FILM actress Rita Tushingham was the guest speaker at a meeting of a luncheon club which raises money for cancer research. The star of such films as A Taste of Honey and The Girl with Green Eyes was invited to speak to the Yew Tree Luncheon Club which mee

FILM actress Rita Tushingham was the guest speaker at a meeting of a luncheon club which raises money for cancer research.

The star of such films as A Taste of Honey and The Girl with Green Eyes was invited to speak to the Yew Tree Luncheon Club which meets eight times a year at the Old Albanians Sport Centre in Harpenden Road, St Albans.

Her visit took the form of an open forum with members of the club asking Rita questions about her childhood in Liverpool, her initial foray into the world of stage and film, her starring roles and her more recent theatre, television and film work both in this country and abroad.

Maureen Horne, secretary of the club which was established in Harpenden eight years ago and has 100 members and a waiting list, met Rita at a Cancer Research UK event in London and invited her to come and talk to members.

Maureen said: "It took quite a while to find a convenient date but as one member told me afterwards, 'it was well worth the wait'."

The club has raised more than £30,000 since its formation and chose its name because the yew tree is the source of vital drugs used in cancer treatment.