Page1 A Message from the Chair: We held our eighth Annual General meeting last month and are very pleased to welcome Dot Foster and Carol Johnston onto the Committee. Both Carol and Dot have been helping at the monthly speaker meetings for some time, but now they have input into how we can make our U3A even better, and have come up with some good suggestions already. I am delighted to have a Vice Chairman. Not just one... but two! How lucky am I? Both Victoria Doran and Ann Stott are now Vice Chairmen. There is now only our Secretary, Lynne Gilmour, who has no-one to assist her. Is there anyone out there who would give her a hand occasionally? The speaker following the AGM was excellent, his presentation was followed by a loud burst of spontaneous applause and even some Cheers. Wow! That’s a first. There was a lovely relaxed, light-hearted atmosphere during that presentation which is something that those members who are able to alternate between first and second sessions have already remarked on as being evident during every second session; everyone in the Hall seems to be more cheerful and relaxed, including the speaker. Does this mean that different types of people go into first and second sessions? Does it mean that we become less stressed at mid-afternoon, having had more time to digest our lunch? … or does it simply mean that after scooping up the newest books and magazines, booking our social events and a cup of tea and a chat we are ready to sit down, relax and be entertained? If you rush to get into the first session, why not, when we resume our back to back meetings in September, have a leisurely lunch, take your time, arrive after 2.15 and enjoy the second session? Do try it. You won’t be sorry. At the AGM I spoke about the very few members (and sometimes non- members) who are still not assisting and following the ‘one-way’ system at our Speaker meetings. It does cause confusion and is unfair to those who are setting up in the Mini-hall or working to make the meetings run efficiently. Please don’t make it more difficult for them. Your friend, Marjorie www.u3asites.org.uk/hoylake Registered Charity number 1164889 Newsletter Summer 2016 Hoylake, West Kirby & District a Inside: Membership Update Your opinion Interest Groups List Gossip from the Groups & Group Info. Forthcoming Speakers Social Events The Committee Regional News Please remember ... there will be no meeting in August. Our back-to-back meetings will resume on Thursday 1 st September.
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A Message from the Chair:
We held our eighth Annual General meeting last month and are very
pleased to welcome Dot Foster and Carol Johnston onto the Committee.
Both Carol and Dot have been helping at the monthly speaker meetings for
some time, but now they have input into how we can make our U3A even
better, and have come up with some good suggestions already.
I am delighted to have a Vice Chairman. Not just one... but two! How lucky
am I? Both Victoria Doran and Ann Stott are now Vice Chairmen. There is
now only our Secretary, Lynne Gilmour, who has no-one to assist her. Is
there anyone out there who would give her a hand occasionally?
The speaker following the AGM was excellent, his presentation was
followed by a loud burst of spontaneous applause and even some Cheers.
Wow! That’s a first.
There was a lovely relaxed, light-hearted atmosphere during that
presentation which is something that those members who are able to
alternate between first and second sessions have already remarked on as
being evident during every second session; everyone in the Hall seems to
be more cheerful and relaxed, including the speaker.
Does this mean that different types of people go into first and second
sessions? Does it mean that we become less stressed at mid-afternoon,
having had more time to digest our lunch? … or does it simply mean that
after scooping up the newest books and magazines, booking our social
events and a cup of tea and a chat we are ready to sit down, relax and be
entertained?
If you rush to get into the first session, why not, when we resume our
back to back meetings in September, have a leisurely lunch, take your
time, arrive after 2.15 and enjoy the second session? Do try it. You won’t
be sorry.
At the AGM I spoke about the very few members (and sometimes non-
members) who are still not assisting and following the ‘one-way’ system at
our Speaker meetings. It does cause confusion and is unfair to those who
are setting up in the Mini-hall or working to make the meetings run
efficiently. Please don’t make it more difficult for them.
Your friend,
Marjorie
www.u3asites.org.uk/hoylake
Registered Charity number 1164889
Newsletter Summer 2016
Hoylake, West Kirby & District
a
Inside:
Membership Update
Your opinion
Interest Groups List
Gossip from the
Groups & Group Info.
Forthcoming Speakers
Social Events
The Committee
Regional News
NewGardening group
Info.
Please remember ...
there will be no
meeting in August.
Our back-to-back
meetings will resume
on Thursday 1st
September.
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Membership Update
We would like to extend a warm welcome to the following new members who have joined us in the last few months. They are as follows:- Audrey Bennett Lorna Brunskill Ron Burke Heather Cooksley Letty Curtis Amanda de Lilla Pauline Hancock Norma James . Sandra Jefferson Ann Kinnear Maureen Oldham Barbara Parker Martin Peacock Jean Roberts Rhona Sharp Elizabeth Smith and a belated welcome to Christine Lyth who joined us earlier in the year. Many thanks to all of you who renewed your 2016 membership so promptly; most people renewed in January or February. The annual capitation fee we pay for each member is calculated on the maximum number of people on our database, therefore early renewal are much appreciated as otherwise we could be paying a capitation fee and magazine/newsletter postage for people who do not renew. If you have any queries speak to a member of our membership team or contact Graham Thwaite on 632 2742 for assistance.
Your opinion please ….. The Committee are always looking for ways to improve our U3A and in particular to make the Monthly Speaker meetings more streamlined and enjoyable. We would like to simplify the check-in procedures and are considering implementing
an ‘all-inclusive’ annual membership fee. Instead of paying £15 annual membership and £1 for each speaker meeting we are considering an all-in price of something in the region of £20 per annum. A cash-free entry would speed-up check-in, and for those of you who regularly support the Speaker meetings it would be an advantage, and may even encourage those who don’t to come along and find out just how much is available to them for a very modest membership fee. The double Speaker Meetings have made both Halls more comfortable, and the coffee bar is queue-free and relaxed. This will ultimately be a Committee decision, but the membership team would like your views and opinions on this option. Please contact Marjorie or Graham or speak to any Committee member. Contact details are on page 11 of this Newsletter.
It is with great sadness that we report the death of one of our members,
Win Stephens, who passed away in May and was just two weeks away from her 90th Birthday. Win was well-known; she attended almost all the monthly speaker meetings and was a loyal and much loved member of Reading Group 1 and the Needlecraft Group. We extend our sympathies to Win’s family. She will be sadly missed by everyone who knew her.
“I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.” - Winston S. Churchill
Location Legend: (HCC) = Hoylake Community Centre (H) = House ( L) = Library
(V ) = Outside or variable C = Carr Farm Garden Centre Cafe.
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Gossip from the Groups.
Wow, we have been having a busy time. We have, not one or two, BUT three new
groups that are now finalised and taking on members. The groups are;-
Word Puzzles,
What the Papers Say 2,
History.
The contact details of these groups are listed on the groups’ page, and also on the web page.
Chris is busy talking with a bird watching specialist, with the view to helping us ‘set up’ and
advise on our next new group for Bird watching. So those folks who have their name down,
should be hearing from us very soon.
We have also added a new ‘wannabe’ group for you to think about – a weekday lunch dining group, and when we
have enough interested names, we will sort something out for that one.
I know that sometimes it seems a long time from placing your name down, to the actual group
starting, but we have to wait for sufficient names to appear before a group will be viable. Some topics are
quickly subscribed to, and others creep along. . . .(a bit like me at the moment!)
There is some good news for those of you who wish to learn to play Bridge. We are hoping to hold a
tutored course, on a Monday afternoon for six weeks. Details have yet to be finalised, but if you are
interested, please put your name down on the ‘sign up’ sheet, or contact Ann Stott on 632 6337.
A little reminder – mainly for those members who do not regularly attend the speaker meetings. The
talk on all aspects of Dementia still has a few places. It will be held at The Parade Community Centre,
Hoylake on Wednesday 14th September at 2pm. There is a fee of £2 payable on booking your seat.
Remember to come and visit us at our Group Table at the speaker meetings, as there is always
something new to look at. We would also like to hear from YOU about what YOU would like to involve yourself
in.
Cheers from,
Ann, Chris and Carol
Play Reading - Group 2 We are a happy group who enjoy the experience of reading plays together in a relaxed atmosphere.
Our meetings are every 4th Thursday of the month from 10am to 12.00midday. The venue is my house in Greasby and we break at a suitable point for refreshments and a chat. We have a lot of fun, especially when we attempt to speak in a different dialect or when taking the part of someone of a different gender! Our plays vary from simple one act plays which generally last for one meeting, to longer three or four act plays which may last over two or three months. They vary from comedy to drama including 'Our Day Out, 'An Inspector Calls', 'Arsenic and Old Lace', and a number of one act plays including the poignant 'Wedding Days'. Our next play will be 'The Odd Couple'. We have also been on a theatre visit to Manchester to see one of the plays we read, 'Billy Liar' This was really entertaining and we hope to do more theatre visits.
Carol Johnston.
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LOCAL HISTORY GROUP’S SHARED LEARNING PROJECT
The Local History Group meets at Hoylake Parade Community Centre from 10.00 to 11.30 am on the second Monday of most months. We investigate topics mainly by looking at original sources such as census records, old newspapers and maps. Recently we completed a Shared Learning Project on Queens Park, Hoylake. Friends of Hoylake & Meols in Bloom and Wiral Borough Council were keen for the park to obtain Green Flag status. For a small local park, the Green Flag requirements include demonstrating community involvement of all age groups and, preferably, some knowledge of the history. We became the ‘wrinklies’ involvement. Our group consulted Hoylake Urban District Council Minute Books and Accounts and local newspapers at Wirral Archives, searched the internet for old photographs and talked to older residents (including some members of our own group).
The results were written up and the photograph shows some members of the team handing over a copy to Mike Foster, chairman of Hoylake & Meols in Bloom, in Queens Park under the newly awarded Green Flag. The folder can be perused in the Queens Park Tea Room and the history is also to be found on Friends of Hoylake & Meols in Bloom’s website at http://queensparkhoylake.org.uk/page18.html. Copies have also been given to Wirral Archives and Hoylake Library as well as the U3A Shared Learning Projects Organiser for the North West Region. We have previously worked on the growth of Great Meols from a small agricultural community to a suburb, following the coming of the railway. Currently we are looking at the growth and history of New Brighton. New members are always welcome. No expertise is necessary, apart from an ability to read and an interest in local history. None of the group are experts and we probably only have 1 History exam between the lot of us. Victoria M L Doran
Gardening Group News
This year instead of our usual September indoor meeting we have arranged a trip to Harrogate Autumn Flower Show on Saturday 17th September. The cost of the trip will be £26. The coach will leave from the Centre at 8.30am and the Show opens at 9.30am.
This trip will have some spare seats available to other U3A members. Please contact me if you are interested. Our October and November Gardening meetings will be held as normal on the last Wednesday of the month and will be here at the Centre at 2pm. On the 26th October Janet Weeds will be coming to talk to us, and Wednesday November 30th sees the welcome return of Ruth Crawley who will demonstrate some very different and unusual Christmas floral displays. We are organising a coach trip to Arley Hall on Thursday 8th December for the Christmas Flower Festival. This trip will also include a lunch. We don’t know the cost yet, but if you are interested in joining this trip, let me know, and bring your cheque books to the October meeting! There will be no meeting in January, but we will resume again on Wednesday 22nd February 2017 for registration and payment of subs for 2017. We have a full programme planned for 2017 with lots of outings planned. Full details will be available at the February meeting. If you need any further information, or are non-Gardener who would like tickets for Harrogate Flower Show, please contact Marjorie by email or telephone 632 1188.
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U3A Tappers find Fame at Last!
Those famous feet (and
their owners) were recently invited by Heswall U3A to perform at their monthly Members meeting … and perform they did! The picture shows your editor, Ann Stott, Pat Lynch, Pam Symes, Jenny Stanger, Pat Nixon, Barbara Leech, Liz Stott, Ann Bratley, Jean Drake, Mary Bratt, & Dennis Cowan being led by Karen and tapping to ‘We love to Boogie’ (and they do!) They will be the ‘Star turns’ (they told me to write that) at our Christmas Social meeting. Don’t miss it!
Reading Group 2 Do you enjoy reading and discussing the books you have read? ….then this is the group for you. We meet every third Thursday of the month from 2.00pm to 4.00pm at my house in Greasby with a break for refreshments and a chat.
Our books are obtained from the local library by special arrangement; some books are requested by members of the group, others the library will suggest from their comprehensive list. We have a month to read the book and then the following month we take it in turns to review it. There is no pressure, you can discuss as much or as little as you feel. We are a friendly and informal group and the discussions are lively but relaxed. We have also watched film adaptations of some of the books we have read to see how they compare with the film. If you enjoy reading then we would love you to join us. Please contact me: Carol Johnston 678 1680, for further details.
Word Puzzle Group
If you like doing word puzzles and crosswords you may enjoy our new Word Puzzles Group. We
do quick crosswords, cryptic crosswords, code breakers, zygolex etc. I'm clueless (excuse the
pun) about cryptic crosswords but with a little help from my friends I'm learning. We meet at
Carr Farm Coffee Shop from 10 a.m. - 12 a.m. on alternate Wednesdays and you're very
welcome to join us. Contact Helen Crelley on 678 5714.
Hope to see you there. Chris Mc Donnell
….. to our Group Leaders How marvellous it is to see our Interest Groups expanding at such a tremendous rate! What a superb choice of Interest Groups we have available to us nowadays. Interest Group Co-ordinator Ann Stott & her team work hard to assist the Groups to start, but it is
the Group leaders and Organisers who keep them going. To show our appreciation Ann is currently arranging a Group leader’s meeting followed by a buffet lunch. The venue is yet to be confirmed, but it will be held on Thursday 4th August, so if you are one of our much appreciated Group Leaders … put that date in your diary, and Ann will be in touch with you shortly.
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Harry Copnall, (a.k.a. ‘Big H’) tells us about :
‘Our Speakers’
Following the wonderful presentation by Gordon Bartley in June, I'm sure that any of you
who have ventured across the Pennines to Yorkshire will have followed some of his advice
and visited some of those lovely beaches and shops (especially the fish & chip shops) in
Whitby. There was so much praise for Gordon that I have booked him to visit us again in May
next year to give a talk on Cornwall as it will be approaching the holiday season, it may whet your appetite for
visiting some of the special places of this wonderful area.
I am quite excited at the prospect of 'opening up' our speaker variety shortly, as in September the Speaker
Secretaries of U3A’s in the Wirral & Chester area are holding a meeting to pool our ideas and sort out the
‘goods and bads’ in booking our presenters. You may not realise it but there are quite a few 'fraudsters' out
there whose profiles sound ok, however when one looks deeper, they're not good value for what we would be
paying them; so in the next news letter I will give you a run down on that meeting.
So......let's put you in the picture up to the end of this year as for what we have in store for
you.
September 1st...We welcome Hazel Griffiths with 'Motion of the Ocean'
After working with the Halifax Building Society and as a call centre manager, Hazel wanted
more out of life, so with a love of travel she decided to take on the life of a Cruise Speaker
resulting in her being 'head-hunted' by some of the major cruise line operators. One of the results
of travelling the world is that she has become very interested in learning Latin dancing, I have
offered to try the Argentine Tango with her but I don't think my dodgy knees would allow it.
Hazel's topics are meticulously researched and today she combines them all into one and gives us
a talk on....'Being a cruise line speaker'
October 6th...Today we are confronted at the speakers table by a gentleman attired in the
costume of the Cavaliers. Mr Ed Abrams is going to unleash his passion for the 17th
century, the era of Cavaliers & Roundheads. His talk is entitled 'Cavaliers and
Roundheads-which one are You?' Ed is a guide with the Chester Civil war Tours, a role
which he always does dressed in the costume of either a Cavalier or a Roundhead ….. you
can imagine the American tourists in Chester loving that!
p.s ... Don't sit too near the table as he will have an armoury of medieval weaponry on show.
November 3rd...We are back to a more local theme for this month’s speaker when we have Ray
O'Brien who will be talking to us about ..... 'Entertainers both sides of the Mersey'
Ray was a probation officer for 25 yrs working in Merseyside institutions and he has a good
programme of talks about Wirral & Merseyside all with a humorous glint. This talk charts the
background of 40 entertainers from Merseyside including Ken Dodd, Arthur Askey, Leonard Rossiter, Patricia
Routledge and many others.
Did you know? …. Donald Trump, 70. The billionaire and republican politician will be the oldest
ever U.S President should he win the White house election later this year, beating Ronald Reagan
who was 69 years and 349 days old when he was first inaugurated in 1981. Hillary Clinton, who’ll
turn 69 in October will be a few months shy of Reagan’s record should she win.
Do you remember? … In 1993, President Bill Clinton was accused of having the ‘most expensive
haircut in history’ when he paid a hairdresser $200 to tend his locks while Air Force One was on the ground at Los
Angeles airport, leading to two runways being shut down for an hour. Although a later enquiry said no commercial
flights had been delayed, ‘Hairgate’ had already done its damage.
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Computer Helpline
Would you like to know or do more about that fancy little bit of technology that
you’ve been given or bought? Phone, tablet, pc, kindle?
Do you wish you could send or receive emails or photos to friends and family across
the world?
What about help with ordering or downloading stuff online?
Need a hand with researching your family tree through recognised websites?
Don’t know the difference between a computer virus and flu?
Or simply play a game of patience on a computer…..?
I can help you with most ‘Windows’ (Microsoft) based systems and the ‘niggly’ bits that have you
throwing the offending item back in the drawer and not using it.
I can offer one to one sessions at my home. Please contact me by leaving a message on 677 5646
Pauline Hancock
North West Regional Conference and AGM
On Wednesday 8th June over 100 people from 42 North West U3As attended the annual
Conference and AGM.
We try to move this event around the Region each year, and this time we came to Liverpool. The venue
was the Quaker Meeting House near the Blue Coat School, a very spacious and comfortable building with
excellent facilities. We began with a choice of speakers in the morning. Professor Nigel Linge talked
about how the Manchester Cotton Industry was indirectly responsible for the development of the trans-
Atlantic cable, while Jenny Carley told us about U3As around the world. After lunch members could
attend 2 breakout groups covering Finance, Shared Learning, Tomorrow’s World or Communication. We
also had some excellent entertainment from other U3As. There was time to stop and chat with people
from all over the North West before the final event of the day – the Regional AGM.
People who attended have reported back on how much they enjoyed the day with the
various activities and the opportunity to exchange information and ideas with members
from other U3As. They were especially pleased with the fact that it was not all aimed at
Committee members and some of them are already asking what we’ll do next year!
Gill Russell, North West Regional Chairman
I was one of five members from Hoylake, West Kirby & District U3A attended this event, and we thoroughly
enjoyed the day. Alex McMinn entertained and amazed us with a foretaste of what we can expect from the
new technology in tomorrows world, and Nigel Linge’s lecture on ‘how Manchester Cotton wired the World
was fascinating, and so enjoyable that we have asked Harry to try and get him to come to our U3A. editor.
Just a thought …
Sometimes our generation is criticised, but we must remember that it was not us who took;
The melody out of music, The pride out of appearance, The courtesy out of driving, The romance out of
love, The commitment out of marriage, The responsibility out of parenthood, The togetherness out of the
family, The learning out of education, The service out of patriotism, The civility out of behaviour,
The refinement out of language, The dedication out of employment, The prudence out of spending,
The ambition out of achievement ……
And we certainly are not the ones who eliminated patience and tolerance from personal relationships
and interactions with others!!
Contributed by Bill Evans, of Lowestoft U3A
The Queen who is 90 undertook 341 engagements last year – more than the combined total of Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Duke of Edinburgh who is 94 carried out 217 Royal engagements last year in the UK. The Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry clocked up 198 between them.
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Hoylake & West Kirby U3A
The Management Committee of 2016 If you have been a member of our U3A for some time, you will already know most of these people, but if you are new then I am delighted to introduce you to the members of the Committee, who are also the Trustees of the Charity, and deal with the day to day running of our U3A. You will find them all very friendly and happy to help in any way; You will recognise them at the monthly Speaker meetings by the blue U3A lanyards they wear.
Treasurer Sue Burke was elected to the role in June. The job is not new to her, she has been assisting and working alongside Victoria Doran (last year’s Treasurer) for the last twelve months. Sue is an experienced Treasurer and ex-banker with much experience of Charity finance, so we are financially in excellent hands. Sue has been a member of my Reading Group for the last four years, so I know how talented she is, and I was thrilled when she agreed to join the Committee last year.
Lynne Gilmour joined our U3A in 2015 and was elected Secretary shortly afterwards. Poor Lynne, talk about being thrown in the deep end! Despite not knowing any of us and very little about the organisation, she has coped beautifully. We love having her and she is really enjoying our U3A and getting involved in all kinds of activities. She is off to U3A summer school in September and may be teaching us about the U3A when she returns!
Victoria Doran did a brilliant job on the accounts last year and made our AGM summary of accounts extremely easy to understand. She has stepped down as Treasurer but will assist Sue. She is a fountain of knowledge about Charity law, and was elected as Vice Chair at the AGM, so I will still be turning to her for advice and assistance. Victoria also leads the Family History group who have recently completed a shared learning project with Hoylake and Meols in Bloom.
Ann Stott is our amazing Interest Groups Co-ordinator. She manages to make new Interest Groups appear by magic. She also organises Workshops and short courses. If you would like to see a new interest group start just contact Ann, who will wave a wand and it will appear in no time. Ann has recently been elected as Vice Chairman (we are allowed two) and who better to make our U3A better than ever? She even finds time to run her own card-crafting group. Chris McDonnell, this is Chris’s second year on the Committee and what a lot she has
achieved in that time. She has been working with Ann and although she was a relatively new member when she joined the Committee, she is now helping new groups to start, organising workshops and running the Scrabble and Word Puzzle group. Carol Johnston has been a U3A member for many years, and we are so fortunate that
She has finally agreed to join the Committee. She will be working on Interest Groups with Ann and Chris, and you can expect good things to come from that as Carol already runs four of her own successful Groups.
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Graham Thwaite is a star. He was co-opted to the Committee last year, and almost immediately took over the membership data-base, the gift aid applications, the newsletter and Third Age Matters distribution. These are all ‘big’ jobs which Graham copes with superbly. He is also very much in evidence at Speaker meetings, enrolling new members and handling renewals. We are trying to lighten his load somewhat by having the next two ladies assisting him and maybe even giving him the odd day off!
Eirwen Thomas was most welcome when she filled a casual vacancy on the committee last year, and was formally elected in June. She looks after the new members beautifully at the Speaker meetings and gives them (or you) any help or assistance required. She is one of the welcome faces of our U3A.
Dot Foster is recognisable from working at the check-in desk for the last year. We started inviting her to committee meetings for input as to how we can improve the reception and check-in the at Speaker meetings, She must have thought we were not too bad when she agreed to join the committeee this year, and we are very happy to have her on-board. Vanessa Blackwell has been a member of the U3A for almost as
long as me! She is one of the ladies of the Social Committee who take your bookings for Social events. She organises day trips and assists Audrey with the meals out.Our constitution states that at least one of the members of the Social Committte must be an elected Trustee of the Charity, and we are very glad to have Vanessa fulfilling that role.
Last, and certainly not least is Harry Copnall and Harry certainly can’t be missed! Apart from the fact that ex-guardsman Harry is a very big chap, he is the one who introduces our speakers; and quite rightly as he got to know them as he booked them. He also writes the witty pieces about the forthcoming speakers in the Newsletters. Harry has been doing this job since last November and we are delighted that he will continue.
Me? Basically I do the jobs that no-one else wants. I edit the Newsletter and take the blame when things go wrong. Isn’t that the Chairman’s role? They are a great team, we work well together and seeing our U3A thrive makes it worthwhile. Appreciate your Committee .. they are all volunteers but still the crème-de-la-crème of Committees. Believe me .. I know! and they are all doing their best to make our U3A great. Our contact details are below so keep them handy. Marjorie Hargreaves(Chairman)
Chairman Marjorie Hargreaves 0151 632 1188
Treasurer Sue Burke 0151 625 7098 Business Secretary Lynne Gilmour 0151 632 3536
Vice Chairman Victoria Doran 0151 345 3816 Groups co-ordinator Ann Stott 0151 632 6337
Groups Asst. Chris McDonnell 0151 364 8387 Groups Asst. Carol Johnston 0151 678 1680
