Oldham & District

Events

Meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 10.30 am at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Oldham. The morning includes refreshments, a guest speaker and information on the various activities you may enjoy. You are very welcome to come along.


Dates for your Diary
Anything Goes
Tue May 14th
→Tue May 21st
GROUP HOLIDAY 7 NIGHTS DEPARTING MAY 14TH 2024 FROM MANCHESTER, RETURNING MAY 21ST 2024.
BEST TRITON HOTEL. BENALMADENA, SOUTHERN SPAIN.
OWN EN SUITE ROOM, BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER, FREE BAR 12 HOURS PER DAY.
WINE, BEER, WATER SERVED WITH LUNCH AND DINNER.
RETURN TRANSFERS DIRECT TO HOTEL.
COST CIRCA £860 INCLUDES INSURANCE OR REDUCTION IF NOT REQUIRED. THIS WILL BE FINALISED ONCE NUMBERS ARE KNOWN AND AIRLINE SEATS ARE BOOKED.
DUE TO THE HIGH DEMAND FOR SINGLE ROOMS IT IS ESSENTIAL TO BOOK EARLY. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SECURE A GOOD NUMBER OF SINGLE ROOMS WITHOUT SUPPLEMENT.
CONTACT VERA RIGBY. 01457 873560 MOBILE 07949714267 EMAIL verarigby@talktalk.net
Art Appreciation
Thu Apr 18th There are two places to visit on this tour. The Whitaker Museum, Rossendale and then The Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington.

First: The Whitaker Museum & Art Gallery, Rossendale, where coffee/tea will be served on arrival, followed by a guided tour. The Whitaker is very unusual with an eclectic array of objects. It is described as a traditional and contemporary museum and art gallery, with a modern twist.

Second: The Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington Arts & Crafts house, incorporating the Tiffany Glass Museum.

Lunch of soup and sandwiches will be served on arrival, followed by a tour of Tiffany glass.

Tiffany glassware is one of the great expressions of the Arts & Crafts Movement with wonderful art nouveau styled vases, glass mosaics, lamps and stained glass windows. To create these, Louis Comfort Tiffany created new ways of working and glass combinations not seen before. His declared aim was the pursuit of beauty. The marvellous collection at the Haworth, the largest in Europe, contains some of his most beautiful works.

The leader for this tour is Jane Hind. If you would like to go on this tour please email Jane or contact us through the blue bird above.
Email: janehind@gmail.com

The cost of the tour is £40.00, which includes transport, tea/coffee, lunch and guided tours. Please make cheques payable to Oldham & District u3a and hand in at the monthly meetings in February and March, or post to:

Paul Dennis, 15 Roundhill Way, Oldham, OL4 2JR

Please note that the Treasurer has requested that all cheques must be for one member and one event only.

Please indicate your preferred pickup point on the back of your cheque.

Pickup points are Athens Way, Lees (new Aldi) at 8.45am or Oldham College at 9am.
Gardening
Tue Apr 23rd

NESS GARDENS

Situated on the Wirral overlooking the Dee estuary the garden is part of Liverpool University. Covering 64 acres it has over 15000 plants from China, Tibet,Burma and the Himalayas. Situated in a micro climate there is a great diversity of plants with year round colour and including Rhodendrons, Camellias, Snowdrops, Azaleas and Sorbus.
There is a cafe.
Pick up: Lees 9am
Oldham 9.15

£24.50/person

Thu Jul 11th
→Mon Jul 15th

VISIT TO SOMERSET

Venue: 4* Mercury Bridgewater hotel

Visit includes Full English breakfast, 3 course buffet dinner, porterage, Executive coach and professional tour driver throughout, Door to door service.

The trip includes:
Visit to Stoberry Gardens with tea/coffee and cake.
Hestercombe with guided garden tour
Lytes Carey Manor with guided tour,
Shaftesbury (time permitting)
Free time in Wells
Minehead (time permitting)

£499 per person sharing, Single supplement £80

MOTOS (Members on Their Own)
Sat Mar 23rd
→Mon Mar 25th

MURDER MYSTERY TOUR

Collected by taxi from your front door and taken to Birch services to join our coach. Porterage.Executive coach and professional driver throughout

Travel to Leicester for a visit to the Richard 111 visitor centre and then to
Leicester Cathedral where he is now buried. There may be some time to explore the city centre.

We then proceed to our hotel The Barn Hotel Grantham. We enjoy a full English breakfast and a 3 course evening meal [with choices], On Saturday evening after dinner there will be a talk on the history of the pork pie. Attendance is not compulsory but I have heard this talk and found it very entertaining.

On Sunday following a leisurely breakfast we visit Belvoir castle the ancestral home of the Dukes of Rutland for almost 1000 years. There is a cafe in the castle and also in the engine yard where there are the guide shops.

We return to the hotel to prepare for the murder! We are enjoying dinner in a classic Edwardian manner when a shot is heard ----- a body is found ----- an inspector is called. Follow the clues to solve the crime or just enjoy the laughs

On Monday we leave after a liesurely breakfast and enjoy a short stay in Matlock before continuing to Whaley Bridge where we join the Judith Mary for a cruise along the canal with afternoon tea served on board.

then we return to Birch services where taxis will be waiting to take us home

£359 per person in a single room; £40 per person discount in a twin/double room

bookings direct to Ellen Smith 01706 648126 but let me know as well

Thu Apr 25th

BEAMISH LIVING HISTORY MUSEUM

Leave Oldham College 9.00, Lees Aldi 9.15

Travel to Beamish with short coffee/comfort break on way.

Beamish is an open air museum bringing the history of North East England to life at 1820s Pockerley, 1900s town, 1900s Pit village, 1940s farm and 1950s town.There is a vintage tram and vintage buses to get you around the site. There is a pub {The Sun Inn} in 1900s town serving beer and snacks.this town also has tea rooms,a chip shop, Herron,s bakery,Jubilee sweet shop and Ice creams. there are other food outlets in other of their sites

£45 per person. Please pay Ellen Smith direct at 01706 648126 and let me know if you are meeting coachat Lees or Oldham
An envelope will be sent round for drivers trips.
THIS TRIP WILL BE OPEN TO COUPLES FROM 1st MARCH

Mon May 6th
→Fri May 10th

HOLIDAY TO IRELAND

Day 1. HOME PICK UP, COMFORT BREAK CHESTER SERVICES, ON TO HOLYHEAD FOR 14.45 FERRY TO DUBLIN THEN TO BLOOMFIELD HOUSE MULLINGAR FOR A LATE DINNER WHICH WILL BE SERVED SHORTLY AFTER OUR ARRIVAL

THE HOTEL IS SITUATED IN ATTRACTIVE GROUNDS INCLUDING A LAKE WHICH WE ARE FREE TO EXPLORE.WE CAN ALSO MAKE USE OF AN INDOOR POOL AND SAUNA.THERE IS A SPA YOU MAY USE BUT WYOU WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR TREATMENTS.
WE WILL HAVE A FULL IRISH BREAKFAST, 3 COURSE DINNER WITH MENU CHOICES TEA AND COFFEE. PORTERAGE,EXECUTIVE COACH AND PROFESSIONAL TOUR DRIVER THROUGHOUT

DAY2. MORNING VISIT TO THE NATIONAL STUD AND JAPANESE GARDENS WITH GUIDED TOUR AND CREAM TEA.THEN VISIT NEWBRIDGE SILVERWARE VISITOR CENTRE

DAY 3. ADMISSION TO LULLYMORE HERITAGE AND DISCOVERY PARK {SOUP AND SODA BREAD LUNCH} FOLLOWED BY A VISIT TO BELVEDERE HOUSE AND GARDENS

DAY 4. ADMISSION AND GUIDED TOUR OF GLASNEVIN CEMETERY {SOUP AND SANDWICH LUNCH} FOLLOWED BY A 2 HOUR GUIDED TOUR OF DUBLIN ON THE COACH AND A TOUR AND TASTING AT KILBEGGAN DISTILLERY

DAY 5. EARLY START TO CATCH 9.00AM FERRY FROM DUBLIN.WE WILL BE GIVEN A "GRAB AND GO" BREAKFAST - A DRINK AND A LIGHT BREAKFAST - BUT ARE ENTITLED TO A FULL BREAKFAST FREE ON THE FERRY. ON DISEMBARKATION WE MAKE OUR WAY TO BIRCH SERVICES WHERE TAXIS WILL BE WAITING TO TAKE US HOME

£669 PER PERSON IN A SINGLE ROOM; £60 PER PERSON DISCOUNT SHARING A TWIN OR DOUBLE ROOM

PLEASE MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS DIRECT TO ELLEN SMITH 01706 648126 BUT LET ME KNOW AS WELL.
THIS HOLIDAY WILL BE OPEN TO COUPLES FROM 1ST JANUARY

Thu Jun 20th LANCASTER

Leave Lees Aldi 8.30 and Oldham College 8.45

Travel to Barton Grange garden centre for a comfort and coffee stop, then on to River Lune aqueduct for a cruise along the river while enjoying a fish and chip lunch, following which we will have free time in Lancaster before returning home

£43 per person. Please pay Ellen Smith direct on 01706 648126 but also let me know if you are going letting me know if you are meeting coach at Lees or Oldham

You will be responsible for tippng boat and I will pass round an envelope on the way back for driver's trip

COUPLES MAY BOOK ON THIS TRIP FROM 1st MAY
Thu Jul 25th

WALK RIGHT BACK TO HAPPINESS

The old town hall at Yeadon {LEEDS} has been turned into an entertainment venue.We will enjoy a 3 course meal {with choices menu will be supplied shortly} whilst being entertained by tribute acts for hits of the 50s and 60s

Please pay direct to
Ellen Smith 01706
£59 per person

Let me know if you will be catching coach at Lees or Oldham

Couples may apply from 1st April

Fri Nov 22nd
→Sun Nov 24th

DANCE THROUGH THE DECADES

Door to Door service
Executive coach and professional driver throughout

Staying at DELTA BY MARRIOT hotel Warwick. Full English breakfast and 3 course evening meal

Day 1 Travel to hotel stopping at Coventry for afternoon tea at St Mary's Guildhall followed by time at leisure before going to hotel. Dinner followed by tribute acts from 40s and 50s
Day2 Stratford upon Avon Free time and then tour and tasting at the Shakespear gin distillery located in centre of town before returning to hotel for dinner and entertainmeny from tribute acts from the 60s and 70s
Day 3 return home with a stop {2-3}hours at the Trentham estate for coffee etc and perhaps some Xmas shopping

Then return home expecting to be in Oldham by 5pm

£359 per person in a single room £50 discount per person in a twin or double room

Please pay direct to Ellen Smith 01706 648126

COUPLES MAY BOOK THIS TRIP FROM 1st SEPTEMBER

Theatre
Wed Apr 10th 70TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
AGATHA CHRISTIE'S
THE MOUSE TRAP.
2PM WEDNESDAY APRIL 10TH
LOWRY THEATRE STALLS SEATS £33.50

CONTACT VERA RIGBY 01457 873560 / 07949714267
verarigby44@gmail.com
CHEQUES PAYABLE TO OLDHAM AND DISTRICT U3A PAY AT THE MEETING ON FEBRUARY 13TH OR SEND TO:
VERA RIGBY. 8. FERNHILL. OLDHAM ROAD.GRASSCFOFT, SADDLEWORTH OL4 4GH.
TICKETS MUST BE PAID FOR BY FEBRUARY 13TH.