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NOTES FROM OUR CHAIRMAN
At this time of the year, we let our minds drift to thoughts of
Spring and the promise of warm days to come. But having
seen daffodils since early January, or before, and enjoyed
(unless you are a Stroller) a milder than usual winter, the norm
doesn’t seem to register, so let’s think about our U3A.
Live, Learn and Laugh, is the U3A slogan. It is a slogan full of
promise. But it also carries a hidden message of individual re-
sponsibility for us as members: not just as members of Interest
Groups; not just as members one to another; but helping to
make the organisation tick and a pleasant experience for us all. It doesn’t just happen.
We rely on just over 40 members to run our
55 Interest and Activity Groups. We have an
expanding number of members who help
with the various tasks involved with the
monthly General Meetings. We have nine
members on our Committee, which meets
monthly. Many of these members are multi
tasking, some have been doing it since Pre-
ston Park U3A was formed nearly ten years
ago, and long may that continue. But as our
membership heads up towards 400, it would
be wonderful to have some more volunteers
to help. Any member of the Committee will
be pleased to talk to you about how you can
help.
With the exception of our Strollers Group,
whose programme really did suffer from the
periods of heavy rain, all of our Interest and
Activity Groups have had a successful start
to 2016.
There are a few vacancies in some Groups, and
these may be mentioned elsewhere in this Newslet-
ter. Please sign up for subjects which interest you
and keep in touch with our Interest Groups Co-
ordinator Sally Jackson about vacancies.
Can I remind you that we very much hope to be
represented at the U3A Annual Meeting, which will
be held in Nottingham in August. If you are inter-
ested in going, please let any member of the Com-
mittee know.
You are probably aware that the first Thursday in
May is Polling Day for Local elections. Knoyle Hall
will be used as a Polling Station on that day, which
makes it unavailable for our General Meeting.
So please note that our May General Meeting
will be in St John’s Church, Knoyle Road.
Tony Beirne
Ukulele Group To date, we have had three
meetings of this new playing/
singing group. There are around
a dozen enthusiastic members
so far, meeting at Alan’s house.
Most members have only
recently purchased their
ukuleles and are working hard
to conquer their instruments. Contact Alan Beebe Tel :01273 559108
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Heritage Visiting Group This group was formed at the end of 2015, following the merger of two groups, the Cathedral & Church Visiting Group and the Military Museum Group. The first Group started in late 2012, in a three year programme, with the aim of visiting all medieval ca-
thedrals in southern England reachable in about 2½
hours travel time , as well as some more local churches of note. The visits are usually in the mornings, with many attending, then going for lunch together. Despite the fact it did not qualify as medieval, the first cathedral visited in November 2012 and last in Novem-ber 2015, was St Paul’s. This is probably because it is easy to visit and the walk from London Bridge Station to the cathedral includes Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral, the Globe, Bankside, the Millennium Foot-bridge and more!
The cycle of visits to cathedrals will recommence in
Staying in the unique 4 star Museumhotel in the heart of Delft, this trip includes a breathtaking tour of the bulbfields and the famous Keukenhof gardens, a visit to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, to view their remarkable world-class collection of art works and a very special evening cruise along Amsterdam’s famous canals on a privately chartered canal boat, pro-viding a wonderful introduction to the city, while we enjoy a 3 course dinner on board. We step back into the 17th Century and the Dutch Golden Age of Art, with a visit to the Vermeer Centre and a tour of the Royal Delft factory, famous for producing the beautiful blue and white porcelain.
Spring Break – 9th - 13th May 2017
I have been considering another Arts & Gardens themed Spring holiday for 2017 and an exclusive tailor-made 5 day tour of Holland, put together by Brightwater Holidays, has won my heart and, hopefully, will win yours too.
We will travel from Brighton by coach with our Brightwater Tour Guide and catch the ferry from Dover to Calais, stopping in Bruges for lunch and on to our hotel in Delft. During our return journey to Brighton, we visit the historic town of Ghent. This is an outstanding trip, which the cost reflects, a little extra than average for a far from average holiday. For 30 travellers £699 or 20 travellers £785. There is a £180 single supplement. For further information and a full itinerary
please contact:
Ann Kerrison. Tel: 01273 557362.
Email: [email protected]
iPad Group The picture shows some of the members of the
first iPad group. They are a six session
courses, running on Friday afternoons, not
necessarily consecutively.
This group is proving very popular and we
have difficulty fitting in all those who wish to
join. There is presently a waiting list, but all
will be accommodated in time.
Please contact:
Norma Noakes Email [email protected]
2018 and then run for 3 years again. The second original group was the Military Museums Visiting Group and again the aim is to visit all major Military Museums in a 3 year programme, which is still running and in its third year. The three visits so far in 2016 have been to The National Mari-time Museum, the V&A and the Royal Engineers Museum. Ten further trips are booked, or planned: to the Banqueting House in Whitehall; the Tank Museum in Dorset; Ham House National Trust in Richmond; Imperial War Museum Duxford (aircraft); Kensington Palace; Army Flying Museum Hampshire; London Transport Museum, Covent Garden; British Museum (Sunken Cities exhibition) and probably Standen National Trust at East Grinstead and the National Army Museum in Chelsea. The visits are mostly by coach or train, with the occasional local trip by car sharing. Fuller details of the 2016 visits programme is on our U3A website. For further information and to provisionally reserve or book a space, contact the group convener, John Col-man on [email protected] or 556977 or 07710 298221.
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Garden Group
The photograph was taken at Cissbury, Nepcote Lane,Findon(34 in the National Gardens Scheme Yellow Book) There were snowdrops everywhere and it was part of the Snow-drop Festival. Visits are also planned for other easily acces-sible gardens:
March, Highdown Chalk Gar-den at Goring (74);
April, Banks Farm at Barcombe is open to the public (13);
May, a visit will be arranged to The Garden House, 5 Warleigh Road, Brighton (59);
June, Ambrose Place Back Gardens in Worthing open to the public (4). 14 back gardens with lots of different styles.
Still waiting for the blackbirds to start singing! Jack Wright
A day out at the Opera
The Opera Appreciation group saw the Magic Flute at the English National Opera on Satur-day 19 March. It was a much anticipated and happy day for all. We saw the ENO listings a few months back. Molly Beirne immediately championed a trip to this wonderful opera, for the matinee performance and most members of the group agreed enthusiastically. As it happened it was the last performance. The opera itself was, of course, the main reason, but perhaps at the back of most, if not all, of our minds was to make a small contribution to the ENO in its current financial difficulties.
Most of the group met at Brighton Station and trav-elled together. Unfortunately, it was a bus linked day on the railways. At Three Bridges, the train that came in was already quite full and most of us did not get a seat, but at least a few did. The rest of the group had travelled separately and joined the main group at the Coliseum for a spot of lunch before the show. The writer was not at the lunch, but those who were, reported a very good two course lunch at a reasonable price. Two members of this group had started early and visited the Delacrois exhibition at the National Gallery, before joining the group. Two others had walked from Victoria Station and were none the worse for it. Of the opera itself, I think the general consensus was that the singers and the choir were excellent, espe-cially Lucy Crow who played Pamina, daughter of the Queen of Night. As for the production, some of us like operas in contemporary clothes and setting, as this production was, but some of us don't. Another issue was the set and staging. The ENO is unfortu-nately somewhat behind the likes of the Royal Opera
House and the New York Metropolitan, which pre-sumably is due to its financial difficulties. However, we all were impressed by the staging of the fire and flood tests of Tarmina – really spectacular. Another welcome aspect was that the choir performed their task uninterrupted. Why is this a surprise, you may ask. Well, since a few weeks ago, the choir has car-ried out random stoppages in some performances. The reason? Their pay has been cut by 25% due to the opera company's financial difficulties. We were in luck though; perhaps the choir were considerate for this last performance of the Magic Flute. After the opera, some of the group valiantly walked to Victoria station, while others went by bus after refreshments. Apparently everyone got a seat on the way back, which was great.
I would like to give special thanks to Molly as she
worked really hard to organise the trip. She con-
tacted the opera house several times to obtain the
best possible seats for us at group prices and made
enquiries at Southern Rail about the group trip.
Hopefully this will be the first of more visits.
Iraj Tavakoli
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One of our members thought this
article could be of interest:
The Preston Croquet Club
This is not a U3A activity group, but you may be interested in the following:
The Preston Croquet Club is actively seeking new members to join up this forthcoming season, which runs from early April to mid October. The Club is located next to the Tennis Club on Preston Drove, close to Preston Manor and St. Peter’s church and is the only Croquet Club in Brighton.
Croquet is equally suitable for men and women and requires no great strength to play and, as it does not involve bending, it imposes very little strain on the joints. It is a very socia-ble game and great fun. Make new friends and take gentle exercise at the same time.
If you would like to sample this fasci-nating game, without any commit-ment, come along to our Croquet Club on a Monday or Wednesday, morning at 9.45, from the 11th April.
We will provide you with a mallet and pair you with an experienced player, who will guide you through a morning of Golf Croquet. During the morning, there is a refreshment break when you will meet club mem-bers and ask any questions you might have. The first morning taster ses-sion is free but, if you wish to, you can attend three more sessions for a small charge, after which, hopefully, you will want to join up as a member of the Club.
Give us a try - you will not be disap-pointed.
Ruth Cary 01273 553958
Driving? Are we good or bad at it and how do we know? Well, if you want to find out, the Institute of Advanced Motoring will tell you.
For £49 the Institute will give you a 60-minute driving assessment, a trusted sec-ond opinion and the means to decide if it’s still safe to drive. The Mature Driver’s Assessment is de-signed to help you – or an older relative – with the difficult and sensitive decision of when and if to stop driving.
Perhaps you’re concerned that your reac-tions aren’t as fast as they used to be, or that your general driving ability has dete-riorated over time. Or, you may just need a little extra reassurance after a break from driving or prior to reapplying for your li-cence at age 70. If so, the Mature Driver’s Assessment offers an impartial second opinion to help you make the right deci-sions. Step 1 – A 60-minute driving assessment in your own car, on familiar routes, with one of their approved assessors. If you’d like a friend or family member to sit in, that’s fine with them. Step 2 – A confidential written report and a certificate to recognise you as an ‘Excellent’ or ‘Competent’ driver, or advice that your driving isn’t quite up to scratch – and what you might do to improve it. At just £49, a Mature Driver’s Assessment could be one of the best investments you ever make for your own safety, the safety of your passengers and your confidence be-hind the wheel.
Call: 0300 303 1134 Visit: iam/org.uk/mda
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Date Event
Thu Apr 7th The speaker for April will be Sheila Innes with a talk: “Are You
Sitting Comfortably? My Life in the BBC.”
Thu May 5th We welcome David Porter, on a return visit ,speaking on this occa-
sion about 'Living above a Railway Tunnel'
Due to local elections, this meeting will be in
St. John’s Church, Knoyle Road.
Thu Jun 2nd Sue Shepherd will be our speaker. Her subject will be:
'History of Preston Park from the time of the Romans', and will include information from the recent archaeological survey.
Thur Jul 7th We will be holding our regular, free, ticketed event:
Summer Picnic in Knoyle Hall.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
OUR MONTHLY GENERAL MEETINGS AT 1.30 P.M., KNOYLE HALL
HERITAGE VISITING Email: [email protected] Mobile: 07710 298221
Date Event
Fri Apr 8th BANQUETING HOUSE & NATIONAL GALLERY, Whitehall
& Trafalgar Square. Train, tube & walk. Cost £20. Booked & tak-
ing firm reservations.
Fri Apr 29th TANK MUSEUM, Bovington, Dorset. Coach 2½ hours. Cost £26.
Booked & taking firm reservations.
Fri May 27th HAM HOUSE (N.T.). Coach 1½ hours. Cost to National Trust
members £15. Cost to non members £24. House tour Extra £6.80.
Booked & taking firm reservations.
Fri Jun 17th IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM (aircraft), Duxford, Cambridge-
shire. Coach 2½ hours. Cost £28. Booking & Taking Reservations
Fri Jul 8th KENSINGTON PALACE, London. Train & bus. Cost £25. Taking
Provisional Reservations
CLASSICAL MUSIC GROUP
This Group will re-start in the autumn. Prices and concert details from Julia Clark.
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SOCIAL OUTINGS Please Contact Alan Beebe Tel 01273 559108
Sat May 7th LYMINGTON with their Saturday Market. Then on to the New
Forest for afternoon cream tea at The Station House, Holmsley.
Departing 08.30. Cost £21.00
Fri Jun 3rd CHICHESTER CATHEDRAL Festival of Flowers a fabulous
display, not to be missed!! Departing 08.30 Cost £25.00
THEATRE GROUP Please contact Maureen Dickson tel:07787 563261 email: [email protected]
Thu May 5th KING LEAR Starring Michael Pennington. Theatre Royal,
Brighton. Tickets £17.50. Please book quickly.
Thu Jun 9th BRIDESHEAD REVISITED. English Touring Theatre and York
Theatre Royal production of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel. Tickets
£17.50
Thu Jul 7th AFTER MISS JULIE Produced by August Strindberg and star-
ring Helen George. Miss Julie is played by Helen George, well
known for her role as Trixie Franklin in Call the Midwife and her
performance in Strictly Come Dancing. Tickets £17.50
Thu Jul 14th REHEARSAL FOR MURDER The Classic Thriller Theatre
Company, from the writers of ‘Murder She Wrote’. Starring Lau-
ren Drummond and Mark Wynter. Tickets £20
Thu Aug 11th PRESENT LAUGHTER starring Samuel West. Accompanied by
delicious dialogue and sparkling repartee, as only Noel Coward
writes! Tickets £17.50
For the latest details of events, please see our Preston Park U3A website.
Please send any items for the July newsletter by: 24th June 2016
to Terry Careford: [email protected]
The Preston Park website is: u3asites.org.uk/prestonpark
Paste this into your browser, or search in Google for Preston Park U3A
