Our lead photo shows members of the u3a Amblers group during their April walk to Windsor Lock, enjoying the countryside.
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Windsor and District u3a Committee
At our AGM last month, we said goodbye to Dave Humphries and Sue White. It was time for them both to stand down from their positions as committee members. They had both completed 6 years of service which is the maximum term of office allowable under the u3a constitution.
Windsor u3a owes great thanks to Dave Humphries. He pays incredible attention to detail and whenever there has been an omission or a need, he has quietly stepped up to fill the gap. Dave has been the brains behind our website since 2017. He set up Windsor and District u3a’s very first website and has been refining and improving it ever since. He ensured that our u3a entered the digital world smoothly and works hard to keep it up to date and running efficiently. Dave has pioneered the production of easy to read, digital versions for the website and for mobile phone users. He has spent many hours uploading photographs of Interest Group activities to grace our website, enabling us to reminisce and also attract new members via the internet.
At monthly meetings, Dave worked initially with Peter Furney on the sound desk at monthly meetings and when Peter retired, Dave took over the responsibility and has constantly sought to improve the sound output at Speaker meetings. During Covid Dave hosted Monthly Meetings on Zoom and initiated many of us into ‘Zooming’. Dave became TVN rep. for Windsor u3a when John Wiggins stepped down. For many months we were unable to appoint a secretary. Members of the committee took turns at taking minutes, but it was Dave who took on responsibility for the other tasks of the role and eventually became the official secretary. His organisation is superb.
The most recent gap Dave has filled is that of convenor. He has become co-convenor of the Photography group and also now organises the Amblers, who go for short walks and enjoy chat and refreshments with each other. Hopefully, Dave will enjoy these activities even more, without the pressure of the committee admin roles, he has gathered over the past 6 years. Thank you for your service, Dave.
Sue White has been our Groups’ Coordinator and has prompted the formation of many Interest Groups over the last six years. It is a tribute to her skills of persuasion that she managed to find convenors for them all. Sue has diligently supported the convenors in establishing their groups and each year (apart from during the Covid pandemic) Sue has organised an annual Convenor Conference. She put much effort into these, chivvying the college to respond on dates and room arrangements, arranging speakers, workshops and fantastic lunches prepared by the catering students. Sue dealt confidently and methodically with the issues of menu choices, parking, lift arrangements, travel directions, name badges and more. Sue’s conferences were a huge success and enjoyed by all attending. Fortunately for us, Sue is prepared to repeat her stunning performance again this year before she hopefully, hands over to her successor. Thank you, Sue. You will be missed.
Monthly Speaker Meetings
Gardeners Hall, 213 St Leonard’s Road, Windsor, SL4 3DR
on 2nd Wednesday of each month, 2-00pm to 4-00pm.
Last month we had an interesting and informative illustrated talk from George Lockwood about the bulbs grown at Highgrove, from a horticulturalist who has spent many years working there. He was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable speaker who was much appreciated by our gardening enthusiasts.
- Wednesday, 8th May: Secrets, Scandals and Salacious Gossip of the Royal Court 1660-1830 by Sarah Slater.
Sarah is a Blue Badge tourist guide and lecturer employed by Historic Royal Palaces and based at Hampton Court Palace, since 2008. Sarah will talk about all the naughty bits of history you would probably not have learnt about at school! She will reveal some of the royal scandals and secrets and will consider the issues facing men and women of time and the role of royal mistresses. - Wednesday, 12th June: A classical Guitar recital from Gary Jordan. Gary was much enjoyed when he visited us in 2022 and is making a return visit.
Outings and Events
Booking Arrangements
Our outings and events have become so popular they are often oversubscribed, and some members are disappointed. In the past, when there has been sufficient interest, second, repeat trips have been organised. This is not always possible. The issue has been raised that frequently the posted copies of our monthly newsletters arrive later than emailed copies. Thus, when outings and events are advertised those who receive their newsletters by post are disadvantaged in terms of ‘the booking race’. To allow all members to have a fair chance of making a booking, your committee has decided that events should be announced with a booking date a week ahead. Bookings will be taken on a first come, first served basis, as they always have been, but only by email or text. No bookings will be taken by phone or word of mouth. A waiting list will be kept and if there is sufficient interest and support, repeat trips will be organised.
Diary Dates
Open meetings, day trips and holidays shown here in date-order for quick reference, further details may be shown elsewhere in this, or previous, Newsletters.
- Saturday, 27th April – Friday 3rd May: Windsor and District u3a holiday to the Loire Valley.
- Tuesday, 28th May: Live Jazz concert at Datchet Village Hall with Paula Jackman’s Jazz Masters.
- Wednesday, 29th May: Guided Mystery Tour by coach. Contact Jo Wattis.
- Wednesday, 19th June: NT Outing to Mottisfont. Contact Pat Oldcorn.
- Tuesday, 25th June: Live Tea and Jazz concert at Datchet Village Hall from The Rascals of Rhythm.
- Monday, 9th September – Friday, 13th September: National Trust and Geocaching groups visit to York. Contact Jackie Wiggins.
Logged in members can see contact details.
Interest Group News
Lawn Bowls
The Lawn Bowls group begins its 2024 season on Friday, 3rd May at 10:00 at the bowls club in Windsor Great Park, situated next to The York Club. We will meet every Friday weather permitting.
It will meet for two terms of 9 weeks at a cost of £25 per player, per term.
Players must wear flat trainers and weather appropriate, comfy casual clothing.
The group number is limited to 25.
Please contact Mary Sibley if you would like to join the group.
Logged in members can see contact details.
Chess
The Chess Group now meets at 10:30 every Monday (apart from Bank Holidays) at The Bridge Cafe in Datchet. All chess players are welcome to come along, to watch or play as they wish.
Contact details are visible if you log-in.
Music for a Desert Island
We are now into our fifth year and still going strong with over 80 members. This is an unusual group in that we do not have monthly get togethers, but that has not proved to be a problem. Back in the beginning in 2020, at the start of the covid lockdown, the idea behind the group was to keep members in touch during those difficult times. We follow the pattern of the BBC programme Desert Island Discs with our monthly island castaway picking 8-10 pieces of music and telling us the stories associated with their musical selection. There have been some wonderfully entertaining stories shared with the rest of the gang. I think of the lady who told the story of inviting jazz musicians from Ronnie Scott’s to her wedding and how her parents were not impressed by the way they behaved. Another castaway told us of her love of singing and joining the local church choir and how the church organist managed to impersonate Les Dawson each Sunday. Another tale was of Johnie Rotten who was extremely generous and interested when they told him they were collecting for a local children’s charity. Another castaway told of a magical balmy night in Northern Spain at a music festival when Miles Davis appeared on stage at midnight playing pieces from his Sketches of Spain recording. The audience went wild! How I would have loved to have been there.
Each month, on the fourth Friday, an e-mail is sent to our members with that month’s set of stories. The music we pick up from YouTube. If any of our contributors have problems with the technical side of their presentation, we take care of that, putting the whole thing together ready for circulation at the end of the month. All we require is the music and their recollections. We send out a newsletter every month to keep the interest going. Why not join our happy band? If you are interested e-mail me and I will send a couple of our recent sample presentations. I am not looking for castaways, but hopefully if you do join once you have got the hang of things maybe the pull of sun, blue skies, and an azure sea might persuade you to share your memories with the rest of the group.
We get together once a year, sometime after Christmas at a local restaurant – our one opportunity to put faces to names.
Contact details are visible if you log-in.
Explore London 1
In April, 20 members of this group had a guided tour round The Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington. It was a pleasure to roam the corridors, discover the Royal Box and appreciate the vast interior. The guide set the scene for the building of the Royal Albert Hall and gave some interesting details about the area now known as South Kensington, nicknamed in Victorian Times as Albertopolis. After the tour, Jackie and John Wiggins led a walk around Albertopolis using a guide produced by the Royal Geographic Society, pointing out the original buildings commissioned by Prince Albert and Henry Cole following the success of the Great Exhibition held in Hyde Park in 1852.
The area suffered bomb damage during WW2 and bold, modern buildings now sit alongside gracious, original Victorian architecture. Shrapnel damage to the ‘V and A’ museum is still visible. Please see our website for photographs by Alan Wheeler and Eileen Harris.
Opposite the RAH stands the Albert Memorial in the centre of which Prince Albert presides over a frieze of famous composers, architects, poets, painters and sculptors. Statues at the four corners celebrate the industries of Victorian England – manufacture, commerce, agriculture and engineering. Albert holds a catalogue of the Great Exhibition in his hand. At the next level, the statues represent the influence of Great Britain in the four corners of the British Empire – an elephant for Asia, a bull for Europe, a buffalo for the Americas and a camel for Africa. Our walk round Albertopolis was rushed because the tour of the RAH was extended and after lunch, time was short as some folk needed to catch the 3-30pm 702. We enjoyed what we saw. Albertopolis remains today as a centre of learning and culture and is a very interesting area in which to wonder and admire.
There’s a separate post with more photos by Alan Wheeler and Eileen Harris here
Explore London 1 also had a trip around the area south of St Paul’s cathedral, following in the footsteps of the Blackfriars whose monastery covered the area. The history is fascinating and reflected in the names of some of the cobbled courts and alleys – Friary Street; Priory Court; Creed Lane for example. Thank you to Frances for a stimulating outing.
Explore London 2
This group recently visited The British Library in St Pancras. We enjoyed a Treasures Tour, which we booked in advance. Our guide started with the history of the library and explained the scale of the modern building, which is vast and is now a grade 2 listed building, housing the ‘Kings books’ in a huge glass tower running through the centre of the building. Then we were taken into the Treasures gallery where we were shown some of the many interesting items kept there, including the Magna Carta, the Gutenberg Bible and an Enigma machine, amongst others. We were all surprised at the amazing different historical artefacts kept at the library besides books. It was well worth visiting.
This group also visited the Foundling Hospital Museum last month and enjoyed a walk around Bloomsbury, spotting blue plaques in memory of several well-known characters. The hospital was founded by Thomas Coram in 1735 with the backing of 21 aristocratic women. It became a very fashionable charity with the help of Hogarth and other prominent artists who donated their work to raise funds. Wealthy visitors came to view and make donations providing financial support for the orphanage. In this way the first public art gallery came into being and today visitors can view the work of significant artists such as Gainsborough, Reynolds and Brownlow amongst others.
As a result of benefit concerts Handel’s Messiah became popular and Handel became a governor of the charity himself. The Foundling hospital became a centre for the celebration off the arts and today, but today it runs projects to support and encourage young people who have been in care, through work with artists of all disciplines. The museum is well worth a visit.
Over the next few months, there are plans for the group to visit Richmond Park, Ham House, Hampstead, Syon House, Lambeth Palace, Gunnersbury House and the National Archives in Kew.
Flower Arranging
This month, tulips were the flowers of choice. These flowers are known to be wayward and responding rapidly to the direction of light sources, quickly grow out of an ‘arranged’ space. It is an interesting exercise to take advantage of their tendency to swirl in an arrangement by building a framework of hoops for them to swirl in and out. The group has room for a few more members. We are happy to work with beginners and accomplished practitioners.
Contact Mo Salter for more information.
Contact details are visible if you log-in.
Gardening 1
On Thursday, May 16th we will meet at 2-00pm at Hall Grove School, London Road, Bagshot, GU19 5HZ. (Almost opposite Longacres). Cost is yet to be confirmed.
Logged in members can see contact details.
Geocaching
Kate Rayner led a very successful and enjoyable session following a circular route along the Engine River starting at Wilde Brunch Café, Cowey Sale, Shepperton. We found 15 caches in all and two of our members reached ‘in-app – milestone targets’. Jo Wattis achieved 350 finds and Joan Brightwell achieved her 100. Well done, ladies! Thank you Kate.
National Trust Outings
We met to discuss the organisation of transport. Some members have volunteered to be drivers and give lifts to other members. Volunteers have come forward to set up locality-based WhatsApp chats and be ‘Points of Contact’ for car sharing in their locality.
Dedworth: Gillian Latimer
Clewer: Barry Roper
Ascot: Ruth Bonny
Old Windsor: Jane McGrath
Central Windsor: Needs a volunteer.
Datchet/Langley/Slough: Needs a volunteer.
Eton/Eton Wick: Needs a volunteer.
Please email your local Point of Contact and give them your mobile phone number. They will add you to your local car sharing WhatsApp chat group. Please inform Jackie Wiggins or Pat Oldcorn if you are willing to be the Point of Contact for Central Windsor, Datchet or Eton.
Please contact Pat Oldcorn or Jackie Wiggins for details of future outings.
Wednesday, 19th June: NT Outing to Mottisfont.
Logged in members can see their contact details.
Local History
- There is no meeting in May but we have three new and exciting talks to look forward to over the summer. Do put the dates in your diary.
- Monday, 24th June: Jo Alexander Jones’ talk is entitled ‘More than biscuits, bulbs and beer – a history of industry in Reading.’ Those of us who thought that Reading was all about Huntley and Palmers, Suttons Seeds and Courage Brewery will undoubtedly have some surprises.
- Monday, 29th July: We are very fortunate to have Phil Jones tell us about his role as Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle. This is a position that dates all the way back to 1086 and used to be held by a member of the Royal Family, but is now held by a senior retired member of the Armed Forces.
- Monday, 30th September: Louise Knight of the Windsor and Royal Borough Museum will talk about Victoria and Albert in Windsor. Victoria and Albert became engaged in Windsor and honeymooned here. The Castle was a favourite residence and, of course, the Royal Mausoleum is their final resting place.
This group meets in Windsor Methodist Church Hall in Alma Road, Windsor, SL4 3HH. Talks begin at 2-30pm. Admission is £3.00 on the door. No need to book. New members are warmly welcome.
Jane Standley
Music Appreciation
Hosted by David Oldcorn
David Oldcorn’s three music groups will all meet in April, but to avoid Easter Monday, the Ballet Appreciation group will meet at 2-00 pm on Monday, 8th April. The Show Music group will meet on 15th April and the Classical Music group will meet on 25th April.
New members very welcome. All groups begin at 2-30pm.
Contact details are visible if you log-in.
Singing For Fun
Change of Venue – A Great Success!
After 10 years at St. Agnes, we have moved to Gardeners’ Hall. About 50 people attended, many coming early to help get everything ready. Our new tea rota was successfully launched and we sang a variety of songs. We welcomed five new members. Parking was much easier and we felt a lot warmer!
To confirm details: Singing for Fun will be held on 2nd Tuesday of the month from 1-30pm – 3-30pm at Gardeners’ Hall. The cost will be £2.00 pp. This is an open group. No booking is required. Just come along. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, 14th May.
Convenor contact details are visible if you log-in.
Tea and Jazz
We have booked another great band for 28th May – Paula Jackman’s Jazz Masters. Paula plays clarinet and saxophone, she will be joined by “Magic” Mike Henry on trumpet. Mike has previously played in many top groups including the Chris Barber band. Hugh Crozier will be on piano and vocals. Hugh is one of the best exponents of Jelly Roll Morton style of piano playing and is a brilliant boogie player. “Lord” Marc Easener will play bass and is also a fine sousaphone player. He plays all styles of music. Not to be missed – make sure Tuesday 28th May’s ‘Tea and Jazz’ is in your diary.
For June we have booked the “Rascals of Rhythm“. This top band is headed by Dave Moorwood on guitar and vocals. This is a band with a different sound as the two front line men play clarinets and a range of different saxophones. Make sure Tea and Jazz on Tuesday, 25th June is also in your diary!
All u3a members – from any u3a branch – are welcome. There is no need to book – just turn up on the day. Performances start at 2-00pm, with a break halfway for tea and cakes and finish at about 3-45pm. There is some parking outside Datchet Village Hall (SL3 9HR) and when this is full, there is a public car park a short distance back towards Datchet village centre that is also available.
We charge £10.00 pp to cover the cost of hall hire, musicians and refreshments.
Convenor contact details are visible if you log-in.
u3a Amblers
Last month, The Amblers met at Old Windsor Memorial Hall and followed the Thames Path past Old Windsor Lock and Parish Church. Their convenor, Dave Humphries has created a ‘photolog’ of their amble on this website.
You can see many more photos in a separate post
Convenor contact details are visible if you log-in.
This month the group will meet on 9th May to amble along the Staines riverside area.
Windsor Area Walks
Our walks are usually approximately 4.5miles – 5 miles.
The May walk is as follows – a walk including part of Staines Moor and the Thames riverside. There are a couple of stiles and some steps. Meet on Moor Lane opposite the Swan Pub now defunct. (Approx. 200m after passing under the bridge.) Post Code TW19 6EB. This will be led by Maureen. Starting at 10:15 May 24th.
The June walk will be on 28th June. The walk is from Knowle Hill on the A4 and will be around Ashley Hill Forest. Fields (possibly with the odd cow) woods, paths and tracks. About 5 miles. Park in the large lay-by adjacent to Star Lane. Nearest post code RG10 9UR. There is no coffee on route so please bring a drink. There may be coffee at the end. Start time 10:15. Led by Roy.
Logged in members can see Roy’s e-mail address.
Please let Roy know if you would be happy to organise one or two walks for later in the year.
Coffee Mornings
Come And Meet Each Other
Linda Saunders has responded to our plea for a CAMEO Coffee Morning to be held in central Windsor. Thank you, Linda. This will be held at The Cinnamon Café in the precinct of Royal Windsor Central Station. Linda writes, “I have met the owner and one of the managers of The Cinnamon and they are more than welcoming. A small section will be reserved for us between 10-30am and 12-00noon. They offer a discount on presentation of an Advantage Card. I have given them the first date of Tuesday, 5th March and the first Tuesday of the month thereafter. I will be there at 10-30am.” Linda Saunders.
Logged in members can see Linda’s e-mail address.
Coffee mornings run from 10-30am to 12-00pm, why not drop in between those times?
Central Windsor
Cinnamon Café in Windsor Central Station
These are held on the 1st Tuesday of each month, organised by Linda Saunders.
Next on Tuesday, 7th May.
Old Windsor
The Bells of Ouzeley, Straight Road, Old Windsor, SL4 2SH
These are held on the 1st Wednesday of each month, organised by Jo Wattis.
This group has a large and faithful following, several of whom sometimes find it convenient to stay for lunch.
Next on Wednesday, 1st May.
West Windsor
The Running Man Café, All Saints’ Church, Dedworth, SL4 4JW
These are held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, organised by Jackie Wiggins, shared with Angela West, and Sheila Allen. Angela always provides us with home-made cakes.
Next on Wednesday, 15th May.
Sunningdale
The Restaurant, Hilliers Garden Centre, off A30 between Sunningdale and Bagshot, GU20 6LQ
These are held on the last Tuesday of each month, organised by Olwen.
Next on Tuesday, 28th May.
Datchet
The Bridge Ecumenical Café, The Village Green, Datchet, SL3 9JH
These are held on the 4th Wednesday of each month, organised by Jackie Wiggins.
You can feel assured of a warm welcome from several ‘Datchet Ladies’ including Sylvia D’Mello-Burchell, Rosie McAndrew, Pam Hames-Piggott and Jackie Wiggins. Home made cakes are on sale here, too.
Next on Wednesday, 22nd May.
If you arrive and find the ‘u3a table’ is fully occupied, PLEASE make yourself known before settling elsewhere on your own or in a splinter group. Depending on the venue, it may well be possible to enlarge the circle, or take over/join on another table.
U3A Online
Thames Valley Network Diary Dates
All events are on Zoom unless otherwise stated.
NB You must book a few days in advance of the date(s) shown below and often a small cost is involved.
View TVN home page and scroll down to list of events with TicketSource booking buttons.
Flyers with more information are available there too.
Further events are always being planned, keep an eye on their diary via link above.
National u3a offerings
The national u3a runs many projects, initiatives and competitions – available for all members.
See their Latest News page for national events and opportunities.
Use their Podcasts Playlist (on YouTube) to listen to something interesting (with subtitles).
Interest Groups Online (IGOs)
Interest Groups Online (IGO) is an online community of learners. Those who subscribe to IGO can participate in our online interest groups and also access the u3a national learning.
IGO Help and Information
u3a Friends
Read the Newsletter in your browser.
u3a Friends Extra
A new range of benefits, offers and services exclusively for members of our u3a Friends community. The benefits include discounts for shopping, travel, insurance and more – and we hope really to add to your u3a experience.
And finally –
A new u3a air fryer community
Members are sharing their hints, tips and recipes in our new air fryer community. If you have an air fryer and want to know how to make the most of it, or would like to share your ideas, join our community.
Credits and Contributions
Thank you to all who have contributed to this month’s newsletter.
We welcome contributions from any member, not just convenors, so if you have enjoyed a u3a organised event, why not share that (and show appreciation to the organisers) by writing a short report, ideally with some photos, please send to newsletters@windoru3a.org.uk
The copy date for our next Newsletter is 15th May 2024
Readers may notify an error or omission via e-mail or logged in members can use the Comments area below to convey their thoughts on this particular edition.
This Newsletter was compiled by Jackie Wiggins, then adapted for web publication by Dave Humphries. This web version allows us to hide certain data from all but logged in members, plus occasionally make minor updates after release, typically to correct errors and omissions notified promptly.
Committee Contact Details
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| Committee Members’ Contact Details | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chairman: | Peter Todd | chairman@windsoru3a.org.uk |
| Secretary: | Carol Crago | secretary@windsoru3a.org.uk |
| Treasurer: | David Treder | treasurer@windsoru3a.org.uk |
| Data Administrator: | Derek Gadd | dataadmin@windsoru3a.org.uk |
| Groups’ Coordinator: | Sue White | u3agroups@windsoru3a.org.uk |
| Website Administrator: | Dave Humphries | webeditor@windsoru3a.org.uk |
| Membership Secretary: | Kate Fagence | membership@windsoru3a.org.uk |
| Newsletter Editor: | Jackie Wiggins | newsletters@windsoru3a.org.uk |
| Speaker Organiser: | Joanna Wattis | speakers@windsoru3a.org.uk |