DIARY OF EVENTS FOR 2021
See Notice Board on WELCOME page for late changes to this programme.
All Meetings start at 2pm in Grove Parish Church Hall unless stated otherwise.
For more information on activities etc within individual GROUPS, click on the relevant GROUP heading below
| Dates for your Diary | |
|---|---|
| Meetings | |
| Tue May 4th | Extraordinary General Meeting - re amendment to our Constitution before: Speaker: Paul Barwick - "The White Mouse", which tells the story of WW2 spy Nancy Wake, a remarkable woman who lived with the daily threat of death for almost 5 years. Paul is a now retired Police Officer with 34 years of service behind him and a career background in the national intelligence and security area. He has worked with partner agencies in the field of national security and counter terrorism. He now owns and runs a walking tour company in Central London focused on Spy Tours in the Capital. NOTE: This talk will be presented online by Zoom, full details will be emailed to members. |
| Tue May 18th | Speaker: Jeff Evans - "The Questionable History of the TV Quiz Show". This fully illustrated, entertaining talk covers the colourful history of the TV quiz show from its earliest days in the 1930's to today. Jeff is a freelance journalist with over 30 years' experience, a TV historian and author of around 30 books including "Rock and Pop on British TV" and "The Penguin TV Companion". NOTE: This talk will be presented online by Zoom, full details will be emailed to members. |
| Tue Jun 1st | Speaker: Dan Allen - The Victoria Cross: Facts and Fancies Dan Allen is a retired pensions consultant who has been interested in Victorian military history since he was a teenager. His first piece of military research came about when he wondered who was "Lord Napier" after whom his local pub was named? Clearly, he was a soldier since his picture on the sign showed him in a red coat. Some weeks later he had a working knowledge of the life of Field Marshal Lord Napier, the Abyssinian War of 1868 and a fascination for Victorian military history that has never left him. Dan is Treasurer of the Victorian Military Society, has contributed a number of articles to the Society’s journal on various topics and also given talks on behalf of the Society. He recently edited the Boer War diary of a Private in the Northamptonshire Regiment for publication. NOTE: This talk will be presented online by Zoom, full details will be emailed to members. |
| Tue Jun 15th | Speaker: Muriel Pilkington - The Mitfords in the Cotswolds Muriel read History at Oxford and taught History in a number of schools. She was Headteacher at Wycombe High School and worked part-time as an Education Consultant. History research is her hobby. NOTE: This talk will be presented online by Zoom, full details will be emailed to members. |
| Tue Jul 6th | Speaker: Anthony Poulton-Smith - Most Obscure Pub Names After a career in light engineering Anthony turned to writing. He has written more than 70 books, 1500 articles and over 200 books as a ghost writer. He is on 5 local committees, founder of his local literary festival and has recently returned to the Open University to study Creative Writing, Ancient Greek and Latin. NOTE: This talk will be presented online by Zoom, full details will be emailed to members. |
| Tue Jul 20th | Speaker: Sarah Slater - Working with the Ghosts of Hampton Court Palace Experiences working with the ghosts at Hampton Court Palace, the history, stories and sightings. Sarah lives in Surrey with her family and has worked at Hampton Court Palace for the last 12 years as a Guide Lecturer, Tourist Guide and State Apartment Warder. Sarah enjoys theatre, she belongs to her local drama group and is a founding member of Ottershaw Night Owls WI. NOTE: This talk will be presented online by Zoom, full details will be emailed to members. |
| Study Days | |
| Fri May 7th | The Sweetest Thing: A history of sugar. via zoom |
| Fri May 14th | History of Gardening Part 1 |
| Fri May 21st | History of Gardening Part 2 |
| Wed Jun 23rd | Visit to RHS Wisley (postponed from June 2020) gov. guidelines permitting. |
| Thu Jun 24th | Coventry Cathedral |
| Wed Jun 30th | Repeat of The Thames and its Boats (postponed from June 2020) To book, or if you would like to receive information directly from TVN with details of Study Days and Workshops, please email: events_info@usatvnetwork.org.uk |
| Social Events | |
| Tue Aug 3rd | Summer Tea at Millets Farm - details to follow |
| Holidays | |
|
Mon May 24th →Fri May 28th |
U3A HOLIDAY to LYTHAM ST. ANNE'S I would like to remind participants that our holiday is amended to take place on Monday 24th - Friday 28th May 2021, as previously advised. All is in order; the deposits paid are safe and I will be writing to participants again shortly. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further details or information. Vera Kastner |
| Art Appreciation | |
| Tue May 25th | 2 pm The Life and Works of Lucien Freud via Zoom |
| Tue Jun 22nd | Visit to Roche Court- to be confirmed subject to current situation |
| Gardeners | |
| Thu May 6th | 2.30 pm Harlow Carr a virtual visit by Zoom |
| Genealogy 2 | |
| Mon May 24th | 11.00 am - to be decided. |
| Literature | |
| Wed May 5th | 10 am - Literature centred on the West Country (Dorset, Devon and Cornwall) via Zoom |
| Wed Jun 2nd | 10 am - to be decided via Zoom |
| Music Makers | |
| Wed Apr 28th | 2 pm via Zoom |
| Wed May 12th | 2 pm via Zoom |
| Wed May 26th | 2 pm via Zoom |
| Philosophy | |
| Mon Apr 26th | 2 pm - topic to be decided via Zoom |
| Mon May 24th | 2 pm - topic to be decided via Zoom |
| Pub Quiz | |
| Tue May 4th | 8 pm via Zoom |
| Tue May 18th | 8 pm via Zoom |
| Science | |
| Thu May 13th | Initial meeting of group via Zoom. Contact Caroline Dunstan to join: u3ainwantageandgrove1985@gmail.com |
| Walking A | |
| Sat Apr 24th | Meet at Manor Road car park for prompt 10 am start. Walk from Wantage to Challow to Childrey and possibly to Letcombe Regis as well. A circular walk of 5-7 miles. Slight incline in places. May be muddy and wet, dependant on weather. Please wear suitable clothing and footwear and bring walking poles, if needed. The route may change if paths are very muddy. Childrey Stores should be open for takeaway coffee. Bring a flask and snack if you want to. No toilets. No car sharing. We will walk in groups of 6. June Grunwald, Alan Grunwald and Esme Marino will lead. Please book your place beforehand as only 18 walkers can be accommodated. |
| Sat May 22nd | Details to be advised |
| Sat Jun 26th | Details to be advised |
| Sat Jul 24th | Details to be advised |
| Sat Aug 28th | Details to be advised |
| Sat Sep 25th | Details to be advised |
| Sat Oct 23rd | Details to be advised |
| Walking B | |
| Mon May 10th | 2 pm walk to Letcombe. Details to follow. |