Events
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON u3a EVENTS
Special Event - A visit to The Nutcracker - The Report!
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON U3A GOES TO THE BALLET.
Sixteen members and friends went to Birmingham Royal Ballet to see a production of "The Nutcracker" on Thursday 23rd November in the afternoon. We were whisked away in a very comfortable coach driven by the immensely competent (but very young looking) Hayden.
Our journey was helped along by some home-made Victorian sugar plums delivered by a quondam fairy and elf. These were much appreciated (the sweets, not the personnel)!
We were lucky with the weather going to Birmingham and enjoyed views of fields and livestock in the sunshine, truly England is a green and pleasant land.
The ballet took place at the Birmingham Hippodrome which was new to some of us, a most impressive building, well run and with friendly and helpful staff.
The ballet itself was, as it should be, magical with a real orchestra bringing Tchaikovsky's score to life. The dancers were truly gifted from the youngest party guest to the "old" grandfather who led some of the dancing. The character dancers added flavour to the whole afternoon while Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Prince took us off to lands dreamed of in childhood and wished for in adulthood.
It rained on the way back to Stratford but that didn't matter, we were cocooned in a warm coach and wrapped with our memories of magical places in far-off lands where the bad are always defeated and the good end happily.
Regular monthly meetings
We hold regular meetings on the last Wednesday of each month in the Methodist Church Hall, Old Town, Stratford-upon-Avon. Volunteers set up the hall ready for our 2pm start. Non-members are very welcome to attend and pay £2.00. Following an introduction from the chairman and brief notices, we have a presentation from a speaker on a topic of general interest; this lasts up to an hour, including questions. Finally there is a chance to chat to other members afterwards over tea/coffee and biscuits.
For a list of speakers and topics for our forthcoming meetings, please click on the link top right.
The Methodist Church is easy to find (satnav CV37 8BG) opposite Holy Trinity Church, Shakespeare’s last resting place. It has a small car park, but there is free on-street parking nearby in Old Town for two hours. If you are arriving in Stratford by bus, it is an easy walk from the centre of town.
Regional and national events
Other events include meetings, courses, conferences and workshops arranged by the Third Age Trust nationally and regionally. These include the popular U3A Summer Schools, short holiday courses open to all members. All events of likely interest to members are publicised in our regular newsletter and on this website.
To find out more about events in the wider West Midlands Region, go to our Links page and click to read the regional newsletter.
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