2018 is only a few weeks old, but already the SCIFFLe group has been busy with outings and events. On 8th January, group members travelled to the British Library in London, to spend an absorbing few hours looking round the ‘Harry Potter: A History of Magic’ exhibition. Crammed with amazing artefacts such as a real witches’ cauldron, and featuring books dating back to pre-Conquest times, this provided a fascinating insight into the inspiration and influences behind J.K.Rowling’s mega-selling series of books.

At the beginning of February, it was off to Southampton for this year’s ‘Sci-Fi Ball’, an annual event which provides fun and entertainment for SF fans while raising thousands of pounds for the Teenage Cancer Trust. This year, special guests included Gary Graham (Star Trek: Enterprise, Alien Nation), Vic Mignogna and Chris Doohan (Star Trek Continues), Terry Farrell (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and Ingrid Oliver (Dr Who). All gave insightful talks, signed autographs, posed with fans for photos, and patiently answered questions from the floor. In addition to the guests, there were also sales tables with lots of lovely SF merchandise, a display of props from the Horror Channel, and daleks roaming the corridors. Great fun!

Most recently, the South Downs Planetarium – practically on our doorstep in Chichester – was the venue for an evening in space, looking at Hubble’s View of the Universe with Dr John Mason. Starting with the night sky over Chichester, the view soon zoomed to other planets in our solar system, then moved to nearby stars, and on to distant galaxies, star clusters, and beautiful nebulas such as the Eagle, where the awesome ‘Pillars of Creation’ are found.
Back in our own small corner of the universe, the group has also enjoyed the usual regular meetings, held once a month at members’ homes, and we’re looking forward to more interesting outings later in the year.
Karen McCreedy