Bristol U3A: Talks at Monthly Meetings

Talks at Monthly Meetings

The Monthly Meetings are open to all members as well as visitors. Coffee and biscuits are followed by a talk by an invited speaker. Please scroll down to see the varied programme of speakers for the next few months. This is an ideal opportunity to meet other members, the committee and many of the group convenors. Details of some EXTRA talks and workshops have been added. The times and venue are the same. PLEASE NOTE that Judy has requested you let her know if you are thinking of attending the Nutrition talk.

The Monthly Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of the month apart from August and December when there is no meeting. Doors open 9.45am. Coffee and tea served until 10.20am, the talk starts at 10.30am and the meeting finishes by noon.

The venue is upstairs in Broadmead Baptist Church at the bottom of Union Street BS1 3HY. It is behind Tesco and opposite Poundland and the nos. 3 and 4 bus stop. There is a lift in the building.

There is no charge, apart from 20p for refreshments. Please bring your membership card.

We would welcome occasional help with greeting new members.

If you need disabled parking, or for any other information, please click on the pigeon "send a message" link.

Dates for your Diary
February 2020
Tue Feb 18th	Meeting	David Carter: Borrowing and Rivalry - the English and French Languages over 1000 years David is a U3A member and has prepared this talk especially for us. English and French are the most widely used languages in the world. The most widely spoken, Chinese, is spoken by more people. Both English and French emerged in the early medieval period and David is going to tell us how the languages were used over the period and how French enjoyed enormous prestige for six centuries for both cultural and political reasons. Both languages borrowed from each other.
Mon Feb 24th	Meeting	Extra Meeting/Discussion Steve Heigham is a psychologist and lecturer who runs the Rebel Elders group.This is a chance to hear about Extinction Rebellion, the science and the actions. We want to encourage all viewpoints and ideas about how we manage any changes ahead. Come and join the discussion about what needs to be done and the best way to achieve it.
March 2020
Tue Mar 17th	Meeting	The original speaker Ralph Jerram who was going to talk about Desert Island Discs has sadly died. Instead our speaker will be: Rebecca Pearce: Medical Dogs Rebecca is a regional volunteer and fundraising coordinator for the charity Medical Detection Dogs. This is a charity which trains dogs to detect the odour of human disease, including cancer, Parkinsons and malaria. In addition dogs are trained as companions to those suffering from life threatening conditions.
April 2020
Tue Apr 21st	Meeting	Graham Short, Miniaturist Graham is considered to be one of the world’s leading exponents of micro art. He will talk to us about his work and explain how he has engraved on the sharp edge of a razor, how he has engraved The Lord’s Prayer on a pin head and how he managed his biggest challenge to date - to engrave Simon Armitage’s 51 word poem, dedicated to the fight against cancer, on to a 2cm x 1cm chemotherapy pill.
May 2020
Thu May 14th	Meeting	Extra Meeting Sarah Bayliss, a nutritional therapist, is going to talk to us about Nutrition and Healthy Ageing. She is very keen that older members of society have the knowledge they need to enable them to enjoy a happy, active and healthy life. As with our Monthly Meetings this is free. It is not a ticketed event so you are welcome to simply turn up BUT it would be vey helpful if you would let Judy know if you plan to come along - contact her using the pigeon post on this page.
Tue May 19th	Meeting	Dr James Taylor: Postcards This is a very entertaining and informative talk on the subject of British humour in the forgotten art of the picture postcard. One of the most gifted postcard artists was Frederick Lewin who was born in Bristol and was the son of a sea captain. Dr Taylor concentrates on the years between 1840 and 1950 and explains how some postcards entertained, uplifted, motivated and instructed their recipients.
June 2020
Tue Jun 16th	Meeting	Annual General Meeting All are more than welcome and this is an opportunity to raise issues you care about.
July 2020
Tue Jul 21st	Meeting	Dudley Thomas: My Life of Crime Dudley is a retired barrister and he will give us a very entertaining, light hearted talk about his career and some of the interesting characters he has met along the way. Dudley’s fee will go to an Ethiopian Charity.
September 2020
Tue Sep 15th	Meeting	Roger Browne: A Lifetime of Music Roger is a renowned jazz pianist, playing for nearly 25 years with Mart Rodger Manchester Jazz. He will deliver a fascinating talk about his life in the world of music. Roger will bring his own piano and has a wealth of funny stories to share.
October 2020
Tue Oct 20th	Meeting	Brian Freeland: Around the World in 80 Plays Brian has spent his whole career in the theatre. He has travelled extensively with British Council theatre companies and will tell us about his life , his travels, his adventures and the many different people he has met. This is the title of Brian’s first book.
November 2020
Tue Nov 17th	Meeting	Janet Diamond: Unearthing Egyptology Janet has lived in Cairo and has made an in depth study of Egypt. She lectures on cruise ships as well as around the UK. Her presentation will look at the early settlers and the movement of these semi-nomadic people. She will tell us about the Egyptian fabulous wealth and the deep theology, going on to the beginning of the pharaonic rule which saw the building of the pyramids.

Dates for your Diary
Meetings
Tue Feb 18th	David Carter: Borrowing and Rivalry - the English and French Languages over 1000 years David is a U3A member and has prepared this talk especially for us. English and French are the most widely used languages in the world. The most widely spoken, Chinese, is spoken by more people. Both English and French emerged in the early medieval period and David is going to tell us how the languages were used over the period and how French enjoyed enormous prestige for six centuries for both cultural and political reasons. Both languages borrowed from each other.
Mon Feb 24th	Extra Meeting/Discussion Steve Heigham is a psychologist and lecturer who runs the Rebel Elders group.This is a chance to hear about Extinction Rebellion, the science and the actions. We want to encourage all viewpoints and ideas about how we manage any changes ahead. Come and join the discussion about what needs to be done and the best way to achieve it.
Tue Mar 17th	The original speaker Ralph Jerram who was going to talk about Desert Island Discs has sadly died. Instead our speaker will be: Rebecca Pearce: Medical Dogs Rebecca is a regional volunteer and fundraising coordinator for the charity Medical Detection Dogs. This is a charity which trains dogs to detect the odour of human disease, including cancer, Parkinsons and malaria. In addition dogs are trained as companions to those suffering from life threatening conditions.
Tue Apr 21st	Graham Short, Miniaturist Graham is considered to be one of the world’s leading exponents of micro art. He will talk to us about his work and explain how he has engraved on the sharp edge of a razor, how he has engraved The Lord’s Prayer on a pin head and how he managed his biggest challenge to date - to engrave Simon Armitage’s 51 word poem, dedicated to the fight against cancer, on to a 2cm x 1cm chemotherapy pill.
Thu May 14th	Extra Meeting Sarah Bayliss, a nutritional therapist, is going to talk to us about Nutrition and Healthy Ageing. She is very keen that older members of society have the knowledge they need to enable them to enjoy a happy, active and healthy life. As with our Monthly Meetings this is free. It is not a ticketed event so you are welcome to simply turn up BUT it would be vey helpful if you would let Judy know if you plan to come along - contact her using the pigeon post on this page.
Tue May 19th	Dr James Taylor: Postcards This is a very entertaining and informative talk on the subject of British humour in the forgotten art of the picture postcard. One of the most gifted postcard artists was Frederick Lewin who was born in Bristol and was the son of a sea captain. Dr Taylor concentrates on the years between 1840 and 1950 and explains how some postcards entertained, uplifted, motivated and instructed their recipients.
Tue Jun 16th	Annual General Meeting All are more than welcome and this is an opportunity to raise issues you care about.
Tue Jul 21st	Dudley Thomas: My Life of Crime Dudley is a retired barrister and he will give us a very entertaining, light hearted talk about his career and some of the interesting characters he has met along the way. Dudley’s fee will go to an Ethiopian Charity.
Tue Sep 15th	Roger Browne: A Lifetime of Music Roger is a renowned jazz pianist, playing for nearly 25 years with Mart Rodger Manchester Jazz. He will deliver a fascinating talk about his life in the world of music. Roger will bring his own piano and has a wealth of funny stories to share.
Tue Oct 20th	Brian Freeland: Around the World in 80 Plays Brian has spent his whole career in the theatre. He has travelled extensively with British Council theatre companies and will tell us about his life , his travels, his adventures and the many different people he has met. This is the title of Brian’s first book.
Tue Nov 17th	Janet Diamond: Unearthing Egyptology Janet has lived in Cairo and has made an in depth study of Egypt. She lectures on cruise ships as well as around the UK. Her presentation will look at the early settlers and the movement of these semi-nomadic people. She will tell us about the Egyptian fabulous wealth and the deep theology, going on to the beginning of the pharaonic rule which saw the building of the pyramids.

Click on a picture below to see it full-size with more details.