Baddow & Galleywood

Summer 2017 Newsletter

Baddow & Galleywood U3A

Newsletter

Summer 2017

The Wandering thoughts of our Chairman

2016 saw some major, and I think, unexpected changes in the world. Did we really expect to now be on the path for Brexit and did we really think a certain Mr Donald Trump would be occupying the White House? For Baddow and Galleywood U3A, 2017 has seen a relatively major change take place that I hope most are aware of (and I hope not totally unexpected). For several reasons the committee of last year is quite different to the committee we now have. Over half of the current committee were not committee members last year and for some it is a completely new experience. To some of you there may be some concern about change, to others no change is expected. At a gathering I was at several years ago someone said “Change is here to stay” and as I get older I am stronger in my belief that if we don’t change then we can stagnate. I do not necessarily mean major change, nor do I mean change for changes sake but I do know from experience that with nothing changing we can feel safe but a little change can be rejuvenating.

Now, what is all this to do with us in B&G U3A? The new committee want us all to live life to the full and that will be different for each one of us. We have only met once (twice by the time you read this) but already we have talked about and begun actions that will bring both change and also security in that change.

I realised quite early in my U3A life that we tend to fall into one of 3 categories.
(i) Those who belong to and fully support one or more Interest Groups but do not come to the monthly general meeting,
(ii) Those who come faithfully to every monthly meeting when they can, but do not get involved with any Interest Group.
(iii) Those who participate in one or more Interest Group and attend the main meeting when they can.

Now neither (i) or (ii) is wrong but neither of them is U3A as fully intended. So, in my first written contact with the wider membership of B&G U3A I ask everyone to consider the following questions.

1. (If it applies to you), Why don’t I go to the main meeting?
2. (If it applies to you) Why don’t I get involved in an Interest Group?
3. Why don’t I begin or add to the Interest Groups that we have with B&G U3A?

One potential reason is that there is not an Interest Group that covers what you would like to do or a speaker or subject you would like to hear or hear about. In this case please let me or one of the committee know. I believe that there are some (perhaps many) who have an interest that is not covered but are not sure what to do. To quote from a U3A publication “In a U3A, even two or three people can make a group. As long as a number of U3A members are willing to share their knowledge or enthusiasm, or simply have the desire to know more, they can, and should form an Interest Group. No leader is necessary, no expert is necessary and no teacher is necessary. If this has spurred you in any way to at least think about this then contact Norma Henty, our Interest Groups Co-ordinator or speak to a member of the committee (whose name and contact details are listed elsewhere.

I am looking forward to meeting with you and being available to you in helping you get all you can from Baddow and Galleywood U3A.
Roy

Managing your U3A- Workshop
Held at Needham Market, Suffolk on 21st March 2017

Norma & I attended a seminar to discuss ‘Managing your U3A’ and a number of points were made which would be of interest to members.

The emphasis was in ensuring that all members of the branch are working together to further the objects and principals of the U3A and Branch and promote the ethos of the U3A. The basis of this, within the branch, has to be the Constitution and an understanding of it by all the members. The Committee must create the right culture to enable members to volunteer. The Committee, Co-ordinators and other members are all volunteers and must be treated as such, not withstanding that they must adhere to the constitution, the policy of the branch and the guidance notes offered by the U3A National Office.

The presentation went on to say that all Committee members were Trustees of the branch and therefore had responsibilities under the Charity Commission.

It was emphasised that the U3A was a ‘self-help learning’ system and no one should be expected to ‘teach’ a subject. It was for all members of a group to pull together and contribute to the group’s activity- workloads have to be shared. The Co-ordinator was the co-ordinator not the teacher.

Co-ordinators must ensure that their group is open to all members where possible, subject to meeting any constraints and not just a small group of friends that meet occasionally and inevitably develop into a clique.

Being a self-help organisation meant that it isn’t a service to be delivered on a plate. All members should contribute - in various ways like putting chairs away after a meeting, to making the tea etc.

The seminar pointed out that the Committee should know what was required of the branch, what groups needed, how the membership was divided between groups. It was essential therefore to undertake analysis of the attendance records to ascertain if any particular group needed assistance and whether it was working in accordance with its mandate.

Analysis should show how many new members were being attracted against how many lost and why did they leave. The background of members should be ascertained to find out their skills. The U3A should be open to all that want to join. If this is a problem, because of the size of the hall, then the branch should perhaps divide into two or maybe have more than one ‘General meeting’ per month.

To sum up both the Committee and Co-ordinators must ‘Communicate’ in all ways (Newsletter, Website or email) with the one another and keep the membership fully informed.
Norma & Ron

U3A Memories

I recently received first a phone call and then a letter from our very first member, Doris Bridges, recalling events from when she first joined a U3A. This is what she said:-
Loretta Riddel (Membership Secretary)

'I want to thank you for sending me my U3A membership card.

I thought you would be interested to know that when the Chelmsford U3A was first established I joined its first meeting and I was asked to lead the Literature group. Betty Perry offered the use of her house in Beeches Road where we met for many years. I think I can say we all enjoyed our long time together as a group. When Chelmsford U3A became too big they helped to establish new U3As in the surrounding areas.

The purpose of this letter is to say that five of us in the original early groups still meet up for coffee in Chelmsford every six weeks. I also have strong ties with two original members now living in Cheltenham.

However, I clearly remember the first general meeting in Chelmsford which was held in a church hall opposite the County Hotel. We met upstairs at the top of the building. The speaker taught us how to make a cup of tea and very entertaining he was! When I got downstairs I was surrounded by people who had left items behind upstairs and they could not take to the stairs again. Those were the days I was nimble enough to do the duty. Thinking of this reminds me how sophisticated we have become.'
Doris Bridges (Member no. 1)

Interest Group Web pages

Is your web page up-to-date and relevant to your Interest group? Is it easily readable?
Are you aware that each Interest Group has its own web page on the B&G website for the purpose of informing members of their activities and generally letting interested members of the public know what Baddow & Galleywood U3A are doing. These pages were visited 15,822 times during this last year. Whilst Linda Knock and I do much of the updating, the Co-ordinators or their elected member is aware that they are principally responsible for undertaking the updates of their respective page.

If anyone has any suggestions on improving our web pages, please let me know.
Ron

Health Monitors

We all keep an eye on our health, don’t we! Well it may soon be practical for our health to be monitored continuously.

It is possible now to buy devices which can be treated as watches but will also monitor heart rates, use GPS to keep track of location, count our movements and be able to talk to computers which analyse data over a period. Sounds futuristic, but several of our members already use them.

It is the case now that an implanted device will monitor heart actions and report on its findings. It is forecast that by 2020 brain implants will be practical. And also that, at a very small level, one can swallow devices that act like a computer network and potentially monitor our other functions, like blood sugar, and act as early detectors of serious disease. So, early detection and targeted treatment, no wonder there is a lot of research going on.

More easily understood, there are attempts to keep people safe in their own homes by using sensors which detect changes in walking or the use of a kettle. This may be an indication of a coming problem.

Big brother? There are clear risks as well as clear benefits. Insurance firms, the police and government agencies will be interested. What about computer hackers?
Hugh

Proposed visit to Copped Hall, Summer 2018.

We are proposing to have a visit to Copped Hall which would include a private tour of the house and gardens, usually taking about three and a half hours. Tea or coffee would be served halfway through the tour. N.B. there are no lifts or wheelchairs available. The approx. cost for the trip including coach fare is likely to be £20.00.

If you are interested please put your name and contact details on the list at the U.3.A. General Meeting on the second Wednesday in the month. Deposits will be taken at a later date.
John Chapman

B&G U3A Equipment

Baddow & Galleywood U3A owns certain items of equipment for the use of Interest Groups. The equipment is held centrally (in Baddow) with the most used equipment being stored by me and can be borrowed by prior arrangement giving reasonable notice.

At the last Co-ordinators Meeting I was asked to publish what equipment we had for the use of the branch:

****

Contact me if you would like to use the equipment.
Ron

It’s Time to Chat

Judging by the healthy rush at the end of monthly meetings at the URC for the back room and the healthy buzz of conversation there, I can confidently say U3A members know how to enjoy refreshments and a chat. So why not enjoy yourselves more?

Galleywood Good Neighbours run a monthly drop-in coffee morning at The Keene Hall, Watchouse Road Galleywood (close to the Eagle crossroads and opposite the bus stop for the 41, 51 and 42 buses. As we say the tea and coffee is ready, the biscuits are waiting - all we need is YOU.

It’s Time to Chat is held every second Friday of the month. These are informal events to which everyone is welcome both from the village and beyond. At some we have short information chats, or piano being played, but the main element is entirely social. We are open from 10.00 - 12.00am although you can come when you like and leave when it suits you, as long as you enjoy a friendly chat whilst you are there! Come alone or bring a friend: we will greet you and make you feel at home.

For the rest of 2017 our dates are as follows:

We run on donations plus a supporting grant from the Parish Council.
To find out more- contact U3A member Ken Edwards 01245 474425

Information for members

I have just been asked to submit membership details for those of you who would like to receive the Third Age Matters magazine from head office (in June). This happens five times a year. Some of you have asked not to receive the magazine in future and I have left your names off the mailing list.

If there are any more of you who would prefer not to receive the magazine, please let me know before August 1st when I have to submit the next list.

Many thanks, Loretta Riddel

Baddow & Galleywood U3A April 2017 report.

The monthly meeting took place on April 12th. Eighty members attended and after a presentation of Life membership to Brian Moss ,our retiring Speaker Secretary, Martyn Lockwood began his talk on the ‘History of Churchyards’ which was entitled ‘Grave Concerns’.

Martyn has been fascinated by churchyards from his teenage years and has visited many local churchyards, as well as other churches.
He told us about how Christians took over the churchyards from Pagans and the importance of nature conservation in the graveyard areas as well as the amount of knowledge people can obtain about their ancestors.

We also learnt about yew trees providing wood for archery bows and the more sinister side of grave robbers and murderers who used the church as a sanctuary.

So although the topic appeared to be quite sobering, we were all fascinated by Martyn’s knowledge, which was enhanced by his power point presentation.
Diana Angel -Speaker secretary

Baddow & Galleywood Website.

Have you noticed that recently the ‘Events’ page of the website has been altered?
The website needs to be useful and informative to Members in the first instance and also to potential members. To this end, and with the cooperation of Co-ordinators, all the interest groups with a formal programme are in the process of being listed on this page in date order. If there is an error or an omission, then please let me know. In due course I will be asking Co-ordinators to update their page so that all programmes are fully up to date and easily available as an aide memoire.
For those of you who do not have access to the website, I have printed below one month of the programme as it is at the moment. Please let me have your views.
June 2017

Note: that if you want to attend an Interest Group Meeting, and you are not a member of that group, you must contact the Co-ordinator first.
Ron Brobson

Interest Groups’ Co-ordinators’ notes

As you may know, I was appointed Interest Groups’ Co-ordinator at the last AGM. In order that I have a comprehensive understanding of the B&G U3A groups, I am making a short visit to each group to help me get to know your co-ordinator better and at the same time I hope to be able to answer any questions that you may have.

It will take me quite a while to visit all the groups as there are 33 interest groups in our Branch, but does this cover all your interests. I think we could still do better and cater for even more subjects.

I would still like to find a person or persons who would like to take on organising the Church Visiting Group. A large volume of books, brochures, photos and visit notes that have been collected over the last few years by this group have been passed on to me. These would be a great help to anyone prepared to take on this role. If no-one comes forward within the next month, then I plan to hand these books and documents over to the Essex Records Office or the Chelmsford Diocese.

At the last general meeting, I suggested that we might form a Film Discussion Group. I know lots of you go to the cinema and quite a few of you go on your own. Perhaps it would be nice to belong to a small group where you could discuss the merits or otherwise of various films and perhaps arrange to go to the cinema together. If you are interested in joining a group like this, please let me know so that we can progress it further.

I would also like to receive some suggestions for new interest groups (making a suggestion does not mean that you will be asked to be a co-ordinator!!). I think we could do with some groups that are slightly more male orientated like Engineering or Science. We seem to have a lot to interest groups for the ladies and perhaps not so much of interest to the men, so think about it and please let me have your ideas. Or, to appeal to anyone, why not a luncheon club – there are so many new restaurants in Chelmsford opening at the moment, this shouldn’t be difficult to organise.

In the meantime, the Cribbage Group, Computing Workshop, IT and Computers and Needles & Pins would welcome new members, Reading group 1 could take one or two new members, and Reading Group 2 have room for one more member.

If you think your life is tough, just think about the fluffly little fellow, sitting with his mum, who Ron and I saw in Patagonia in January.

He was born in October/November and just three weeks after this picture was taken, he was due to jump off the cliff and into the Atlantic Ocean. He would then be swimming around for the next 9 months before returning to this spot again. I can imagine he was thinking ‘you must be joking Mum if you think I can jump off here into that great big ocean’.
Norma Henty

Interest Groups Reports

Needles and Pins

At the February meeting we made some little flowers out of folded circles of material. We decided they looked reasonably effective, but the meeting certainly sorted out the sheep from the goats. One group, and I am not saying which one, slavishly followed the instructions and were not entirely satisfied with the results, and the other, realising that they could improve on it, used the instructions as a basis and then tweaked them to produce a far more finished project. We ended up with eight or ten flowers which we are not sure what to do with! Perhaps we should have another garden party with a ‘make your own hat’ theme and then we could create something magnificent.

In March Doreen showed us how to make small fabric tidy bins. Anyone who sews or knits knows that when you get up from the chair where you have been working it is covered in bits of cotton and yarn where you have snipped off an end and put it on one side for ‘tidying up later’. The one side turns out to be several sides, the floor, your clothes, and then all over the house! Doreen’s solution was a small ‘magic bin’ made out of a plastic ring, some card and some fabric. It stands about 6” high and you can just snip your ends into it. At the end of your work session, particularly if you are away from home, you just twist and squash it, and it seals in all those snippets for disposing of in one fell swoop at a more convenient time and place. As usual, we had periods of intense concentration interspersed with chat and laughter. My favourite quote had to be from Doreen along the lines of “well – is your gathered bottom ready?”

Alongside our monthly get-togethers, we are knitting warm hats which later in the season we will send to an organisation that can distribute them to refugees in Europe and the Middle East. If anyone enjoys knitting you are welcome to knit a hat (any size, colour or style – but suitable for keeping warm,) and bring it to the monthly meeting where Maggie will collect them and pass them onto the group. We have six hats so far, and have not set a target, but with around 400 members of Baddow and Galleywood U3A, we should be able to achieve a good few. If you cannot knit, now is your opportunity to have a go! And if you do not have a pattern, there are plenty on the internet. If you are not sure how to download one, go to Loretta’s computer workshop and she will be happy to help you sort it out.
Debbie Collins

Reading 1

I belong to Reading group 1 led by Ann Whalley. I have attended for the past 7 years, although the group have been meeting for much longer. We are now reduced to 7 members, 6 who attend regularly. We could welcome a few more members, though space is limited.

What do we gain by our regular monthly meetings? These are views shared by my fellow readers.

We read books which otherwise we would not, not knowing about them, or believing they would not appeal. Our minds are therefore greatly broadened, and our views and prejudices are challenged. We are able to disagree and feel able to freely express our opinions. We learn from each other and realise that different opinions are good, and also seeing things differently. Inevitably we have recourse to personal stories embracing our own social histories, and as the ages range from late 60’s to 90 plus this becomes very interesting and stimulating.

Many books come recommended by the Library to which we owe a big debt of gratitude, but are also recommended by members. Our most recent reads were “Apple Tree Yard”, which provoked strong reactions and feelings, one member feeling she needed to wrap it in brown paper, (reminiscent of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”), “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall”, prompted by the recent drama documentary of the Bronte sisters, and “The Children Act”, very relevant today with so much State interference in peoples’ lives.

My reading habits have been greatly enhanced and I have grown in my love of books since attending this group, and I feel proud to be seen reading a book on public transport, when the majority have their ear plugs tuned in to music or are texting! Come and join us if you want to increase your brain cells!
Val Hilsley

Book Review – ‘’Falling in Love’’ by Donna Leon

Donna Leon has written a series of books based in Venice following the cases of Commissario Guido Brunetti.
This story concerns Flavia Petrelli. She is a soprano of merit and her role in Venice is the lead singer in Tosca.. She is used to the accolades given her by her many fans, but one fan seems to be overdoing the praise with vast numbers of bouquets of yellow roses. Similar over-the-top presents were given to Flavia in London, and always the giver remains anonymous. Flavia feels threatened by these gifts, because they seem so excessive, and she would rather the giver came out into the open.

Brunetti and his wife Paola enjoy the opera and have obtained tickets for one of the performances of Tosca early in the run. After a meal with Paola’s titled parents Flavia mentions this unwanted, excessive attention at the theatre; she is worried there may be something sinister behind it. Brunetti is inclined to play it down, but when a student soprano at the opera house is pushed down some stairs in Venice with evil intent, he starts to get worried. This is a girl who Flavia is mentoring, and the person who did the pushing muttered ‘’she’s mine’’ when the crime was committed. What does that mean - she’s mine?

As Brunetti’s investigations proceed a multiple stabbing occurs, with Flavia’s friend Freddy as the victim. Does the criminal feel that he or she has some rights over Flavia? Why else attack these victims, people who seem to be nearest to Flavia?

The plot thickens and comes to a dramatic conclusion inside the theatre, almost mimicking the plot of Tosca. Thankfully, Brunetti is there, but almost too late.
Allen Buckroyd

Local History 1

For our last meeting of the winter we enjoyed the second instalment of Jim Lawrence’s lifetime on the barges. An entertaining and rewarding afternoon. Our first visit of the summer in May built upon our February meeting with a visit to the former Shoebury Garrison which included an opportunity to see the display of poppies previously at the Tower of London which had been arranged by the Southend Borough Council.

In June the site of the archaeological excavation of the collection of treasures found in the Anglo-Saxon burial ship at Sutton Hoo will be followed in July with a return visit to the WW1 airfield at Stow Maries which has been greatly developed for visitors since we went in 2011.

We will resume our meetings at the URC on 27th September, a month earlier than previously. Last winter we were pleased to welcome some new members and please come along if your local history interests you – as above it may range from Saxon times to 20th century!
Brian Barker

Weekenders

Our group continues to meet regularly for Sunday Lunch once a month and coffee mornings twice a month. We also have trips out, recently we had fish and chips in a Southend restaurant overlooking the sea front, and six of us had a short break coach holiday to Bournemouth.

To see our current programme or even join our happy group, have a look at the Weekenders page on the web site.
Denis

History Group 2

In February Valerie Boyles gave us an enjoyable talk about food through the ages, with recipes from days gone by. We hope to continue this topic later in the year when we return to the Millennium Hall.

In March we had a return visit by Jim Lawrence from Brightlingsea, He is a very interesting character, and has the real North Essex accent. He continued with his fascinating career on Sailing Barging, and kept us all in fits of laughter. Most members would like to hear more of his yarns.

Our first outing in April took us to Priory Fields in Bicknacre which has the remains of an 11th Century Arch. 30 attendees listened to a talk and photos followed by a walk to the Arch to see the remains of the Priory. On our return to the Village Hall we enjoyed lovely tea and cakes. Overall this was a very interesting visit. Janet Clark

Strollers

In January over twenty Strollers walked the Maldon trail in freezing cold weather. In March eighteen of us tackled all or part of the Maritime trail in lovely hot Spring weather. Half the group went out to the site of the Battle of Maldon whilst the other half walked up to the statue of Bythnoth at the end of the Promenade. We also found time to celebrate Neville Agar's birthday with a cup of coffee before enjoying lunch at the Queen's Head.
Isobel Greenshields.

Music Performing

One day it will happen. The twelve or so items performed at the quarterly meeting of the Music Performing Group will all be the same genre – after all, Radio 3 has had whole days of just Bach or Beethoven, so there is plenty to choose from. And I am sure it would be delightful. However, Pam must breathe a sigh of relief when members email her with the choice of pieces they are going to play and the combination of instruments, and she finds that, once again, there is an amazing variety.

The February meeting must have made her very happy. We ranged from William Byrd through Bach, Mozart, a fair amount of romantic ‘schmaltz’ to Richard Rodney Bennet and even more contemporary than him, a piece specially written for Penny and Ken last year by local musician Jeffrey Wilson, and arrangements by Lorna written last week to include each member of the recorder quartet in each of the pieces they had chosen.

Ken holds the trophy for most instruments played in one meeting – clarinet, piano and recorder, and Davina the trophy for stepping in at the latest moment. Unfortunately Bruce had to drop out about ten days before the performance, so the trio for two violins and cello by Corelli seemed as if it would be shelved for another time. However, Pam was having nothing of that, so after a few phone calls, Davina stepped in. Davina has many talents, but even she could not learn the violin from scratch to Mozart standards in one week. It is incredible how well a harmonica blends in with stringed instruments!

Another trophy goes to Liz for performing whilst most ‘spaced out’. After a sleepless night with toothache, a visit to the dentist in the morning and two doses of antibiotics, Liz decided that playing the violin would not really be possible – at least not to the standard she expects of herself – but still sang in the choir. Their three pieces too ranged through the centuries, from a beautifully rendered arrangement of a number from the Bach Magnificat, through a seemingly simply (but I am sure very complex) Brahms song, to ‘Oh what a beautiful morning’ from Oklahoma, where, from the smiles on the altos faces, it was obvious they were thoroughly enjoying the harmonies they were adding to the tune.

So now the cycle starts again for the May meeting – the phone calls arranging rehearsals, the searches through old music and hunts on the internet for new, the determination that ‘this time I will NOT choose something quite so challenging’ and the realization that the piece chosen is actually slightly harder than you thought, but no-one will know what speed it was meant to go and no one will notice the missing semiquavers.

Who talked about ‘sinking into retirement?’ There is never a dull moment for music lovers
Debbie

Art Group Meeting held on Friday 10th March 2017

The following paintings were shown and discussed:

Masaccio The Virgin and child - 1426
An Italian Renaissance painting which is the central panel of a multi-panelled altarpiece commissioned for the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Pisa.

Claude Lorrain Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba - 1648
One of many harbour scenes painted by Claude, showing his love of both the classical scene and seascapes.

Laurent de la Hyne Allegory of Grammar – 1650
One of a set of allegory paintings, including Music, Arithmetic etc.

Joseph Wright The Experiment of a Bird in the Air Pump - 1768
of Derby Regarded as a masterpiece of British art, the subject of this painting was an example of the advances of science during the Industrial Revolution.

Georges Seurat Bathers at Asnieres – 1884
Now considered one of the highlights of the National Gallery,
this painting was not fully understood or appreciated until many years after Seurat’s death.

There were fifteen members present at the meeting and we had a very interesting and enjoyable afternoon. With such a diverse set of paintings, both in dates and styles, we all found a great deal to talk about.

There was a mixed response to the paintings re subject matter and style which in effect added to our discussion of them. As all these paintings are housed in the National Gallery they are easily accessible on their website. Members are taking it in turns to choose pictures to be shown at each meeting. These are then relayed to everyone by Pam prior to the date, giving us all the opportunity to study the paintings beforehand. This is an excellent system, as we all turn up having gleaned between us an understanding of the artists and their work, enabling us to discuss them in depth – and with a certain amount of confidence!

Having the pictures projected and magnified onto a large screen enables us to see the finer details and discover previously unseen aspects of the paintings, whilst appreciating the incredible ability and innovation of these artists.

Being a newcomer to U3A, I am very much enjoying the company of those who share my interest in art. On everyone’s behalf, I would like to thank Debbie for her very welcoming hospitality and Pam for her organisation of our group and her very efficient screening of the paintings. I wouldn’t know where to start!
Sheila Turner

Photography group trip to Colchester Zoo

On 23rd March our Outing was to Colchester Zoo. We set off with specific plans to photograph the most colourful or the most active critters. I largely concentrated on animal faces and eye to eye contact and I was partially successful. Some animals didn’t respond when I said “Look at me; I’m talking to you”. I must be losing my touch. However, the elephant at the entrance was more cooperative than the jumbo inside, and the hornbill tried to outstare me. We were disappointed that the cool weather caused some animals from warmer climes to be lethargic, but the flamingos and the meerkats were active, and feeding the giraffes was fun.
Allen Buckroyd

Family History
March and April
What an amazing meeting we had in March - not only more than 40 of us, but also a very good speaker - Alan Pamphilon who leads walks around Chelmsford. His talk was based on his Moulsham Street walk. I was only in Moulsham Street earlier in the day and didn't know half the things that Alan showed us that are still there - so the next time you are in the area, look out for the Salvation Army sign over the café [on the left as you come from town], the plaster decorations - used to advertise the plaster-maker's business, plus the ones down the alley, [the jewellers], [Grove Road - Godfrey's rope-walk], the original wooden beams in Boatman's opticians, and Moulsham Street's only coaching inn [the Star and Garter]. And do look behind the carpet shoe for the 'Dolls’ House' [there used to be a sign on the wall, but I don't think it is still there]. We also found out that Roy Jarred's family have lived here for 4 generations and he had memories of the flooding in the High Street before they strengthened the river banks - it was something that happened every year!

In April we had a very good meeting and watched a Who do You Think You Are film - Amanda Redman's episode from 10 years ago when she followed the mysterious story of her mother's [half] brother who had lived with the family in India [with a father who drank and physically abused the whole family] and who had then been left in Falmouth aged 10, when the rest of the family returned home to India. After that there had been no trace of him. When they managed to trace his story, he had been a merchant seaman with a family in Liverpool and one in Falmouth with frequent weeks 'at sea'! We were all amazed by the daughter who was found - Amanda's cousin - who looked so like her. We even had someone at the meeting who had also found a merchant seaman with two families and someone else whose family had lived in India.
Linda Knock

Computing Workshop

Have you ever wondered where you can go to for some help with using your laptop, tablet or phone? Well your problems are over!

We meet at 11am on the fourth Monday of the month in the Parish Hall and can deal with most of your problems or queries. Myself and up to three other helpers have a variety of experience and are willing to try and help. No problem is too small and some problems do result in a discussion amongst all of us there. Below are some details of the last two meetings.

The March meeting started with me sharing an email which had been sent to Norma. It was about the fact that EE/Orange will be removing certain very old email addresses from 1st May. Don't worry, you will be told by your provider well in advance if this were to happen to you!

This led to a long discussion about whether we should also have a Hotmail/Gmail email address as a backup for the Broadband address we have all been give - just in case we move Broadband provider. I demonstrated how to create a new Hotmail account.

Individual help covered copying music to a CD (legitimate under our copyright licence), unsubscribing from unwanted emails, copying pictures from one device to another and creating/storing in folders. We also solved other email problems.

This week, following a member last month having virus problems (which were sorted out by PC World) I decided to offer a short presentation on Virus protection and Malware programs. This proved to be quite useful and most members contributed their experience and knowledge.

We also helped with sending pictures and files by email, how to access and use your email software and whether or not to join LinkedIn!

Come along and give us a try! We are a friendly group and all do our best to help. All of this for a £1 contribution towards the hire of the hall (and WiFi).
Loretta Riddel

Are we boring you?

Do you enjoy reading the U3A newsletter or do you think you could do better?
Any member can write something, it doesn’t have to be a Group co-ordinator, and it needn’t be a long piece, so why not have a go and send me something next time?

How about : Why I joined the group / what I enjoy most when I go to my group / in one group we do this and its different from the other group I go to / I have learned such a lot about the subject / in our language group we try hard but we also have a laugh when someone goes wrong / I enjoy walking but I like going to the pub afterwards / I look forward to attending my group because ……. / on our visit we saw some amazing ………/ when I get home from a meeting , I feel happy? / energised? / I want to find out more?/ I’m going to find more books from this author? / I’ve enjoyed seeing my friends? / I can’t wait until our next meeting ? / Can I do the homework?

The more entries we have in the N/L, the more interesting and varied it will be to all readers, and in particular new members who will have a realistic picture of the thirty three groups we have. I look forward to hearing from you!
Maggie. Editor

Congratulations

Margaret and Brian Churcher celebrated their diamond wedding on March 23rd 2017. As long- standing members of the Bridge group, we did not think the occasion should go unremarked, so wine was bought and a cake produced. We still managed to fit in a few games and we enjoyed a pleasant afternoon.