Upcoming events

Vappu-Valborg Lunch

May 1, 2026

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Our Vappu-Valborg lunch is set again for 1 May 2026 with a tour of the art at Gray’s Inn also being organised with our guide Timothy Shuttleworth, a Bencher of Gray’s Inn.

The price is £41 per head plus a small booking charge (for members and their guests) for a welcome glass of sparkling wine in the Bridge Bar followed by a 3-course lunch with a glass of wine.

This includes a guided tour of the Gray’s Inn art collection. The tour of the portrait collection at Gray’s Inn will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the Bingham Room so we will meet our guide in the Bridge Bar at about 11:25 am or slightly earlier than that. The rest of the art tour will be after the lunch.

We can accommodate up to 25 attendees. The lunch will take place from 1 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. (last entry at 2 p.m.). The welcome drinks will be from 12.00 midday. Menu choices for the lunch are below and must be notified to the Hon. Secretary at secretary@anglofinnishsociety.org.uk with any dietary requirements by 21 April:

Gray’s Inn has been home to lawyers since before 1388 AD and is today one of the four Inns of Court responsible for the education and training of barristers before and after their Call to the Bar. The sixteenth century was known as the “Golden Age” of the Inn, when Queen Elizabeth I herself was the Inn’s Patron. In this period the Inn was renowned for its “Shows” and there can be little doubt that William Shakespeare played in Gray’s Inn Hall, where his patron, Lord Southampton was also a member. Tradition claims that the Great Screen was built from the timbers of the Nuestra Senora del Rosario, the flagship of the Andalucian Squadron of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Some of the exquisite stained-glass windows in the Hall date back to 1462. Master of the Bench of Gray’s Inn, Sir Winston Churchill and Mr Franklin Roosevelt (then Minister of Munitions and Assistant Secretary of the United States Navy, respectively) first met in 1918 at the high table within Gray’s Inn Hall.

Bookings can be made through this link: Buy tickets – Vappu-Valborg Lunch – The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn, 8 South Square, London

22 May 2026 post-performance Q&A organised by AFS – The Inheritors – by Helsinki Contemporary Theatre Company at The Hope Theatre

May 19 - May 23, 2026

​Play: The Inheritors – by Helsinki Contemporary Theatre Company
The Hope Theatre, The Hope and Anchor​, 207 Upper Street, London, N1 1RL
19th – 23rd May ​at 7​ p​.m​. with 22nd May recommended
Running time 70 minutes​: no interval

The Play

Following a successful run in Helsinki in 2025, Helsinki Contemporary Theatre Company​ transferred their inaugural production to London.​ The Inheritors is a contemporary three-hander that explores the messy terrain of familial​ legacy, guilt, and the burdens inherited from parents. When three siblings reunite at the​ family Mökki to divide up their father’s estate, long-buried tensions resurface….. and what​ begins as a practical discussion turns into a reckoning with the past.

About Helsinki Contemporary Theatre Company

Founded in 2024, Helsinki Contemporary Theatre Company is an international, English-speaking theatre company based in Helsinki. The Company creates productions and​ workshops of new work and established plays. With its own productions, of which The​ Inheritors is its first, the Company seeks to be thought-provoking with themes that reflect the​ diverse voices and lived experiences of modern Finland. It aims to provide a platform for​ both local and international artists to collaborate.​

By offering high-quality theatre in English, the Company is opening the doors of Finnish​ theatre to new audiences. It also runs acting classes for professional actors and amateurs​ who have an interest in learning. Whether it’s through performances, artist workshops, or​ community outreach, the Company is committed to expanding the theatrical landscape in​ Helsinki.

About the playwright​ -​ Ally Manson

Ally Manson is a UK- trained actor, with many acting and directing credits in UK theatre, film​ and TV, who is married to a Finn and is now living and working in Helsinki. He is the Artistic​ Director of Helsinki Contemporary Theatre Company and is behind its formation in 2024.​ And as a playwright, The Inheritors is his debut play.

Ally is an engaging character and has an interesting story. This might be the first play by an​ Englishman written and set in Finland and then brought to London. If you book tickets for the​ performance on Friday 22nd May you will have a chance to meet him; Ally has agreed to do a​ talk and Q&A for our members (and their guests) at the end of the performance (about 8.15​ p​.m​.).

Tickets

The play runs for 5 nights from 19 to 23 May. Follow this link to book tickets:​

The Inheritors at The Hope Theatre event tickets from TicketSource

Full price tickets are £18.00 plus a £1.40 booking fee; Concession tickets are £16.00 plus a​ booking fee of £1.25. Concession tickets are for those who are 60+, students or theatre​ student members.

We hope you have the opportunity to see the play on any of the dates, but encourage you to​ come on 22 May if you can ​to meet Ally Manson. If you do book tickets for 22 May, please​ could you also notify ​me by email the Hon. Secretary on secretary@anglofinnishsociety.org.uk ​so we know the names and numbers​ for meeting Ally.

Finally, we urge you not to delay booking. The seating capacity in the theatre is limited to 55.

Book launch – Trailblazers: The First Women Elected to Parliament

May 27, 2026

Book launch- Trailblazers: The First Women Elected to Parliament
Talk and Reception – 27 May 6-8pm
Venue: Church of Saint Magnus-the-Martyr, London Bridge

In this talk to launch her latest book, Dr Paula Bartley reveals how Finland shook world politics, with Trailblazer Hilda Käkikoski.

Description: Finland shakes world politics

Does it surprise you that Finnish women sparked a political fire that spread democracy across the world? At the beginning of the twentieth century, unless they were of royal blood, there were no women – not one – in any government, in any country, in any part of the globe. This was set to change.

In 1907, the country elected nineteen women to its 200 strong Parliament, the Eduskunta. These new female parliamentarians represented all social classes: from maids and factory workers to schoolteachers and noblewomen. One of those elected was Hilda Käkikoski, a lesbian, vegetarian feminist. Using images, Paula will focus her talk on Hilda partly because she was intrigued to find out how and why such an unusual figure became one of the first women in the world to enter government.

Everything about Hilda Käkikoski shouted liberalism. She seemed very woke. Paradoxically, she stood as a Conservative candidate. She was a member of the Old Finnish Party, (FP) This was a party which promoted the Finnish language and Finnish ideals.

Finland forged the path to an age of democracy. The twentieth century was marked by extensive global, social, technological and political transformations. Revolutions, two world wars, the Cold War, the decolonisation of Africa and Asia, the increasing power of America and the formation and collapse of the United Soviet Socialist Republic reshaped global politics. Women all over the world, at different times, in different jurisdictions and in different circumstances took advantage of the power vacuums created by these upheavals and demanded their rights to participate in governing bodies.

More and more countries adopted systems of government that gave citizens the right to vote and stand for government. In 2000, women were represented in most governments across the world. And it was Finland that trailblazed the way.

About the author and speaker

Dr Paula Bartley has been committed to women’s history since she began her teaching career. In 1982 she co-edited and co-authored the path-breaking series Women In History for Cambridge University Press. Since then, she has written The Changing Role of Women (1996), Emmeline Pankhurst (2002), Votes for Women (3rd edition, 2007), Ellen Wilkinson, (2014), Queen Victoria (2016), Labour Women in Power (2019), and Women’s Activism in 20th Century Britain (2022), Her latest book is Trailblazers: The First Women Elected to Parliament (2026).

Paula is currently Honorary Research Fellow, University of Warwick. She has been awarded prizes and grants from the Society of Authors, the British Association for Canadian Studies, the Harry Ransom Centre, Texas and Vassar College, New York to help further her research.

Paula loves talking about women’s history. She can be heard discussing Ellen Wilkinson, the Mighty Atom (parliamentary YouTube) and Queen Victoria (Historic Royal Palaces Podcast).

She is an active member of the Women’s History Network (WHN) and has organised many conferences and was a judge of WHN’s annual book prize.

Recently, thanks to a DNA test, Paula discovered she is 48% Scandinavian, mostly Norwegian. She lives in Stratford-upon-Avon with her husband Jonathan Dudley.

Reception: Drinks and light bites will be provided.

Venue: Church of St Magnus the Martyr

Address: London Bridge, Lower Thames Street, EC3R 6DN (nearest Tube: Monument, London Bridge, Bank)

The setting is the historic Grade 1 listed Church of St Magnus the Martyr, one of Wren’s finest post-fire churches. Its Nordic connections run deep- St Magnus was Earl of Orkney when the islands formed part of the Kingdom of Norway.

Cost and booking

The event is FREE, but please only book if you intend to come, so catering can be planned accordingly.

To book, please go go: Select tickets – Book launch – Trailblazers: The First Women Elected to Parliament – Church of Saint Magnus-the-Martyr

Summer Recital at Burgh House, Hampstead – Another afternoon of delightful Sibelius melodies

Jun 7, 2026

Anglo-Nordic Midsummer Lunch

Jun 24, 2026

The Anglo-Nordic Midsummer lunch on 24 June at 12 noon at The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn.

Now in its third year, this Lunch and Reception is a relaxed gathering of members of the four Anglo-Nordic Societies organised by the A-FS.

The Reception will be in the Members Common Room (MCR) – on the patio in fair weather or where the staff allocate us on the day), where you will have a welcome glass of Prosecco, followed by a 3-course lunch with wine in the historic Great Hall.

Tickets are allocated equally between the four Societies, so places for each Society are limited. Tickets are strictly for Anglo-Nordic Society members only.

A-FS tickets will be allocated to members by ballot at the AGM on 14 April. You can register for the ballot when arriving at the AGM. If you cannot attend the AGM but would like to participate in the ballot, please register your interest before 14 April with the Hon. Secretary by email to secretary@anglofinnishsociety.org.uk.

A-FS members who are successful in the ballot should purchase their tickets on the A-FS online ticketing platform. A link to the platform will be available from the end of April.

The price is £48 per head (plus a small booking charge).