Our lead photo shows author Bobbie Darbyshire presenting to our members at the August Monthly Meeting.
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Windsor & District u3a Committee News
A Letter from The Chair
Dear Members,
I am pleased to announce some changes in the membership of your committee. I will be stepping down as Chair at the next AGM and I am pleased to tell you that at the committee meeting in August, Martin Pritchett was co-opted as Vice-Chair and that he is willing to stand for election at the AGM 2025 as the next Chairman of Windsor and District u3a. Martin is the current convenor of the Stargazers’ group.
Mo Salter was co-opted onto the committee to take the lead as Groups’ Coordinator, replacing Sue White who filled the role admirably for 6 years and stepped down at the last AGM. Mo is the convenor of the recently established Flower Arranging group. Mo will be supported by Maggie Reeve and Jackie Wiggins. Maggie prefers not to join the committee at present. Many of you will already know her for her work leading Explore London 2. She is a very busy lady.
Please join me in welcoming Martin, Mo and Maggie and thanking them for stepping up.
Best wishes,
Peter Todd
Chair, of Windsor and District u3a
Other news
It is pleasing and reassuring to report that members have responded to requests for help both with committee work and for help with promoting the u3a at the Eton Action Fair. Thanks go to those members who have offered to help. Their presence and company will be much appreciated, on the committee and at the Eton Action Fair. It is not too late for YOU to join in the fun. There is room for YOU, too.
I was recently invited to attend a monthly meeting at a u3a group in a neighbouring area. I was given a warm welcome and it was a good opportunity to learn how things are done elsewhere. The speaker was engaging and the atmosphere very friendly. On going activities and outings were advertised and some convenors were advertising vacancies in their Interest Groups. The Chairman confided that it was hard to fill positions on the committee and some Interest Groups had closed for want of a convenor to take the lead.
I was surprised when In conversation, one member expressed her view that she had worked hard in her younger years and that her retirement was for relaxing and enjoying herself. She did not want the responsibility of committee work or of a convenor. I just listened, without comment. I wondered, “Does she think committee members and convenors did not work hard in their years of employment?!” It is sad that she has not yet realised that the more you ‘give’, the more fun and pleasure you get from your activity. We all have something to give and we will all reach a stage of life when we can no longer ‘give’, but let’s make the most of our talents while we can.
Connect: Be Active: Keep Learning: Give: Take Notice.
https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mental-health-at-work/five-ways-to-wellbeing/
Monthly Speaker Meetings
Gardeners Hall, 213 St Leonard’s Road, Windsor, SL4 3DR
on 2nd Wednesday of each month, 2-00pm to 4-00pm.
It was apologies all round at Gardeners’ Hall on 14th August. There was miscommunication and building work was in progress when it was time for author, Bobbie Darbyshire to deliver her talk. Not only was there disruptive noise, the internet router was repeatedly unplugged and hence Zoom was unusable after 20 minutes. Bobbie was very good humoured and took this in her stride.
Many of you enjoyed the talk very much despite the interference. This was evidenced by the number of books purchased by members afterwards.
This month, Wednesday, 11th September, our speaker will be Mervyn Edwards, talking about The Newbury By-pass. Mervyn Edwards has a long history of working within the police force in various posts and departments within the Thames Valley area. When he visited us on a previous occasion, members enjoyed his recollections of both humorous and fearful situations he had encountered in his career and the faith we have in our police force and the respect shown by the general public. This time, Mervyn will talk about The Newbury By-pass debacle, the story of the battle in 1996 to prevent the construction of the Newbury By-pass; His talk is entitled, ‘The Newbury By-pass: I was in charge’ Mervyn’s talks are highly recommended by other u3a groups in Berkshire.
Jackie Wiggins
Outings and Events
Eton Action Fair
11-00am – 4-00pm on Saturday, 14th September
Come and help spread the word about the benefits of joining a u3a.
Attend on the day and give an hour or two of your time to helping man the u3a stall. You will be welcome at any time, but we are short of man/woman power in the afternoon.
Please send your availability to help to newsletters@windsoru3a.org.uk
- Monday, 9th – 13th September: NT Outings Group and Geocaching Groups Holiday in York
- Saturday, 14th September: Eton Action Fair (see above)
- Tuesday, 24th September: Tea and Jazz present a concert in Datchet Village Hall by a vintage jug band, “The Jake Leg Jug Band” £10 pp to cover costs. This will be an afternoon of musical fun.
- Friday, 11th October: The Trad Jazz Quartet will perform at the Hope pub in Alma Road, 10-30 am – 12-30pm. Cost £10 pp to cover the expenses of the band. The Tea and Jazz audiences have much appreciated this band.
- Friday, 29th November: NT Outings group visit to Stourhead House, Gardens and Christmas Lights Trail. Only waiting list places are available.
Interest Groups in Formation
MOTO (Members On Their Own)
There are currently 3 MOTO groups running. They are social meetings run by and for members without partners and centre on a lunch time meal in a pub or restaurant. They are very popular, much in demand and oversubscribed. The number of members who can be included in a group is determined by the management of the venue and for every meeting, some (more and more) members are disappointed. Smaller groups are more easily accommodated than larger groups. IT IS TIME FOR NEW GROUPS TO BE FORMED. A convenors’ role involves booking a table for a given number of people, on a regular basis at a given venue. This responsibility could be shared among the group members. Please contact Mo Salter.
Logged in members can see contact details.
Interest Group News
Badminton
The group invites anyone who is interested in playing badminton, regardless of their ability, to make contact and join them. Please contact Philip Ross.
The group has been meeting every Tuesday at 2-00pm at Windsor Leisure Centre, but is willing to adapt to meet at alternative times and days to suit the needs of members. It is also starting a group for beginners. Please make contact and feel the thrill of striking a shuttle!
Contact details are visible if you log-in.
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.
Explore London 1
This group have enjoyed a busy Summer. Back in May, Philip Ross led them on a topical walk exploring the legacy of the Olympic Games 2012 and remembering the glory and excitement of this event which many of us were able to experience at first hand. See separate post here.
Philip also led a group on a walk exploring the variety of architecture in Hammersmith and Kensington, covering the Modern and Post-Modern periods. More pictures can be seen here.
Thanks to Alan Wheeler for the pictures.
Explore London 2
The second group has also been very active this month. They visited Regent’s Park which has much to explore, including formal gardens, secret gardens, sunken gardens, lakes and water features and avenues of beautiful trees. All of this surrounded by the classical Regency terraces. The highlight of the park is the inner circle which contains Queen Mary’s Rose Garden, with over 30,000 roses! We were very lucky with the weather and everyone enjoyed the visit.
See more Regents Park photos here.
Shelagh Irish
They also made the first of two planned trips to Battersea on Wednesday 21st August. This first outing saw 22 explorers making their way to Battersea by train and bus and getting their first glimpse of the rejuvenation of the whole area as we approached the old power station.
Inside the boiler houses are some very upmarket shops, with the apartments all around, priced in millions. After a coffee break, all but two of the group had booked for the Lift 109 Experience, which includes some background information on the original building and its workings. The history of the power station is fascinating but, nowadays the interior is far removed from the original noise, pollution and heat that would have been the normal conditions for those working there. We were whisked skywards in a glass lift, which pops visitors out of the top of one of the chimneys for a 360° panorama of London’s skyline. The Post Office tower can be easily seen, as can the Wembley Arch and the Chelsea Hospital. Other landmarks take a bit more time to spot, but it was fantastic to see the cityscape spread below us.
After the Lift Experience, it was time to wander towards Battersea Park. Some members opted for lunch near the power station, where there are plenty of restaurants. Others stretched their legs and walked to lunch by the boating lake. There is so much to see in Battersea Park that a separate walk there will be arranged at a later date.
Everyone agreed, there’s always something to explore in London!
Maggie Reeve
More Battersea pictures can be seen here.
Flower Arranging
The Flower Arrangers will reconvene on Thursday, 26th September with an open event, a demonstration and wreath workshop on the theme of ‘Autumn,’ open to all u3a members. The cost of attendance will be £5.00 to cover hall hire, refreshments, floral foam and other specialist materials. You will need to bring your own flowers and container.
Please contact Mo Salter to reserve your place. Numbers are limited.
Logged in members can see contact details.
Gardening 1
On Thursday, 19th September, the group will visit a garden called ‘Woodpeckers’, Mole End, 10 Farm Lane, Poplar Grove, Woking, GU22 7SD. Please let Carole know in good time if you intend joining the group.
Logged in members can see contact details.
Geocaching
The geocachers are still winning! Despite the heat in August their total finds reached 772! As Adele commented, “Seventeen finds in that heat was amazing.” Congratulations to Suzy for organising the day. It was her first turn at taking the lead.
This month, several geocachers will be geocaching in and around York.
Creepy Crawly Caches.
Photographs courtesy of Adele McNally.
Local History
- 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.
- Monday, 28th October: Peter Halman, who last year described an historic trip down the Thames from Oxford to Maidenhead, makes a very welcome return for ‘A Stroll in the Park: the story of England’s royal, private and public parks.’
New U3A members are welcome. Talks begin at 2-30pm at Alma Road Methodist Church (SL4 3HH) and typically last about 45 minutes with time for questions. There is no need to book. There is a £3.00 charge at the door to cover the cost of room hire and refreshments.
Jane Standley
History of Design visit Strawberry Hill House
The home of Horace Walpole was the destination for 7 members of the Group, who assembled at Riverside Station, early in July this year. Horace was the son of Robert Walpole, our first Prime Minister, who secured for him sinecures as Inspector of the Imports and Exports and then Usher of the Exchequer. These posts demanded little of him, but the second yielded £3,900 per annum and increased in subsequent years. Financially secure, he was able to pursue his passion for writing and art and his political interests. His lasting legacy is the transformation of a small 17th century house at Strawberry Hill into a ‘Gothic Revival’ villa, to hold his antiquarian collection. Work was carried out over 30 years, starting in 1746.
John Holdstock
There are a few more of John Holdstock’s photos here.
Jazz at The Hope
Please come and meet us at The Hope pub in Alma Road on the second Friday of each month between 10-30am to 12-30pm. This venue provides a congenial jazz club atmosphere, ideal for sitting back and listening to good music with fellow u3a members, with a drink in your hand – tea, coffee, wine and beer are all available at the bar. We have a friendly group of regular attendees, but this is an open session and you are welcome to come as you please. You will be made most welcome. There is usually no admittance charge.
Please contact Pauline Thompson with any queries.
Convenor contact details are visible if you log-in.
In August we were entertained by two accomplished musicians who have had interesting careers as professionals in the music world. These were Ronnie Johnson on jazz guitar and Al Kirtley on keyboard. This performance was arranged for us as a treat by Andy, our host and was much appreciated.
On 13th September, Jess will present a programme of music for us.
On 11th October, live music will be performed by The Trad Jazz Quartet – or Quintet, if they have a drummer! They played for us last December and have played at Tea and Jazz sessions, too. There will be a one-off charge of £10.00 per person to pay the band’s fees.
On 8th November, Louden will present a programme for us to enjoy.
On 13th December, it will be Malcolm’s turn to entertain us.
We hope you will join us.
Pauline Thompson
Music Appreciation
David Oldcorn runs three groups: Ballet Appreciation (2-00pm on the first Monday of each month), Show Music (2-30pm on third Monday of each month) and Classical Music (2-30 pm on the fourth Thursday of each month). There is space for in all of these groups for anyone interested. Please contact David.
The programme for 2nd September will feature a popular full-length ballet. On 16th September, the Show Music group will enjoy tunes from a popular musical. On 26th September, The Classical Music programme will consist of an overture, a concerto and a symphony. (Not all by the same composer!)
Contact details are visible if you log-in.
National Trust Outings
Our outing to The Vyne was a great success. The sunny weather allowed our members to appreciate the walled meadow garden to the full and to quote Sheila Allen, in historical reverie, “We could have been walking where Henry VIII had trodden!”
Thanks go to Sue White and Ornella Mohan for organising this outing.
This month 31 of us are off to York for a week to explore several of the NT properties in that area. Activities in this week away will be led by Adele McNally and Jackie Wiggins.
Looking further ahead, in October we will visit Polesdon Lacey NT by coach, an outing to be led by Pat Oldcorn. In November, we have another coach outing planned, this time to Stourhead House and landscape garden, followed by afternoon tea and the Christmas Lights trail around the lake.
Tea and Jazz
See you at 2-00pm on 24th September at Datchet Village Hall. We have booked The Jake Leg Jug Band! This is a vintage jazz and blues band” and will appeal to a wide range of tastes, so if you think you do not like ‘Jazz,’ please join us this month. The band is versatile and it will be an afternoon of good fun! Members from any u3a group are welcome. There is no need to book – just turn up on the day. Performances start at 2-00pm. We charge £10.00 cash pp to cover the cost of hall hire, musicians and refreshments.
For October and November, we hope to re-book two of the great bands that we had earlier this year. Please ‘save the dates’ of 22nd October and 26th November for us. Thank you.
Peter Cheeseman
Convenor contact details are visible if you log-in.
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.
u3a Amblers
On Thursday, 8th August, members of the group learnt much of the history of Old Windsor Parish Church, (St. Peter’s and St. Andrew’s) from our host Jo Wattis.
More information and photos here.
On the 5th September, the group will revisit the Thames path at Maidenhead and Taplow, taking the reverse route to their visit during a very wet March 2024.
Convenor contact details are visible if you log-in.
Windsor Area Walks
Our walks are usually approximately 4.5miles – 5 miles.
Friday, 27th September: Meet at 10-15 am in the Stag and Huntsman car park in Hambleden, RG9 6RP. Philip Ross will lead a walk of about 5 miles. Please phone Philip to confirm you are attending.
Friday, 25th October: Meet at 10-15 am. Park in the lay by adjacent to Star Lane (Nearest post code RG10 9UR.) Roy will lead a walk of about 5 miles from Knowle Hill on the A4 and around Ashley Hill Forest. This walk will cross fields (possibly with the odd cow) woods, paths and tracks. There is no coffee stop on route, so please bring a drink. There will be coffee at the end. Please confirm your attendance with Roy.
Friday, 22nd November: Meet at 10-15am in the free car park at Eton Wick, SL4 6LT. The walk of about 4.5 miles will be based around Boveney Brook and the Jubilee River and will be led by Roy. There is a possible coffee stop at the Palmers Arms in Dorney. Please confirm your attendance with Roy.
Logged in members can see contact details.
Coffee Mornings
Come And Meet Each Other
Coffee mornings run from 10-30am to 12-00pm, why not drop in between those times?
All members are welcome to attend any and all of coffee mornings.
Central Windsor
Cinnamon Café in Windsor Central Station
These are held on the first Tuesday of each month, organised by Linda Saunders.
Next on Tuesday, 3rd September.
Logged in members can see Linda’s e-mail address and number.
Old Windsor
The Bells of Ouzeley, Straight Road, Old Windsor, SL4 2SH
These are held on the first Wednesday of each month, organised by Jo Wattis.
Next on Wednesday, 4th September.
Logged in members can see Jo’s e-mail address and number.
West Windsor
The Running Man Café, All Saints’ Church, Dedworth.
These are held on the third Wednesday of each month, in the newly refurbished café, hosted by Jackie Wiggins and Angela West.
Next on Wednesday, 18th September.
Logged in members can see Jackie’s e-mail address.
Sunningdale
The Restaurant, Hilliers Garden Centre, off A30 between Sunningdale and Bagshot, GU20 6LQ
These are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month, organised by Ollie.
Next on Tuesday, 24th September.
Logged in members can see Ollie’s e-mail address.
Datchet
The Bridge Ecumenical Café, The Village Green, Datchet, SL3 9JH
These are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month, organised by Jackie Wiggins.
Next on Wednesday, 25th September.
Logged in members can see Jackie’s e-mail address.
These coffee mornings are for all members, not just new members, but new members are welcome.
Although in specific neighbourhoods, all members are welcome to attend any and all of the coffee mornings.
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.
Access the Friends Extra website here.
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 September 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 |
| Vice Chair: | Martin Pritchett | vicechair@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: | Mo Salter | 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 |