Oswestry Borders University of the Third Age

Lanyards

We have 50 new lanyards for

membership badges to display our

membership name badges at group

meetings, so that other members can

easily identify individuals.

In future all new Membership Packs

will include a lanyard.

Moving with the times

Borders Bulletin Winter 2017 Volume 4, Issue 3

OBU3A Chairperson, Pam Broomby,

receives the keys and a welcome from

Gareth Jones, Chair of Oswestry Senior

Citizens Club, our new meeting venue.

.

Inside this issue:

Committee News 2-3

Oswestry Community Games

4

Interest Groups 5—12

Speaker Meetings 13

Members’ Meetings 14

Third Age Trust News 15

February 2017 Planner and Interest Groups

16—

17

Oswestry Borders University of the Third Age (OBU3A) is now well established in its

new venue for Speaker and Members' Meetings at Oswestry Senior Citizens Club

premises in Lorne Street, Oswestry.

Formed three and a half years ago, OBU3A, now with 164 members, has grown and

flourished. Emphasising how our previous meeting place, The Centre in Oak Street,

had played a pivotal, important role throughout OBU3A’s formative, early years,

Chairperson Pam Broomby, explained, ‘as we’ve grown, we’ve come to appreciate

that productive meetings need an appropriate venue’.

‘The Committee made the decision to move from The Centre to the nearby premises

in Lorne Street, owned and run by Oswestry Senior Citizens Club.

There’s a large, heated main hall with a stage and PA system, plus an adjoining

modern kitchen, accessed via a hatchway to the hall, and plenty of tables and chairs

for a Café area to be set up within the main hall, to make a welcoming and sociable

area for refreshments and for members to chat at the end of meetings. There are also

small meetings rooms, ample storage, toilets including disabled facilities and the

entrance hall with notice boards. Outside the building there’s an enclosed car park,

ideal for offloading equipment and for disabled drivers, plus plenty of additional park-

ing available in the nearby town car park,’ she added.

The main hall at our new meeting venue.

Eighty two members

attended our Festive

Members’ Meeting on

December 21. It was

mid winter’s shortest

day, and the theme

‘Celebration of Winter’,

was echoed in table

decorations, group

entertainment and the

refreshments. Report

and photos pgs.14-15.

Celebration of Winter

An important part of our meetings are

the tea and coffee sessions where we

socialise after the speaker talks and

members’ activities.

For the last three years Carol Fahey has

made sure that this has worked to plan,

organising the refreshment rota, other

provisions, and persuading members to

volunteer.

We are now looking for someone to take

over from Carol. She has offered to help

her successor to ensure there’s an easy

transition. Meanwhile, Pat Broadhurst

will oversee four members who will take

turns to supervise sessions, making

sure there are sufficient provisions for

the volunteers who have put their

names on the refreshments rota. Please

let our Chairperson, Pam Broomby,

know if you are willing to “have a go”.

Chairperson’s message

Page 2

Borders Bulletin Volume 4, Issue 3

Projector Booking Form

Our AV projector is now being used

by three interest groups.

Hopefully, more groups will want to

use it, so a booking arrangement

has been set in place. Interested

group leaders should use the

booking form in the projector box,

detailing name, interest group and

date/s the projector is needed. If

any groups clash, one of our

Committee members has a back-up

projector that could be lent.

A total of eighteen people joined OBU3A as

New Members in the October – December

2016 quarter, the largest number for a

quarter this year.

It’s been very encouraging to see these new

members attending and enjoying our

Wednesday meetings.

At the start of 2017, Oswestry Borders has

164 members; 122 full members, of which

24 are new and 42 associate members with

Oswestry U3A, of which 10 are new.

Elizabeth Lewis, Membership Secretary

On April 19 we will be holding our AGM and Oswestry Borders U3A will be four years

old. We have been very successful thanks to all our hardworking Committee and

members. We now have 164 members.

Our Constitution states that after the first start up year, Committee members may

serve for three years, before taking on an Officer role or standing down. None of the

existing Committee members wish to stand down but some of our key members will

have done three years, so will be standing down at the AGM on April 19th.

As the years go by, this should not be a problem as there will be a natural turnover of

Committee members and, in fact, it can be a good thing as new people bring fresh

ideas and energy.

We now need members to come forward to fill the vacancies to ensure we remain

vibrant and successful. If you are thinking about joining the Committee, but have

some questions, please speak to Elizabeth (Membership Secretary), Jane Stirling

(Business Secretary) or myself and we will try to help you.

The date of the next Committee meeting is Tuesday, March 7 at 10am. We are hold-

ing the meeting at the Senior Citizens Club premises to allow any of you who are inter-

ested to come along and see what we do. Our meetings are friendly, business like,

and last about two hours.

With your help Oswestry Borders U3A will continue to grow and prosper and we will

have some fun together in the years ahead.

Pam Broomby, Chairperson

Financial Matters

The TAT Committee Reference

File gives guidance on Finances:

The Committee can charge a

small annual subscription

covering general meetings and/

or newsletters only, with all other

activities paid for separately.

This can be a set fee per session

or on a self supporting basis.

All refreshments are not to come

from members’ subscriptions.

(We collect £1 per person each

meeting, to cover refreshments).

The Christmas event must not

come from members’

subscriptions.(We have a surplus

from the £1 meeting charge and

also collect £1 per person for

tickets to our Christmas event)

Hall/room bookings can be

made by Interest Groups, but

fees must go through OBU3A’s

main account as overall

responsibility is with the

Executive Committee.

Personal Debit/Credit cards

must not be used.

All expense claims must go to

Treasurer,

Membership Refreshments

The TAT have issued the following advice

about copyright issues to U3As:

Licences - "You are only allowed to copy an

insubstantial amount for personal use for

private study or non-commercial use."

“Beware of the copyright laws regarding

maps, sheet music and newspapers.”

"Internet Information is freely available but

this does not mean it is free to copy."

"The PPL licence supplied by the Trust gives

U3As permission to play recorded music in

public as part of interest/activity groups."

Copyright Advice

Committee News Borders Bulletin Volume 4, Issue 3

One Million Target

An ambitious national target has been

set for the University of the Third Age

to achieve one million members by

2020.

The target has been set by surviving co

-founder Eric Midwinter at an event to

celebrate the opening of the 1,000th

U3A in the UK.

Membership has doubled to around

400,000 over the past decade, with a

steady annual growth of 22,000 new

members for the past eight years. Also,

a recent national Awareness

Campaign, led by former Chairman

Barbara Lewis, has seen an even

sharper upturn. Numbers are expected

to reach 500,000 by the end of 2017.

Eric Midwinter told a gathering of 500

U3A members at The Society of

Friends House in London that they

could afford to be much more

ambitious. He had every confidence in

meeting the target.

“There should be a U3A within five

miles or 20 minutes’ travel time to

every third ager. Therefore, we need

even more of a focus on recruitment.

There are 13 million third-agers in the

UK, so there is considerable scope to

raise interest.

Having visited around 250 U3As in 30

years, I know a clear factor in the

sustained success is the enthusiasm

of the members. We need to grab the

challenge by the scruff of the neck and

make a success of it. I am therefore

proposing a four-year plan, nationally,

regionally and locally to have one

million members by the end of the

decade,” he said.

With our new venue move to premises

belonging to Oswestry Senior Citizens’

Club in Lorne Street, the Committee

has been busy working on a policy

document to take into account the

Senior Citizens’ Club own policy, with

particular focus on venue insurance.

When approved, the policy will be sent

to all members.

We had a busy time

shifting all our stuff

from The Centre

across the car park to

nearby OSCC. Thank-

fully, there’s plenty of

storage space in the

new premises for our

resources—

refreshments, AV,

projector and the

folding tables.

OBU3A’s laptop and projector are to be checked to see if they have been, or need to

be, PAT tested. If testing is required, a local charity who do this work, will be asked to

test the equipment for a donation. We are also looking into the microphone set-up.

While its easier for us to keep in regular touch with members who supply an email

address to let them know what’s happening at OBU3A, we’re equally keen to keep in

touch with members who can only be reached by telephone or post, We appreciate

that some members may feel ‘distanced’ from activities, apart from their Interest

Groups, particularly if they don’t attend Wednesday meetings at the Oswestry Senior

Citizens Club.

Because of this, the Committee has decided to send this group of 15+ members an

annual reminder about membership renewals, AGM and Interest Groups. Further

postal updates, e.g. New Members’ Meeting alert, will be decided at the discretion of

the Membership Secretary. Reminders about renewing membership for 2017 –

2018 (emails or post) will be sent out to the membership in early March.

New Members’ Meeting

Committee members, Elizabeth Lewis, Pat Broadhurst, Pam Broomby, Melva Duley,

Pat Evans and Lynn Rose hosted a new members’ meeting on October 20 at Oswestry

Cricket Club, attended by 10 new members. The meeting was very successful and

gave opportunities for new members to learn more about Interest Groups and to

share their aspirations about joining the U3A. Several expressed an interest in joining

groups – Garden, Anti-Ageing Aerobics, Local History, Discussion, French and Film.

Some had already joined – Art Appreciation and Quilting. There were ideas for new

groups – Sunday afternoon tea at Booka, Cookery, basic for singles, Antiques, Bell

Ringing. Elizabeth Lewis, Membership Secretary

Page 3

Our income from April 2016 to date

totals £4029 (Entrance fees £644,

Membership £1921, Equipment

£32, Room Hire £120, Mail in £45,

Mail out £-83, Outings £1350).

Expenses for the same period total

£2986 (Speaker fees £550, Room

Hire £780, Equipment £105.

Stationery £251, Beverages £70,

Outings £1229).

Dave Pass, Treasurer

Keeping in Touch

Accounts

Page 4

Community Games Borders Bulletin Volume 4, Issue 3

Hot on the heels of a

week-long promotion at

Oswestry Library and a

busy Interest Groups

Fair, we found our-

selves on our stand at

Oswestry Community

Games in Cae Glas

Park in September.

Together with Oswestry

U3A, we took part in

this event in order to

raise awareness about

both our U3As within

the community. After all, not many organisations in Oswestry can boast a combined

membership of 600! And the U3A’s philosophy includes keeping active, which fitted in

well with the general aims of the Games.

During the Games, Oswestry Borders U3A offered four have-a-go sessions for all ages:

Silk Painting (for ages 12 – 120 years)

Advice on Making the Best Use of Your Camera

The History of the Park – a Walk with the Garden Group

History of buildings in Church Street – a Walk with the Local History Group.

This was the fourth Community Games to be held in Cae Glas Park since the London

Olympics/ Paralympics in 2012. Event organiser, Clive Knight, had arranged for school

teams from Trefonen, Criftins, Whittington, Ellesmere and Bellan with Oswestry Cubs to

join the general public attending and take part in ‘Have a Go’ sessions.

The event offered people of all ages opportunities to see and take part in physical and

cultural activities and have some fun with a mix of sport, physical activity, dance, and

the arts and cultural aspect on the day.

Team GB Wheelchair Basketball player, Mark Fosbrook, was guest of honour, with

David Davies as MC and local band “Likeminded” all contributing to the day’s success

We joined other locals; Oswestry Otters, Active8, Mountain Challenge Events,

Yoga, Oswestry Hockey Club and Oswestry Stroke Association, taking part for the first

time. There was also a new demo area for organisations to stage short displays.

The event provided a great opportunity for the U3A, along with more than 50 local clubs

and organisations, to showcase ourselves in the Town Centre to the community. As with

all events we participate in, we gave the Games Working Party a constructive detailed

evaluation, based on comments from several of our members, both stand organisers

and visitors to the Games.

That same day our publicity material was transferred from the Park to another display at

Ellesmere Library, as the PR team have tried to raise our profile not only in town, but

also in the smaller outlying ‘borders’ communities.

After such a busy and very successful 2016 programme, the PR team has spent the

Winter researching various events to maximise promotion of OBU3A in 2017. The

Committee has agreed that we continue to evaluate different publicity opportunities. For

example, we are considering a stand at a couple of Oswestry’s popular markets, the

MereFest in Ellesmere, Oswestry Show and supermarket foyers, as well as our usual

library displays and Interest Groups Fair. OBU3A PR Team

Members promoting the U3A at

Oswestry Community Games.

Oswestry Mayor, Paul Milner, was one

of the many visitors to our stand.

All ages were drawn to the Silk

Painting ‘Have A Go’ activity.

A friendly chat, with plenty of

photographs to help understand more

about the U3A .

Anne and Bobbie consider busking

We meet on the fourth Friday of the month,

2—4 p.m. at Anne Lynch’s home in Park Hall.

In 2017 we’ve agreed to explore a wider

range of musical instruments. Elizabeth

Lewis has introduced us to a piece of

music, around a very simple, well-known

tune, for us all to move out of our comfort

zones and each try out some very basic

tunes and accompaniment chords, using

different musical instruments.

We have continued to explore music

theory, with Jane Davies summarising OU

Arts course: Understanding Music: Ele-

ments, Techniques and Styles.

In February we will bring and try to play

some ‘unusual’ musical instruments.

Interest Groups

Aspiring Music Makers

Borders Bulletin Volume 4, Issue 3

A quiet period on the IG front – there is the possibility of a new Oil Painting Interest

Group starting. Jane Davies and Wendy Lodwick Lowdon have been exploring

interesting websites relating to this topic – one to watch for.

Lunch Club are hoping to resume their monthly meetings at Sweeney Hall from the

end of January with two new members having expressed an interest in joining them.

Oswestry Senior Citizens Club has offered us the use of a small room at a cost of

£10/hour. Group leaders have been informed and there may be one of our groups

interested (Local History/Archaeology).

The Interest Groups Fair, our last session at The Centre, Oak Street, in September

was well attended by 74 members. The afternoon was more interactive than past

fairs, with eight groups giving brief presentations about their activities. All other

groups provided brief information about their activities, including when and where

they meet, offering facilities for new members to join. Refreshments were served in

the hall, café style.

Feedback indicated that the new format was approved by most people, members’

enthusiasm for activities in their groups was shared with the audience and a good

sociable atmosphere was generated throughout the hall. Oswestry Mayor, Paul

Milner, seemed to be genuinely impressed.

No new groups formed in the Autumn Term. Scrabble group resumed their meetings

with Beryl Davies as Group Leader and the proposed Water-colour Painting Group

has been delayed until the New Year.

October’s New Members’ Meeting at Oswestry Cricket Club was well attended by 10

new members. Several expressed an interest in joining groups – Garden, AAA, Local

History, Discussion, French and Film. Some had already joined – Art Appreciation

and Quilting. There were ideas for new groups – Sunday afternoon tea at Booka,

Cookery (basic for singles), Antiques, Bell ringing.

The recently formed Discussion group, led by Wendy Lodwick Lowdon, has met

regularly in members’ homes and seems to have got off to a flying start with 10

members. Topics covered have been wide-ranging and light, allowing for individual

experience with the intention of extending member’s understanding of the subject.

This is the first group to hold evening meetings – on 4th Monday of the month at

7pm. More details of discussions are described on Page 11.

Lynn Rose, Interest Groups Co-ordinator

Page 5

OBU3A Interest Groups Fair

Guest, Oswestry Mayor, Paul

Milner, with OBU3A members.

Elizabeth and Jane working on

melody and chord accompaniment.

After an unseasonably warm autumn, suddenly it’s winter and the summer seems a distant

memory!

Our September visit, on Friday September 9, was to the much lauded Wollerton Old Hall

Gardens. Market Drayton was a bit further than usual to travel, but it was well worth it. The

owner, John Jenkins, gave 14 of us a very informative and interesting guided tour of a most

impressive garden, with particular emphasis on ‘Tender Plants for Extended Colour’. Certainly

one to return to again to sample different seasons, and the food in the café was delicious!

Berrington Hall, with OBU3A Travel

Group, was our October venue, with 10

of us joining the trip. Berrington was the

last landscape design that Capability

Brown worked on before his death, and

his son-in-law, Henry Holland, designed

the house in the latest French influenced

Neo-classical style, using the finest

London craftsmen.

The gardens consist of a walled garden

containing an orchard, flower borders

and an extensive vegetable patch. It is

surrounded by the original Edwardian

garden to the south; with the woodland

garden to the north-east. The gardens

are lovely, and the landscaped estate

and Neo-classical mansion (actually a

villa) are magnificent, not least because

the estate and house are small enough

for the visitor to be take it all in. The

weather was also fairly kind to us, and it was a very enjoyable day out, but I wouldn’t

recommend the tea room!

The 21 members arriving at the November

meeting in Trefonen Village Hall were met

with an impressive array of designs for

member, Julia K’s garden in Upper Brook

Street. Jane Asterley won the prize (an

indoor potted rose) for the most popular

design. Julia was appreciative of members’

efforts and went home with a ton of winter

reading.

Garden Group members meet in Trefonen

Village Hall because there are now 24 of us,

but we are aware that this has the potential

to make meetings less friendly than when

we hold meetings in people’s homes. We

discussed splitting into two groups for the

winter, making meeting in members’ homes

possible, but the unanimous vote was to

stay as one group, so our December to

March meetings, and possibly April as well,

will continue to be held in Trefonen Village Hall.

Another decision we had to make was what topic to study over the winter, with the aim of

members giving 5 minute presentations in January and February. After considering numer-

ous possibilities, we decided on the topic of Trees. In March we have persuaded Julia to talk

to us on the History of Allotments in Europe, which she is currently studying.

Our December meeting was a Bring-A-Plate Lunch, after which we discussed our summer

visits programme. New members to the Garden Group are always welcome.

Sally Barrett

Garden Borders Bulletin Volume 4, Issue 3

Page 6

John Jenkins, the owner of

Wollerton Old Hall Gardens,

Part of the formal gardens at

Wollerton Old Hall Gardens

OBU3A members on an outside tour of

Berrington Hall (with a very informative guide)

Japanese Anemones in the Walled Garden at

Berrington Hall.

Garden Group 2017 Programme

Feb 13—Trefonen Village Hall

Members’ Presentation

on Trees

Mar 13—Trefonen Village Hall

History of Allotments in

Europe—Julia

April 10—Holly Cottage,

Montgomery

May 8 — Dorothy Clive Garden,

Market Drayton

June 12—Bryn y Llidiart,

Llanrhaeadr

July 10—Abbeywood Gardens,

Delamere

Aug 14— Bring a Plate Lunch

Garden Party,

Member, Colin’s garden

Sept 23 RHS Malvern Autumn

Flower Show

In addition to the above, some

Garden Group members will be

attending trips organised by

OBU3A Travel Group and Tre-

The cast of ‘Allo Allo’ tackle their scripts at one of the television series’ script read-ing rehearsal sessions.

Sweeney Hall Hotel

Queens Head Hotel

Page 7

‘Allo, ‘Allo by Jeremy Lloyd is, of course, a comedy based on the popular TV series. Most,

but not all of us, were familiar with the cast and the complex situation which developed

in Rene’s café in France during the German Occupation.

Without exception, however, we threw ourselves with gusto into role, revealing a

surprising range of cod German and French accents which rendered hilarious the silly

puns and jokes. It could have been an embarrassing experience but in the event was

deeply enjoyable.

In December we read a selection of miniature plays, One Million Tiny Plays about Britain

(2009) by Craig Taylor, which originally featured as overheard conversations in a

Guardian column. They were later published as a set of playlets and have since been

staged many times.

The brief conversations have been called windows into the cultural life of contemporary

Britain, focusing in particular on cultural differences, prejudice and generational

differences as a way of highlighting cultural shifts within our lifetime.

Although very short, each scene was challenging to read, requiring a rapid interpretation

of the situation to convey the meaning. (Could we put together an Oswestry version, we

wondered?)

Our most recent play, Pygmalion (1913) has been adapted many times, most famously

in a more romantic version as a musical, My Fair Lady which then became a film of the

same name.

The plot is well-known: Eliza Doolittle is a flower seller who seizes an opportunity to

improve her chances in life by learning to speak (and behave) like a lady. Can she be

passed off as a duchess within six months?

Although we struggled with the Cockney accent challenge, we found the play still

amuses and entertains, although our reading ended, as always, with a disagreement

over the ending. (The oft- repeated audience demand for a “happy ending” – Eliza

marrying Higgins – so enraged Shaw that he wrote a postscript to the play, pretending

that the characters were real and that Eliza really did marry Freddy, informing readers

where her flower shop could be found!)

Sandra Harvey

The New Year’s season of lunches started on Thursday, January 26, at Sweeney Hall

Hotel. The next lunch will be at Queens Head Hotel on Thursday, February 23 at 12.30

p.m.

The Cost is £15 for two courses and is inclusive of a tip. Cash will be collected after the

meal and before any coffee/tea is ordered. Drinks can be purchased at the bar and

paid for separately.

Lunch Club is open to all members of OBU3A. If you would like to come along please

contact Elizabeth Lewis either at a Speaker or Members' Meeting, where a list will be

available to sign up, or by telephone - 01691 670393 - to get your name(s) on the

list. The maximum number of people that can be accommodated is 24.

Joy Burgess

Play Reading Borders Bulletin Volume 4, Issue 3

Lunch Club

Organising Travel Group 2017 Programme:

More details to follow shortly. Booking forms will be available at meetings or online.

Sunday, February 12t

Carvery & Coach & Company at the Ye Olde Punchbowl, Bridgnorth £23

Saturday, April 1

2.30 p.m. Matinee of Junkyard at Theatr Clwyd. A new musical by BAFTA award

winner, Jack Thorne. £25

Wednesday, April 26

Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre and Gardens

Wednesday, June 14 and 15

Two-night trip to Oxford

Tuesday, July 4

Aberystwyth & National Library of Wales.

Tuesday, August 15

Plas Newydd, National Trust

Saturday, September 23

Malvern Flower Show

November

Christmas trip

Recent outings

A visit to the National Trust property, Berrington Hall, Herefordshire, in October drew

many members from our Garden Group, along with other OBU3A members. The NT

was celebrating, in partnership with the Embroiderers’ Guild, the 300th Anniversary

of the landscape architect Capability Brown.

As in previous years, we subsidised our annual November city trip to Manchester

Christmas Markets and Salford Quays. The low cost was a big draw and we had a

fantastic take-up, with 39 on the coach. Our income for this trip was £253.50, and we

covered the extra £151.50 for the total £405 outgoings from the travel group funds.

The opening balance for 2017 travel fund stands at £270.

OBU3A Committee has agreed that the Travel Group will, in future, leave a list of

travellers and contact details for each trip with a member of the committee who is not

part of the trip.

The Committee has forwarded a copy of U3A insurance cover note to the Travel Group

for tour operators.

Social Events and Travel Advice from TAT

There are three types of activities:

a. Day Trips travel only, open to all members of the U3A—covered by U3A insurance

b. Study Group overnight trips, travel and accommodation, open to study group

members only – covered by U3A insurance.

c. Holidays, open to all members of the U3A - No U3A insurance. "All activities whether

organised by an individual or a small sub-committee should be approved in advance

by the main Committee."

"As far as U3A holidays are concerned, the only safe way to organize them is through

a travel agency/tour company so that you are covered by their liability insurance."

However, there is no reason why the organiser should not collect cheques, made out

to the travel company and then either send them in one batch or deliver them.

Insurance - "It must be clearly understood, however, that it does not include personal

accident/injury or travel insurance, both of which are the personal responsibility of

each U3A member to take out."

Pam Broomby

Page 8

Borders Bulletin Volume 4, Issue 3 Organising Travel

This is a brilliantly honest and witty

NEW musical at local Theatr Clwyd

in Mold. We’ve booked a block of

seats at a Saturday matinee on April

1 to give everyone a chance to join

us. Theatre seats+coach costs £25.

John Barrett took some magnificent

landscape shots at Berrington Hall,

Just look at that sky!

OBU3A members discuss the work

of landscape architect Capability

Brown on the very informative

guided tour of Berrington Hall.

While one group visited Salford

Quays, another opted for some

retail therapy and a glass of mulled

wine at the Christmas market in

Manchester city centre in November

At September’s Interest Groups Fair the group presented an overview of our studies

from early 19th Century, primarily dealing with history, to more topical studies after the

1901 Federation; unionism, the car, radio, cinema, WWI, communism, fascism, the

Olympics, wheat and cattle prices, refrigeration, the Great Depression, and highlighting

future studies on WWII, immigration, changes in laws affecting aboriginals, land rights,

equality of pay and conditions, ease of travel and tourism, cultural developments, sport

and the growth of the mining giants.

At our early meetings we met in members’ homes, but, with group numbers increasing,

we moved to the Cricket Club and then Oswestry Library, and with a more recent drop,

we’re now back to homes. This shows how an Interest Group can be flexible in its

response to changes in membership. We also feel it’s important to share out the

research so that we’re each studying different areas of the month’s topic. This has led to

more informative and complementary research presentations at our meetings.

Since the Fair we’ve looked at Communism with its strong links to Australia’s trade

unions; miners had unionised in 1874, the seamen in 1876 and the shearers in 1886.

These unions were the backbone of the Labour Party of Australia. The conditions of

employment were the backbone of communism. Communism had a surge in growth

during the Great Depression. ‘Reds’ were flagged as a danger to the Australia society by

the liberal governments.

During the Great Depression the government adopted the Niemeyer approach which

significantly reduced economic activity and led to deflation. ‘Respectable hard-working

people became destitute’ and beggars were made out of earners. Not everyone suffered:

wheat prices were guaranteed and labour was very cheap. Big business and wealthy

people tended to profit. In Darwin the farmers survived as the drought broke and this

offset the drop in price. It was considered that government protected financial institu-

tions at the expense of the people. The society was divided as resentments grew and

more radical organisations gathered more followers. These divisions are still raw in

Australia society today.

October was a bright and breezy meeting with a focus on food available in the 30s other

than the lamb, plain vegetables and Tasmanian apples that constituted the majority of

the diet. Frosted food was much more reliable with Birdseye products available in the

30s. Also available in 1937 to Australians were Campbell soup, Snickers, Ritz crackers,

Kitkat and Smarties, with local brands, Cottees, Rosella, Aeroplane Jelly, Bushells and

Vegemite.

Celia introduced us to uneducated jackaroo, Hudson Fish, who, with three other co-

founders of QANTAS, began an air mail service which expanded in the 30s to include the

Flying Doc Service, passengers, other products and linked to Imperial Airways in Singa-

pore.

Hilary told us about Sir Herbert Oppenheim whose competitive cycling fame began as a

bike messenger and news spotter. Oppenheim cycled across Australia. He became a

member of parliament, was instrumental in beginning the dismantling of the White

Australia Policy and was knighted for his contributions

In November we looked at Australian artists, learning about the strong, spiky personality

of Dame Nellie Melba, whose versatile and wide-ranging voice made her an international

star. We discussed how important it was for Australian artists to gain international

recognition – for money, prestige, to overcome the ‘small pool’ inferiority complex.

We then discussed Errol Flynn’s unconventional, amoral character. His death at 50 was

completely expected, given the riotous and rough life that he led. Jane Asterley pre-

sented the biography and wonderful art work of Albert Namatjira. His life was such a

mixture of success, disillusionment and difficulty. Avril has found out that there is an

exhibition of Australian Impressionist at The National Gallery, ending March 2017.

In December a few of us donned Australian hats for our group festive gathering, and we

made room between the mince pies for some Australian munchies. We shared some

Aussie film titles to view in informal groups during January.

Wendy Lodwick Lowdon

Group member, Hilary Slater, gives

an overview of our studies to other

OBU3A members at the Interest

Groups Fair in September.

The Great Depression

Dame Nellie Melba

Borders Bulletin Volume 4, Issue 3

Page 9

Australian Studies

Mt. Hermannsburg, James

Range, Northern Territory by

Albert Namatjira

Page 10

Becoming a Digital Citizen

An Introduction to the

Digital Society

Several free New Year online MOOC courses have attracted interest from our members.

They include ‘Welcome to Becoming a Digital Citizen: An Introduction to the Digital

Society’, starting with FreeServe on January 23, ‘Genealogy: Researching Your Family

Tree’, January 16 and ‘Health and WellBeing in the Ancient World’, also from FreeServe,

which starts on February 6.

The Third Age Trust recommends in a recent mailing that a member of any interest group

can register for a FutureLearn MOOC account and sign up to the courses the group wish

to study. From there, you can use the materials as you wish in a group situation.

A group leader can use snippets from any course e.g. to enhance a debate in a local inter-

est group providing it is acknowledged as being the work of the author in the same way

you would when accrediting a reference in a written piece of work.

Jenny Wilbraham

We have continued to read a varied range of books and to share

very different reading experiences.

Best-seller, The L-Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks, set in the

late 1950s, features pregnancy out-of-wedlock and depiction of

lives lived on the fringes of respectable society was seen as daring

and very “advanced” at the time, leading us to marvel at how much

cultural life in Britain has changed.

Land of Marvels (2009) by Barry Unsworth is set in the Spring of

2014 in a remote desert region of Mesopotamia and features a

frustrated archaeologist bent on discovering significant ancient

remains before the arrival of the encroaching German army, and a

group of assorted rivalrous individuals with conflicting ambitions.

Many members found the geological and historical information

heavy-going although some admired the ambitious scope of the

book which encompasses the interacting worlds of international

and local politics, and rival geological and archaeological interests,

all in a complex Middle Eastern historical context.

The Siege of Krishnapur by JG Farrell won the Booker prize in 1973.

It is set in India in 1857, the year of the Great Mutiny, when the

Sepoys turned on their masters, leading to the end of the rule of the

British East India Company in the takeover by the British Raj. In

their isolated outpost, the colonial community remain surprisingly

confident that all will be well, but under siege, the reality brutality

and incompetence of the regime is revealed. With The Troubles and

The Singapore Grip, Farrell depicted the death throes of the old

British Empire through vivid descriptions of places and behaviour,

convincing characterisation and devastating use of humour.

Notes from an Exhibition (2008) by Patrick Gale was largely enjoyed

by members. Written in a traditional narrative style, it depicts the

impact of the life of Rachel Kelly on her long-suffering and loving

family. A highly gifted painter, Kelly struggled with lifelong mental

illness and through describing a number of episodes in her life, the

reader reaches a deeper understanding of her history and the

choices she made, enabling an empathy with a person whose

behaviour had earlier seemed repellent at times. Introduction of

actual historical figures (such as Barbara Hepworth) into the narra-

tive lent an illusion of authenticity (Rachel Kelly is a fictional charac-

ter); some members found this unsettling.

MOOCs Borders Bulletin Volume 4, Issue 3

Book

Extra reading for our Christmas get-together at

Table Table - the menu, Cracker jokes and the bill!

Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith had a mixed reaction.

Some found its humour dated, while others enjoyed the gentle

humour and parody of a certain Englishness. It’s a comic por-

trayal of the daily concerns of suburban life and values in the

1880s, first appearing as episodes in Punch, then a book,

illustrated by his brother Weedon. The diary entries reveal the

outlook of Charles Pooter and friends Gowing & Cumming, with

his unfunny puns, his brushes with disrespectful tradesmen

and frequent domestic disasters brought about by his own

foolishness. As a City of London clerk, very preoccupied with

his social status, Pooter fails to see his attitudes were out-

dated and his behaviour ridiculous. Although modest, the book

is recognised as seminal, very influential in its format and

structure, as well as its characterisation. Pooterisms can be

traced to Captain Mainwaring, Victor Meldrew and Basil Fawlty.

The naïve confessional diary lives on in the journals of Adrian

Mole and Bridget Jones. Sandra Harvey

Page 11

There are 12 of us in the group, although the number attending meetings has been between five and nine, which is probably

better for a good discussion. We meet at 7 pm on the fourth Monday of the month, at members’ houses and usually discuss two

topics, which have previously been agreed so that members can do a bit of research (or at least thought) beforehand.

In September, at Jane S’s, we had an interesting and wide-ranging discussion on the "burkini" and the nature of culture, especially

here and in France. The irony of Moslem women being told what not to wear by men who condemn them for wearing what they're

told to wear by [other] men was not lost on the group. We struggled with "Is ignorance bliss?" as a topic in itself and felt that

knowing the actual quotation (provided helpfully by Melva) didn't help us! ... where ignorance is bliss,'Tis folly to be wise.

The meeting at Pat B’s house had agreed to look at "Is having children a [human] right?" and, in case of need for a backup, "Is the

internet a force for good or bad?" The first of these was triggered by a new APP enabling the purchase of sperm online so we felt

research for the discussion could encompass, for example, sperm donation in general, infertility and IVF treatment. We had five at

the discussion group and it proved to be a good number with a wide ranging talk over the subjects listed. Pat had done a lot of

research re the right to marry and to found a family, which is enshrined in the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights, and we spent

some time defining what could be understood by the right and why it was enacted. We defined the difference between that and

fertility intervention. Perhaps the subject of IVF could be a topic for a later date.

We discussed whether the internet was a force for good or evil; the usual caveats arose as to proliferation of pornography, the

possibility of corruption of information, hacking, lack of courtesy, lack of privacy and the loss of jobs and protection within those

jobs. The general opinion was that we would not be without it because of the speed of communication and access to information

that was previously denied us and because of how it is driving innovation and invention.

For November the chosen topics were “Is hope a positive emotion?” (It was linked to the discussion on fertility treatment because

the hope could be interpreted as preventing a person from dealing with reality) and The Awards System (stimulated by the Phillip

Green debacle and Nobel Peace and Literature prizes) and we met at my house. Wendy had raised the meaning of the word

'hope' as harmful rather than helpful because in When Nietzsche Wept by Irvin Yalom, Neitzche suggested 'that when Pandora's

box was opened, and the evils Zeus had placed therein had escaped into the human world, there still remained one final

evil: hope. People have been encouraged to regard hope as the coffer of good fortune but hope is the worst of the evils because

it protracts torment.' 'True choice, full choice requires the sunshine of truth. Unless you know the truth, and not be deluded by

hopes, illusions, the supernatural, then a person cannot make a decision about how. Hope is enfeebling ... ‘ Wendy continued

that she used the word hope a lot - to end letters and e-mails, as a salutation to friends and about things like friends’ operations

i.e. 'I hope that it will be all right'. But really it is an empty word - we rely on the skill of the medical care and practice, quiet

and cleanliness to achieve the best outcome for an op. Shouldn't we say to a friend 'are you well? Are your family members

well? To say ‘I hope they are well’ is a dead end and doesn't really engage. There is a saying 'If wishes were horses beggars

would ride' and one could replace wishes very easily with hope.

Although there were only six of us at the meeting we had lively discussions on both Hope and Awards – so much so that we didn’t

disband until 9.30 pm. On the whole we did not agree that Hope is the worst of the evils because it protracts torment. Indeed we

felt that there are many situations in which people could not survive without hope, e.g. in Aleppo at the moment, although of

course we agreed that people also needed to know the truth. We also considered using hope in letters to friends – and Christmas

cards and we all felt Wendy had made us consider much more how we use the word, but since we also felt that saying ‘I hope you

are well’ is saying to that person that you care whether they are well or not, we concluded that we’d probably go on using it!

On the question of awards, we didn’t agree that being given an ambassadorship was a reward – many ambassadors work very

hard, and it’s usually the final step in a career in the diplomatic service, whatever Farage thinks it is. On the whole we despised

the honours system and could not see why people should be given awards simply for doing their job, however conscientiously they

do it. Nurses aren’t given an MBE for saying ‘I know it’s the end of my shift but I have to finish the dressing on the patient I’m

treating’ after all, etc. We all agreed that the relative of one of our number who was stranded in a small boat during the war with

others and kept them going after they had run out of food and water, for which he was apparently given an MBE, was justified. We

had mixed feelings about awarding ‘Unsung Heroes’, e.g. people who keep running sports activities for youngsters year after

year; it is very nice for them to feel they are appreciated but some of us felt that they kept doing the voluntary work because it

gave them fulfilment. And we were not very happy about people being given awards that entitled them to a place in the Lords. We

agreed that Nobel prizes were considered more carefully, though some of us doubted that Dylan deserved his (although he was

responsible for making poetry available to a much wider audience than most authors) and some of us didn’t feel that Obama had

done anything to deserve his. We felt that awards like the Booker or Turner prizes enabled many artists to get going and made

their work available to a much wider audience than it would otherwise have been.

We spent half an hour deciding on the next topic, for Monday January 23, and decided on: The prison system in the UK:

Why are prisons underfunded?

Why are so many people sent to prison?

Why are so many children sent to prison?

Is the legal system fit for purpose?

Joyce has offered to host the meeting, with Pat B as a back-up should a lot of people decide to come.

Sally Barrett

Borders Bulletin Volume 4, Issue 3 Discussion

Page 11

Members of the Singing Group

have been discussing their

programme of songs for the

forthcoming season.

The group is busy rehearsing

for its next performance on

Tuesday March 14, 6.30 p.m.

at Meadowbrook, Oswestry. The

entertainment will include re-

freshments. The event is part on an ongoing drive within the U3A to include all Third Agers,

and, whenever it is possible, to hold Interest Group meetings at venues such as Meadow-

brook Residential Care Home, and to include the residents in some of the group activities.

Since last year’s move to Seion Chapel, we have been paying weekly for the cost of room

hire. In future, in order to ensure we have enough for the £15 room hire, refreshments,

photocopying, printing and occasional music purchases, it has been decided that all the

members each pay £10 at the beginning of every “term, with a top-up if funds run low. A

rota is also planned for tea and coffee making. The telephone system for those without

email seems to be working.

David Ryan

We are busy gathering our stock of nearly 1,500 OBU3A photographs onto a Flickr online

account. This site is something that members, John and Sally Barrett, have piloted and

used regularly for their personal and garden group outings photographs. The resource will

be very useful as it will give our members easy access to various albums from OBU3A

meetings and interest group activities during the past four years.

For the next few meetings the ICT group will work on the OBU3A website, updating pages

and photographs in the gallery. If Interest Group leaders have any photographs of their

group members and activities, suitable for the website pages, please forward them to

Jane Davies.

The group will research Smart Phones for the next February meeting on Monday, February

20 from 1—3 p.m Jane Davies

The group relaunched in June – with just four of us and now with eight of us

assembled around my dining room table we have probably reached capacity. Looking

back over the last few months, I can see how sessions that were quite ad hoc to

begin with, have developed more of a regular pattern.

We normally start with a bit of general “bavardage” (chat) in response to the

question “Quoi de neuf?” (What’s new?) Then, we turn to our course book

“French Experience”. We decided back in October that it would be good to do

some structured revision of the basics of the language. All our members have

learned some French in the past – but not necessarily in a formal setting and,

because this is U3A, not necessarily recently. Some of us are well versed in the

grammar. Others will know the practical stuff – such as road signs or shop open-

ing times.

Most sessions finish with something light hearted such as word games or a quiz.

We ended our most recent meeting with a game of “Le jeu des Familles” – a

game based on the childhood favourite, “Happy Families”. We have also been

known to sing along to some of the “Chansons” of Piaf or Aznavour – having,

of course, first translated the lyrics. Catherine Evans

Singing

Page 12

Borders Bulletin Volume 4, Issue 3

The Flickr website—ideal for

storing your photographs.

Film Goers

A busy season of KinoKulture visits

for our Film Goers group. In

September we joined rows of blokes

for a testosterone-inducing two

hours of Jason Bourne. Next, we

accompanied Captain Fantastic, a

lone father taking his six children

into the ‘outside world’ after raising

them in isolation, away from society.

We drank wine and tried to keep up

with the track twists in the tense

thriller (tenser in the book) Girl on a

Train. In typical festive mood in

December we over-indulged with

three helpings—Paterson, The

United Kingdom and the wonderful

Dr Zhivago. Burp!

Jane Davies

Beginners Plus French

ICT

The Ukey Monster

December guest entertainers were The

Ukey Monster, a 13 strong ukulele

group with a difference. We were

treated to an extensive programme of

popular music from Dylan to the

Beatles; not one George Formby in

sight. We were shown, and heard, a

wide range of Ukuleles – soprano,

concert, tenor, baritone/bass. Many,

apart from member, Paul’s solid

electric uke, had been made by him out

of cigar boxes. And we all joined in with

the singing. Great fun!

Memory

In January Keele University Senior

Lecturer, Dr Peter Chevin, introduced

us to different kinds of memory:

conscious (facts and personal

memories)

procedural (motor skills and rote

learning)

special (words, objects, places, face

recognition).

Dr Chevin explained current views on

how the brain stored memory by

expansion of the synapses in response

to an event. A video case study showed

how a viral infection had destroyed part

of the brain, the Hippocampus, and

whilst procedural memory and factual

memory remained intact, the episodic

memory had been lost, preventing new

memories from being formed. This

illustrated that impulses travel to the

Hippocampus, where memory is stored.

Discussing how we retrieve memories,

Dr Chevin explained the current view as

an index of memories located in the

Hippocampus, which reactivated the

original nerve cell.

The Animal Victoria Cross

Daring exploits of heroic collie, Rob, from

Ellesmere, parachuted behind enemy

lines on vital SAS missions, were amongst

many animal bravery cameos, described

by Telford author Pete Hawthorne, talking

about his book The Animal Victoria Cross,

highest award for bravery, awarded to 67

animals world-wide.

Life and times of a Busker

September gave us the joy of Eric Newton

who talked about ‘Life and times of a

busker’. He described his rebellious child-

hood and how his grandfather had bought

him a clarinet to give him ’direction’. He

recalled how playing with bands had led

to excessive use of alcohol and smoking.

During the day he would go busking, with

insults and objects regularly thrown at

him, but some coppers did go into the

hat. His break came when he was asked

to go for an audition at the Northern

School of Music. Despite hours of practis-

ing, at the audition he didn’t realise that

his clarinet was completely in the wrong

key. However, he was accepted.

A favourite pastime was to dial random

telephone numbers. One of these calls

led to a friendship in Australia, lasting

many years, where Eric escaped British

Winters to busk in Australia. Eric decided

that it was time to get his life back on

track. He gave up drinking and smoking.

In his later life he has run in several

marathons, including London’s marathon

playing his clarinet. This was certainly a

story of sorrow and joy. Pauline Faulkner

Page 13

Borders Bulletin Volume 4, Issue 3

Speaker Meetings

Winter Survival Techniques

In October Louise Idoux from Oswestry

Herbarium gave a talk entitled "Winter

Survival Techniques", where she looked

at prevention and treatment of winter

ailments. Louise brought plants with her

to illustrate her talk. The meeting was

really interesting with a lot of member

participation. There were many questions

about winter ailments and health issues

to which Louise gave us some really use-

ful information. Several members were

avidly taking notes.

Textile Art - Traditional Techniques with a

Modern Twist

Jenny O'Leary, from Baschurch, who

trained as a ceramic artist, described her

work developing experimental techniques

in textile art. She specialises in batik,

machine embroidery, Nuno felting, re-

verse appliqué and shibori on silk.

Jenny has run several local part time

courses for adults. Traditional techniques

like Batik, adapted on her own

exploratory journey, allowed her to try out

new practical learning opportunities. We

saw how anything could be used as

improvised tools to create wonderful

textile landscapes. She demonstrated the

layering card and tissue technique used

in her marvellous Poppy head collages

and random strips of fabric and free

machine stitching adding line work out-

lines for paintings, cards and cushions.

We came away inspired; the more adven-

turous, collecting bubble wrap, card,

material scraps, buttons and beads ‘stuff

around the house’ to start our own textile

creations but probably quite a way to go

before we’re exhibiting along with Jenny

at her displays in The Willow Gallery.

Page 14

Summer and Autumn meetings offered a wide range of activities for and by our members.

One featured members’ experiences of MOOCS - Massive Open Online Courses with a

scripted debate on MOOCs, a history of the provision, personal highlights, a demonstration

of what a MOOC looks like, how to get involved and an overview of available courses. There

was a very interesting Q&A session the end of the presentation.

My initial reservations about MOOCs were that I might be pestered in the online forums by

weirdos and that the course would be too advanced. These fears were unjustified.

MY Good Moments.

I was really delighted with what I achieved on the OU creative writing course and the high

quality of the comments I received back from other participants. I would really recommend

the OU’s Forensic Science – Witness Investigation, because of the high quality of research.

One example that I still laugh at was:

A clean shaven investigator with a map pretends he is lost in a town. He asks a passerby for

help. As the passer-by is looking at the map, two people carrying a large cardboard box walk

between him and the investigator. Whilst this is happening, the investigator is replaced by

another man who is bearded. The passer-by doesn’t even notice and thinks he is still helping

the original man. The point:- that witnesses can be very unreliable.

Possible next course: Forensic Science and Criminal Justice (University of Leicester).

Kate Westgate

Library Changes

We’re all very concerned about the

threatened cuts to our local services

so in October we had an informed

session discussing proposed changes

at Oswestry Library. In the second half

the meeting opened up to small group

discussion to generate topics and

ideas for future Members’ Meetings.

Hunt the Author: the Local Connection

The Book Group invited members at the November

meeting to take part in a literary detection exercise

about writers with local connections.

In groups of up to six people, members were asked

to take turns at reading aloud short passages from

a number of local authors, or pieces written about

Shropshire and the Borders. The idea was not to

test knowledge but to invite discussion about

different styles of writing, as well as illustrate the

very wide range of writers with a local connection.

With lots of parallel discussions in a relatively small

space it was not always easy to hear one another, yet most members rose to the challenge

of reading aloud without preparation, listening carefully as well as contributing ideas.

Festive Event

Our Festive Members Meeting, attended by 82 members on December 21 celebrated mid-

winter, the shortest day, and so we chose a ‘Celebration of Winter’ as our theme for the

event. Entertainment was provided by the Poetry and Singing Group, accompanied by Neris

Pritchard, with a solo by Glenys Lloyd, a sketch from Jan Hedger, Pauline Faulkner, Dave

Pass and Sue Townsend and a nature quiz from Sally Barrett. Many thanks to Pat Evans

and her team for organising the event, Glenys Lloyd for table decorations and Carol Fahey

and her team for providing the refreshments. Photographs on Pages 1, 12 and 15.

Police Dog Handling

In January retired Police Dog Handler, Mort Smith, entertained us with

tales of his experiences training dogs in ‘nose and criminal work’. We

were given the lo-down on human scents which take 20 wash cycles

to remove, on burglaries, chase and attacks, dealing with aggressive

individuals with offensive weapons, finding drugs, crowd control with

opposing football fans, and tracking missing/injured people, With 25

years experience as a police dog handler, working with four German

Shepherds, Mort explained the rigours of training, to meet annual

licensing to work operationally. He described how, with terrorism, the

Home Office had developed the role into Police Search Advisor. Since

retiring ten years ago, Mort has continued working with dogs as a local trainer.

MOOCs Members’ Meeting Borders Bulletin Volume 4, Issue 3

Members’ Meetings

The calendar has been finalised for

the full year ahead and it has been

circulated to the Members.

There’s been an organisational

change to Members’ Meetings as

Pauline Faulker is unable to

continue with her role supporting

Wendy Lodwick Lowdon.

Phil Poynton has offered to help

Wendy organise future Members’

Meetings.

Members’ Meetings 2017

January 18

Mort Smith speaks on Working as a

Police Dog Handler

February 15

Poisonous Plants (Garden Group)

March 15

Charles Stiles speaks on Wilfred

Owen – Final Footsteps

April 19 AGM

May 17

Tour of Oswestry with Richard and

Photography Group

June 21

Fire Prevention from Shropshire

Fire Service

July 19

Oswestry Town Centre

August 16

David Stirling: Peru and the

Potato / Mr Lewis: Yoghurt and the

World

September 20

Interest Group Fair

October 18

Smells and Experiences

November 15

Visit This Place

December 20

Christmas Function

.

Oswestry Borders U3A Borders All contributions to Jane Davies, jane.davies@soundstud.freeserve.co.uk

Borders Bulletin Volume 4, Issue 3

Festive Meeting— Organisers and Entertainers

Speaker and Members’ Meetings Programme

Date Meetings

February 1

Speaker meet.

Pete Turner—Magician: Sleight of Mind

February 15

Members’ meet.

Garden Group—Poisonous Plants

March 1

Speaker meet.

Jonathan Walton—Science and Adventure in Antarctica

March 15

Members’ meet.

Charles Stiles—Wilfred Owen Final Footsteps

April 5

Speaker meet.

Sarah Gathercole—The Easter Story in Art

April 19

Members’ meet.

AGM

National Summer Schools 2017

17-20 July Harper Adams University,

Newport, Shropshire. Cryptic

Crosswords; France; Globalisation;

History; Literature; Maths; Recorders;

Sexuality in the Ancient World.

14-17 August Royal Agricultural

University, Cirencester. Creative writing;

Garden History; Latin; Literature;

Music; Poetry; Shakespeare, Singing.

11-14 September Royal Agricultural

University, Cirencester Art history;

Drama; Exploring English; History;

Music; Opera; Russian Revolutions;

Spanish; Writing.

Booking opens 23rd January. To have

the summer school brochure emailed

to you, join the events mailing list via

the events page of u3a.org.uk or email

events@u3a.org.uk.

Developing International Links

A recent TAT document provides

information and advice to UK U3As on

developing international links with

similar third age organisations around

the world, encouraging visits,

exchanges and twinning arrangements

and attending international

conferences and events.

Recommended types of International

links that a U3A may consider include:

Cultural Links, e.g. architectural tours,

wine tasting, classical tours.

Exchanges of U3A members

Twinning i.e. an agreement between

towns or boroughs to encourage

educational and cultural interchange

(written – email, correspondence,

newspapers; conversation – Skype,

Face Time; Language Exchange visit;

Study days or Summer Schools)

Inter-generational debates

Baroness D’Souza, former House of

Lords Speaker and a leading advocate

for the U3A, has urged the U3A to be

more proactive in lobbying the Lords for

reform to improve the lives of third-

agers. Lady D’Souza has chaired inter-

generational debates between TAT and

youth organisations in the House of

Lords, aimed at fighting age

discrimination through increased

awareness..

Page 15

February Monthly Planner - 2017 Borders Bulletin

Volume 4, Issue 3

Date Interest Group

Morning Sessions

Interest Group and Meetings

Afternoon Session

February 1

1st Wednesday

Oswestry Borders U3A Speaker Meeting: Pete Turner—Magician:

Sleight of Mind, Oswestry Senior Citizens’ Club, 2 - 4 p.m.

February 2

1st Thursday

Anti-ageing Aerobics: group leader tbd, 10.20

a.m. - 11.50 a.m. St Martins Community Centre

Scrabble for Fun: Beryl Davies, 2 p.m. group leader’s home

Organising Travel: Pam Broomby, 2 p.m. Table Table Restaurant

February 3

1st Friday

Play Reading: Sandra Harvey 10 a.m.—12.30

group members' homes

February 6

1st Monday

Coffee Chat, Wednesdays Café, next to Wilkos,

Oswestry, 10.30 a.m. All members welcome

Art: Sue Townsend, 2 – 4 p.m. group leader’s home, Knockin

Quilting: Carol Fahey, group leader’s home, morning time to suit

February 7

1st Tuesday

February 8

2nd Wednesday

Singing: David Ryan 10.30 a.m.—12.15, Seion-

Chapel

Poetry Reading and Appreciation: Maggie Quinn, 1.30 – 3.30 p.m.

group leader’s home

Local History and Archaeology: Dave Stirling and John Scorer, 2 – 4

p.m. Oswestry Cricket Club

Art Appreciation: Pat Evans, members’ homes

February 9

2nd Thursday

Anti-ageing Aerobics: Group Leader tbd, 10.20

a.m. - 11.50 a.m. St Martins Community Centre

Sunday

February 12

Organising Travel:

Carvery & Coach & Company

Ye Olde Punchbowl, Bridgnorth

February 13

2nd Monday

Garden: Sally Barrett, 2—4 p.m. Trefonen Village Hall, Talk on ‘Trees’

Spanish for Beginners: Pauline Faulkner, 2—4 p.m. leader’s home

February 14

2nd Tuesday

Book: Sandra Harvey, 10.30 - 12 noon, group

members' homes

Australian Studies: Wendy Lodwick Lowdon, 2.30—4.30 p.m Lyn

O’Connor’s home

February 15

3rd Wednesday

Oswestry Borders U3A Members’ Meeting: Garden Group—

Poisonous Plants, 0swestry Senior Citizens’ Club,, 2 - 4 p.m.

February 16

3rd Thursday

Anti-ageing Aerobics: group leader tbd, 10.20

a.m. – 11.50 a.m. St Martins Community Centre

French for Beginners Plus: Catherine Evans, group leader’s home,

Dudleston Heath

February 17

3rd Friday

February 20

3rd Monday

ICT Skills & Project: Jane Davies, 1.30—3.30 p.m. group leader’s

home.

February 21

3rd Tuesday

February 22

4th Wednesday

Singing: David Ryan 10.30 a.m.—12.15, Seion

Chapel

Film Goers: Jane Asterley, 1.30 p.m.– 3.30 p.m. group leader’s home

February 23

4th Thursday

Anti-ageing Aerobics: group leader, tbd, 10.20

a.m. – 11.50 a.m. St Martins Community Centre

Lunch Club: Joy Burgess, 12—2 p.m. Queens Head

French for Beginners Plus: Catherine Evans, group leader’s home,

Dudleston Heath

February 24

4th Friday

Photography: Celia Todd 10.30 a.m. varies

Aspiring Music Makers: Anne Lynch Jane Davies, 2—4 p.m. Park Hall

Film Goers: Jane Asterley, Manchester by the Sea, 7.30 p.m. Kinokul-

ture Community Cinema. Red Lion Inn, Bailey Head, for a meal 6 p.m.

then meeting at Kinokulture at 7.15 p.m. Booking tickets advised.

February 27

4th Monday

Discussion: Wendy Lodwick Lowdon. 7 p.m. members’ homes

Page 16

Interest Groups Information Borders Bulletin

Volume 4, Issue 3

Subject LEADER DAY, FREQUENCY, LOCATION

Anti-ageing Aerobics Group Leader tbd Weekly, Thursday, 10.20 a.m. St Martins Community Centre

Art Appreciation Pat Evans Monthly, 2nd Wednesday, 2—4 p.m. location varies

Art / Collage Sue Townsend Monthly, 1st Monday , 2—4 p.m. at group leader’s home

Aspiring Music

Makers

Anne Lynch,

Jane Davies

Monthly, 4th Friday, 2—4 p.m. Anne Lynch’s home

Australian Studies Wendy Lodwick Lowdon Monthly, 2nd Tuesday, 2—4 p.m. at Lyn O’Connor’s home

Book Sandra Harvey Monthly, 2nd Tuesday, 10.30am – 12.00 at group members’

homes

Coffee Chat Anne Lynch 1st and 3rd Monday of each month, 10.30 a.m. Wednesday’s

Café next to Wilkos, Oswestry, open to all members

Discussion Wendy Lodwick Lowdon Monthly, 4th Monday, 7 p.m. at group members’ homes

FilmGoers Jane Asterley Monthly, 4th Wednesday, 1.30 p.m. group leader’s home to

discuss films seen during previous month

French for Beginners

Plus

Catherine Evans Twice monthly, 3rd and 4th Thursday, group leader’s home,

Dudleston Heath

Garden Sally Barrett Monthly, 2nd Monday, 2 p.m. Group Visits, shared research on

garden-related issues. Location and dates can vary

ICT Jane Davies Monthly, 3rd Monday 1—3 p.m. at group leader’s home

Local History and

Archaeology

David Stirling and John

Scorer

Monthly, 2nd Wednesday 2 - 4 p.m. Oswestry Cricket Club and

other various locations

Lunch Club Joy Burgess Monthly, 4th Thursday, 12—2 p.m. Alternating Sweeney Hall

(£15) Queens Head (£12) Drinks extra. Open to all members.

Organising Travel Pam Broomby Monthly, 2nd Tuesday, 10 a.m.—12 noon. Table Table

Photography Celia Todd Monthly, 4th Friday 10.30 a.m. at different locations

Play Reading Sandra Harvey Monthly, 1st Friday, 10. 30 a.m. at members’ homes

Poetry Reading &

Appreciation

Maggie Quinn Monthly, 2nd Wednesday, 1.30 – 3.30 p.m. at members’ homes

Quilting Carol Fahey Monthly, 1st Monday morning, group leader’s home

Scrabble for Fun Beryl Davies Monthly, 1st Thursday, 2.30 p.m. group leader’s home

Singing David Ryan Twice monthly, 2nd and 4th Wednesdays 10.30 a.m.– 12.15 at

Seion Chapel, Oswestry

Spanish for Beginners Pauline Faulkner Twice monthly, 2nd & 3rd Mondays, 2 p.m. group leader’s home

Walking John Scorer, David Pass Monthly, 4th Monday, time, date and location varies

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