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October 2017 Bulletin No 120
Anyone for tennis? See Rusty Rackets on page 28
ContentsMonthly Meetings....................................................................................3September Meeting.................................................................................4Anniversary Lunch 2018...........................................................................5Notices.....................................................................................................6Group Reports..........................................................................................8
BOOK CHAT..........................................................................................8BOOK GROUP.......................................................................................9ENGINEERING, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY......................................10FRENCH CONVERSATION...................................................................15GARDEN GROUP.................................................................................16GENTLE CYCLING GROUP...................................................................17HOLIDAY GROUP (with Lutterworth U3A)........................................18LIVELY DISCUSSION............................................................................19PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP.....................................................................24POETRY GROUP..................................................................................30QUIZ GROUP.......................................................................................31RUSTY RACKETS..................................................................................32SINGING FOR PLEASURE.....................................................................33SNAILS PACE GROUP..........................................................................34TRIPS...................................................................................................36TUESDAY WALKING GROUP (with Lutterworth U3A).......................401st WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP...................................................412nd WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP..................................................434th WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP...................................................45
Interest Group Meeting Days and Times...............................................47Committee April 2017– March 2018.....................................................51
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Monthly Meetings
Welcome to the Wycliffe U3A. We meet on second Thursday of each month at the Methodist Church Hall. All are welcome to join.
10am – 10.30am: tea, coffee and biscuits available, and an opportunityto meet friends old and new. Book exchange, information about trips etc. Group co-ordinators will be available to answer any queries.
Speakers (10.30am) October: Sandy Leong Mad as a Hatter - the origin of words and sayings.November: Louise Page - Mind Coaching
Future Speakers: If anyone has ideas for future speakers at the monthly meetings or has recently enjoyed a speaker from elsewhere, please contact Mike Perry on 01455 556724.
Visitors: may come to one monthly meeting (payment of £1), after which they must become a full member if they want to come again.
Membership: to interest groups is limited to full members only.
Refreshments:
October 12th. - Anne Dean, Sally Cook and Janet MorrisNovember 9th. - Janice and Bernard Poile and Val RidleyDecember 14th - Sue and Brian Poulter and Gill Betts
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September Meeting
Our speaker in September was John Budulis and his presentation was –Personal Safety on the Road.
John has been a serving officer with Leicestershire Police for over 40years. During that time he has served in every area of trafficmanagement and control. Being of similar age to many in the audienceJohn started by telling us some fascinating facts about elderly drivers.The oldest drivers still holding a full licence are well over 100 years ofage! And according to the DVLA the oldest person with a provisionallicence is also over 100 years old – so technically they could be learningto drive!
The main purpose of his presentation was to make everyone aware ofthe need to take simple precautions so as to avoid for example:
At traffic lights or crossings the opportunistic theft of handbagsplaced on passenger seats – loop the seat belt through the bagand secure.
Opportunistic theft from supermarket car parks at night – parkyour vehicle near to lights so that suspicious activity will be seenand therefore deterred.
John also reminded us to make sure we planned out our longerjourneys so that if something untoward did happen we could cope. At the end of his presentation John held a short question and answersession. Nigel Burt
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Anniversary Lunch 2018
As many of you know, our anniversary lunch will be held at the WycliffeRooms on 25th January 2018. At the September meeting, over 50 people signed up saying they hoped to attend.
I have made out a booking form. I will print out some forms for the meetings, but to keep my costs down (I don’t claim expenses) I would appreciate it if some of you could print the forms out.
If you are able to attend please fill out the form and return it with your payment to the October/November/December meetings. If you wish tosit with a group of friends, please indicate on the form in the space at the bottom.
I look forward to seeing you.
Nigel Burt
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Notices
Important Announcement
I have decided not to continue as the co-ordinator for the 1st Wednesday Walking Group as from the end of this year. If anyone is willing to take over from me please let me know, otherwise the 1st Wednesday Walking Group will have to be disbanded.
Roger Watmore
Used Stamps
The person who used to collect all our used stamps and pass them on to the charity has now retired. This means we can no longer give stamps to her.
Many thanks to everyone who has collected stamps over the past few years. Dot Barnard
Card Games. Co-ordinator: Cynthia Griffith
We are looking for 2 new members to join our card group to make up the numbers. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month in theafternoon - 2.30pm to 4.30pm at members houses. We play a variety of card games, Whist, Rummy, Group Patience, Uno and many more. Please come.
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Group Reports
BOOK CHATCo-ordinator : Mick Curtistele : 01455 554504
Our book for September was Crow Lake by Mary Lawson. Set in veryrural North Ontario, the story centres on the Morrison family.Orphaned at a young age, the four siblings grow very close. Kateworshipped her elder brother Matt, who had always been viewed bythe family as the academic one. However as an adult, Kate barely seesher siblings and she cannot forgive Matt for giving up the chance to goonto further education in order to marry the daughter of aneighbouring farmer. When she is called back for a family occasion, shebegins to see that Matt has found a different path that is no lessimportant than her own high flying academic achievements.
The group enjoyed this book with none disliking it outright. It provokeddiscussion on the themes of what constitutes success and the role of atight community in helping others.
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BOOK GROUPCo-ordinator: Anne Deantele: 01455 202327email: [email protected]
La’s Orchestra Saves the World is a stand-alone novel by AlexanderMcCall Smith. It is a gentle, easy read telling the story of La (Lavender)Stone.
La’s marriage ends and she moves to her in-laws cottage in Suffolk andplans a garden. At the outbreak of WW11 she decides to help with thewar effort by growing vegetables in her garden and helping a localfarmer by caring for his chickens.
To raise morale she starts an orchestra with an assortment ofmusicians from the village and a nearby RAF base, including a Polishairman who plays the flute. His inclusion in the story creates a sub plot.
We found the book a pleasant, light read but felt the title a littlemisleading as the orchestra theme wasn’t really developed. However,small acts of everyday life may ‘save the world’.
Anne Dean
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ENGINEERING, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYCo-ordinatorChris Ridley 01455 209920
Bayston Hill Quarry Visit - Thus 21st Sept
Arranged for the Eng group by Howard Grant, this visit was eagerlyawaited as it had been previously set for earlier in the year but nowrescheduled for last Thursday.
Bayston Hill is an extremely large open cast workings set in theShropshire country side and owned by the Tarmac Corp and apart fromthe main buildings seen from the road, one would not know the quarryexisted.
Our contact and guide Morgan Grant who currently manages the site,explained through presentation and videos, that it supplies a vastamount of graduated stone to the construction industry reducing therock from a typical 300mm diameter down though a series of verticaland cone crushers to the smallest size at 6mm including all sizes inbetween dependent on requirements
It is the quality of the material that they produce for which this aknown site, like supplying the top dressing that was used for the AbuDhabi Grand Prix circuit…. a special gravel that keeps it’s sharp facetsand resists “polishing”, this was helicoptered by the ton to a UK portfor delivery to Asia.
Had we visited on the Tuesday prior, we would have witnessed theblasting of some 50,000 tons of rock ready to be reduced further,Morgan had videoed the momentus upheaval so all that was missingwas the ground shake…
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We finally viewed the site and it’s workings both from the viewingplatform on the rim and first hand at the working face on the quarryfloor safely in 4 WD trucks which were dwarfed by giant earth movingequipment all traversing efficiently around us on the various workinglevels.
The visit lasted some 4 hrs which actual felt a lot less as Morgan’spresentation was extremely absorbing.
Our thanks to Morgan and his team for their time taken in explainingthe logistics involved around a successful working quarry.
Chris Ridley
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FRENCH CONVERSATIONCo-ordinatorSue Hickstele: 01858 880273
We chatted about our holidays, mostly with family and mainly invarious parts of Europe including the UK. After a quick French word-search and coffee, we studied an article about individuals flying withthe aid of a helium balloon (or Aéroplume) and wings made of canvasand carbon fibre. A few of us wanted a go!
The next meeting is on 26 October.
Sue Hicks
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GARDEN GROUPCo-ordinator: Sue Creeden tele: 01455 557888
After a slightly delayed start, we had a trouble-free ride to the Granaryat Fenny Compton Wharf. We were welcomed by Lucy and Mike Davieswho explained that they took over the house and gardens nineteenyears ago and had developed and expanded it over the years. Mike didthe designing and Lucy did the planting. The garden itself had lots ofmixed borders planted for all year colour. All the plants were clearlylabelled and we were all given a plan and plant guide leaflet.Unfortunately the garden was not at its best at this time of year butstill full of colour and the lawns were immaculate. There was also a cutflower area with dahlias, rudbeckias etc., and a vegetable garden withhuge polytunnel. Unfortunately, the grass in the meadow was ratherlong and it was a bit too wet to cross it to get to the copse. The gardenran along the side of the canaI and the views across the hills were adelight. It was a lovely warm afternoon so we able to round off the tripwith tea and delicious home-made cakes in the sunshine.
On Tuesday 24th October our visit will be to the Bluebell Nursery andArboretum, in Smisby, Ashby de la Zouch (which, strangely enough isnot a bluebell wood!) The Arboretum has one of the finest collectionsof unusual trees and shrubs in Derbyshire. Planting was started in 1992and the gardens now cover an area of nine acres. We will have aguided tour followed by tea at the Nursery.
The minibus will leave Lutterworth Leisure Centre at 1.00 p.m. and thecost, including refreshments, will be £14.50. If you would like to come, please let me know as soon as possible by email [email protected] or phone 01455 557888.
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GENTLE CYCLING GROUPCo-ordinator: Sue Creedentele: 01455 557888
It was a pleasant morning for the group’s September ride. Five of us setoff from the village shop and café in Gilmorton and pedalled aroundKimcote and Walton, Upper Bruntingthorpe, Bruntingthorpe andPeatling Parva. It was an easy 8 miles with not too much traffic and wemade it back in a good time. We then all enjoyed coffee afterwards atthe café.
The next ride is scheduled for Wednesday 18th October when we willdo a repeat of August’s ride from Café Crema over to Monks Kirby, adistance of just under 8 miles on quiet lanes. We will meet there (onthe A5 near Claybrooke) at 10.a.m.
The plan is to continue riding on the third Wednesday of each monththroughout the winter if the weather permits.
Everyone is very welcome, not just the Ladies. Just call Sue Creeden on01455 557888 or email: [email protected] to let herknow you are coming.
Sue Creeden
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HOLIDAY GROUP (with Lutterworth U3A)Co-ordinator:Caren Simpson 01455 203554
Below are details of some of the holidays our members are interested in. Prices vary according to dates.If anyone is interested in joining any of the holidays and would like more information please don't hesitate to contact Caren Simpson, on 01455 203554. Or come along to our next meeting on 20th October at 10am, at The Holiday Barn, Cotesbach.
ITALY Exploring Tuscany 11th APRIL 2018 : 7 NIGHTS, HALF BOARD. £519 per person sharing - DEPOSIT £51. CRETE Castello Boutique Resort and Spa 8th MAY 2018 : 7 NIGHTS, HALF BOARD. £690 per person sharing. - DEPOSIT £60. LAKESIDE LODGE - AFRICA 18th June 2018 : 9 DAYS, ALL INCLUSIVE. £1,699 per person sharing. - DEPOSIT £169.90
LAKE MAGGIORE 2nd October 2018 : 8 DAYS,
HALF BOARD. £1,019 per person sharing. DEPOSIT £100
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LIVELY DISCUSSION
Co-ordinator : Dot Barnardtele : 01455 208190email : [email protected]
Alice Hawkins and the Suffragettes
The first country to give women the vote was New Zealand in 1893, thelast was Saudi Arabia in 2011, although this right could not beexercised till 2015. Vatican City is now the only place where womendon’t have the vote. Some other statistics include - 46 countries wherethere are no laws against domestic violence; in Malta a man can abducta woman as long as he marries her; in Tunisia a woman inherits halfwhat her brothers inherit; in Iran a woman’s testimony only counts ashalf a man’s in court; in Egypt a man gets a lesser sentence for killinghis wife if she is an adulterer; in Israel only men can file for divorce andin Cameroon a man can decide where his wife works. One contributornoted that unless men have looked into the history of votes for womenthey don’t realise how hard women had to fight.
In 2018 it will be 100 years since some women got the vote – thosewho were 30 or over and owned property. It wasn’t till 1920 that allmen were enfranchised and in 1928 all women finally got the vote.Considering the vital role that women played in WW1 this is surprisingon one level. However, not only were many men against femaleemancipation, but many women were too. Men who were in favour ofwomen’s enfranchisement included Richard Pankhurst, barrister,husband to Emmeline Pankhurst, Disraeli, George Bernard Shaw; JohnStuart Mill, who introduced the idea of women’s suffrage as early as
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1865, and Richard Cobden, a Manchester MP. Two of his daughtersbecame well-known suffragettes.
Suffragists were peaceful campaigners for women’s rights. The mostfamous of these was Millicent Fawcett who campaigned for 60 years.She led the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies founded in1897. Suffragettes were their more militant sisters. Despite manyexamples of direct action it’s interesting to note that suffragettes onlyattacked things and places, not people as terrorists do today.Nevertheless their actions came about because the Establishmentrefused to give women voting rights. Emmeline Pankhurst, togetherwith her daughters and other women set up the Women’s Social andPolitical Union (WSPU) in 1903. They chose for their colours violet,white and green. Purple symbolised dignity, white purity and greenhope. Ribbons, banners and rosettes in the colours appeared. Preciousjewellery was also fashioned in them using amethysts, pearls andperidots. At Christmas 1908 Mappin & Webb issued a catalogue ofsuffragette jewellery.
Women were frequently arrested, and subjected to force feeding whenthey went on hunger strike. A tube was inserted through their nostrilsor mouths and liquid food was poured down. Sometimes these tubeswere misplaced entering a lung and resulted in illnesses includingpleurisy and pneumonia. Some women were so badly damaged that itaffected what they could eat afterwards. Sylvia, one of EmmelinePankhurst’s daughters, was force fed the most number of times and itseverely restricted her diet for the rest of her life. The LiberalGovernment led by Asquith passed the ‘Cat and Mouse Act’, moreformally known as the Prisoner Temporary Discharge for Health act1913. The Government were embarrassed by being seen to force feedmiddle class women, some of whom never regained their health oractually died of complications from this treatment. The idea was to
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temporarily discharge women in a weakened state caused by forcefeeding. It was thought they would need recovery time and woulddesist from direct action. They would then be re-arrested if theyresumed action, hopefully stronger and therefore able to withstandforce feeding once again. As the war began in 1914 and suffragettesceased action to help with the war effort we will never know what thefull outcome of this Act would have been.
Alice Hawkins, the famous Leicester suffragette was remarkablebecause she was working class and was employed at the Equity ShoeFactory. Most suffragettes were middle or upper class at the beginning.Alice was a member of the trade union movement but wasdisillusioned with what it could achieve. In 1907 she attended a WSPUmeeting of 300,000 in Hyde Park, followed by a march to Parliament todemand votes for women. She was arrested for the first of five timesand her time in prison affected her profoundly. She was jailed inLeicester and Holloway. She returned to Leicester and invited SylviaPankhurst to speak there. Shortly afterwards the Leicester branch ofthe WSPU was formed. Alice and her colleagues began a tirelesscampaign of speaking at factory gates, market squares and villagegreens throughout Leicestershire and parts of Northamptonshire. InJune 1908 Alice herself spoke to a crowd of 250,000 in Hyde Park, andwas reported in the Times the following day as a keynote speaker.
Her husband, Albert, fully supported his wife. Winston Churchill, HomeSecretary, came to speak at the Palace Theatre in Leicester and Alicewas refused entry so Alfred went, and standing at the back, interruptedChurchill by saying
‘Why don’t they (the Government) secure the vote of the women ofthis country? How dare you stand on a democratic platform?’
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He was ejected from the meeting and together with Alice and otherswere arrested, spending 14 days in Leicester Jail. On another occasionhe heckled Churchill at a meeting in Bradford and the stewards threwhim down a flight of stairs resulting in a broken leg. The Liberal Partywere sued by the Men’s Political Union and Albert was eventuallyawarded £100 – a large sum in those days. Unfortunately not all menand not all women were sympathetic to the cause. One Sunday inLeicester Market as Alice was speaking a man shouted ‘Get back toyour family’. She replied ‘But here is my family, they are here tosupport me.’ And they were, Albert and their teenage children werestanding by her side.
Alice died in 1946 aged 83. The headline in the Leicester Mail read
‘City Suffragette Dead: Jailed 5 times in fight for women’s vote.’
The Oxford English Dictionary defines feminism as ‘the advocacy ofwomen’s rights on the ground of equality of the sexes’ which refers tothe fact that women have by no means achieved equal rights, which iswhy feminists exist today. The group noted that despite having equalrights on paper this isn’t often the case in practice. There is still a 10%pay gap despite equal pay legislation. One member, a teacher sharedwith us how in the 1970s she had to leave her job at Christmas, despitethe baby not being due till June. As a science teacher she felt she wasabandoning her ‘O’ and ‘A’ level students when she quite easily couldhave carried on until the exams in the summer. It appears that beingmade to leave so early was the policy of that particular local authority.Nowadays at least a job is kept open. However, keeping jobs open isvery difficult for small employers who may not be able to afford to doso and are now bound by legislation on this point. We also discussedhow few girls seem willing to take up science or engineering,particularly in mixed schools. This proved much easier in single sex
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schools and examples of this are doctors, dentists and nuclearscientists who are past pupils.
Just because women have the right to vote in the UK, it does not meanwe have achieved gender equality. Women being sold into marriage,girls missing out on education, female genital mutilation, domesticviolence, rape and the unbalance of childcare are still issues.
Women not only went to prison and endured torture in the form offorced feeding, but some like Emily Wilding Davidson who died underthe king’s horse sacrificed so much more. You would think that acentury on things would be more balanced.
Dot
Future Topics 2017October 9th – Do we give too much respect to religion and culture?November 13th – Trump so farDecember 11th – Xmas meeting
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INVITATION TO ATTEND AS A GUEST
Would you like to come along to the Lively Discussion Group occasionally? The maximum number of people that I can accommodateis 12, and sometimes regular members are unable to attend. We meet on the second Monday in the month at my house 10.30 – 12.30. Pleasephone or email me if you wish to attend and I’ll let you know if there is a space on your chosen date. 01455 208190 or [email protected]
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PHOTOGRAPHY GROUPCo-ordinatorMichael Batesmobile: 07899937595
September Meeting
This meeting was a double first for the group, the first meeting afterthe summer break and our first meeting in our new venue, The VillageHall in Gilmorton. Everyone was pleased with the new venue, with itsown catering facility and a larger space which will enable us to carryout some practical indoor photography.
This month the meeting topic was, Photographing Buildings, and weexplored ways of overcoming some of the problems withphotographing buildings close up and how with some simplepositioning we can make the pictures more interesting. We finishedwith a look at pictures of buildings, taken by professionals, which wonRIBA 2017 regional awards. Continuing with the building theme wereviewed the pictures taken by our members during our photo walkaround Lutterworth in August.
At our last meeting in June everybody when off with the task of takinga few pictures that would remind them of summer 2017. We had agood response to the theme and took the opportunity to view ourmember’s efforts.
Next Meeting – 10am on Friday 27th October 2017 - Gilmorton Village Hall
At October’s meeting we have a guest speaker, Tom Clark, will talk tous about his work for the Cotesbach Educational Trust photographingold documents and photographs allowing them to be stored as digitalimages, available for publishing on the Trust’s web site. In addition tocopying old pictures Tom also recovers the images by removing
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scratches, tears and revealing details hidden by aging and we hope hewill provide us with some practical examples of how this is done.
Our picture topic for the month is autumn and we hope members willbring along some memorable pictures for the group to review. Forphotographers autumn is a great time to be out and about capturingthose iconic colours just before the leaves start to fall.
Our members are also taking part in a small project of recording thechange in the scenery with a single picture taken each week from thesame viewing point. For November we will put each member’scollection of pictures together to, hopefully, create a time lapse of eachscene.
A monthly group electronic Newsletter is available, which includesextracts from each monthly presentation. Members attending ourmeetings will automatically get a copy and distribution to other U3Amembers can be arranged, if required. We are happy to welcome anyU3A member to our meetings, even if they cannot attend on a regularbasis.
All our members’ monthly pictures can be viewed in the gallery section of the Wycliffe Lutterworth U3A website.
For more information regarding the photography group or to receive a copy of the group Newsletter contact us on [email protected]. - Michael Bates
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POETRY GROUPCo-ordinator : Sylvia Hitchentele: 0116 247 8353email: [email protected]
September’s topic was “Weather”. The vast majority of poems wereabout wind and rain, and often very atmospheric although generallysombre in mood, in some cases quite depressing. This was unusual forus, as comic poems are a regular and significant feature of oursessions. Not today though (although some Roger McGough and SpikeMilligan slipped in).
The wonderful Simon Armitage featured several times, with hismagnificent takes on rain, snow and mist. There were several warpoems where weather featured prominently (and unpleasantly) butthere were also some quirky poems which were interesting: CliveSansom’s “Snowflakes” is an eloquent poem about the uniqueness ofeach flake, while A A Milne’s “Waiting at the Window” is about bettingon which of two drops of rain (called John and James) will run downthe window fastest. In Gillian Clarke’s “The Sundial” we find ourselveswatching a child work out how to make a sundial and Shelley’s musicaland playful “The Cloud” personifies the majestic cloud which is allpowerful and can never be destroyed.
Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods” was read, a very well known andbeautiful poem. Other classic poets included in the mix were JohnClare, Larkin and Wordsworth.
October’s session will be on 26th October and the topic is “Light andDarkness”
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QUIZ GROUPCo-ordinatorJoan Coiley01455 558658
The September quiz group meeting heralded a 'first'. It was the firsttime, certainly within the last few years, that we have recorded a'Duck'. Judith's questions included a set on 'collective names'. Thissubject usually gets quite a few correct answers (even if some areguesses) but she had found some really obscure ones. We, there wereeight, couldn't come up with one correct answer between us. Thankfully, the rest of the questions, ranging over variety of subjects,although thought provoking weren't quite as challenging. It was amost enjoyable and educational meeting and we await the next onewith some trepidation that these unfathomable questions may haveset a precedent.
Joan
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RUSTY RACKETSCo-ordinatorSue Hill - 01455 553369mobile 07790843610
RUSTY RACKETS S. O. S!
I'm sending out an SOS to any prospective tennis players amongst U3Amembers! Please don't be shy we need you! Our numbers are indecline and we rarely occupy more than one of the courts available inGilmorton. On occasions we have had to cancel a session as there havenot been enough players to make up a foursome, it would be great ifwe could persuade some of you to come along and join us. As ourname implies, none of us are very skilled, but we just love to play.Maybe you haven't played since schooldays and are afraid that youwon't be good enough. Don't worry, you will be surprised how easy itis to hit the ball and control its return with a modern, light racket. Wedon't play matches, we tend to play a few games and then mix up thecombinations of players. If numbers permit, we may play an actual setbut we are in no way competitive, we are a friendly group whoencourage each other and the emphasis is very much on enjoyment!
We play on Tuesdays at 2:30pm, why not come along for a free tastersession and have a go ... you may surprise yourself! The courts arejust across the road from the Grey Goose in Gilmorton. Spare racketsare available, if you would like to borrow one. So pick up the phoneand give me a call ... please.
Sue Hill 01455 553369Mobile 07790843610
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SINGING FOR PLEASURE Co-ordinators:Jane Clark 01455554449/Chris Brady 01455209108
We met on September 22nd for the first time after our summer break and found that Bitteswell Village Hall is a pleasant venue which suits our purpose. The eight of us had an enjoyable afternoon and we hope to see more of our regulars next month.
Future dates are as follows:Friday October 20th, Friday November 17th and Friday December 8th
All at Bitteswell Village Hall, Manor Road, Bitteswell from 3 pm until 4.30 pm.
On street parking outside the Hall and in surrounding streets. See you there!
Jane
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SNAILS PACE GROUPCo-ordinator: Sheila Eggletontele: 01455 554397
Snail’s Pace Walk: Friday 20th October 2017
This walk will be led by Jenny (Croft) around and within the village ofCosby. Meet at Cosby Golf Club at 10.45 a.m. to order food beforestarting the walk at 11.00a.m. Wear sturdy footwear and suitableclothing for the weather. The walk is all on flat surfaces with no stiles.The quickest way to Cosby Golf Club, from Lutterworth, is via the A426road, towards Blaby/Leicester; take the turning on your left intoShuttleworth Lane, towards Cosby, this then becomes Boughton Road,the golf club is on the right hand side. I will not be going on this walk soit is important that you let Jenny know, if you intend to go on this walk.Jenny’s email is: [email protected]
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WelfordOur walk on the 15th September organised and led by Fran was aroundthe vicinity of Welford. Once known as Wellesford it is mentioned inthe Domesday Book of 1086, though its origins go further back thanthis. There is archaeological evidence of settlements as far back as theIron Age. We started our walk from the Wharf Inn, part of which datesback to the late 18th Century. We walked along the towpath of theGrand Union Canal (built in 1814) before crossing fields and eventuallymaking our way into the village. Evidence of both strip farming and theenclosures can be seen in the area. Welford’s history has been stronglyaffected by transport, for good and ill. During the 17th and 18th
centuries it was an important stopping off point for coaches, which
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accounts for the significant number of coaching inns built in the village.Welford enjoyed a period of great prosperity, the lovely buildings inthe village and the wide range of trading establishments beartestament to this. Perhaps one of the most impressive of thesebuildings is the 18th century Manor House, in West Street, beside theChurch. Even the adjoining Dovecote is listed! We took time out to visitSt Mary’s Church, an incredibly beautiful building, well worth a detourif you are in the area. Unfortunately when the railways came thestation was built not in Welford but at Kilworth, so having no directfinancial benefit to the village. Although some of the businessessurvived the village declined in terms of population. as people began tomove away to the cities in search of employment.
Our thanks to Fran for organising this walk and to Viv and Shirley for contributing to our historic knowledge of the area.
Sheila Eggleton
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TRIPSCo-ordinator: George RobertsonTele: 559725
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Sculpture Park near Leeds. On arrival the sky lightened and at times thesun shone through on a warm day. After a cup of coffee and a loo stop,we split into two groups. One group was guided through the walledgarden by the Head Gardener to see the fruits of his labour, and theother group was led by a knowledgeable young man to be introducedto some of the striking sculptural exhibits dotted around the 500 acrepark. Both groups were pleased with the presentation andexplanations given.
We then had time to explore further on our own before we all met upfor afternoon tea in the high level restaurant. We then wearilyreturned to the coach for a smooth Journey home with a sense ofhaving enjoyed a really good day out! Pics on next 3 pages.
George
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All gathered around the ‘touchy feely’ shape
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The head was ‘hare-like’, but the feet??
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Off to the next exhibit
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TUESDAY WALKING GROUP (with Lutterworth U3A)Co-ordinator:Gordon Jones (Lutterworth U3A)01455 556192
Date of Walk: Tuesday 17thth October 2017
Co-ordinators: Gordon Jones, 01455 556192
Walk Organiser: Gordon & Sue, 01455 556192
Meeting Point: Car park at Coventry Road recreation ground.
Meeting Time: 09.25 to leave at 09.30.
Route and distance: From the Coach and Horses at Lubenham, about 6 miles of field paths and a bit of road.
Lunch: We will eat at the Coach and Horses, choose meals before setting out.
Return Mileage from Lutterworth: 22 Miles
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1st WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP
Co-ordinators:Roger Watmore 01455 552431Julian Hargreaves 01455 557704
Date of walk: Wednesday 1st November 2017
Walk organisers: Jill & Peter Betts 01455 554110
Meeting Point: Coventry Road recreation ground Car Park at 9.20am toleave at 9.30am.
Start point and time: The Chequers at Ravensthorpe, NN68ER, and car parking available with a start time of 10.00am. Toilets will be available and the opportunity to order food for our return at lunch time.
Directions to start: Easiest route to Ravensthorpe is via M1 to Crick, A428 to West Haddon. Keep to the A428 (Northampton) continue for approx. 3 miles then turn left for Ravensthorpe.
Route and distance: The walk will be just under 5 miles. From Ravensthorpe the walk is via the Reservoir to Coton Village then across fields back to Ravensthorpe. Just a few stiles with plenty of good views.
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Walk Report. Wednesday September 6th 2017
On a warm and fine morning 18 Walkers headed to Foston via fieldpaths and gated road. We were met at Foston Church by the Curate
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and Historian, who shared the history of Foston and includeddocuments back to *Domesday Book* of 1086.The talk was mostinformative and enjoyed by all. I thanked the Curate, on behalf of theu3a. A *freewill collection* was taken and given to the church. Wethen walked a very long field to join the Canal at Kilby Bridge for our allseated coffee break. The canal was taken for approx.1 mile and then aleft turn to return to the start. The lunch at the Bulls Head,Countesthorpe was really good and as most items on the Menu were 2-4- £8, quite a lot enjoyed the *proper pie* Distance 6 Miles.
Thank you for your continued support.
Peter and Irene Moore
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTI have decided not to continue as the co-ordinator for the first Wednesday Walking Group as from the end of this year. If anyone is willing to take over from me please let me know, otherwise the 1st Wednesday Walking Group will have to be disbanded.
Roger Watmore
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2nd WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUPCo-ordinators:Julian Hargreaves 01455 557704Mike Chapman 01455 209972 / 07860 118426Last minute update (until 8:45am on day of walk)see www.ashbyparva.net/u3awalk
Date of walk:- 8th November 2017 Walk Organisers:- Sue and Peter Creeden Tel: 01455 557888
Meeting Point and Time:- Lutterworth Recreation Ground car park at 9.15 am to leave at 9.25am. Start Point and Time:- Outside the Village Hall on Main Street, Willoughby (Warwickshire) CV23 8BH. Parking in small car park opposite the village hall or on-street. No toilets. Depart at 10.00am. Directions to the Starting Point:- There are a number of options but we took the A5 to Kilsby, then the A361 to Daventry, the right turn just after going over the M45 into the Ridgeway which turns into LongdownRoad. At the A45 we turned left for 0.35 mile before turning right into Main Street, Willoughby. The Village Hall is approx. 400yds on the right.
Route and Distance: The route will take us around some of the village before crossing fields to reach the Oxford Canal and the new Dunchurch Pools Marina. The return route is along the canal and then fields. The distance is approx. 4 miles and there are approx. 5 stiles (plus an extra 2 if we have to take shelter for the coffee break)
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September Walk
12 members met at Fosse Meadows car park for this short walk initiallyaround the Meadows and then through Sharnford to Sapcote where we enjoyed a sit in Sapcote Cemetery for our coffee. Returning via fieldpaths to Sharnford, we managed to get back before any rain and exactly at 12noon.
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4th WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUPCo-ordinators: Sue & Peter Creeden tele: 01455 557888
Walk Organiser:- : Julian Hargreaves 01455 557704
Meeting Point and Time:- Lutterworth Recreation Ground car park at 9.15am to leave at 9.25am.
Start Point and Time:- The Bulls Head, Harborough Road, Clipston, LE16 9RT. Walk starts at 10.00 am.
Directions to the Starting Point:- Did this walk at the beginning of lastyear but it's a good one so repeating it. Leave Lutterworth on theA4304 in the direction of Market Harborough. Through North Kilworthbear right after the canal bridge. At next T junction go right then left toSibbertoft. Take fourth left in Sibbertoft then bear right to Clipston. InClipston take second right and the Bulls Head Pub is on the left.
Route and Distance:- We start around the village passing two Churchesand the amazing Village School building from the 1600's which startedas a Free School Grammar School. Then across fields and along tracksto the side of the A14 and down towards Kelmarsh. Back across fieldsto Clipston a total of 5 and a half miles. The walk has a few ups anddowns but nothing too steep and there are 5 and a half stiles.
Lunch:- Excellent food at the pub two courses for £8.95
* * * * *
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September 2017 Walk Report
We travelled over to Fleckney for the start. It was overcast and a bitmisty…. but it wasn’t raining! There was a big turnout of 26 walkers toenjoy Gill and Roger Watmore`s walk. Setting off from the GoldenShield we were soon into fields and making our way to SmeetonWesterby. We stopped for the break looking over Pitt Hill allotmentsand beyond at Smeeton Terrace. This row of cottages was built around1730 as the workhouse and housed twenty of the poor of Harcourt,Beauchamp, and Smeeton. Refreshed we set off through the villageand then back into the fields to pick up the canal towpath, At this pointthe sun was trying very hard to come out. It started to get warmer andover garments had to be shed. We went over Saddington tunnel andthen made our way along fields and tracks back to Fleckney. Adelightful walk made even better by the colours of the autumn leaves.
Peter Creeden
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Interest Group Meeting Days and Times
GROUP Co-ordinator Tele No.* Frequency Time
MONDAY
Card Games Cynthia Griffith 554308 first & third 2.30— 4.30
History Viv Weller 557136 first 2 – 4 One Stop Shop Shop
Lively Discussion Dot Barnard 208190 second 10.30—12.30
2nd Bridge Ann Hetherington 203498 second 7.00 pm
Table Tennis Nigel Bones 209756 weekly 2.00-4.00
TUESDAY
Art Chris Brady 209108 1st,3rd,4th,5th 2.00-4.00
Quiz Joan Coiley 558658 first 10.00— 11.30
Rusty Racket Tennis Sue Hill 553369 fortnightly 2.30-4.30
Book Chat Mick Curtis 554504 third 10.00-12.00
Joint Tues Walking Gordon Jones 556192 10am(9.30 Rec)
Book Group Anne Dean 202327 second 2.00-400
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Garden Lunches Jill Graham 557117 third 12 for 12.30
Garden Sue Creeden 557888 fourth 2.30-4.30
Cycling Group Nigel Bones 209756 third
WEDNESDAY
Pub Lunch Jill Graham 557117 first 12.00 for 12.30
1st Wed Walking Roger Watmore Julian Hargreaves
552431 or557704 first morning
2ndWed WalkingMike Chapman Julian Hargreaves
209972or
557704 second
a.m. only No lunch
Scrabble Dot Barnard 208190 second 10.00-12.00
Supper Club Ann Hetherington 203498 second 7.30pm- 10.30pm
Canasta 3 June Hartopp 553418ex/d third 10.00-12.00
Gentle Cycling Sue Creedon 557888 third 10.00-12.00
Ethnic Dining Jill Graham 557117 fourth varies
4thWed Walking Sue & Peter Creeden 557888 fourth morning
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THURSDAY
Bridge Bob Howes 550027 1st and 3rd 2.00-4.00
Eng Science & Technology Chris Ridley 209920 third 10.00-12.00
Poetry Sylvia Hitchen 01162478353 fourth 2.00-4.00
French Conversation Sue Hicks 01858
880273 fourth 10.00-12.00
Breakfast Group Jill Graham 557117 Fourth 9.00am
FRIDAY
Canasta 1 June Hartopp 553418ex/d
first 10.00-12.00
Art Appreciation Ursula Kanetis 553563 second 2.00
2nd Supper Club Nigel Bones 209756 second
10 Pin Bowling Alan Kemp 203009 second 9.30 onward
Snail’s Pace Walking
Sheila Eggleton 554387 third 11.30 onwards
Photography Michael Bates 07899937595
last 10.00-12.00
Singing for Pleasure
Jane ClarkChris Brady
554449209108
varies
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VARIOUS
Social Events Nigel Bones 209756 varies daytime
Theatre Eddie Hemsley 554564 varies day/evening
Trips George Robertson 559725 varies day/evening
Joint Golf Peter Moore 552594 varies daytime
Motorcycle Group Colin Beadle 558013 varies daytime
*Tele Nos – Lutterworth code numbers unless otherwise stated.
Please contact the group co-ordinator to ask for further details if you would like to join a group. If you have an interest/hobby not covered by the existing options, why not think of joining with like-minded people to form a new group.Contact Viv Weller (01455 557136) for assistance and advice.
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Committee April 2017– March 2018
Chairman Nigel Burt 01455 554498Vice Chairman Tony Allen 01455 552087Treasurer Jan Newman 01455 209179Membership Secretary Sue Creeden 01455 557888Minutes SecretarySpeaker Finder Michael Perry 01455 556724Interest Group Co-ordinator Viv Weller 01455 557136Committee Members: Ann Hetherington 01455 203498
Richard Hill 01455 556498Linda Goy 01455 554497Mike Chapman 01455 209972
You can join the Wycliffe U3A at one of the monthly meetings or you can apply online at www.wycliffelutterworthu3a.org
Contributions for the website should be sent to Mike Chapmanemail: [email protected]
Articles, Reports, News items etc. for inclusion in the next bulletin should be sent to the editor: Trudy Haddon
Trudy Haddon:- e-mail [email protected]
Deadline for inclusion in the next bulletin is on the last day of the month.
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