Stour Valley NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 Stour Valley NEWSLETTER Vol 21 Issue 1 Winter

2 Wednesday Speaker Programme Venue: Constable Hall, Gandish Road, East Bergholt. CO7 6TP Time: We meet at 14:00 for a prompt start at 14: Nov The Coast of East Anglia A Lecture by David Simmonds, National Trust Speaker and volunteer. The East Anglian coast is full of contrasts and has much beauty, history and wildlife. Our speaker s talk focuses especially on National Trust coastal properties in Essex and Suffolk. 09 Jan Women Can Fly A Lecture by Sally Dearman, Former RAF pilot. One woman s journey from jumping from a landing window, then out of planes, to becoming a civil pilot, then the first woman through the RAF s fast-jet flying training system. 13 Feb An Afternoon with Joyce Grenfell A Lecture by Gillian Grinham, author, former teacher and director of plays and musicals. Aided by scarves and hats, Gillian performs a series of monologues and songs from Joyce Grenfell s repertoire, interspersed with details of that much loved entertainer. Committee with effect from 10th October 2018 Chairman Secretary Treasurer Committee Members 2018/19 Graham Manuel Sue Basted Val Pretty Elaine Bailey, Doreen Bezant, June Escott, Gill Gibbs, John Kelly, Robin Lansdell, Anne Manuel, John Price, Lotte Sherman, Lesley Southgate, Heather Stockton. Non Committee Post Holders Graeme Forsyth, John Wheals Cover image of puppets in Italy taken by Anne Manuel 2

3 28th Annual General Meeting The Acting Chairman s Report for the AGM 2018 held on 10 th October in the Constable Hall East Bergholt. The Acting Chairman welcomed 112 Members, and 6 guests (unable to vote) who attended the meeting. Stour Valley U3A has continued to grow over the previous year and there are now in excess of 250 members currently on roll. Gill Gibbs our Membership Secretary tells me that there are still several members who have not yet renewed their membership, so she estimates the final number will be well in excess of 300. Challenges facing us this year have included keeping up with Government Legislation in the form of the revised Data Protection Act, and the way we keep members personal details. Val Pretty, our Treasurer, will in future have to provide the Charity Commission with details of all income generated by groups in addition to the main financial records. New initiatives include The European Travel Group s holiday to Italy, next year going even further afield with a trip to Kerala planned for January. For the first time, the Committee has introduced a membership card which has the programme for the year on the back and will assist Group Leaders in being sure everyone who joins their group is a fully paid up member of SVU3A. You will be receiving your cards in the next newsletter. The Singing for Fun Group held their very first concert which was a great success and in August, June & Viv organised a very pleasant summer dinner at the Copdock Hotel. Thanks must go to all our Interest Group Leaders for the hard work they put into all the groups. A special mention must be given to Robin Lansdell who has once more made sure that we have fantastic speakers at each and every Lecture Meeting. My personal thanks must go to Robin who, as an experienced and long standing committee member, has been there for me whenever I have needed advice both as Secretary and as Acting Chairman. In April our lovely chairman, Stephen Clarke, resigned from his post due to illness and I stepped out of my comfort zone to be Acting Chairman until the AGM. From today I will have no excuse for neglecting my housework, garden and very patient husband. I am pleased to add that Stephen is well down the road to recovery. Graeme Forsyth is stepping down from the Committee but has offered to continue with the work of publishing the activities of the U3A. After more than 10 years of ensuring that the Constable Hall is set up for all our activities and making sure there are tea, coffee, milk and biscuits, Len Taylor has resigned from his post. Len will be a hard act to follow. Thanks must go to him for all his hard work and also to his assistant Bob Iles, who for health reasons, has also stepped down. Acting Chairman Susan Miller 3

4 Thoughts from the new Chair... The Annual General Meeting on 10th October attracted over a hundred members and guests. This may have been a record number for an AGM. We shall have to look back into the files, but I expect that most members were there to hear about silk weaving in Sudbury. It was a fascinating talk by Richard Heap. However, you did manage to elect a new set of committee members who will be in place for two years to help us build an even stronger organisation. The continuing success of the monthly lecture, very well put together and managed by Robin Lansdell, is both encouraging and worrying. Have we outgrown our venue? If so, should we consider some kind of ticketing arrangement and thereby ration access? Or should we bite the bullet and begin to look for larger premises? The lectures very much belong to the members and the new Committee will consult widely before making any decision which might disturb the current arrangement. I hope that the Committee will agree to continue to financially support the monthly Coffee Grinders social for a further six month period. This event, held on the 4th Friday of each month is proving to be a useful way of introducing new members to the workings of our U3A, with Group Leaders and Committee members being in attendance. More established members are also pleased to be able to catch-up with each other. The Scrabble Group and the Chess Group both use this event to hold their monthly matches, with spare boards and chess men usually available for anyone wishing to have a go! Coffee Grinders is organised by June Escott, our Social Secretary. Talking of which... The highly successful revamped Summer Supper is soon to be followed by an upgraded Christmas lunch experience. Members will be seriously impressed by this event, or so I am told. And waiting in the wings are the new Spring and Autumn Equinox Quiz evenings. They are still in the planning stage but promising to be further great social occasions for our diaries (or phones). If you enjoy our activities, we hope you may wish to sign-up friends and relatives to our U3A. Don't forget your flu jab and have a great winter. Graham Manuel Chairman 4

5 Our Autumn Holiday in Northern Italy After a long hot summer, nineteen members of Stour Valley U3A were dismayed when Ryanair cancelled our flight from Stansted to Milan, so, at very short notice, a coach was secured to take us to Gatwick where we boarded an EasyJet plane to our destination. It was all worth those extra miles to arrive at our hotel near Malcesine by the shore of Lake Garda where, each morning, the early risers were entertained by intrepid surf boarders with their kites and wind surfers flying down the length of the lake, whisked away by the wind. Blink and you missed them. Lance, our knowledgeable guide from Manchester, and our young Italian driver escorted us as we encircled the entire lake, exploring Sirmione, the Gardone Riviera and Limione, concluding with a sail across the lake, all giving us a feel for the area in which we were to stay. We explored Vicenza, the home of Andrea Palladio s impressive Teatro Olimpico, where we were in awe of the first indoor theatre in masonry designed by Andrea Palladio, showing wonderful linear perspective. On our one day of rain, a few ventured up into the clouds on board the two cable cars rising from Malcesine. Sampling the home made Grappa made our journey worthwhile. Our next trip was to the beautiful, dramatic Dolomites, where yesterday s rain had fallen as snow. Some found they had an irresistible urge to throw snowballs. We visited Mantova and Bolzano, where Õtzi, the incredible ice man, is preserved in a special cold cell under glacier conditions, unique in that he has been preserved almost in his entirety. Our final visit was to Verona, somewhat spoilt by being the home of Romeo and Juliet. Our holiday was as busy as we made it. There was time to stand and stare, sit and drink coffee and watch the world go by. All glued together with friendship and delicious ice-cream. Ryanair behaved itself on our way home. We must extend our thanks to Val Pretty, Graham and Anne Manuel for making this holiday possible. Ann Tankard This pencil sketch was produced by Grace Wallis, who holidayed along with us. 5

6 Keeping in touch A note from our Membership Secretary The new data protection act, introduced in May this year, has caused a degree of confusion in the ranks of voluntary organisations and charities, including our own. We have been required to do things a bit differently. A key requirement now in operation, is that a member needs to consent to our keeping data so that we may communicate with you. The word data sounds a bit "techy" but simply refers to your name, address, phone number and , which we store in a very controlled manner. We do not ask for, or hold, any information about your age, bank accounts or other personnel details. If you do not tick the first consent box on the membership application form, we will not be able to contact you at all - nor will the Interest Group Leaders. You will be isolated The other consent box also needs to be "ticked" if you wish to receive the quarterly magazine from our national body, the Third Age Trust. The cost is included within your membership fee and this includes the postage charge. Many members enjoy this publication. It tries to provide an insight to other U3A activities across the country and contains chatty articles of interest. Please get in touch if you need further details. Suffolk Churches Group We find many fascinating things in Suffolk Churches. This small carving on a Misericord elbow rest is a fine example. Did a Local Craftsman in Norton create this for his local Church, or a specialist travelling craftsman? Are these types of work pure imagination. There were other carvings too. Possibly, as the Misericord is situated in the Chancel, it was a warning to young altar-boys to behave correctly. Marion Leeson Suffolk Churches Group New members welcome Gill Gibbs Membership Secretary 6

7 Riders at the Bressingham Gardens and Museum On a very warm July day, a happy coach full of U3A members went to visit the Gardens and Museum at Bressingham, including Foggy Bottom where we were glad of an extensive sprinkler system for the grass, and which cooled some of us down. Image of Yvonne and Cherry courtesy of Nick Miller Whom do I Contact? Joining Stour Valley U3A and renewing your membership: Gill Gibbs Membership Secretary (01206) Graham Manuel (01206) Anything Else Graham Manuel (01206) Sue Basted (01206) Interest Groups Coordinator Chairman Secretary Editorial Note The last date for copy is Friday 20 January 2019 The Editor Doreen Bezant Assistant Editor Vacant The Brambles, Gaston St., East Bergholt CO7 6SS Tel:(01206) stourvalleyu3anewsed@gmail.com Website Take a look at the website and let Anne Manuel know if you would like to see something new on it. Tel: (01206)

8 Stour Valley U3A Calendar November 14 Lecture: The Coast of East Anglia by David Simmonds 23 Coffee Grinders Drop-in Lambe School am December 05 Christmas Lunch January 09 Lecture: Women can Fly by Sally Dearman February 13 Lecture: An Afternoon with Joyce Grenfell by Gillian Grinham March 13 Lecture: For Better or Far Worse by Toni Neobard & Kate Broad April 10 Lecture: The Genius of Charles Dickens by Mark Mitchels May 8 Lecture: Portable Antiquities Scheme by Dr Helen Geake June 12 Lecture: Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics by Dr Stephen Ashworth For further details of the lectures, see the Events Page on our website: Visits: Open to all paid up members Churches, Cathedrals and Historic Buildings Group: See website for details & contact: Anne Padgham (01206) Garden Group Visits: See website for details & contact : Val Pretty (01206) Theatre Group: See website for details & contact: Linda Bestow (01206)