STRIKING staff at Bangor University are organising a varied programme of "teach out" talks during their industrial action.

The informal sessions, open to the public, are being offered by lecturers, staff and students supporting the strikes.

On the first day of action, on Thursday, February 22, the talks will be held in the Quaker Meeting Hall, Dean Street. Topics include a poetry workshop: Bangor's Invisible River, by Zöe Skoulding at 1pm.

At 2pm, there is a creative writing workshop: Getting started with writing fiction by Alys Conran, at 3.30pm, Elbowed off the pavement by the millionaires' sons: Victorian Fiction and the Idea of a University by Karin Koehler.

On Monday, February 26, at the Emaus Vestry, Eglwys Unedig Bangor, Love Lane, at 10am is Plagiarising Nature: thigh of man and foot of frog by Joe Smith at 10:45am, Bird brained: insult or complement? By Richard Holland, 11:30am Climate change: The greatest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind by Alison. Cameron, at 12:15pm Snakes, Venom and Snakebite, by Wolfgang Wüster, at 1pm, Minutes to Die, a student hosted film screening and panel discussion on snake bites, at 2.30pm, an unusual snake in North Wales, the introduced Aesculapian snake in Colwyn Bay, by Tom Major, at 2.45pm, tea/coffee and discussions, at 3.15pm, Oh, I just dropped some sugar into your experiment, I thought it was your tea cup! The discovery of blood types by serendipity and patience by Martina Lahmann, 4pm, Bangor University and Everest: Man and Bird by Charles Bishop.

One of the organisers Bangor University teaching and research lecturer Dr Alison Cameron said: "Staff really want to reach out to the community to demonstrate the value of a university education and our common goal to deliver it. With the 'teach outs,' no one is paying us, so we can give these talks freely to the community during the strike days."

"The momentum for the talks is gathering now, as more staff want to get involved, and we will be adding more topics to the programme as the strikes go on."

Strike dates are Week one: February, 22 and 23, Week 2: February 26, 27, 28. Week 3: March 5 - 8 and Week 4 March 12 to 16.

Further announcements of more teach-out dates will follow.