What’s on in Helensburgh & Lomond

The Cove & Kilcreggan Literary Society has speakers invited to give talks on a wide range of social, scientific and cultural topics. Our season runs from October through to March. The talks start at 8.00pm every other Monday evening. There is a Christmas Party and our season ends with an AGM plus Quiz in March. Each talk is followed by a prize draw plus tea and biscuits and a great chance to catch up with other members. Only £20 for the whole season, guests are welcome at £3 per evening. Tea and biscuits plus the popular raffle. Contact: cklitsoc@mail.com

Monday 2nd March, Ian Johnston is very prominent in the field of shipbuilding history. He will talk on Photography and the Photographers of John Brown’s Shipyard from the 1880s Onwards.
Monday 16th March, Nick Beevers will present Where Fresh meets Salt, a talk with a nautical flavour, followed by our AGM.

A series of talks held at Helensburgh Community Hub – Non members welcome, with a £3 donation appreciated.

2025-2026 Season

1 October Jim Glazzard: Tested in the fire: Exploring the world of Viking Age Silver workers through Experimental Archaeology
5 November Andy Jepson: Stobs Camp-Art and Creativity in a Barbed-Wire World.
3 December John Reid: The Romans in Scotland and the loss of the IXth Legion
4 February Dugie McInnes: Lumps, Bumps and Fairy Tales
4 March Edie Stewart: Once our hills were ringing: challenging notions of wildness in the contemporary and post medieval shieling landscape
1 April Joanna Richie: The Discovery of Anachronism through Archaeology

Grab the girls, dress to impress, and join us for a fabulous spring-themed Ladies Day in support of Scottish Huntington’s Association

Think boozy brunch energy with an afternoon tea buffet full of sweet & savoury treats, a well-stocked bar, shopping stalls, raffles, games, and a live DJ bringing the feel-good tunes 

 Afternoon tea buffet,  Bar,  Local shopping stalls,  Raffle prizes,  Games & entertainment

Whether you’re here for the fizz, the food, the shopping, or the dancing — expect great vibes for an even greater cause . Tag your brunch crew and let’s make it a good one 

Tickets £25 – available from: https://scottishhuntingtonsassociation2.beaconforms.com/…

Free, mindful exploration of bird song in Duchess Wood.  Participants will become familiar with a few common bird songs and leave feeling relaxed and refreshed.  

This walk is offered by Friends of Duchess Wood. Please email nickyfodw@gmail.com to reserve your space. 

https://www.facebook.com/FODW1/?locale=en_GB

All concerts start at 7pm and last about an hour. Entry is free although there is a retiring collection to help pay for the series.

21 September 2025 – Lea Shaw (Mezzo-soprano) with Derek Clark (piano)
19 October 2025 – Mackintosh Ensemble present ‘Life Cycles’
26 October 2025 – 60th Anniversary Season Opening concert – Helensburgh Hymnfest
30 November 2025 – Anthony Moffat (Violin) with Derek Clark (piano) ‘ Vive la France!’
21 December 2025 – 7.30pm – ‘Come and Sing’ Christmas Concert
25 January 2026 – Mozart – Gran Partita K.361 (Serenade for 13 wind instruments)
22 February 2026 – Jamie MacDougall (tenor) 60 years in Song
15 March 2026 – Stainer’s ‘The Crucifixion’
29 March 2026 – Lomond School
26 April 2026 – Music for friends – Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor
31 May 2026 – Sean Nelis – Requiem
28 June 2026 – Kilted tenors

The Cove & Kilcreggan Literary Society has speakers invited to give talks on a wide range of social, scientific and cultural topics. Our season runs from October through to March. The talks start at 8.00pm every other Monday evening. There is a Christmas Party and our season ends with an AGM plus Quiz in March. Each talk is followed by a prize draw plus tea and biscuits and a great chance to catch up with other members. Only £20 for the whole season, guests are welcome at £3 per evening. Tea and biscuits plus the popular raffle. Contact: cklitsoc@mail.com

Monday 2nd March, Ian Johnston is very prominent in the field of shipbuilding history. He will talk on Photography and the Photographers of John Brown’s Shipyard from the 1880s Onwards.
Monday 16th March, Nick Beevers will present Where Fresh meets Salt, a talk with a nautical flavour, followed by our AGM.

Mark the turning of the season with an evening of pressed flower creativity — a little celebration of spring in paper and petals. You’ll create two greeting cards and one mini framed piece, using a wide selection of pressed flowers & foliage grown and pressed by us at Home Farm Flowers & Crafts.

Full details and tickets £35 at https://homefarmflowersandcrafts.uk/products/card-making-with-pressed-flowers-course

Direct from the Edinburgh festival, and his last smash-hit nationwide tour, the legendary Canadian stand-up star is back on the road with a brand-new show. Join Tom as he playfully dishes out more of his insightful observations. An irrepressible tour-de-force with an hour of first class, mischievous and uncompromising comedy. As seen/heard on Have a Word Pod, Ch4’s Comedy Gala, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, The John Bishop Show, Live at the Apollo (so good, he’s done it twice) and much more!

Tickets https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Glasgow/Helensburgh-And-Lomond-Civic-Centre/Tom-Stade/41289073/

21 March – 21 September, dawn – dusk (2026). Admission £6.00, children free.

Glenarn survives as a complete example of a ten-acre garden which spans from 1850 to the present day. There are winding paths through miniature glens under a canopy of oaks and limes, sunlit open spaces, a vegetable garden with beehives, and a rock garden full of surprise and season-long colour. The famous collections of rare and tender rhododendrons and magnolias give way in midsummer to roses rambling through the trees and climbing hydrangeas, followed by the starry white flowers of hoherias and eucryphias to the end of the season. There is a Silent Space at the top of the garden with views over the Gareloch.

Join Helensburgh Music Society for their seasonal programme of events, held at Helensburgh & Lomond Civic Centre:

Programme for the 2025/26 concert season
Sunday October 12th 2025 Maxwell String Quartet https://helensburghmusicsociety.org.uk/node/39
Saturday November 29th 2025 Lauren Zhang piano https://helensburghmusicsociety.org.uk/node/41
Sunday January 18th 2026 Chloé Piano Trio supported by The Tunnell Trust https://helensburghmusicsociety.org.uk/node/40
**Saturday February 7th 2026 Scottish Opera’s Opera Highlights Venue: Victoria Halls for this concert only, £20 for an adult ticket and £6 for under 26s https://helensburghmusicsociety.org.uk/node/42
Sunday March 22nd 2026 ADlibitum violin / accordian https://helensburghmusicsociety.org.uk/node/43

Single tickets: online (preferred) or card/cash on the door: Adults £15, Students £5, under 18s £1
Season ticket for 5 Concerts £50 Book online at https://helensburghmusicsociety.org.uk/booking

Helensburgh Music Society presents a series of 5 concerts each year, between October and March, in the form of performances by Professional Ensembles or Solo Recitals. Our concerts, in the Helensburgh and Lomond Civic Centre on Clyde Street, Helensburgh, are open to everyone. An evening out listening to beautiful music, and a chance to meet friends over an interval drink. Ticket prices are low, especially the season ticket. We encourage performers to talk to the audiences, introducing both themselves and the pieces of music they are playing, expanding on the programme notes so adding to the accessibility of the music. Each year the programme we present, features a variety of performers and instrumental combinations. We also include repertoire ranging from early music to established classical works as well as modern compositions and Jazz. Performers include Scottish based musicians as well as international musicians and ensembles, all of the very highest calibre. It is also an important aim of HMS to offer opportunities to outstanding young artists, especially those based in Scotland.

The Upper Room – The Last Supper Monday 23rd March 7:30pm
Helensburgh Parish Church, Colquhoun Street, G84 8UP
Tickets £8 from the church office, The Bridge Colquhoun Street,
An evening of music, words and images by international storyteller, photographer and musician, Christian Stejskal. Experience the faithful memorisation of the Gospel of John (chapters 13–17) while listening to original solo violin pieces and viewing black-and-white photographs from the Middle-east on a screen. The performance will last approximately 75 minutes. Refreshments will be available after the performance.
For information contact 01436 676880 or email office@helensburghcos.org.

Helensburgh Rock Choir Spring Concert. This beautiful setting will be filled with uplifting harmonies, feel-good energy and the unmistakable buzz that happens when voices come together in full force. From the first note to the final encore, it’s going to be an evening packed with songs you know and love — all performed with heart, power and plenty of Rock Choir sparkle.

Our set list has something for everyone: the infectious groove of September, the emotion of Someone You Loved, the anthemic joy of Learn to Fly, the drama of I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing, and crowd-pleasers like Call Me, Flashdance, Somewhere Only We Know, A Little Respect and You Got It. We’ll be collecting donations at the door, with all proceeds going to Alzheimer Scotland, so every song sung will be helping to make a real difference.

Afterwards, stay for tea, coffee and cakes — the perfect chance to chat, celebrate and soak up the atmosphere. It’s open to everyone, and we’d especially love to see friends and family there to cheer us on for what promises to be a truly special night.

Talks take place in the Marriage Room at Helensburgh and Lomond Civic Centre on East Clyde Street at 7:00 PM. The programme meetings are free to attend. Those who come along will be invited to make a modest donation.

25 September 2025 7pm – Stewart Noble: John Logie Baird
29 October 2025 – Bill Kean: Photography and the Fiddle. Bill is a regular contributor to the Scotsman Calendar, and was a music teacher.
26 November 2025 – Annual General Meeting; followed by John Urquhart: The Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs.
28 January 2026 – Anne Urquhart: The Maid of The Loch and Loch Lomond Steamers.
25 February 2026 – Stewart Cunningham and Robert Ryan: The early 20th century photography of Helensburgh man Robert Thorburn.
25 March 2026 – Julian Hill: Rocks Round Helensburgh along the Highland Boundary.

Stopgap Community Cinema CIC are keeping cinema alive in Helensburgh until the Tower reopens. Screenings take place in Annexe 1 of the Civic Centre.

Forthcoming in 2026 – tickets and timings will be available from from https://www.ticketebo.co.uk/stopgap-community-cinema-cic

A Celebration in Film for the Centenaries of the Invention of Television by JLB
Monday 26 January 2026 Doors open 4:30pm film starts 5:30pm

Metropolis (Reconstructed & Restored 1927) Thursday 8 January 2026 Event starts at 17:30

I Swear (15) Thursday 22 January 2026 Event starts at 18:00

Exhibitions on Screen Carvaggio Thursday 5 February 2026 Event starts at 18:30

Buster Keaton Double Bill (soundtracked by REM) Thursday 12 February 2026 Event starts at 18:30

Exhibitions on Screen Turner/Constable Thursday 26 March 2026 Event starts at 18:30

RSGS Members and students are entitled to free entry, some tickets may be available on the door for cash only – all subject to availability. Part of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society Inspiring People talks programme. 7.30pm Victoria Halls Helensburgh

Andrew Barr: How to Map a Country 25th September, 2025 at 7:30pm
Writer and artist Andrew Redmond Barr presents The Atlas of Scotland, a creative project that uses hand drawn maps and illustrations to tell Scotland’s story, inviting us to reconnect with where we came from. The Atlas explores in detail how Scotland was made, its history, culture and its long standing as one of the ancient kingdoms of Europe. Taking you far beyond Scotland, it also delves into old European trade routes of Scottish merchants, the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition and much more.
https://www.rsgs.org/Event/andrew-barr-how-to-map-a-country-helensburgh

Louis Hall: Horseback in the Ligurian Alps 23rd October, 2025 at 7:30pm
Louis Hall is a writer, rider and explorer from Fife. In 2022 he and his Arabian horse, Sasha, set off from Siena, Italy heading West. What was intended to be a charity journey to the Atlantic Ocean, destination Cape Finisterre, became the challenge of a lifetime with the crossing of the Ligurian Alps as the defining moment of this ambitious trek to ‘the end of the land.’ Battling snowstorms, injury, untamed trails, wolves and freezing cold the journey pushed Louis and his horse to their limits. Louis shares this story in his debut book In Green, an awe-inspiring tale of adventure, grit and the deep bond between man, horse, and nature.
https://www.rsgs.org/Event/louis-hall-horseback-in-the-ligurian-alps-helensburgh

Luisa Hendry: The Geology of Scotland 27th November, 2025 at 7:30pm
Scotland offers some incredible landscapes, where the rocks reveal a complicated geological history; you can walk along a beach over lovely banded pink, grey and dark grey rocks that are up to three billion years old. Geologist Luisa spends her time sharing this world in an understandable way through social media platforms and her geology tour company. Her passion, enthusiasm and commitment to inspiring the next generation of engineers and geologists has had a significant impact within the geotechnical industry, and across wider communities.
https://www.rsgs.org/Event/luisa-hendry-the-geology-of-scotland-helensburgh

Booking not yet open:
January 29, Vicky Allan and Jackie Kemp – rivers,
February 26 John Goodlad – salt roads.
March 26 Jack Capener – experiences living with the last Inca.

ANDREW CADIE – Acoustic Set (Soul and Folk Songs) March 29 @ 2:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Join 3 Villages Hall for an afternoon concert of soul and folk songs with Andrew Cadie.

Adult Tickets (£12) / Book Concession Tickets (£8) https://threevillageshall.scot/whats-on-event/andrew-cadie-acoustic-set-soul-and-folk-songs/

Tickets also available on the door.

All concerts start at 7pm and last about an hour. Entry is free although there is a retiring collection to help pay for the series.

21 September 2025 – Lea Shaw (Mezzo-soprano) with Derek Clark (piano)
19 October 2025 – Mackintosh Ensemble present ‘Life Cycles’
26 October 2025 – 60th Anniversary Season Opening concert – Helensburgh Hymnfest
30 November 2025 – Anthony Moffat (Violin) with Derek Clark (piano) ‘ Vive la France!’
21 December 2025 – 7.30pm – ‘Come and Sing’ Christmas Concert
25 January 2026 – Mozart – Gran Partita K.361 (Serenade for 13 wind instruments)
22 February 2026 – Jamie MacDougall (tenor) 60 years in Song
15 March 2026 – Stainer’s ‘The Crucifixion’
29 March 2026 – Lomond School
26 April 2026 – Music for friends – Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor
31 May 2026 – Sean Nelis – Requiem
28 June 2026 – Kilted tenors

A series of talks held at Helensburgh Community Hub – Non members welcome, with a £3 donation appreciated.

2025-2026 Season

1 October Jim Glazzard: Tested in the fire: Exploring the world of Viking Age Silver workers through Experimental Archaeology
5 November Andy Jepson: Stobs Camp-Art and Creativity in a Barbed-Wire World.
3 December John Reid: The Romans in Scotland and the loss of the IXth Legion
4 February Dugie McInnes: Lumps, Bumps and Fairy Tales
4 March Edie Stewart: Once our hills were ringing: challenging notions of wildness in the contemporary and post medieval shieling landscape
1 April Joanna Richie: The Discovery of Anachronism through Archaeology