Autumn 2018 www.saffronwaldenu3a.org.uk Inside: Mah-Jong resurgence Ferry ’cross the Mersey Would I Lie To You? Keeping Fit with U3A Back from Extinction Saffron Walden Registered Charity No 290670 In this Autumn Issue Chairman’s Report/Treasurer’s Report …………….……………. 4 Saffron Walden U3A Committee/Potential New Groups ……… 5 Class Co-ordinators ...……………....…………………………….. 6/7 Weekly-Fortnightly Activities/Open Meetings ..……………..… 8/9 Monthly Activities/Literature ……..…..…..….………….....…….. 10 Notice of AGM (3rd September) …...………….……………......... 11 Membership Secretary/Activities Organiser/Photography ..... 12 Theatre & Travel/Easy Riders Cycling ………….......………….. 13 Saffron Walden U3A in colour including Choir and Craft .... 14/15 Keep Fit/Nice’n’Easy …………..……..…………...…….…...……... 16 Memories/Getting My Life Back (Part 2) …………………..….…. 17 Tai Chi/Theatre & Travel ...……………………………...……... 18/19 Ukulele/Music/Indoor Bowling/Birdwatching/Quiz ….…….. 20/21 Mah-Jong 1 ...………………………………………….……...…… . . . . 22 Mah-Jong 2/Writing for Pleasure .………...….……...…………… 23 Theatre & Travel/Italian/Natural History/Obituaries …….... 24/25 Dates for your Diary/T & T Events/Pinboard ……..….....….. 26/27 Open Meetings: every 3rd Monday at the Bowling Club (except August & December), doors open 2:15pm. Come and enjoy the refreshments, some socialising and the raffle before the talk starts at 2:45pm approximately. See page 9 and Dates for your Diary on page 26 2 ‘Autumn that year painted the countryside in vivid shades of scarlet, saffron and d russet, and the days were clear and crisp ol d g under harvest skies’. n d a Yes you’ve guessed it, it’s the autumn edition of Update s of re ainntrdo nduocvetiolisnt fSohr aurso n- Kbaeya rPinegn mina mn’isn dw othrdast msuamkem ae rp iesr fsetciltl ve going to be with us for a while yet, hopefully. a n le So, as autumn and the AGM/Registration Day approach, um so a new year beckons for the Saffron Walden U3A. Our ut annual subscription remains at £10, so we hope this will a he encourage you to register with us again and continue to w, t enjoy the many activities that the Saffron Walden U3A do has to offer, and perhaps consider joining a new group Would I lie to n wi and learning a new skill whilst making new friends. my We introduce new visual and editorial ideas into Update you? How y drift b krengouwla irfl yy,o ub ulitk eif twheem d oorn ’nt oht.e War ef roonmly yreocue itvheedn 1w eem daoil nin’t would you es the correspondence section this issue - see page 21, so answer? See av please email me with any thoughts or comments you e g l wish to make, good or bad - I’d love to hear from you. our version allin I visit many groups in my capacity as Editor and am e f always so impressed by how enthusiastic all the on page 20 h ver: T cpleaospsl em deominbge rsso amree.th Tinhgis t ehnetyh eunsjioasy mw isthte pmeso pfrloem o C they like, surely this is what makes our U3A the special organisation it is today. Jim Dwyer, Editor There are 3 hedgehogs hidden in this issue, see if you can find them. The first three readers to email me with the answers will get a mention in the next issue. [email protected] 3 Chairman’s Report Greetings to you all, with hopes that you have all been enjoying the long, hot summer. A gentle reminder to you that our AGM will be on Monday 3rd September at The Baptist Church in Saffron Walden, and that the annual subscription fee is to remain at £10 for a further year, with thanks to our Treasurer for making this possible. The new renewal form is enclosed with this issue of Update, and new members who are eligible for Gift Aid are requested to ask for the appropriate form for signing. Again, many thanks to all our co-ordinators for continuing to do a magnificent job, plus a request for more volunteers to become co-ordinators. There is also a demand for tutors for various classes, specifically Italian, Fr ench, German and Writing for Pleasure. Our membership is still expanding, as is the number and variety of groups. Anyone with ideas for a new group will be given all possible help to set it up. This is YOUR U3A so get involved! This includes perhaps offering to join the Committee, several members of which will be standing down at the AGM. We welcome, and need, new blood and fresh ideas. Alan Nicholls, Chairman Treasurer’s Report Our organisation continues to grow and our treasure chest remains healthy! As a result, we have managed to hold our membership fee down to £10 for yet another year. Membership fees and Gift Aid are our only sources of income. If you are a taxpayer and have not already done so, please sign up so that we can reclaim Gift Aid from HMRC. A big thank you to all the Coordinators who help me by collecting money promptly from their groups. To help the Coordinators do that, could I make a plea to all members who sign up for these classes, we need your money at the start of each term. If you don’t pay in I cannot pay out! Please don’t forget to make all cheques payable to Saffron Walden U3A. Thank you. Ann Treglown, Treasurer 4 Saffron Walden U3A Committee As in previous years, the existing Committee will resign before the AGM and Registration Day on 3rd September 2018 and a new Committee will be elected. In the meantime, if you need to contact an existing Committee member please refer to the last edition of Update or the website for email addresses and telephone numbers. The positions below remain unchanged. Update Jim Dwyer 01799 521524 [email protected] Editor 07531 115160 Website Martin Hugall 01799 527805 [email protected] Manager Potential New Groups Violin – Please contact Ann Worthing if present, possibly split into separate groups you are interested on 01799 530983 or for drink, recipes, sampling etc. If you are [email protected] interested please contact Ann Cousins Bell Ringing – Please contact Trevor Darts, Dominoes, Whist – If anyone is Reynolds if you are interested on 01799 interested in forming either of these 599414 or [email protected] groups, then please contact Ann Cousins, details below. Mandarin – we have someone who is willing to teach this, please contact Ann If you have an idea for a new group, Cousins for details please contact Ann Cousins 01799 Food and Drink – this is just an idea at 219072 or [email protected] 5 Class Co-ordinators Class Co-ordinator Telephone Email Art 1 Esther Rawlings 01799 520203 [email protected] Art 2 Mary Lewendon 01799 526463 [email protected] Art Appreciation John & Alison 01799 540982 [email protected] Forster Ballroom & Pauline Palmer 01799 502560 [email protected] Sequence Dancing Bird Watching Christine Taylor 01799 501886 [email protected] Bridge Beryl Ihm 01799 502512 [email protected] Bridge Beginners Linda Jackson 01799 540269 [email protected] Jane Guy 01763 838912 [email protected] Choir Joan Shadbolt 01799 516585 [email protected] Computer Club Gerald Gardner 01799 500543 [email protected] Craft Penny Maystre 01799 501262 [email protected] Cribbage John Trueman & 01799 541288 [email protected] Christine Taylor 01799 501886 [email protected] Drama Gill Williamson 01799 524947 [email protected] Easy Riders Colin and Anne 01799 543127 [email protected] Cycling Taylor French Ginny Eley 01799 742348 [email protected] Conversation 1 French Isobel Jones 01799 522552 [email protected] Conversation 2 Gardening Jo Ware 01763 838654 [email protected] History Byways Eleanor Bullough 01799 524783 [email protected] Indoor Bowling Grahame Wilmott 07922 187361 [email protected] Keep Fit Helen Verity and 01799 550408 [email protected] Lynda Sawkins 0 1 7 9 9 521022 [email protected] Latin 1 & 2 Alex Reeve 01799 522818 [email protected] Line Dancing Sheila French 01799 530364 [email protected] Please advise the Website Man ager (details page 5) if you do not wish any of your personal details to appear on the Saffron Walden U3A website. Check website for any updates. 6 Class Co-ordinators continued Class Co-ordinator Telephone Email Literature Ann Crawford 01763 838080 [email protected] Lunch Club Kate Barwood 01799 550271 [email protected] Mah-jong 1 Christine Greet 01799 531732 [email protected] Mah-jong 2 Jess Grinyer 01799 500344 [email protected] Mah-jong 3 Peter & Geraldine 01799 599159 [email protected] Plunkett Mainly for Men To be confirmed Music Club Joy Smith 01799 502219 Natural History David Corke 01799 599376 [email protected] Nice 'n' Easy Jan Powell 01799 523855 [email protected] Fitness Philosophy 1 Joanna O'Connor 01799 522260 [email protected] Philosophy 2 Denys Hickey 01799 523904 [email protected] Photography Tony Treglown 01799 516707 [email protected] Pilates 1 Hilary Price 07825 292467 [email protected] Pilates 2 Irene Bedward 01799 528178 [email protected] Pilates 3 & 4 Ann Cousins 01799 219072 [email protected] Pilates 5 Glennis Virgo 01799 524189 [email protected] Pilates 6 Linda Dobson 01799 500939 [email protected] Pilates 7 Anne Brown 01799 529026 [email protected] Play Reading Gill Williamson 01799 524947 [email protected] Poetry Beryl Ihm 01799 502512 [email protected] Ramblers 1 Keith Patmore 01799 527568 [email protected] Ramblers 2 To be confirmed Scrabble Bronwen Attenborough 01799 524772 [email protected] Spanish Improvers Jessica Reeve 01799 522818 [email protected] Table Tennis Ann Cousins 01799 219072 [email protected] Tai Chi Angela Rowland 01799 521192 [email protected] Theatre Chris Duffy 01799 520173 [email protected] Outings Pauline Smith 01799 521524 [email protected] Travel Jean Little 01799 513411 [email protected] Ukulele Mary Curtis 01799 524784 [email protected] Writing for Diane Drury 07870 900852 [email protected] Pleasure 7 Weekly/Fortnightly Activities Day Activity Venue Time Monday: twice Writing for Pleasure Tutor's home 10:00 - 12:00 monthly on an ad hoc basis Monday Pilates 7 Fairycroft House 9:00 - 10:00 Monday Craft Member's home 10:00 - 12:00 Monday Pilates 6 Fairycroft House 10:15 - 11:15 Monday Latin 1 Tutor's Home 11:00 - 12:30 Monday fortnightly History Byways Baptist Room 11:00 - 12:00 Monday Line Dancing URC Hall 1:00 - 2:15 Monday French Conversation Contact 2:00 - 3:30 co-ordinator Tuesday Sequence Dancing URC Hall 9:45 - 10:45 Tuesday Indoor Bowls Turpin's Indoor Bowls 11:45 Club Tuesday Pilates 3 Baptist Hall 1:30 - 2:30 Tuesday Art Class 1 URC Hall 2:30 - 4:00 Tuesday Pilates 4 Baptist Hall 2:30 - 3:30 Tuesday Pilates 5 Baptist Hall 3:30 - 4:30 Tuesday Mah-jong 3 Co-ordinator's home Contact co-ordinator Wednesday Tai Chi 1 Baptist Hall 9:30 - 10:30 Second & fourth Saffron Harmony Choir Quendon 10:00 - 12:00 Wednesday Wednesday Listening to Music Baptist Hall 10:30 - 11:45 First & third Ukulele St Paul's Mission 10:00 - 12:00 Wednesday Room, Tye Green, Wimbish CB10 2XE Wednesday Tai Chi 2 Baptist Hall 11:00 - 12:00 Wednesday Keep Fit Baptist Church 11:10 - 12:10 Wednesday Nice 'n' Easy Fitness Baptist Hall 12:30 - 1:30 8 Weekly/Fortnightly Activities (continued) Day Activity Venue Time Wednesday Mah-jong 1 Member's home 1:30 - 3:30 Wednesday Bridge Beginners Re-starting January 2019 Wednesday Table Tennis Widdington Village Hall 1:30 - 4:30 Wednesday Spanish Improvers Tutor's home 2:00 - 3:00 Thursday Scrabble Member's home 10:00 Thursday French Conversation 2 Member's home 10:30 - 12:00 Thursday fortnightly Ramblers 1 LB Leisure Centre 10:00 - 12:00 approximately Thursday fortnightly Ramblers 2 LB Leisure Centre 10:00 - 12:00 To be confirmed approximately Thursday Pilates 1 Friends Meeting House 1:00 - 2:00 Thursday Mah-jong 2 Member's home 1:30 - 3:30 Thursday Latin 2 Tutor's home 2:00 - 3:30 Thursday fortnightly Drama Fairycroft House 2:00 - 4:00 Thursday Pilates 2 Friends Meeting House 2:00 - 3:00 Thursday Cribbage Fairycroft House 2:30 - 4:30 Friday Computer Club Tutor's home 10:00 - 12:00 Friday fortnightly Art Appreciation SW Town Bowling Club 10:30 - 12:00 Friday Bridge SW Town Bowling Club 1:30 - 4:00 Friday Art 2 Baptist Church 2:00 - 4:00 Open Meetings There are more great talks coming up, with refreshments and a raffle, so come and enjoy! There’s no Open Meeting in August or December 17 September: ‘George Cruikshank, the man who drew Oliver Twist’, talk by Ian Keable. 15 October: ‘My Family and Other Animals’, a talk by Mel Rees. If you are a Saffron Walden resident and are unable to get to an Open Meeting because of a disability, please contact a Committee member. Volunteers wanted to provide transport f o r members who are Saffron Walden residents and are unable to get to these Open Meetings. Email the editor at [email protected] 9 Monthly Activities Day Activity Venue Time Check website Birdwatching Contact co-ordinator See Co-ordinator First Thursday Easy Riders Cycling Contact co-ordinator 11:00 Third Friday Gardening Contact co-ordinator Last Wednesday Literature Fairycroft House 2:30 - 3:30 Dates for your Diary Lunch Club Kate Barwood 12:15 for 12:45 Check website Mainly for Men SW Town Bowling Club 2:30 - 4:00 Fourth Friday Natural History SW Town Bowling Club 10:30 - 12:00 First Tuesday Philosophy 1 Joanna O'Connor 10:30 - 12:30 Second Thursday Philosophy 2 Co-ordinator's home 10:30 - 12:30 Second Monday Poetry Member's home 2:00 - 4:00 Second Monday Photography To be confirmed To be confirmed Last Monday Play Reading Member's home 10:00 - 12:00 Last Friday Theatre & Travel Baptist Hall 2:00 start iterature Each year our tutor chooses a theme to follow through the academic year. This year we have followed the theme of Last Works, from the autumnal elegance of ‘Persuasion’ through the dark mystery of ‘Edwin Drood’, not forgetting the steamy violence of ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’, the harsh tragedy of ‘Weir of Hermiston’ and the bittersweet regret of Fitzgerald’s ‘Last tycoon’. Our theme for next season is ‘What if?’ We’ll be reading novels which take a possible scenario and speculate on what would happen if it turned out to be true. For example, in ‘Frankenstein’, Mary Shelley asks: ‘What if it were possible to create a human being?’ In her day, this raised questions about the relationship between God and man; in ours, it raises questions about the limits of science. (And books about the future are always about the time in which they were written: think of ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’). In choosing titles, Alan our tutor tries to combine books which he thinks will be new to the reader with those which may have been read some time ago but are worth re-reading now. So for the first term of our next season, the books we’ll be reading are - drum roll, cymbal crash - September 26: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, October 31: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, November 28: Fatherland by Robert Har- ris. These should be an interesting and varied set. Classes will be at 2:30pm and hopefully at the same venue - Fairycroft House. Ann Crawford, Co-ordinator 10