WOKINGHAM NEWSLETTER MAR - APR 2006
The March Meeting
The Pennine Way
John Harrison
The Pennine Way was one of the first long distance footpaths in Britain. It is the longest, and it passes through some of the finest scenery in Northern England.
John walked the Pennine Way with his wife in 1970 and revisited the area later to complete a photographic essay. Though much of the walk is on the hills, it crosses valley after valley giving fascinating tastes of the communities through which the way passes.
Tuesday, 21st March 2006
St Paul's Parish Rooms at 2.00 PM
Wokingham U3A
Chairman: Colin Mitchell, 0118 978 2824, e-mail colinfmitchell@hotmail.com
Secretary: Muriel Froom
Membership Secretary: Mrs Carole Beswetherick, 31 Hatch Ride, Crowthorne, RG45 6LF, 01344 771303
Editor: Paul King
Registered Charity No: 1049995
WEBSITE www.wokinghamu3a.org.uk
E-group sign-up: wokinghamu3a-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Chairman's Notes
So this is my swansong in trying to keep you informed of what is going on within our U3A. It has been a rewarding, enjoyable and educational experience to be your chairman and by the time you read this we shall be installing a new chairman. Of course, I shall have the opportunity to thank all the Committee Members, Group Leaders and other helpers who have contributed to the running of what I feel to be a very successful U3A, so as many of you probably won't be at the AGM, a heart felt thank you to you all.
Unfortunately I was unable to attend the recent Group Leaders' meeting at the Town Hall, but from all accounts it was a resounding success and I received a phone call from Keith Richards, our National Chairman saying how much he had enjoyed being in attendance and that he came away buzzing with new ideas. So, well done to all concerned.
I shan't sign off without once more asking those of you with access to e-mail to sign up to our E-group, it's such an easy way to communicate with other members at short notice and there is no question of your getting inundated with e-mails. A recent example of its effectiveness occurred at the end of November when we were invited to hold a group discussion to give our views on the disposal of nuclear waste. In the event a group of nine of us managed to meet, all but one came through the E-group and only one from my announcement at the Monthly Meeting. Signing up is easy and the address is given in the detail block at the beginning of this newsletter.
A new committee will be formed at the AGM and I wish them every success in the future years and I hope to participate in as many U3A activities as I am able.
Len Smith
Starting Family History
The group works by guiding members stage by stage through the steps they need to know to gather their information using practical explanations and individual hands on guidance. Because the group works on a six meeting cycle, the current intake will end with the April meeting and the next cycle will start again at the beginning in May with a fresh membership.
There is a lot of interest at the moment in this subject - particularly with the BBC launching their latest 'Who do You Think You Are' series. If you want to start researching your own family history, then please get in touch with me now on and get your name on the waiting list. Places are limited and work on the basis of first come, first served.
I do ask that you attend all six meetings - holidays permitting of course - but it is essential that you are available for the first meeting in May.
Charles Crane
U3A Art Becoming a U3A Art tutor has been a steep learning curve, organising the format and accommodating the various levels of skill. Thanks to members ideas and suggestions the art sessions now have a balance most people feel comfortable with. We usually begin sessions by discussing members sketch book or homework, plus a drawing challenge. We have a short coffee break watching an Art video followed by preparation for a project to work on until the next session.
We began as one group of 5, meeting every 2 weeks in my home.As the waiting list has grown and space is limited I decided to form two groups, each group meeting once a month ; one on the second Wednesday and another on the third Wednesday. My apologies for not taking a larger group, but in-house meetings make for me, more creative teaching; art books, my own work, or an appropriate video being just to hand.
Both groups are full at the moment, but the waiting list is empty. Beginners require minimum art materials, pen/pencil paper and some enthusiasm for making a few exciting impressions on paper of what you think you see!
For U3A members with some experience of dabbling in with art materials who would like to make a space in their lives for developing their art, Wokingham and District Art Group hire the Cornerstone Hall on Monday afternoons from 1:30 to 4:30. The hall is behind All Saints church on the corner of Wiltshire Road and Norrey's Avenue. Although there is no direct tuition, members of the Art group are really good at sharing ideas and offering advice. Sessions are £2:50 which include tea/coffee biscuits.
Barbara Carter
Petanque Meeting twice a month from April on 1st and 3rd Wednesdays.
U3A Pantomime Xmas 2006 This unique event is now well into the planning stage and an outline script has already been produced. We now need some interesting and amusing anecdotes from as many U3A groups as possible to incorporate into our script.
Also, volunteers are urgently required to play major or minor roles, or just to contribute generally. Enthusiasm rather than talent is the prerequisite in order to make this a success.
Please support us by coming along to an open meeting on March 7th , 10.30 am at Woosehill Community Centre, in the Committee Room (downstairs). If you are still willing to take part or contribute in any way but cannot attend the meeting please contact Jean Davis.
We hope to be able to produce a show at the end of the year at Pinewood Theatre
Ballroom Dancing
The Ballroom (Social) Dancing Group is going well with attendances at the Woosehill Community Hall of between 25 and 30 each month. As a group we are starting to gel in a friendly way that is a characteristic of many U3A groups. We meet at 1.30 PM for a 1.45 start and I would ask that our group members turn up on time as we often start the session with some tuition and if you arrive late, you could miss some valuable instruction. Also if you cannot make a particular month, a quick 'phone call beforehand would be appreciated.
The Woosehill hall can take more people so if you are interested, please get in touch with Barbara or Peter on. We meet on the second Friday of the month and the dates are always in the diary.
The afternoon is far from demanding and we have some fun as well as learning our steps and of course, it is a mild form of physical exercise that is always to be encouraged with our age group. We are not striving to form the Wokingham U3A Formation Team!
Peter Harms
Down Under The Travel & Transport group are featuring talks on Australia in March and April.
See Diary Page for details
Chinese Whispers
If you spot any errors in the Diary Page please let me know. If I'm told there is a good chance of preventing that sort of error in future. If errors go unreported they will be repeated! I'd rather be told 6 times about an error rather than not be told at all.
Paul King
Group News from Pauline Riocreux
This is my last roundup of news. A new Co-ordinator will take over in time for the next newsletter. Thank you to everyone for their support during the last two years. I have greatly enjoyed being a centre of activity and 'in the know'.
Discussion Group has a new leader - Rosemary Jenkins has replaced Mary Pattison who has some health problems. The meetings will continue to be held in the Sale Cottages. Thank you, Mary, for running a super group.
Roy Borlace has handed Earth Sciences to Peter Fenton - thank you to Roy for giving it a good start and to Peter for picking it up and running with it.
Tai Chi also has a new Leader in Brian Hunt . Brian Bird wants to spend more time with his boat perhaps. Thank you, Brian, for keeping this group afloat for such a long time.
The Computer Forum for Beginners is having another general meeting on 29th March in the morning at Woosehill to arrange other meetings to sort out personal difficulties. Pat Tucker is the contact for this group.
Computer Topics is looking to enlarge the subject base by taking in Technology . It will now be known as CAT (Computer And Technology) and Brian Pettitt is starting a new programme forthwith.
The Pantomime Group is working on its script for Rick Diddington and has identified many opportunities for folk to get involved. A meeting at Woosehill in the morning of 7th March is for all those interested. No stage experience necessary - just enthusiasm. We also need some leading actors if there are any out there. Further enquiries to Hilary Taylor
Tap Dancing is going from strength to strength - 14 members at the last count. More members have bought tap shoes too! The ones we had at 5 yrs old don't fit any more. Edith Richardson is an enthusiastic leader
Card Making Two - Judy Ball is leading this group and they have decided to meet fortnightly on Tuesday afternoons. The group is now full - no more room at the table.
20th C Music has bit the dust. Not enough members were interested at this time to make a viable group.
Bob Binfield has offered to run a small group of members wanting to begin to learn German. I had two or three names but have lost the telephone numbers so if you still want to study the language please contact me so that we can try to sort out a time.
The new French Chit Chat group picked the wrong day for a start up meeting and so has to start again. Francis Lewis is taking charge for the time being. This is conversation for O levels (from way-back-when).
Gliding and Canoeing are still on the cards for when the weather is slightly more pleasant.
Talk About Investments group has attracted plenty of members and Keith Davis is now endeavouring to find a suitable meeting day.
The Mathematics group is meeting on the first Thursday in the morning - contact Hilary Taylor for more information
One or two people have asked about paying people to talk to groups. It is acceptable to pay a fee (money) or a bottle of wine, or reasonable expenses to someone on an ad hoc basis (this is how the Monthly Meetings are managed). The trouble begins if payment becomes a regular feature. Whether or not accepted by the group members, it becomes 'employment' and therefore raises issues of public liability, government regulation, U3A Constitution and even taxation. The answer is, therefore, only do it occasionally. That's all Folks!
Pauline Riocreux,
Keith Richards writes
Colin Mitchell has received the following message from Keith Richards, Chairman of the U3A National Executive Committee, who was guest speaker at our Group Leaders' day on 25th January.
Dear Colin,
Thank you for your letter. I learned a great deal from my visit and enjoyed
it very much. Perhaps you will find some way of conveying this message to
the kind and stimulating people I met? Very best wishes to everybody particularly
those who were not well on the day and those who were thinking about them
I hope we meet soon. Particular thanks to Gordon and Pauline.
All the very best,
Keith
U3A Electronic Keyboard Would you like to borrow our excellent modern keyboard for your existing group or, perhaps, start a new one? It is a Roland eP77 Digital Piano, with stand and carrying bag. Contact me to try it.
Alan Povall
If you know of any member who is ill please inform Marion Povall so that she can contact them.
Copy date for the next issue is Friday 25th March
Save Our Teas ! Those members who attend Monthly Meetings regularly will be aware that after a few more meetings, no more refreshments will be available at St. Paul's Parish Rooms. This is because we have yet to find either a volunteer organiser, or an alternative system to find the four helpers needed every month.
Since I have been Speakers' Secretary, nearly three years now, we have asked help from the different interest groups, in roughly alphabetical order. This has worked well, and I am most grateful to those members, from Archaeology through to MOTO, who have cheerfully and efficiently made our tea and coffee and washed up afterwards. However, one or two convenors have pointed out, very understandably, that this is hardly fair if very few of their participants attend monthly meetings. The committee has therefore decided to stop this system of finding volunteers.
We have teams from the Monthly Meetings for the next three months. However, after that the teas will cease unless we can find a different system. It has been suggested to me that different interest groups might each volunteer to find a group of helpers for one month of the year. This seems to me a good idea, and my Bridge for Beginners Group would certainly take part. We just need to find another 7 groups.
There is never any difficulty in finding groups of volunteers if you just walk round the Hall. If there is someone who would be prepared to co-ordinate these groups, that would be great.
If you have any further ideas, or would like to volunteer in any role, do let me know.
And in the meantime if anyone knows of a nice large hall in the area........... we are getting just too popular!
Patsy Thornton
In case of Emergency The Ambulance Service have launched a national "In case of Emergency (ICE) " campaign with the support of Falklands war hero Simon Weston. The idea is that you store the word " ICE " in your mobile phone address book, and against it enter the number of the person you would want to be contacted in Case of Emergency. In an emergency situation ambulance and hospital staff will then be able to quickly find out who your next of kin are and be able to contact them. It's so simple that everyone can do it. Please do.
It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest. For more than one contact name ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc. For more information on this campaign see the link below
http://www.eastanglianambulance.com/content/news/newsdetail.asp?newsID=646104183
Good Thing To Remember
During a BBQ a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and that she just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away.)
She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ - had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.
It only takes a minute to read this-
Recognising a Stroke
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognised, diagnosed and getting to the patient within 3 hours which is tough.
RECOGNISING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps. Read and Learn! Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognise the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognise a stroke by asking three simple questions:
1. Ask the individual to SMILE.
2. Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
3. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today).
If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call emergency immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.
A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved. BE A FRIEND AND SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE, you could save their lives.
Sixty Years Ago
January 1st. Lovely bright day, but very cold. Bought two pairs of Utility knickers for 6s 3d.(31p.approx.) three coupons each.(Clothing did not come off the ration until 1943.R.) Went with Jim to the Odeon, at Whitton to see Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour in The Road to Utopia, also India Strikes.
January 14th. Jim and I went to the Dominion tonight to see Pink String and Sealing Wax and Earl Carrolls Vanities: both good films. Don't know why I'm so irritable about the sight of Jim's beret plonked on his nut like a pancake, just infuriated me; then he said I was nattering and got wild. We got on a No.33 bus, but as the one behind was going first, we got off again. Jim hurled himself on it just as it was leaving, and I was left behind. I'll see that he doesn't get the chance of doing that again!
February 3rd, Rained all day. I listened to the radio this evening and heard Scrapbook for 1919. I hadn't realised what a different world we're living in now to what we were living in then, though many things like housing shortage etc., seemed horribly familiar.
February 6th. To a dance at the Ambassadors with Mrs. Pridham. Felt not well dressed. Mrs. Pridham thought it was a social, but it was a dance and although everybody was very friendly, I wished my flannel blouse and skirt had been a nice afternoon frock, and that I had a good partner, and was a better dancer. Believe I could dance well if I did more of it.
February 23rd. (Saturday) Sleet, wind, rain. Caught 7.30 bus to Hammersmith arriving there at 8.10. (Jim is very good he always comes to see me off.) It was raining hard when I got in the train at Paddington, and as it was such a very miserable a.m.I told Jimbo not to wait but to get back home as soon as he could. Arrived at Bath at 11.40. Fred (her sister Frederica R.) was on the platform to meet me, and we took a taxi to Dorchester Lodge. The sun was shining brightly by then. Margaret had been out riding and came in around 12.30. I was so impatient to see how the housecoat fitted, that I gave it to her at once, and to our mutual satisfaction it fitted well, and suits her too. In the evening Tom (Frederica's husband. R.) took us to The Sedan Chair for dinner, where in a vault-like downstairs room we had soup, chicken, orange jelly and coffee. (Food was still rationed, so meals out were not very exciting, but I bet the chicken tasted better than chicken today! R. ) The lights of Bath looked Lovely. (After six years of darkness, the blackout ended in July 1945, so city lights were still a visual delight. R.)
February 24th. (Sunday) This afternoon Tom took us in the car through Hinton Charterhouse to Farley Hungerford, where we went over the old chapel. Then we came through Tellisford to Norton St. Philip and had tea at the George Inn, afterwards we went over the lovely little church of St. Philip and St. James, which was surprisingly very well heated. Saw a large barn owl.
February 25th (Monday) Our darling Mig's 16th birthday. She was happy and pleased with her many presents. We took the 'bus into town and had a coffee at Rickards, as we were so cold. Then we went and bought Mig a new pair of riding breeches. The 12.22. train home was full, but not crowded. I got a seat at a table and was really very comfortable. I read Three Men on a Bummel which I'd bought in Bath that morning. It was a quick journey, and I was so pleased to see old Jimbo at Paddington. Glad to be home.
Rosemary Goldschmied.
Community Arts Programme
Spring Term 2006 - Visual Arts Centre - Maiden Erlegh School For further details contact Muriel Froom, 0118 9781647 or check on www.maidenerlegh.wokingham.sch.uk or contact Community Arts Administrator, Jacqqui Giachette on 0118 926 2467. gia@maidenerlegh.wokingham.sch.uk.
Information received from the U3A National Office.
U3A/Ri out and about.
The Ri event this year will be on Tuesday 4th April 2006 from 1.30 to 5.05pm. There will be three speakers covering 'The brain in sickness and in health', 'Will nanotechnology change the world' and 'The music of the primes'.
COST - £13 including tea and biscuits.
Book directly by writing to The Third Age Trust, 19 East Street, Bromley BRI 1QH including a cheque for £13 per person payable to The Third Age Trust. A map will be enclosed with your tickets.
For more information of the event send stamped addressed envelope to: Muriel Froom, I Mertonford, Page's Croft, Wokingham, RG40 2HQ.
U3A Summer School
There will be a South East Area U3A Summer School, at the University College Chichester. This is a highly popular event and is open to any member of U3A and the outline information for it is:
SUMMER SCHOOL. Wednesday 28th June 28th to Saturday 1st July at University College CHICHESTER.
Subjects on offer.
Art History - The 'Pallant House' Collection.
Chichester Harbour (West Side) Conservancy - area of outstanding natural beauty - bird watching - walking - wildlife.
Drama Workshop
Drawing Earth and Space Science
Entomology
Health and Well Being - adding life to your years.
Historic Chichester
ICT- Refresher Workshop
Women Poets of the twentieth Century
Extended stay can be arranged with the University. Cost. Full Board £225.00 En-suite. Full Board Standard Accommodation £220.00 Complete course-non residential with evening dinner £135.00 Complete course-non residential but no evening dinner £98.00 Further details and booking forms will shortly be available.
Any member interested in attending the course send s.a.e. to Muriel Froom, 1 Mertonford Page's Croft, Wokingham. RG40 2HQ. Details and booking forms will be sent to you as soon as they become available.
The April Meeting
Neil Paxton
And
Dr. "Miranda" Barry, 46 years as a
military surgeon
Many of you will remember Neil Paxton who spoke to us about his experiences as a Military Policeman. Neil returns, by popular request, to tell us about James Miranda Barry who in the nineteenth century became a military surgeon, fought a number of duels, and on death was found to be a woman.
Tuesday, 18th April 2006
St Paul's Parish Rooms at
2.00 PM