, Louisa Martin, Pauline Seow-Hellinikakis
Highlights of London - Cathy Herbrand
Hospitality - Michele Higgins-Glazer
Link-Up - Pauline Seow-Hellinikakis
Theatre - Madeleine Hodgkin
Courtesy Reminder
If you are not able to attend an event for which you've signed up, whether it's a free or paid activity, please cancel your RSVP on our website or the Spaces App. Many of our activities have waiting lists, so no-shows and last-minute cancellations could prevent another member from participating. Thank you!