Events

Ver-Colne Valley U3A general meetings are held on the 3rd Thursday of the month at Greenwood Park Community Centre, Tippendell Lane, Chiswell Green, St Albans AL2 3HW.

Doors open at 9.30, meetings commence at 10.00 am.

MEETING SCHEDULE: 2010

Thursday 16 September.
Guest Speaker: Graham Marett: 'The Night Sky'.

Thursday 21 October.
Guest Speaker: John Tunesi: 'The College of Arms'.

Thursday 18 November. Guest Speaker: Christine Aitken: 'And is there Honey still for Tea?'

Thursday 16 December. Christmas Quiz & Munch.

EVENTS SCHEDULE: 2010

Please Note:
1. Unless otherwise advised, VCV members are allowed to book a second ticket for a non-member as a guest (one guest only per member).

2a. Reservations for trips and visits will be taken during the break at monthly general meetings. Members are required to pay by cheque made out to Ver-Colne Valley U3A when making the booking (no cash will be accepted).

2b. Members who have not brought their chequebooks will be able to make a reservation, subject to availability, after the main meeting has concluded. Such reservations are considered as provisional until the Event Organiser has recived payment. If payment has not been recived within seven days the reservation will be cancelled.

2c. Members not attending a meeting wishing to make a reservation should contact the Event Organiser by telephone to check availability. If offered a reservation payment should be sent to the Event Organiser within seven days. If, after seven days, payment has not been received the reservation will be cancelled.

3. Once you book and pay for your ticket(s) this is taken as a firm commitment by you. In the event of your having to cancel, contact the event organiser who will make every effort to resell your ticket(s) to another VCV U3A member. Resales cannot be guaranteed, however, and if tickets cannot be sold on, you remain liable for the cost and no refund can be made.Under no circumstances should members transfer / sell on tickets to non-VCV U3A members.

4. In the event of an event having to be cancelled by VCV U3A, for whatever reason, all monies will be refunded.

August. Bressingham
On Thursday 26th it’s off to Bressingham, Norfolk, for a day of multiple attractions, designed to appeal to garden devotees, loco lovers and Dad’s Army aficionados. First the Garden, or rather gardens. Founded by nurseryman Alan Bloom in 1953, Bressingham covers some 16 acres and comprises six individually themed gardens conceived by Alan Bloom and his son, Adrian. These include Dell Garden, Foggy Bottom Garden, a spectacular Summer Garden, a newly planted Fragrant Garden and Adrian’s Wood. Something for everyone, in other words! Bressingham’s second major attraction is guaranteed to delight rail enthusiasts and mechanical eggheads. It boasts a collection of full size and narrow gauge steam engines. Not only can enthusiasts wander around the engine sheds but they can also ride the rails – in fact our entry ticket includes unlimited rides on all three, yes THREE, narrow gauge lines although those wishing to ride the standard gauge line will have to pay a little extra.The icing on Bressingham’s cake is its Dad’s Army exhibition. Although billed as a recreation of Walmington on Sea, the fictional home to Captain Mainwaring and his men, in reality it’s more a reincarnation of what life was like during the war years. If you haven’t been to Bressingham before, here’s your opportunity – it really does have something to appeal to everyone.
Date: Thursday 26 August
Cost: £25.00
Availability: From July general meeting
Meet: At Greenwood Park road entranceDepart: 8.30 am
Return: Approx 7.00 pm
Organiser: Rod Harman (01727 852751)

September. Greenwich
Tuesday 21st (please note the change of day – it’s a Tuesday this time) sees us off on a trip with a nautical theme to Greenwich for a guided tour of the historic Old Royal Naval College. On arrival, however, there’ll first be free time to explore the many other delights of Greenwich. For your consideration are the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory (where you can stand astride the Greenwich Meridian with one foot in yesterday - or is it tomorrow?) and other astronomical wonders, the Queens House with its fascinating glimpses of the Stuart and Tudor Kings, the Fan Museum (home to a collection of some 3,500 predominantly antique fans from around the world), the Rangers House with its art collections from Luton Hoo’s diamond magnate Sir Julius Wernher. Then, of course, there’s Greenwich itself, with Greenwich Park a World Heritage Site. You’ll be left to your own devices for lunch before meeting up at 2.00 pm for a guided tour of the Old Royal Naval College, one of the great baroque
masterpieces of English architecture by Wren. Highlights of the tour include a visit to the neoclassical Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul, the magnificent Painted Hall by Sir James Thornhill and exclusive access to the 140-year-old Skittle Alley and Jacobean Undercroft. It was also once home to a brewery that supplied the Royal Hospital's Pensioners with their three-pints-a-day ration. With their skittles and three pints a day, maybe they really were the good old days for pensioners.Our tour will finish around 3.30 and we’ve allowed another couple of hours for you to complete your thorough investigation of the delights of the area before boarding our coach for the return journey at 5.30 pm.
Date: Tuesday 21 September
Cost: £15.50 including guided tour

Availability: From July general meeting
Meet: At Greenwood Park road entrance
Depart: 9.30 am
Return: Approx 7.00 pm
Organiser: Joy Dabson (01923 268018)

October. Waddeson Manor
Our October event, on Thursday 28th, is a trip to Waddesdon Manor near Aylesbury. Waddesdon, now part of the National Trust, closes on 31st October, so this is virtually the last chance to see this magnificent heritage site this year. Built in the 1870s by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to display his outstanding collection of art treasures, this French Renaissance-style chateau has 45 rooms with the highest quality French furniture and decorative arts with magnificent English portraits and Dutch Old Masters. It boasts one of the finest Victorian gardens in Britain, with shady walks (hopefully not too shady in October), autumn colours and views, and its Aviary stocked with species once part of the Baron’s collection. On arrival we are free to wander the gardens, aviary, shops and restaurants (3). House entry time is 1.30 pm where audio tours and guidebooks are available and we can roam at leisure. The Bachelor’s Wing is also included with its noticeably different style from the rest of the house. Finally, bearing the 10% vouchers offered to everyone, we’ll then visit the Plant Centre in the old walled nursery of the Manor.
Date: Thursday 28th October
Cost: £25.30 (non-NT members)
£11.50 (NT members - free entry with membership cards)Availability: Tickets on sale at August & September meetings
Meet: At Greenwood Park road entrance
Depart: 10.00 am
Return: Approx. 5.00 pm
Organisers: Heather Spencer-Smith(01923 678595)
Mary McLaren(01727 768569)