New members are being sought for the Open Mind group which was formed 20 years ago to “amuse and occupy’’ retired people.

The group meets monthly in Gosforth and has speakers this year giving talks on a wide variety of topics from Toulouse Lautrec to a short history of alchemy.

Open Mind is now part of the organisation, West Lakes U3A, which includes other interest groups such as the history group meeting in Drigg; discovery group (science and technology) in Gosforth; the art appreciation group in Seascale, and Singing for Fun in Gosforth.

New members are welcome to attend one or two meetings to help them decide if they wish to join.

The next four meetings of Open Mind will be Glimpses of Myanmar – an audio visual experience by Pax Garabedian on Thursday, February 16; and A Magic Carpet to Chaos (The Fall of the Ottoman Empire) by Anthony Payne on March 16.

A Mansion fit for Demolition; a tale of Grizedale Hall by Dr Suzanne Tiplady on April 20 and Henri de Toulouse Lautrec by Dr David Cross on May 18.

Meetings will be held at Gosforth Public Hall at 11am.