There were two meetings held in January and they both contributed to an excellent start to 2026.

The first meeting was Ace of Spades, with Garry as our host. It was a fun night with some great stuff on show and we just managed to squeeze in everyone who was in attendance.

The second meeting was hosted by Jim(/strong> and had the great title of Poundland or Discount Store Magic. Jim Aitken was our host for an evening of magic sourced from or inspired by general Discount Stores, for example Poundland. Jim spoke about actual magic tricks he obtained from such stores as well as the plethora of useful tools, materials and props available. Jim showed us a couple of nice effects using items he got from various discount shops, then introduced members who wanted to show their acquisitions and perform with them. We saw some really exceptional magic using basic and inexpensive props from Garry, Steve, Bill (via video link from New Zealand), James, DG, Douglas, Jono and Norn, with Jim doing some extra effects in between the others. Some of the inventiveness and imagination applied as brilliant. At the end of proceedings, Jim thanked everyone for taking part with such commitment and enthusiasm and as it is the Awards Season he presented a DAFTA for the best and most inventive use of discount store products to James Dickson. It was well deserved!