1

In this my last Issue …..

Members articles 2 – 6

Simple exercises 7

Memories of VE Day 8 – 11

National U3A 11

Quiz 11 – 12

Newsletter & me 13

Contact list 14

SWANLEY AND DISTRICT

Newsletter

No 88 May 2020

Hello everyone,

I hope you and your families are all well and safe.

This is such a surreal situation and we are all having to adapt to

a change of life style. I am sure you would all agree that we

have much for which to be thankful; this hopefully will be over

soon and we can return to our families, in health, albeit with

some changes to our lives. I for one will try to remember to take

stock and be grateful for all the small things in life that I take so

much for granted. Like my little granddaughter’s hugs.

There have been many heart-warming stories of generosity, of

service and of humour and it is good to remember that the

humanity in people far outweighs the indifference and negativity.

It is good to hear that some of the groups have managed to keep

in touch virtually by Zoom and WhatsApp. Thank you to those

group leaders involved. I won’t mention names at this point as I

may miss someone out.

We have a fantastic bumper issue in Peter Cudd’s swan song! Our wonderful editor takes a much

deserved break and hands over to Tony Scale. He has done such a marvellous job, as the

newsletter is a vital part of our communication and every month, with thanks to contributors of

course, we have had a lively and interesting read. Anne, his wife has acted as his PA, as well as

being firstly, Speaker Secretary and then Minutes Secretary. Both have been loyal and productive

members of the committee since our inauguration. We also say ‘goodbye’ to Roger Bryan who

too, is taking a much deserved break. He has been, from the beginning, a fully contributing

member of the committee, a very conscientious and efficient Membership Secretary, as well as

leader of the walking and birdwatching groups. Roger has given freely of his time in all cases,

sometimes when he was clearly unwell. Unfortunately ill health has curtailed his ability to keep up

his excellent work and sadly has had to step down.

I hope to be able to pay them tribute and thanks, in their presence, at the AGM [whenever that

might be!] and to welcome their replacements. Gill Baker has kindly volunteered to take on the

role of Minutes Secretary and Tony Scale has achieved a seamless takeover as Membership

Secretary and now takes on Peter’s role as Newsletter Editor. What’s that about ask a busy

person? Thank goodness for volunteers and people willing to help keep this club going. John Baker

mentioned recently about people being described as ‘Radiators and Drains.’ I had heard the

expression but glad we have some radiators and not too many drains!

Enjoy this bumper finale from Peter and thank you to all the contributors. I hope we will soon be

able to meet again and enjoy each other’s company. My phone number is on the back of the

newsletter. If you are alone, please feel free to text or call me for any reason. Stay well and safe.

Sandie Treloar

Charity No T1155593

Learn, Laugh and Live!

2

Art in Isolation

I am fortunate to have a hobby that I can carry on with during this time of social

distancing and isolation. Art has been a passion of mine for several years now; I

painted a lot when I was younger, but didn’t do much for many years until about 10 years ago

when I joined an evening class. I then remembered what a joy it can be to immerse myself in the

development of a piece of artwork. As our children moved out, a spare room in the house was

repurposed as a studio, and my art took up a greater importance in my life.

Now I paint and draw several times a week, and belong to two art groups. I paint places, things

and people that mean something to me – it’s good if others like what I produce but the main

purpose is to please myself. I like painting with other people, and several Swanley and District

U3A members paint alongside me at the groups we belong to. Now that we are not able to meet

together, we have used social media to discuss and share our recent work, and to keep in touch.

Art is a very good activity to promote emotional wellbeing, and the total absorption it requires can

lift your mind away at least temporarily from the troubles of life at this difficult time. I am never

bored if I have access to art materials, and I have found painting helps to relieve my anxiety. It

has been a real blessing in recent weeks.

Here is some of my work completed over the last few weeks since we have been social distancing.

All painted in acrylic.

‘After the Party’ was an image from a friend’s 70th

birthday party which took place in March just before

lockdown.

‘Pebbles from Dungeness’ – the stones were collected in

January from one of my favourite places.

‘Still life in the kitchen’ – I started this at our last group meeting before the lockdown.

Other like-minded U3A members have kindly shared their recent work:

Sylvia Leggett sent me this beautiful watercolour painting of glorious Pear

Blossom outside her kitchen window, which she said seemed to fill her kitchen.

Gill Morrin recently completed a pastel drawing of a Gloucestershire

landscape, seen from a hotel last year. She has also included a still life of

perfume bottles, drawn using conte crayons.

3

Mick Reardon explained the development of his latest acrylic painting: ‘At the commencement

of the Corona-virus lock-down I splashed some colours onto a blank canvas with no real plan

about what I was going to paint. (Fig 1)

A day or two later an idea of a road leading into the distance came to me with an image of a

bare-footed person walking along the road (Fig 2). Trees and mountains followed (Fig 3). The

painting was completed in about a week and is entitled ‘Walking Barefoot into the Future.‘ Very

apt.

Gill Baker

Creative Writing

Drains And Radiators

I have taken an actual event and then used the voices of two contemporary

commentators to give conflicting views. Negative and positive, dismal and hopeful,

optimist and pessimist, drains and radiators. Is the glass half full or half empty? Each literary

character is limited to precisely one hundred words.

“Let’s go now, shall we? I don’t want to stay and see the end. We’ve blown our chance. There’s no

way we can possibly win. I can’t believe this has happened. So close, one hand on the cup, and

then we throw it away. If we go now, we can beat the rush. Get ourselves down to the station and

head for home. There’s no point staying. What a total let down.

It was all looking so good this morning and now this. What a disaster! I’m really disappointed. I

can’t stand this anymore. Come on, I’ve had enough.”

“Don’t be so sure. Anything can happen in a game like this. You know what they say… It isn’t over

until the fat lady sings. I don’t think she’s even started to warm up. Let’s wait a bit longer. You

never know how things might turn out. We can’t give up just yet. I have a feeling there could still

be a few surprises. If we lose, then we lose. If we win, you will be able to say you were here on

the day of our greatest triumph.

Besides, I think Ben Stokes might just do something special today.”

JDBaker

Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3

4

The Mirror

This writing was inspired by a painting by William Holman Hunt called “The Lady of Shallot.” It

was produced at the end of the nineteenth century, the last of his magnificent Pre-Raphaelite

pictures. A young woman lives alone in a tower on an island in a river. A curse has been placed

upon her and she may only see the outside world by the reflections in her mirror. Leaving the

tower will have fatal consequences.

Her shining sadness fills the room

As she works with patience at her loom,

Like a fading and forgotten autumn flower.

Her tapestry on the floor unfurled.

A mirror, her view upon the world.

Our lady in the cold and lonely tower.

A prisoner with no chance to stray.

A curse that binds her night and day

With everlasting strength and fearful power.

A life to live, a life to save,

No chance to leave this tender grave.

The lady stands alone here in the tower

Her softly flowing auburn hair,

Cascades upon her shoulders fair

Like blossoms in the loving springtime bower.

The seductive paleness of her skin,

A radiant beauty concealed within.

Imprisoned in the unforgiving tower.

She dare not gaze and watch the light.

Reflections now her only sight.

A shadow moves to count the passing hour.

The distant sound of a tearful bell,

A song bird calls as if to tell

Of a world beyond the walls, outside the tower.

She casts the mirror to the floor,

Through splintered glass to the iron door.

No longer in the corner will she cower.

Her guilty eyes now understand

Enticing treasure across the land.

Now comes the time to leave the dismal tower.

And she departs this mournful day,

The river takes her far away

To the golden distant spires of Camelot.

Her grace and beauty will never fade,

Despite the curse which once was laid

On our melancholy Lady of Shallot. JDBaker

April 2020

5

Singing Group

Early in 2016 one of our members suggested I start up a singing group for

Swanley U3A. Whilst I love music I am no expert, could not read music or even or play an

instrument. I investigated this, helped by a number of people and we had an inaugural meeting

at Ken Perry's home in June 2016. Sadly, Ken died before our first singing session but he was one

person who was so supportive and was looking forward to our group getting going.

Our first meeting was in July 2016. Other members, like me, wanted to come along for the sheer

fun of it and love of singing and music. Because I was attending a singing group already I had

some idea of acceptable and enjoyable songs. Since then our numbers have swelled and in

addition we have a wonderful singing teacher, Sandra Booer, who is excellent and encourages us

to learn in a light-hearted way. We have taken our Grade 1 in music and are now on to Grade 2.

We are also very lucky in having several members who are experienced singers, from doing

shows, pantomimes and highly regarded singing groups.

Our group is currently made up of 22 other members, aided of course by our teacher. In normal

times we meet on the third Tuesday of the month between 2pm and 4pm and we would love to

see more members come along and join us when we are in a position to meet again.

There is no pressure, no test to see if you have a squeaky voice - good because I certainly do!

The group is run collaboratively and we are always open to ideas and certainly more members as

our venue, Wilmington Memorial Hall, is ample for our needs and is a super place to sing. We

hope to have an informal concert, open to U3A members, friends, family and others, when things

get back to normal.

Rest assured though that if we are back by the end of the year we will have our annual

Christmas event to which everybody will be welcome to.

Sue Scott

Poetry Group

In the absence of face to face contact and the joy of hearing our chosen poems read

aloud we have done the best we can. We have set up an email group and Penny has

suggested various themes about which we might find a poem. Our first 'titles' were SPRING,

GOOD and BAD and the second lot HOPE and DESPAIR. We have enjoyed finding poems and

sharing them in a rather different way. Some of us have been able to read the poems aloud to

those in our households.

Below is a copy of a sonnet by an unknown British author, which many of the group really

enjoyed. It was shared as the GOOD poem in the first selection.

From first poems by Richard Elwes

I have been greeted by long absent friends

And loved the starting pleasure in their eyes

Have known the silence as the singer ends

Holding the listeners dumb with ecstasies;

Have filled my nostrils from the opening rose,

Have shouted verse exultant down the wind,

Have gazed at moonlit water as it flows,

And morning mountains with the sun behind;

Have felt the blessed ease that follows pain,

And heard great tides of music as they sweep,

Have found lost infant memories again,

Seen heaven visiting children as they sleep.

I summon up these joys each one apart –

And I have held my love against my heart.

Gill Heath

6

Post War London

Resting proudly amongst a collection of history books on the shelves is a slim volume called “The

Building of London”. It is a Puffin Picture Book published for

children in 1946. The authors are Margaret and Alexander Potter.

The retail price was nine pence. The thin cover, the limited

number of pages and the basic colour illustrations reflect the

shortages experienced in the immediate post war years. The

book tells the history of London and its buildings from AD 100 to

1945, from “Roman to Modern times.” The message is clear.

London needed a plan to rebuild. The damage inflicted during the

war made rebuilding inevitable and new planning possible. It is

calculated that air raids had resulted in the deaths of about 30

000 Londoners and the destruction of 100 000 houses. In addition,

one-third of the City of London was destroyed. The bombing raids

by the Luftwaffe had been followed by the introduction of V1 and V2

rocket attacks. My personal connection is with my great uncle,

former landlord of the Poulters Arms just off Cheapside. His pub was

destroyed by bombing in 1940.

The authors of the book remind the reader: “If we have to rebuild

anyhow, why not on a better plan, just

as Charles II and Wren said to the

London merchants after the Great Fire.

Our task is much greater than it was then, but we have just as urgent

a need. Shall we have the courage and patience to plan a better

London which will be more convenient and healthy than the old

London and more beautiful? That question will have to answered in

the next few years. You will see the answer. Already the new plans

have been drawn up, but they are still only plans on paper.”

They also listed the priorities for the post war planners. They

included: fine houses for all, playgrounds, schools, hospitals and

clinics, parks, trees, fresh air and “good things for housewives”

(Don’t ask! I don’t know either!) Were these noble targets

achieved? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. The evidence of

London’s war time experience is still with us. The bomb damage

transformed it into the architecturally diverse city we now know.

Eighteenth century buildings still stand close to those

constructed in the fifties and sixties. This little book tells a two

thousand year story. It also suggests ambitious plans for a fresh

beginning. It reveals a voice of optimism for the young reader in

1946.

John Baker

Gardening

As you would expect the gardening group cannot meet up and visit beautiful

gardens as we have in previous years. However, there is a way but only if you

have a computer and the internet !

The National Garden Scheme is running virtual tours on its website showing

glorious gardens in beautiful settings. Fancy one complete stand out garden then a trip to Wisley

is a must. Their website will show off many of their plants in various settings where you can take

inspiration from their plant techniques or just enjoy the views. Who doesn’t like Azaleas, they

possess such delicate bold colour flowers and are out now. For a chance to see them in all their

splendour go the Great Comp website. One of the biggest events in the gardening world is the

Chelsea Flower Show, this year for the first time, it will be a virtual show, the RHS will be

announcing details soon. I am sure there are other gardens you can find.

( the links above work if you press Ctrl and left click )

Meanwhile back at Istead Rise, I am busy sowing, taking cuttings and simply enjoying my garden

with my climbing roses looking lovely. Peter

7

Simple Exercises

With so many of our usual activities off the menu now, Jan Elci from Gravesend U3A

has devised a simple sitting down exercise routine for everybody. Aim to do the

routine every day – or more ! But of course, it has to be at your own risk.

Sit on an upright hard chair without arms. Sit to the front part of the chair, feet touching the

ground, a hip width apart. Sit upright, tummy tucked in.

1. While sitting, start marching your feet then extend one arm out in front, palms down, stretch

out as far as possible, bring it back, change arms, all the while a gentle march. Aim for eight

sets counting right / left as one set.

2. Keep marching feet, now left one arm up into the air palms facing forward, take your arm up

as high as is comfortable, bring down, change arms, keep the feet marching. Aim to do eight

sets.

3. Take one foot forward and tap heel to ground, bring back, other leg repeat. At same time

swing both arms to one side, clap, bring to other side, clap eight sets.

4. Feet stay still throughout. Sit upright, arms hanging down side of body, palms facing in. Let

your arm slide down one side to give a side stretch, come back to centre, do again. Nice and

slow, eight on right side eight on left.

5. Lift both heels off the ground so that you are up on your toes. While you lift to your toes circle

your shoulders backwards and round, lower feet, do again. Repeat for times. Do the same

with heels, up on toes, but this time circle both shoulders forward and round. Repeat four

times.

6. Toe tap alternate feet whilst rotating wrists, eight rotations each way.

7. Sit with hands in prayer position, chest height. Keep hands in prayer and raise hands high (

as high as comfortable ) separate hands and let them circle round, down and back to prayer (

like breast stroke shape ). Do this four times slowly.

8. With hand resting in your lap, drop your chin to your chest to stretch the back of your neck,

enjoy stretch for a while, lift back up to centre.

9. Drop your head to one side aiming for ear to touch your shoulder, hold for a nice stretch, go

back to centre then do the other side, no need to rush, slowly for a nice stretch.

10. Turn your head to one side, hold still for a while, back to centre then face the opposite side,

back to centre. Repeat twice.

11. Rotate one ankle four times, then four in reverse direction. You can hold around your thigh to

support this. Change legs and repeat.

12. Stretch out one leg and point your toes then flex your foot so that your heel is pushing

forward. Try to flex, point feet, four sets each foot. Stand up, shake your arms, stomp your

feet, have a wiggle. Open your arms wide, bring them back in to give yourself a big hug and a

pat on the back. Well done !

( This article courtesy of Penny Collins, with kind permission of Jan Elci )

8

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day I asked if any members had any recollections or

stories regarding this momentous day in our history. The following articles are by our members to

whom I am very grateful. So I do hope you enjoy this piece of local history.

Peter

VE Day – Pauline Long

September,1939 - a memorable month for the world - and also

for me, as that was the month I started school. The first thing

we had to learn was our ID and ration book number - I did -

LFOB64.7!!

We lived in Bebington on the Wirral and had heavy bombing

raids - targets being the docks and shipyards at Liverpool and

Birkenhead and shipping on the Mersey. My father had to stay on shifts at work in Liverpool some

nights as a Fire Watcher. (He was unfit for military

service due to injury in the 1st war - as an 18 year

old soldier he had been dragged from the mud at

Ypres.) It must have been so hard for my mother

with 3 young children and our very elderly granny to

care for and protect night after night. One of my

strongest memories was the sound of the broken

glass tinkling on the strapping taped on the windows.

Our victory party

was in the next road

with children there

from the surrounding

streets. Each family

took their best

efforts at party food,

but my favourites

were the pink wafer

biscuits, brought

from America by a

neighbour who was

in the Merchant

Navy.

All children had a message card from the King after

the war. There was a victory parade and I remember

marching with our school Guides along with other

local organisations and servicemen - including

Americans from the local USAAF bases.

9

VE Day - Ann Cook

This VE Day Party was in Albercore Crescent Lewisham. I

can remember my mother making jellies using the baby

clinic orange juice, somehow they must have acquired

some gelatine. The pram in the picture is somewhat

different to prams / buggies in use nowadays !

In this picture I am sitting close to an enormous cake. The small chairs for

the toddlers were brought out from the Sunday School in the same road.

This is the programme for a rather grand affair for all the family held at R.A.F. Maintenance Unit

Kidbrooke. Can you remember blancmange that appears on the

menu ?

10

Roger Neaves VE Day

For me and all the kids in my neighbourhood VE Day lasted about six weeks. Gone was the threat

of pilotless planes and rockets, V1s and V2s. It was now time to celebrate. We had street parties,

bonfires with effigies of Hilter on top. Parents built a stage and put on shows, Anyone who could

sing, tell a joke or play a musical instrument joined in. It was euphoria!

We used to play in the bomb damaged buildings and in an almost

completely destroyed church we found an organ that still worked !

One of the boys on our group could play piano, so it did not take

him long to figure how to play it. I can’t remember what tunes he

played but the popular songs of the day were, You Are My

Sunshine and Don’t Fence Me In. I’ve often wondered if passersby

thought that the church was haunted.

As well as the stage parents organised games. They closed both ends of our street off and we had

races, the street was about 150 yards long. The young boy’s favourite race was the Mum and

Dad’s Relay. One parent had to race to the far end of the street, hand over to the other parent ,

the Mums always ran the second leg. One mum was of ample proportions which is why it was the

boy’s favourite, as her vast bosom bounced up and down whilst she ran.

My school had a glass roof which had collapsed so we went to another school which had extra

temporary classrooms. All London school children received a letter from the King, George VI. I still

have mine.

Although the war was over, times were very hard, almost everything was on ration and as

growing boys my brother and I were always hungry. To fill us up, between meals, we would have

a slice of bread and dripping. Screams of shock and horror from today’s dieticians.

A short story about rationing I must tell you. Word went round that at Carpenter’s, the

greengrocer, he had some oranges in. We rushed down

there with our ration books and some money to join the

queue. Word went along the queue that the other

greengrocery shop, also a Carpenter’s (they were

brothers) had oranges as well. Having got served at the

first shop we hurried home to gently rub out the pencil

marks on our coupons, Coupons for fruit were not cut out

but “marked” to cancel them. We hurried on to the second shop to get some more oranges,

intending to rub out the pencil marks again, but the shop keeper used a blue crayon which would

not rub out.

VE Day went on until VJ Day and then we partied some more !!

Jessie Collins (David Collins' mother) - VE Day

At last, in May 1945, the war in Europe came to an end. Churches held services of thanksgiving.

My father led one at our church, followed by a social evening, when anyone who could spare

anything from our rationed provisions brought along a few biscuits or cakes, and cups of tea were

served. We heard that there was to be a firework display outside a factory about half-an-hour's

walk away. It was to begin at midnight and all our young people were anxious to go. I asked if I

could join them. Mum said , 'No,' but Dad said, 'Don't be silly. She's a big girl now (I was nearly

17) and there is a crowd going. She'll be quite safe.' So of course I went. It was amazing. Crowds

of people, mostly young ones, were walking along in rows, arm in arm, singing patriotic songs and

laughing and joking as we went along. The fireworks were wonderful after so many years without

anything of that kind. We returned home in the early hours of the morning, but that was no

problem, because schools had been given two days' holiday to celebrate victory.

Of course there were those who didn't feel like joining in the celebrations, because the war in the

Far East was still going on, and they had loved ones out there.

11

Penny Collins – VE day

My ballet teacher was a member of The Sadler's Wells ballet during the war. She danced with

Margot Fonteyn and Robert Helpman. On V E day she had to cross London on foot to get to The

Sadler's Wells theatre where there was to be a performance of Coppelia that night. Everyone in

the streets were dancing, singing and celebrating and it took her a long time to get there. During

the performance Robert Helpman who was playing the part of Dr. Coppelius staggered on to

music. He was meant to pull out a handkerchief from his pocket and wipe his brow but instead he

pulled out a long string of bunting that went on and on to the cheers, applause and the uproar

from the audience.

Linda Herilhy – VE Day

I cannot really remember much about the war or the end of it as I was six at the time. I

remember being evacuated but that is not relevant to VE day. I don’t remember how our street

looked intact but what I do remember is coming out with my family with everyone else into the

street from the shelter in the morning and seeing that the houses at the end of the road had been

destroyed, I must have been very young then. As for the party I just remember a happy feeling

after years of tension.

( Special thanks to Linda who suggested VE day memories for this newsletter )

National U3A

Below are some points from National U3A via their newsletter. You can sign up for the

newsletter via the link.

Many U3As have taken interest groups on line, providing support to learn using Zoom and

WhatsApp. Others have used teleconferencing and developed telephone buddy schemes.

The Trust has developed a whole series of national programmes and more will be rolled out each

week U3A members are contacting me to share their experiences and ideas. We are using those

to add into our link to learning ideas.

We have also launched a programme of national learning initiatives to get people involved either

individually or to participate in within their U3A groupings.

Currently this includes our photography project, U3A Eye, our diary project and our

birdwatch initiative as well as regular mindfulness sessions and a weekly quiz.

Please keep checking our website for new content as we have got a whole raft of new initiatives

which we will be launching over the next few weeks, including a national creative writing

competition, and some more regular puzzles and challenges.

Quiz

First the answers to last month's quiz:

1.Mother Goose 2.Ronnie Corbett 3.Motherwell 4.Judy Garland 5.Simnel cake

6.Mother-of-pearl 7.Abba 8.Tutankhamun 9.A bone 10.It Ain't Half Hot Mum.

11.George Formby 12.Pink Floyd 13.Saddam Hussein 14.Mother Courage 15.Joan Crawford

16.Goldie Hawn 17.Leda 18.Gwyneth Paltrow 19.Paul Simon 20.Imhotep.

12

Not much chance to celebrate St George's Day this year so I've chosen 'England' and 'St George'

as my themes for this month, with 10 questions on each:

1.'England expects that every man will do his duty' is a phrase associated with whom?

2.Measuring 1.33 miles, the world's longest pleasure pier is in which English seaside town?

3.Who expected to see a non-indigenous species of bird over English cliffs in 1940?

4.The film 'The Full Monty' was largely set in which English city?

5.Broadcaster Jeremy Paxman, chef Marie Pierre White and actor John Simm were all born in

which English city?

6.Which English composer is particularly associated with Malvern, Worcestershire?

7.'Brandy Nan' was the nickname of which English queen?

8.Which English city hosts the annual British Fireworks Championship?

9.Which English county is home to the most listed buildings?

10.In which play did Shakespeare extol the virtues of England as 'this sceptred isle'?

11.Which country honours St George in its name?

12.In which army is St George said to have served?

13.Of which royal complex is St George's Chapel a feature?

14.The Queen traditionally announces new appointments to which royal order on St George's Day?

15.Who fought in the Holy Land with the cross of St George on their tunics?

16.Which Shakespearean figure rallies his men with the words 'Cry God for Harry, England and St

George'?

17.The English National Football Centre, St George's Park, is in which Midlands town?

18.Who was considered the patron saint of England before St George?

19.In years gone by, what flower did people wear in their lapel on St George's Day?

20.In which year is St George usually said to have died - 303, 603, 1203?

And here's 10 anagrams of English cities to get you thinking:

1.LADS FOR 2.BYE CURRANT 3.THUMP ROOTS 4.TECH RICHES 5.RED REF HO 6.CANAL REST

7.CHILLI FED 8.SNOT REP 9.TOUGHER PROBE 10.CLOSET URGE.

Again happy quizzing everyone and I'll give you the answers in next month's newsletter.

David Collins

13

Newsletter and me.

So way back in 2012 I attended, like many of you, our first

meeting at the Alexandra Suite and following on from that and

subsequent meetings of the proposed Committee I volunteered

to edit the newsletter. The first newsletter launched in January

2013 it was one page long, as shown over.

The February 2013 was four pages long ! At that time we had

four interest groups up and running Walks and Rambles ( Roger

Bryan ), Creative Writing ( Penny Collins ), Family History (

Susan Polden ) and Chess ( Victor Southern ) with many more in

the pipeline. The whole newsletter was in black and white as, at

the time, Swanley Council printed the newsletter for us and

that’s all their copier could cope with ! The staff at the Council

Offices used to look forward to the newsletter so they could see

what we were up to !!

The next challenge was the website, after learning the intricacies

of a rather dated software package the website was born and

has over the years had many visitors to its pages. One of the

most popular being the newsletter page !

I could go on about all the newsletters as I have kept all of them, but thankfully, I won’t ! It has

been an interesting task and at times tested my skills of one of my none-too favourite computer

software packages, Microsoft Word. I hope you have all enjoyed the newsletters I have produced

but as I have always said the newsletter is only as good as the copy received and to that end I

would like to thank everyone who has sent me articles over the years. My job was just to format,

copy, and yes okay let’s say “ tweak ” a bit to bring the whole thing together.

I do have some personal “thank yous”, first and foremost to my wife Anne. She has helped with

proofreading the whole newsletter each month and helping me decide wording to use when

necessary.

To Roger Bryan, who took on the job of circulating the newsletter to all members via email and

printing many, many copies for the monthly meetings.

Lastly to Paul Brenchley and Phil Saunders who have now taken over circulation of the newsletters

to all members.

So from me it’s a case of .....

14

Newsletter

The closing date for the next newsletter will be Thursday 28th May please send copy

to Tony Scale at tscale001@outlook.com.

.

Contact Details

Chairman Sandra Treloar sandratreloar04@btinternet.com

Vice Chairman David Collins dacollins53@hotmail.com

Business Secretary Carol Willingham carolw8920@gmail.com

Social/Outings Coordinator Penny Collins pennycollins@hotmail.com 01322 669724

Membership Tony Scale tscale001@gmail.com

Linda Herlihy linda.herlihy@talktalk.net 01322 664287

Group Co-ordinators John Baker johnbaker52@talktalk.net

David Collins dacollins53@hotmail.co.uk

Website - https://u3asites.org.uk/swanley

The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are of a general nature and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Swanley and District U3A or any part of the University of the Third Age unless specifically stated. All rights reserved, any reproduction without permission is prohibited.

15

Groups Timetable

Group Leader Group meets

Antiques and Collectables John and Gill Baker 3rd Tuesday morning

Art & Craft Penny Collins 4th Tuesday afternoon

Art Appreciation Margaret Austin 1st Monday morning

Art & Painting Outdoors Gill Baker As notified

Bird Watching Roger Bryan 3rd Wednesday morning

Book Group Linda Herlihy 2nd Tuesday afternoon

Chess Terry Bennett 4th Wednesday morning

Computer Paul Brenchley 4th Thursday afternoon

Creative Writing Penny Collins 1st Thursday morning

Croquet Bill Hammond As notified

Dining Peter Mitchell As advertised

Family History Susan Polden Last Monday of month in morning

Fishing Mike Axford 2nd Wednesday

Food Appreciation Anne Cudd 3rd Thursday afternoon

Gardening Peter Cudd 4th Wednesday afternoon

History Modern Jackie Griffiths Monthly as advertised

History of London 1 John Baker 2nd Thursday morning

History of London 2 John Baker 4th Thursday morning

Let's Speak French Barbara Ramsay Wednesday mornings fortnightly

MOTO (Members On their Own) Sue Neville As advertised

Music Making Mark Fittock Every Tuesday morning

Petanque Bill Hammond As notified

Photography Alan Hayward 2nd Friday afternoon

Play Reading Penny Collins 3rd Friday morning

Poetry Appreciation Penny Collins 3rd Wednesday morning

Quiz Team David Collins As advertised

Rugby Appreciation Alan Hayward As advertised

Singing Group Sue Scott 3rd Tuesday afternoon

Spanish Leigh Aldrich As advertised

Table Tennis Bill Hammond 1st and 3rd Friday afternoon

Theatre Appreciation Madeline McCubbin As advertised

Wednesday Walking Clive Rayner 2nd Wednesday morning

Friday Walking Clive Rayner 4th Friday morning

Wine and Dine Santha Blankley As advertised

Wine Tasting Bob Brickell 4th Wednesday evening

For contact details of group leaders please contact John Baker

johnbaker52@talktalk.net or David Collins 01322 669724

or dacollins53@hotmail.co.uk