merry christmas to all our readers wycliffe u3a december ......twycross zoo is a conservation...
TRANSCRIPT
Merry Christmas to all our readers
Wycliffe U3ADecember 2016Bulletin 110
Contents
Monthly Meetings....................................................................................3Report on the November Meeting..........................................................4Skittles Evening........................................................................................5Notices.....................................................................................................7Group Reports........................................................................................10
BOOK CHAT........................................................................................10BOOK GROUP.....................................................................................11ENGINEERING, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY......................................12ETHNIC DINING..................................................................................14GARDEN GROUP.................................................................................15LIVELY DISCUSSION............................................................................18HISTORY GROUP.................................................................................21PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP.....................................................................25POETRY GROUP..................................................................................33PUB LUNCHES.....................................................................................35QUIZ GROUP.......................................................................................36SINGING FOR PLEASURE.....................................................................37SNAILS PACE GROUP..........................................................................38TUESDAY WALKING GROUP (Lutterworth and Wycliffe U3A)...........411st WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP...................................................422nd WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP..................................................434th WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP...................................................45
Interest Group Meeting Days and Times...............................................48Committee April 2016 – March 2017.....................................................51
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Monthly Meetings
Welcome to the Wycliffe U3A. We meet on second Thursday of each month at the Methodist Church Hall. New members are welcome.
10am – 10.30am: tea, coffee and biscuits available, and an opportunity to meet friends old and new. Book exchange, information about trips etc. Group co-ordinators will be available to answer any queries.
Visitors: may come to one monthly meeting (payment of £1), after which they must become a full member if they want to come again.
Membership: to interest groups is limited to full members only.
Refreshments:
December 8th - Jill Betts, Val Ridley and Sue and Brian Poulter
January12th - Tony Allen, Barbara Jelley and Mary Peflar-Perks
February 9th - Pat Binnie, Marilyn Hemsley and Barbara Ewen
Thought for the month: Success is a journey, not a destination
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Report on the November Meeting
Title: Twycross Zoo
Speaker: Nicky Judd, Education Officer
Many will remember the Chimpanzee Tea Party and the PG Tips advert of the 70’s. Although charming in their time, today this anthropomorphic training would be considered inappropriate for species of the Ape family.
Founded by Mollie Badham in 1962, the Zoo now houses 150 different species. The aim of such zoos is to eventually release animals into their own wild habitat, but this can take up to three generations of breeding.Twycross Zoo is a Conservation Charity. Within this ideal, it has many other facets, providing education for schools, research opportunities for university students and recreation for those visiting the nature reserves, which offer a varied and stimulating day out for all ages.Due to the loss of habitat, trophy hunting, poaching and the Fur and Pet trade, the breeding of endangered animals is a vital conservation aim, which is being admirably pursued at Twycross - a zoo where animals’ welfare is a priority.
Chris Brady
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Skittles Evening
One of our favorite social events of the year, the annual skittlesevening, took place on the 4th November at the Wycliffe Bowls Club,and as usual, competition was fierce! 6 teams of 9 battled it outthrough games of Long Alley Skittles, Table Skittles, and Devil amongthe Tailors to win the magnificent prizes on offer. It was the eventorganiser's team (Nigel’s team) who ran away with the most pointswinning a (miniature) bottle of Aldi wine each, while George’s teamwon the table quiz prize of a small packet of sweeties. A few concernswere expressed by the winners of the table quiz as to why theintellectual challenge should result in a lesser prize than the gameswinners, but as Andy Murray would no doubt confirm, the athletes willalways reap greater rewards than the mere intellectuals!.
With a cottage pie supper provided by Rachel Louise Catering, a goodtime was had by all - and there's always next year to look forward toGeorge.
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Notices
COMMITTEE MATTERS
As most of you will be aware, I shall be standing down as Chairman ofWycliffe Lutterworth U3A in March 2017, once my three year period ofoffice comes to an end and will be coming off the Committee. Inaddition, Nigel Bones, our Vice Chairman, will be leaving theCommittee, as will both Christine Brady and George Robertson. Thismeans that we will not only need a new Chairperson, but also threeother new committee members. The present committee is very activeand supportive so that the work of running this organisation is verymuch a shared project and anyone who joined their ranks would bemade most welcome. So I am appealing to all of you who have ideasand are willing to try and further the progress of this successfulorganisation to come forward and talk to me or any other committeemember about becoming a member of the committee. It is a great wayto feel involved and make new friends and if we want our U3A tocontinue to thrive, we need your help!
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION 2017 – advance notice
Many of you will already be familiar with electronic payments andonline banking, so that you may be pleased to hear that we will beinviting as many members as want to, to pay their next year’ssubscription electronically. This could considerably reduce the queuesat April and May meetings when people tend to renew theirsubscriptions. In the New Year, we shall be sending out an email withrelevant instructions to all those on the email list. However, all those of
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you who wish to continue to pay in the time-honoured way will, ofcourse, be able to do so. We would ask that you pay by cheque ratherthan cash wherever possible, as this makes accounting easier. Allcheques are to be made payable to “Wycliffe Lutterworth U3A”.
“HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOUR COMPUTER”
We are planning to run a session (or a series of sessions if required) atthe One Stop Shop in the New Year, to help those of you who either donot have a computer or tablet, or those who are still not overlyconfident in using one. The ethos of the U3A is that we share our skillswith fellow members and a number of people have expressed theirwillingness to help. We invite you to sign up on the sheet available atthe next Monthly Meeting and we can offer you help andencouragement along with tea and biscuits, so please give it a try!
TENTH ANNIVERSARY LUNCH 2 ND FEBRUARY 2017
There is still time for you to sign up for this event at the DecemberMeeting. Already more than ninety people have done so and we aresure that it will be an enjoyable afternoon in an otherwise drearyFebruary! Payment (£17 per head) must be made by the Januarymeeting (January 12th) at the latest and cheques (payable to “WycliffeLutterworth U3A”) are preferable to cash, where possible.
Jane Clark
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UKULELE GROUP
Lutterworth U3A Ukulele Group will be recruiting new members in the New Year. The group meets in Bitteswell Village Hall on 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month, between 10am and 12 noon.
If you feel like having a go, then come along and join us. You don’t need to have a ukulele as there are several spares which can be borrowed while you try it out and decide if it’s for you.
Further details are available from the group leaders:-Barbara Wilkinson and Peter Sneath on 01455 553254.
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Group Reports
BOOK CHATCo-ordinatorMick Curtis01455 554504
Our book this month was The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.
This book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1953, and the followingyear, Hemingway won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Although veryshort, this story was very well written and all members present felt itwas 'as if you were there' even if they did not like the book. A fewfound it boring as not much happened but others were transported toa small boat in a large sea.
This story provoked a really enjoyable and far reaching discussion,which is one of the main joys of our group.
Sylvie Curtis
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BOOK GROUPCo-ordinator: Anne Dean01455 [email protected]
This month we read Exposure by Helen Dunmore.
The story is set in London in 1960 at the height of the Cold War and spyfever. It is based around espionage but is not a thriller as such. It’s atale about a family, their secrets and their struggles as they come toterms with the arrest of Simon Callington ( a civil servant in theAdmiralty) when he is accused of passing information to the Russians.The characters are interesting to read about, though not all arelikeable.
We enjoyed the fast pace of the book , a complex plot which twists andturns.
Some of us were new to Helen Dunmore’s work and resolved to readher previous novels.
Anne Dean
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ENGINEERING, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYCo-ordinator: Chris Ridley 01455 209920
"An evening with Formula One”
Lutterworth Wycliffe Bowls Club was the venue for our EngineeringGroup November event "An Evening with Formula 1” where we weretreated to a detailed insight into the glamorous world of Formula Oneby the current Mercedes F1 Team accountant Chris Holyoak.
The evening started with drinks from the bar accompanied withcanape’s and snacks (many thanks Val) before getting to the seriouspart of the evening.
As the events title suggested, the night was to be relatively informaland relaxed, and as such Chris invited questions as and when during histalk which started with him outlining his background and how hebecame part of the premier world title winning F1 Team.
Chris also brought with him examples of Titanium and Carbon Fibrehardware off the race cars, and these gave us all a stark realisation ofthe enormous development costs involved in this sport to achievethose small gains vital to succeed over the competition, the CarbonBrake Shield for example cost about the same as a new Porsche911…….and weighed less than a Christmas box of Quality Street !
There are far too many details and views contained in Chris’s talk toreplicate here, so these are best kept in "the memory of the night" butsuffice to say that even the most ardent F1 fans there learned
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something new and surprising, and I for one felt privileged to be partyto this insight of knowledge. One fact we did learn however is that, 40% of total viewing of whatsome considered in the past to be a male dominated sport is nowwatched by women…. helped along no doubt by the charismaticpresence of Lewis Hamilton etc !!!!….
Our thanks to Nigel Burt for being Barman on the night and also toNigel Bones for sorting out the projection equipment.
CMBR
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ETHNIC DINING Co-ordinator: Jill Graham 01455 557117
Wednesday 30th November 2016 - The Fox Thai Restaurant, Rugby Road, Lutterworth - Report next month
Tuesday 15th November - The Tithe Barn Cosby Fifteen of us sat down together in this delightful venue. The Tithe Barnhas only been open since early summer and they specialize in adaytime light meals and snacks menu with a different menu forevenings. Because they asked us to preorder, the majority of us wentfor the homemade Quiches + New Potatoes + Salad. We then foundthat they had run out of the Mediterranean Quiche.Two of us werequite happy to have the Goat's Cheese Quiche instead and myneighbour negotiated a Hot Sausage Roll with Sweet Potato Chips andSide Salad. I tried the chips and they were absolutely fantastic so I willbe going back there again to order those. Apparently they do a VeryGood Breakfast on Sunday mornings and have people queueing for it.Try them.
Have a Happy Christmas and don't overdo anything. Best Wishes for 2017.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL BE NO MEALS ARRANGED FOR DECEMBER AND POSSIBLY NOT FOR JANUARY EITHER.
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GARDEN GROUPCo-ordinator: Sue Creeden 01455 557888
Following two very wet days at the end of the month we wereextremely lucky to have no rain for our visit to the Botanical Gardens inBirmingham. Our guide Wayne gave us a brief history of the gardens.Opened in 1832 by the Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Societythe gardens were designed by J C Loudon. They are still managed by acharity today and the general layout of the gardens remainsunchanged. Wayne led us past the lawn and bandstand along theforest walk and through the grasses and ferns.
He pointed out the rock garden and pool, tennis courts and play areas.There were so many different areas to see and he explained thatdifferent areas were at their best at different times of the year.
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We then walked through the glass houses - Arid House, Mediterraneanand Subtropical before finishing an excellent tour in the TropicalHouse.
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After lunch there was plenty of time to tour the gardens again at leisure or browse in the shop.
There will be no meeting in December.
We will meet again on Tuesday 24th January at 2.00 p.m. in the SueFroggit Room of the One Stop Shop, Gilmorton Road, Lutterworth(LE17 4DY) when Sally Cunningham will tell us about ‘Growing UnusualVegetables’. The cost will be £5.00 each including refreshments. Moredetails to follow in the next Bulletin.
Sue Creeden
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LIVELY DISCUSSIONCo-ordinator: Dot Barnard 01455 208190
The Young and the Old - a Society of Two Halves?
We had a lively and very lengthy debate. This was a very relevant topicas it illustrated deep divisions within our society, something observedduring the recent BREXIT referendum, and the US election.
The debate centred around two areas, the gap in wealth and the gap inattitudes and culture.
In terms of wealth, three areas were identified as causing the gap:university fees (now a lifelong debt for many), the demise of finalsalary pension schemes, and housing. It was recently reported thatsince the industrial revolution, each generation of British workers hasbeen better off than the one before, however today’s generation,(Millennials, born between 1981 and 2000) is the first to see itsstandard of living go into reverse.
Housing is a complex topic in its own right, but key to this debate.Rapid house price increases have concentrated wealth in the hands ofhome owners, generally the older generation, leaving many youngpeople unable to get on the property ladder and paying costly privaterents. Back in May, rents were averaging £1500 in London and around£800 outside London. Rents continue to rise rapidly and tenants arealso hit with often outrageous surcharges from rental agencies. Afurther problem is that most private rented tenants are assured short-hold tenants and have no security of tenure, they can be asked to leave
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with just two months’ notice. In addition to lack of security, rents arenow so high that it is virtually impossible for tenants to save for adeposit to buy.
This is causing a real shift in home ownership: “A recent analysis showsthat home ownership among under-35s from modest income workinghouseholds has plummeted, from 57 per cent in 1998 to just 25 percent. Nine in ten under 35s on modest incomes could be frozen out ofhome ownership by 2025.
Nor has “Help to Buy” been of much use. Schemes such as Help to Buycan only ever help a minority – often providing a leg-up to those whowould eventually climb onto the housing ladder anyway. Indeed, morethan half of those benefiting from Help to Buy to date have householdincomes in excess of £40,000. Without significant action, the future forthis generation of renters looks bleak.
Meanwhile the older generation holds a disproportionate share ofwealth, they consume the largest portion of state benefits (pensions)and on average NHS costs are double those of the younger generation.We are also of course growing in numbers.
None of us felt that we should be blamed for this, except possibly interms of voting, which would be another debate. We didn’t discusssolutions although it was generally agreed that fuel allowances shouldbe means tested and for some, also social care. There was a view thatthe triple lock on pensions was unrealistic and there was support forrental legislation. Nevertheless we did not lose sight of the 2m or sopensioners who are thought to be on the poverty line.
In addition to the wealth gap we discussed the gap in ideology. In theBREXIT referendum, older voters tended towards Leave, and younger
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people voted overwhelmingly for Remain, in fact 73% of 18 to 24 yearolds and 62% of 25 to 34 year olds voted this way. University studentswho voted supported Remain by 82%. Yet apparently they felt sodisengaged from the political process that they didn’t vote in sufficientnumbers to affect the outcome.
It was thought that there was significant disillusionment for manyreasons including those already mentioned, feeling that votingchanged nothing, feeling that “getting on” is too dependent on whoyou know, lack of apprenticeships, and having to live with parents untilmuch later in life. It was thought that degrees had become devaluedalthough education was key to getting on.
We discussed how younger people have been brought up with muchhigher expectations of material wealth and how the rise of social mediahas led to a different kind of society where friends are as much on lineas physically present. Indeed the British Social Attitudes Survey showedsome surprising shifts in attitude, for example younger people are lesssupportive of the NHS and of benefits. They seem to have a lowercommunity and more individual oriented life philosophy, perhaps dueto the Thatcher and Blair years.
Short termism by successive governments was thought to be a problem– the vote of older people is key and therefore they tread warilyaround us.
Although there wasn’t time to explore possible solutions this was, I think, an interesting and informative debate for everyone.
Future Meetings:-December – Xmas MeetingJanuary 2017 - Should we re-introduce grammar schools?
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HISTORY GROUPCo-ordinator:Val Weller 01455 557136email: [email protected]
U3A History Group meeting report 7/11/16
In our November meeting, John Grieg, one of the members of thegroup, took us back in time to the early 19th Century to learn about thelife of a soldier in the British army during the Napoleonic Wars. John isa re-enactor and through his alter ego, Major J. Grieg, Adjutant, H.M.Corps of Engineers in the British army, he has amassed a very wideknowledge of the history of the military conflict with the French, notjust in Europe but also in the Americas.
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John looked very impressive in his uniform which had been made to be authentic in every detail. ‘No polyester’! We learned that Engineers wore blue jackets and wore their bicorne hats East-West.
John turned out his ‘Possibles’ bag to show us all the items soldierswould carry, including a cloth bag for bread and sausage, a compass, afirst aid kit (including brown paper sheets, which would be used withvinegar as a wound dressing), notebook and pencil, lead musket ballsand even a tiny hand gun in case a passing Frenchman caught himunawares over lunch! Many items, like the gun, lead shot and thecompass, dated from the 1780s. John also brought with him anextensive array of other antiques from the period to show us, includingrare land survey instruments, officers’ swords, and not least his guns,including a blunderbuss.
Mike Bates had done a lot of background work to create a computerpresentation for John, which enabled the topic to be put into contextand outlined how the British army was organised, with George III as thecommander-in chief, the various regiments and their different roles.Unlike most officers, Engineers were appointed as officers through
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their ability and merit rather than being commissioned because ofsocial rank or wealth. We also learned a little about the meteoric riseenjoyed by Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, from ratherunpromising beginnings in Ireland to becoming a revered national heroafter Waterloo in 1815. Although undoubtedly a man of considerabletalent he also seems to have been someone blessed with luck on hisside at times. The Napoleonic wars were perhaps the first ever worldwars, with episodes erupting in South America, North America and theCaribbean, besides the more obvious European centres like France,Spain and Russia. They became so extensive geographically andpolitically largely because of Trade. The associated rivalries over wealthand power opportunities lay at the roots of the crisis and tradingcompanies like the East India Company were very influential indeed.
We also were able to see the re-enactors in action in a film clip fromJohn’s group. It was impressive to see the sheer size of the ‘armies’ andhow realistic and dangerous it looked. John showed us how the militarytactics were devised and then deployed on the field. As an engineerofficer, John’s role would have been more strategic, leaving lowerranks to do the actual digging of mines and ‘saps’. There were alsodifferences in fighting methods depending on which country youfought for, which had to be taken into account by the commanders.Finally, John touched on the role played by women in the army. Wivesof officers might accompany their husbands abroad but wives ofordinary soldiers had to take part in a ballot at the quayside as the menembarked. Only two were allowed and the rest would be sent back totheir home parish to endure a life of severe hardship on parish poorrelief. Meanwhile, the army acquired many more camp followersduring the foreign campaigns and these again would be heartlessly leftbehind when the armies moved.
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John’s hobby has taken him to many far flung places over the years butperhaps the most recent highlight for him was when he participated inthe massive commemoration battle at Waterloo in 2015, which was anamazing experience for him.
John’s enthusiasm for his subject and extensive knowledge of theperiod were impressive. We enjoyed the wealth of anecdotes he toldus and came away having not only learned something new but alsohaving been entertained.
Our thanks go to John and Mike for a very interesting afternoon.
Viv Weller
Future meetings
December 5th 2016 - A fun history quiz. (Mike)January 2nd 2017 - PLEASE NOTE THERE IS NO MEETING AS IT IS A BANK HOLIDAYFebruary 6th 2017 - We’ll be examining two related topics:-
1) A look at the Anglo Saxons. 2) Understanding place names and what they can tell us about
Leicestershire. (Viv)
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PHOTOGRAPHY GROUPCo-ordinatorMichael Bates07899937595
November Meeting ReportWe had our first meeting at our new venue (The One Stop Shop – Lutterworth) on Friday the 25th November. Seven members were present with six apologies for absence, making interest in the group encouraging for the future. The meeting was a general “getting to know you” event where we discussed proposals for future meetings. The group members have varying interests in photography, but with similar levels of expertise, which will make future meetings very interesting.
We agreed that January’s meeting topic will be “camera settings and their use” with future meeting topics being; composition, editing, landscapes, people (indoor and outdoor), recovering old pictures and presentations. We will also look at variations within these categories such as action and wildlife pictures. Some members of the group have experience of working with video and we will include this as a regular topic in our programme of presentations and interests.For the November meeting members were asked to bring along some pictures illustrating their interests and we had some stunning pictures to review. As predicted this part of the meeting was interesting with positive contributions from all. Typical of the pictures we reviewed are shown below.
We shall be having a “topic of the month” for pictures taken by members in the month preceding each meeting. As we shall not be meeting in December the topic for review at our January meeting will be “Christmas”. It does not have to be all, Father Christmas, Christmas
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lights, children, etc. so get your thinking caps on and for those of you who are jetting off to warmer climes, a lack of frost or snow should be no drawback to your inventiveness!
The next meeting will be 10.00am on Friday 27th January 2017 at the One Stop Shop in Lutterworth and to all our group have a happy Christmas and New Year and keep those shutters clicking. For more information regarding the photography group or a copy of the group Newsletter contact us on [email protected] Bates
Some of the pictures reviewed at the November meeting.
Floating Village, Inle Lake Myanmar – Penny Ross
As you can see, Penny took this picture from a moving boat and as we saw on screen, the images were sharp. The auto setting on her camera provided a good rendition of the colours. The diagonals of the bridge canopy provided some additional interest in the scene.
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“I am sure I parked it here” Bikes in Amsterdam. – Peter Ross
Peter took this while on holiday in Amsterdam. Peter showed us a number of pictures depicting canals and the very distinctive Dutch houses. The group, however, found this study interesting. Shooting into the sun is always challenging and we will look (at a future meeting) how some editing can improve difficult shots.
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“Frosty” a local winter view – Mike Chapman
Mike took this shot of a very frosty morning in countryside close to where he lives. The group felt the vivid sky against the trees, particularly the one on theleft, were very pleasing. Difficult to see in this image,there is a barn and somehuts at the base of the trees which, full size, added even more interest to the picture
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“Sunset” taken during a cruise near the Arctic Circle – Mike Chapman
Mike took this shot while on a cruise in Scandinavia. This picture was taken quite late in the evening, but being so far North this was about as dark as it was going to get. Everyone appreciated the colour of the sky and its reflectionin the water. With the sun so low, Mike exposed this to suit the light sky, making the land a very dense silhouette.This is a classic way of adding some drama to the picture. We had some fun turning the picture through 90o, can you see the Lion’s face in profile.
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“On Safari 1” - An Elephant in the Kruger Park South Africa – Colin Beadle
Colin took this shot while visiting the Kruger National Park in South Africa. A change to see an elephant in the bush rather than the open grassland or a watering hole. This picture is straight from the camerawithout any editing. We may explore this picture further when we look at various editing techniques, although this a great picture as it is.
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“On Safari 2” – A Leopard in the Kruger Park South Africa – Colin Beadle
Another of Colin’s pictures from his holiday in South Africa. It just shows how our “holiday snaps” have changed. It can only be a few years ago that pictureslike this were only for the “professionals”. Again a challenging picture as the big cat’s camouflage breaks up its outline against the bush. We assume Colin has a good telephoto lens as he is still here to show us his pictures.
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Venice – Mary Hodgson
Among the many pictures Mary has of Venice, she chose this one to show the group. This view demonstrates the more open aspect of the lagoon with the Gondolas in the front adding interest to the shot. The brightness and clarity ofthe picture was appreciated and with winter now upon us made us wish we were there.
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POETRY GROUPCo-ordinator: Sylvia Hitchen0116 247 [email protected]
Poetry Notes 24th November
For the last session before Christmas we chose to bring our favouritepoems which proved to be a very interesting mix. A selection isincluded below. If you enjoy poetry, but perhaps don’t often read it,why not pick a poem from whichever (loose) category appeals to you ,and enjoy. Most are available via the net.
Nature John Clare – Sheep in WinterPhilip Larkin - Cut GrassA E Housman – The Land of Lost ContentMartin Armstrong- The Buzzards
Still Life John Drinkwater – Moonlit ApplesEdward Thomas – Adlestrop
Comedy Pam Ayres – They Should Have Asked my HusbandWendy Cope – Bloody MenParodies of Twas the Night before ChristmasAdrian Mitchell – Celia CeliaMartin Armstrong – Mrs Reece LaughsJenny Joseph – Warning
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Gardens U A Fanthorpe – Men on AllotmentsRudyard Kipling – The Glory of the GardenBarbara Robinson – The Gardeners Hymn
A Bit of Shakespeare
From “The Merchant of Venice” – Act 3 Scene 1 Shylock’s famous speech “if you prick us, do we not bleed ?”From “Richard II” Act 2 Scene 1 “This sceptred isle”
Sombre Spike Milligan – MyxomatosisSpike Milligan – Christmas 1970W H Auden – Twelve Songs
Quirky and a bit DarkSimon Armitage - Not the Furniture GameHenry Reed – Judging DistanceCarolyn Kizer – Bitch
Messages and OtherMaya Angelou – Still I RiseWilfrid Gibson – The Golden RoomJohn Betjeman – Diary of a Church MouseW B Yeats – When I am OldCzeslaw Milosz – Encounter
Our next meeting will be on January 26th and the theme is “Clothes (and bodies)”
Sylvie Hitchen
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PUB LUNCHESCo-ordinatorJill Graham01455 557117email [email protected]
Wednesday 2nd November The Greyhound Coaching Inn, LutterworthThe last time we went, we could choose from either the Bar Menu orthe Full Menu. Order and pay in the Bar and wait for them to tell uswhere we will be seated. This time we were ushered straight into theRestaurant and our order taken there. Everyone seemed pleased withtheir choices and were so satisfied that no one went for a dessert thistime.
DECEMBER 2016 - No meals of any sort booked as every U3A Group seems to have a "Christmas Lunch".
JANUARY 2017!*!* - I will put a board out for Wednesday 18th Januaryat "The Elms". It seems to be one of those venues that people either"love or leave" depending on whether the Yorkshire Puddings areoverdone etc. However it has the advantage of being local and as wecan't book there, it means that I would not be faced with cancelling abooking if we had a lot of snow!! I usually aim to get there when theyopen - ask for a table to accommodate our numbers, and have a coffeeand read till everyone starts arriving.
Have a Happy Christmas and don't overdo anything. Best Wishes for2017.
FEBRUARY 2017 - Our U3A Celebration Dinner
MARCH 2017 - Normal service should be resumed!
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QUIZ GROUPCo-ordinatorJoan Coiley01455 558658
The November meeting of the Quiz Group was, unfortunately, a smallone. This may have been due, in part, to a slight mix up about thevenue. Nevertheless, we all had an instructive and amusing meetingwith Mick as quizmaster. As usual, he had been busy downloadingpictures for a couple of sections. We did quite well on the pictures ofcelebrities but the next one on car emblems was not a great success foreither team. When a section of questions on Science and Technologywas announced there were groans all round but, actually, this subjectresulted in the highest scores.
Considering the slight imbalance in their numbers the scores of theteams were fairly close at the finish.
Joan Coiley
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SINGING FOR PLEASURECo-ordinator:Jane Clark 01455 554449
After a very successful session on November 25th with over 20 peopleattending, we are not planning a session for December, due to people’sbusy diaries. The next session will be on Friday 20th January 2017 at theOne Stop Shop from 3pm till 4.30. See you there !
Jane Clark
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SNAILS PACE GROUPCo-ordinator: Sheila Eggleton 01455 554397
SNAIL’S PACE WALK 18TH NOVEMBER 2016Our last walk of 2016 was around the picturesque village of Shawell, onthe Leicestershire/Warwickshire border. The walk took us through the conservation area which boasts a variety of beautiful buildings. We glimpsed Shawell Manor, a Grade II listed building, tucked away behindthe wall and trees. The Manor has previously been home to some interesting and important historic characters, including one of the Judges at the trial of Charles I and later signatory to his death warrant. At the time of the Restoration he was indicted for treason, had his lands in Shawell confiscated and subsequently died in the Tower of London. Outside the Rectory we took time to ponder some quotes from Tennyson, once Poet Laureate and a regular visitor to Shawell Rectory, where he is reputed to have written one of his most famous
works. We took a break from our walk to visit theParish Church, where we had the privilege of viewing some of the historic artefacts uncovered by local fieldwalkers, during the last three years. Some ofthe finds dated back to the Iron, Bronze and Roman eras.
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We were indebted to Pat and Dave (Hunter) and other fieldworkers for organising this viewing.
Leaving the Church we saw the remains of earthworks, part of a defensive system, believed to have been established during the reign of King Stephen (William the Conqueror’s Grandson). The final part of our walk took us back along a public footpath, which ran past the stream at the side of the Manor. This short path was beautiful bathed in sunlight and with autumn leaves crunching underfoot. We ended our walk with a pre-booked Christmas meal at The White Swan. Everyone agreed it was a really lovely meal and a fitting end to what had been an enjoyable morning.
My thanks to Dave and Pat Hunter for their assistance with this walk and to all who have contributed to the success of the group, by organising or leading a walk during 2016. Wishing all “Snail’s Pace Walkers” a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, hope to see you on our next walk on January 20th 2017. - Sheila Eggleton
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Snail's Pace Walk 20 th January 2017
This walk will be from Cropston into and through Bradgate Park, with abrief stop to view the new visitor centre. Please note this walk will startat 11.15 a.m. and lunch will be timed slightly later than normal, at 1.15p.m. to allow time to visit the centre. Details of how to get to the walkand where we will eat will be available in the U3A January bulletin. Iwill also email the details to all walkers on my database, afterChristmas.
Sheila Eggleton
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TUESDAY WALKING GROUP (Lutterworth and Wycliffe U3A)
Coordinator:Gordon Jones 01455 556192
Note the lunch arrangements.
Date of Walk: Tuesday 20th December 2016Walk Organiser: Gordon & Sue Jones, Tel 01455 556192Meeting Point: Coventry Road Recreation Ground car park.Meeting Time: 9.20 to leave at 9.30Route and Distance: We will put on a walk of not more than 5 miles depending on the weather. If it you decide to get there for lunch please be at the pub for 13.00.Lunch: The lunch is the Christmas meal at the Heathcote at Croft, anyone who has not already booked and wishes to join in the meal should contact Sue or Gordon.Directions to the Starting Point: Take the A426 toward Leicester, turn left at the traffic lights at Dunton Bassett (B581). Stay on the B581 and go straight on at the traffic lights at the top of Broughton Astley to the lights a Coventry Road (B4114) and turn right. About half way along the dual section turn left, signed for Croft, and stay on Broughton Lane into Station Road. At the fork at the end of Station Road turn right then sharp left into the pub carpark. LE9 3EG
Return Mileage from Lutterworth: 18 Miles
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1st WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUPCo-ordinators:Roger Watmore 01455 552431Julian Hargreaves 01455 557704
WEDNESDAY 4th January 2017
Walk Organiser: Roger Watmore 01455 552431Meeting Point and Time: Lutterworth Recreation Ground car park at 9.25 am to leave at 9.30 am.Directions to the Start: - From A426 to Leicester, at the third roundabout on the Blaby bypass turn left SP Enderby, the pub Old Vicarage is 150 yds. on the right, (LE86JH). Lunch ordered at end of walk.Route and Distance: - This is a circular walk of approx. 5½ miles along the Grand Union Canal and returning along the Great Central Way with no styles.
November Walk
A pleasant day resulted in over 30 walkers, plus 4 dogs to accompany. A first time for many in this pleasant end of Northamptonshire which offered numerous and varied views on our journey through typical English countryside. The Chequers were quite surprised, but pleasantly so, by our numbers eating, 27 of us, and the resulting food was both pleasing and served quickly.
Jill Betts
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2nd WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUPCo-ordinators:Julian Hargreaves 01455 557704Mike Chapman 01455 209972 / 07860 118426Last minute update (until 8:45am on day of walk)see www.ashbyparva.net/u3awalk
Date of walk: Wednesday 11th January 2017Walk organiser: Julian Hargreaves 01455 557704Meeting Point: Lutterworth Recreation Ground car park at 9.20am to leave at 9.30amStart Point and Time: Great Central Way, Car Park, Newton. Leave at 10am.Directions to start: From the Magna Park roundabout take the A5 south. Stay on the A5 and half a mile after the Gibbet Roundabout turnright to Newton. Immediately after the old railway bridge turn sharp left into the Car Park and Picnic area.Route and Distance: The walk takes us to Shawell Church, then onto Tomley Hall Farm and back to Newton via the Pipe Tunnel. I think thereare about 8 stiles (forgot to count!) Distance 4.5 miles and quite easy walking.
November 2016 Walk ReportWe started from Walcote on a damp cold morning and it was mizzling. There were 13 of us strong (or stupid) enough to brave the elements. We left Walcote crossing a field to reach Gilmorton Road, a single tracklane which unfortunately proved to be unbelievably busy with traffic. Itwas a relief to get off it into the fields. Well almost, we then had 15 rather slippy stiles, in close succession, to cross. We reached Kimcote for the break. Fortunately the rain had abated by then. The return route was along Poultney Lane and then across fields, the sun having a
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slight glimmer, to reach the Gilmorton Road, which was still busy!! We then retraced our steps back to Walcote. Peter Creeden
October’s Walk
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4th WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUPCo-ordinators: Sue & Peter Creeden 01455 557888
DECEMBER 2016 WALK
Our walk organisers are taking a well earned break this month so there will not be a walk.
We would like to thank all our organisers for their time and effort to allow us all to enjoy the countryside walks and you for your enjoyable company on this year`s walks.
We wish you a Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year.
Sue and Peter Creeden
November 2016 Walk Report
George Robertson led this month`s walk from the Chequers at Swinford. Although it was a grey November morning, and there had been several days of rain previously, there were 27 of us prepared to challenge what the countryside had to offer.
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We headed off across fields towards the A14 and then walked parallel with it for a mile or two. As the morning progressed the weather improved and there were glimmers of sun. Not only that the mud was not as bad as had been expected.
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We stopped for a break near a small wood to view the open landscape.There was some excitement as “Nell” (a dog) decided to improve herpheasant chasing skills and disappeared into the wood. The ownerbecame somewhat distraught because she did not respond to theircalling. Eventually Nell did emerge from the wood, but on the otherside she had entered. Nell and owner were eventually repatriated and Inoticed she (the dog) completed the rest of the walk on the lead. Thewalk then continued across fields and along a lane, passing a pheasantshooting party, and returned round the back of Stanford Hall, passing amemorial to the pioneer aviator, Percy Pilcher, who died in 1899 aftercrashing his glider in the field, and then back to Swinford. A verypleasant walk.
Most stayed for lunch but George received some flack because theprices had gone up. Who would organise a walk!?
Peter Creeden
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Interest Group Meeting Days and Times
GROUP CO-ORDINATOR TEL.NO* FREQUENCY TIME
MONDAY
Card Games Cynthia Griffith 554308 first & third 2.30— 4.30
History Viv Weller 557136 first 2 – 4 One Stop Shop Shop
Lively Discussion Dot Barnard 208190 second 10.30—12.30
2nd Bridge Anne Hetherington 203498 second 7.00 pm
Table Tennis Nigel Bones 209756 weekly 2.00-4.00
TUESDAY
Art Chris Brady 209108 1st,3rd,4th
5th 2.00-4.00
Quiz Joan Coiley 558658 first 10.00— 11.30
Rusty Racket Tennis Sue Hill 553369 fortnightly 2.30-4.30
Book Chat Mick Curtis 554504 third 10.00-12.00
Joint Tues Walking Gordon Jones 556192 10am(9.30 Rec)
Book Group Anne Dean 202327 second 2.00-400
Garden Lunches Jill Graham 557117 third 12 for 12.30
Garden Sue Creeden 557888 fourth 2.30-4.30
*All phone numbers are 01455 unless otherwise stated.
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WEDNESDAY
Pub Lunch Jill Graham 557117 first 12.00 for 12.30
1st Wed Walking Roger Watmore Julian Hargreaves
552431 or 557704 first morning
2ndWed WalkingMike Chapman Julian Hargreaves
209972 or 557704 second
a.m. only No lunch
Scrabble Pat Hunter 699935 second 10.00-12.00
Supper Club Ann Hetherington 203498 second 7.30pm- 10.30pm
Canasta 3 June Hartopp 553418 ex/d third 10.00-12.00
Ethnic Dining Jill Graham 557117 fourth varies
4thWed Walking Sue & Peter Creeden 557888 fourth morning
THURSDAY
Bridge Bob Howes 550027 1st and 3rd 2.00-4.00
Eng Science & Technology Chris Ridley 209920 third 10.00-12.00
Poetry Sylvia Hitchen 01162 478353 fourth 2.00-4.00
French Conversation Sue Hicks
01858 880273 fourth 10.00-12.00
*All phone numbers are 01455 unless otherwise stated.
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FRIDAY
Canasta 1 June Hartopp 553418 ex/d first 10.00-12.00
Art Appreciation Ursula Kanetis 553563 second 2.00
2nd Supper Club Nigel Bones 209756 second
10 Pin Bowling Bob Howes Dave Beaumont
550027 or 553341
second & fourth 10.00 onward
Snail’s Pace Walking Sheila Eggleton 554387 third 11.30 onwards
Photography Michael Bates 07899937595 last 10.00-12.00
VARIOUS
Social Events Nigel Bones 209756 varies daytime
Theatre Eddie Hemsley 554564 varies day/evening
Trips George Robertson
559725 varies day/evening
Joint Golf Peter Moore 552594 varies daytime
Cycling Nigel Bones 209756 varies daytime
Motor Cycle Colin Beadle 558013 varies
Singing for Pleasure Jane Clark 554449
Please contact the group co-ordinator to ask for further details if you would like to join a group. If you have an interest/hobby not covered by the existing options, why not think of joining with like-minded people to form a new group.Contact Nigel Bones (01455 209756) for assistance and advice.
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Committee April 2016 – March 2017
Chairman Jane Clark 01455 554449Vice Chairman & InterestGroup Co-ordinator Nigel Bones 01455 209756Treasurer Nigel Burt 01455 554498Social Account Treasurer Jan Newman 01455 209179Membership Secretary Sue Creeden 01455 557888Minutes Secretary Chris Brady 01455 209108Speaker Finder Michael Perry 01455 556724Committee Member Tony Allen 01455 552087Committee Member Mike Chapman 01455 209972Committee Member Richard Hill 01455 556498Committee Member George Robertson 01455 559725
You can join the Wycliffe U3A at one of the monthly meetings or you can apply online at www.wycliffelutterworthu3a.org
Contributions for the website should be sent to Bob Howes.email: [email protected]
Articles, Reports, News items etc. for inclusion in the next bulletin should be sent to the editor:
Trudy Haddon:- e-mail [email protected]
Deadline for inclusion in the next bulletin is by noon on the last day of the month.
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