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Welcome
Editor Joanne Smith
Well, what a busy summer it has been for u3a members! Congratulations to Southport u3a, whose splendid 40th Anniversary garden took the town’s prestigious flower show by storm, attracting the attention of celebrities and the media. A lot of hard work by members of various u3a groups went into making the project such a success and an achievement to be proud of.
And what about the incredible story of Burnham-on-Crouch u3a’s archaeology group that unearthed a medieval palace on its very first dig? The result led to the history maps being redrawn.
Nationally, u3a members had a lot of fun with their picnics to celebrate our anniversary and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. We also have reports of walking, cycling and sightseeing trips. It’s the hybrid AGM next month and I’m looking forward to meeting some of you there! I hope you enjoy this issue and please continue to send me your stories.
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COVER STORY
It’s gold! The stars come out for u3a show garden!
They started without any money, no budget and only a few sketchy ideas.
But they ended up with a stunning garden honoured with two prizes at the prestigious Southport Flower Show.
What Southport u3a lacked in practicalities, they made up for in boundless enthusiasm and energy, winning gold in the Charity/Community Garden category and also picking up The Brian Aughton Memorial Trophy for best use of plants in a display.
The garden attracted attention from throngs of visitors and celebrities, including Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost and Hairy Biker Si King, who joined in the celebrations.
Husband and wife Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara, from the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, also popped by to check out the stunning creation and showed off some nifty moves in the process.
The win made it onto the local news, with vice chair Chris Howarth and fellow gardening group member Lisa Fryer appearing on ITV News North West.
Southport u3a’s 40th Anniversary Cottage Garden involved contributors from many u3a groups and was supported by local suppliers, who donated fencing, paving, wood, trees, flowers and a summerhouse.
The group also received a £500 grant from the national u3a.
In addition, Southport u3a negotiated discounted entry prices for August’s four-day show, with some 800 tickets sold to u3a members.
Organiser Jim Hay said: “Building the show garden from scratch took us ten days. From a bare five-metre square of earth, volunteers built fencing, concreted, dug out great holes to plant trees, built the summerhouse, painted, laid paths and turf, and finally planted the masses of shrubs, plants and flowers that would create the final garden.
“This was complemented by items representing many of our groups. Quilting created a special throw, the crochet group created woollen vegetables and our cycling group produced a bike. Many other objects have been dotted around inside the summerhouse and a bookcase was created specially with large books bound with the names of every group in our u3a.”
Paddy McNeish, Southport u3a chair, praised members for their outstanding efforts. He said: “Winning the gold medal and the trophy for best use of plants in a display was a great achievement for our gardening group. Considering all the other gardens were built by professionals, this was very special. I am so proud of our team. They worked long, hard hours to build the garden and it has all been worth it.”
- Jim Hay’s full blog covering the build up and the event will be in the winter issue of TAM
news
What's been happening across u3a
"We had no idea how exciting our dig would turn out to be
Amateur archaeology group’s medieval palace find results in the history maps being redrawn.
It began as an exploratory dig in the manicured lawns of Southminster Hall in Essex, expecting to find the remains of a Tudor or Elizabethan manor.
It ended 18 months and nine trenches later with the discovery of a medieval palace thought to have been built for the wealthy Bishop of London between the 11th and 13th centuries.
The discovery by Burnham-on-Crouch u3a’s archaeology group led to the history maps being redrawn and has attracted the interest of professionals, as well as more than £11,000 in grants to hire experts to help record the important find and train the amateur archaeologists.
The site was discovered by deputy group leader Sue Spiers, who spotted unusual marks in the grounds of Southminster Hall on Google Earth. She said: “We could see from the parch marks that there was something underneath in an oblong shape. We had no idea what it was, but it was very exciting.”
Group leader Terry Cook, who has lived in Southminster all his life, knew the owners of the Victorian house and approached them to ask whether they could investigate.
Terry was aware that the present building had been constructed in the 1800s and suspected there might have been a previous house on the site.
He said: “We had a look at the shape of the parch marks on one of the lawns and it looked to me like a lost wing of a house that would possibly be Tudor or Elizabethan. We thought that looked extremely interesting.”
Luckily, owners Maureen and Gavin Cooper were intrigued by what might be lying underneath their gardens, so they gave the group of eight u3a members permission to dig a trench in one of their lawns within a few yards of their house.
Maureen said: “It was extraordinary, we were astounded by what they found.
“I have been playing on that lawn when I was a young child and had no idea what was underneath.
“It was truly amazing. We were
thrilled for the u3a group and we have made friends for life. They came here in
all weathers.”
The group enlisted the help of Tim Dennis, from Colchester Archaeological Group, who used geophysical resistivity to detect buildings beneath the surface, which confirmed that there
was something corresponding to the parch marks.
“It was exciting, but at this point we had no idea how exciting it would turn out to be,” added Terry. Things were put on hold for several months when Covid struck in March 2020 and then social distancing meant the group needed to dig two trenches rather than one.
“As the weeks went past, we got lower and lower and we found something that wasn’t Tudor.”
Around half a metre below the soil were the foundations of stone walls more than a metre wide, indicating that this was a high-status building. The group called in historic buildings expert and retired archaeologist Dr David Andrews, who told members that he believed it to be an 11th, 12th or 13th century chamber block, or residential area, of a substantial medieval palace built for the Bishops of London, and that they would need professional help with the dig.
What the group had found were stones made from compacted mud lumps called septaria, laid on top of each other without any mortar.
Roman bricks were also seen, which indicates the stones were likely salvaged from a nearby fort at Bradwell on Sea that was abandoned by the Romans when they fled in the 4th century.
Terry said: “We thought, ‘Crumbs, we are out of our depth here’. As amateurs, we were looking for something that was possibly 400 years old and now we were going back many centuries. We were super excited about finding this stuff.”
The group realised it needed funding to pay for expert help, so members approached Turncole Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund and received £4,400, which paid for Ellen Heppell, of Archaeology South East, to train them.
“They have got all the technical equipment and knowledge we could only dream of having,” said Terry.
“Ellen came on site and, from then on, everything changed. She taught us all about the scientific approach and how to catalogue items. Everything had to be measured and labelled.”
As the weeks went by, the two trenches became nine, where the group was finding more walls. Although no coins were discovered, members did unearth bits of pottery and bones of pig or boar, which was possibly where food remains were buried or where dogs ate their meals.
They believe the main body of the palace is situated below the existing Southminster Hall.
“As time went on it got more and more exciting,” said Sue. “Through the training, we have basically become semi-professional archaeologists.
“It’s wonderful, absolutely thrilling. Our knowledge has increased. We survey, record, excavate and have learned so many new skills.”
The group did a lot of research into what a medieval chamber block would look like and why there would be one in Southminster. They believe it was built for the Bishop of London, the second most important person in England after the King, with his incredible wealth.
The Bishop would travel around his domain – of which Southminster was one – with his steward and a priest, collecting rent from the sheep farmers in the area.
The chamber block would have been used for entertaining, formal events and collecting tithes.
“No one had any idea it even existed,” Sue added. “The chief archaeologist at Essex County Council was absolutely thrilled. She is now redrawing the map of historic sites.”
The group used social media to help identify the finds. Sue said: “Our finds officer posted on Facebook archaeology groups and people would come back and say, ‘That’s a piece of 11th century shelly ware you’ve got there’. It was brilliant. They were so helpful.”
A further grant of £7,700 was achieved to pay for more training and a professional report of the dig.
A permanent display of the excavation and finds is at Burnham Museum, while Colchester Archaeological Group created 3D models and drone footage.
At the end of the dig, the group held a heritage open weekend where more than 500 people attended before they had to backfill the trenches to protect the site, including a small time capsule of their own detailing their dig in case anyone should reopen the site in the future.
The find has been covered with a membrane to protect it.
The group has grown from just seven or eight members when it began in 2018 to around 30 members.
It has now moved on to its next dig, a 12th or 13th century church in Mayland, Essex, which was pulled down in the 1870s because it was in a precarious position on a slope and a new church was built nearby.
“Nothing was known about where this building was,” said Terry.
Permission was gained from the church, which owns the site, to investigate further. Some research was done in the 1970s by a vicar’s wife, which gave the group something to work from.
All that remains of the church is a large cross in the field and tombstone markers, so the group knew roughly where it was. The members started by clearing the site of brambles.
Terry added: “Because it was a graveyard, we were very much aware that we did not want to disturb any graves.
“The church authorities were unable to tell us where the graves were or who was buried there, as their records had disappeared. We had to do a fingertip search of the site to mark any possible graves or disturbance, which we marked on our chart, square metre by square metre, so we knew where things were. Then we started to look for the church.”
The group began opening up trenches and found beautifully ornate floor tiles dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries, three medieval book clasps, a jetton (which is a coin-like token), medieval potsherds, and the first walls and porch of the demolished church.
Zoe Bridges, the group’s finds officer, has been in touch with experts to identify the tiles.
Four group members now give talks in medieval costume and will be publishing a booklet about the Southminster Hall dig. A training day was due to take place in September to pass on their knowledge.
Terry believes Burnham is the only u3a in the south east of England that carries out physical digs and hopes its success will encourage other u3as to set up similar groups. They have already held a training day for local u3a groups and a talk to the Research and Shared Learning National Conference in Preston this summer – in full medieval costume. •
u3a 40th anniversary news
Jubilee Picnic in the Park’s crust perfect
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee was the perfect excuse for members to get together to celebrate the movement’s 40th anniversary with picnics galore. There was music by u3a performers at Barnsley u3a and Hillingdon u3a, and games of Jenga at Doncaster u3a. Local dignitaries were invited for cake-cutting ceremonies.
- What is your u3a doing for u3a week (17-25 September)? Send your photos of your events to
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I’ve met some incredible people
Sharon Ahtuam is the longest-serving staff member at u3a, celebrating her 30th anniversary this year. Here, she recalls memorable moments as her u3a friends praise her work.
She has seen u3a offices wrecked by floods and fires, accidentally locked the company secretary in the office and made a great many u3a friends along the way.
Over the years, Sharon Ahtuam has grown into her role as membership services support assistant, answering the phones to a myriad questions.
She joined u3a under a government youth training scheme in 1992, having studied IT and computing at college.
After a year, she was offered a permanent job by the then company secretary Barbara Adkins.
“I had wanted to do something in the charity sector but couldn’t decide what,” says Sharon. “The u3a was different – it was unique. I am grateful for the opportunities it has given me. I’ve learnt so much from u3a members and I’ve met some incredible people.”
When Sharon joined u3a, there were only around 125 u3as and several thousand members. The office staff amounted to four.
“I had a sense the movement would grow because of the uniqueness of it as a self-help organisation,” she says.
“It was exciting to be at the beginning and interesting to see just how far it would go. It exceeded my expectations and it just proves that when the older generation wants to do something, they do it.”
Sharon was there to help clean up when the offices in Bromley, Kent, were hit by fire, and she experienced floods when the u3a moved to King’s Cross. “One day, I could hear dripping,” she recalls. “When I looked up the stairs, all I could see was an indoor swimming pool where the water was gushing down.”
Another time, Sharon locked the then company secretary and senior executive officer Lin Jonas in the office as she was leaving for the evening.
“My rucksack got stuck in the door and somehow I managed to double-lock it by mistake,” she says. “I went off home without knowing anything about it.”
Lin eventually freed herself by climbing down the fire escape and forgave Sharon.
Lin says: “When I joined the Trust in 1996, Sharon was there to welcome me and over the years she became a vitally important member of staff whose support, generosity and loyalty were second to none.”
Eric Midwinter, founder of u3a, says
his first impression of Arsenal supporter Sharon was that she was a “cheerful
and busy person you could rely on completely” .
He adds: “I was also impressed to find she was a Manchester United supporter.
“However, some years ago I was told by a usually reliable source that Sharon had switched her allegiance to some London-based bunch of losers. Its name escapes me, I’m afraid. Let us pray this is but a temporary diversion from the true faith.
“As for Sharon’s loyalty to u3a, that is beyond parallel. No one could have
been more devoted or more willing in support of our great cause. How lucky
we are to have such a dedicated supporter for our team.”
Former trustee John Lloyd recalls Sharon as always being happy to get stuck in to whatever needed doing. On one occasion, he and his wife Doreen had taken a suitcase of papers from meetings for the archives after the Bromley fire.
He says: “I opened the case in front of Sharon – a shambles of files and papers – and, with a knowing look over my shoulder to Doreen, she said, ‘Thanks John’ in the knowledge there would be more disorder to sort!”
Mike Long, former national development officer for u3a, says: “She worked assiduously and with a sense of humour – but the word that most springs to my mind about Sharon is that she has been loyal.”
Past treasurer and secretary Josephine Anderson, of Sale u3a, says of Sharon: “Always a pleasure to speak to, nothing was too much trouble. My questions never fazed her. She either knew the answer or knew where to find it.”
So, will Sharon join u3a when she retires? She thinks for a moment, then says: “Never say never. I’d probably start up a walking football group and a u3a Arsenal supporters group. I don’t think Eric Midwinter would approve, though.”
Stunning quilt now on display for all to see
A quilt to celebrate 40 years of the u3a movement has been unveiled and is now on public display for a year.
Created from the winning 40 blocks submitted from u3as across the UK, the intricate and colourful covering measuring just over two square metres reflects the skills and talents of members, who used a wide range of techniques including embroidery, machine applique, painting, hand stitching and freehand machine embroidery. It was then put together by a professional quilter.
The quilt will be on display until next August at the historic Blanket Hall in Witney, Oxfordshire.
Stuart Hillard, a contestant on the BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee, was one of the judging panel who picked 40 designs from more than 50 entries. He said: “There were some really fabulous entries which seemed to me to embody the central aims of the u3a.
“A lot of creativity and effort had been put into the designs and I had a tough job deciding on the final 40.”
Jane Clarke, from Witney u3a, said of her group’s design: “We chose a tree of knowledge to show that knowledge is something that grows. The branches represent the structure of u3a and the leaves illustrate the wide range of interest groups.”
Neil Stevenson, trustee for the North West, unveiled the quilt at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, where an audience listened to talks on quilting by u3a members who contributed to the project, a professional quilter and experts from the gallery. Neil said: “It was a privilege to unveil the finished quilt. The quilt is beautiful and is testimony to the talent, skills and energy of members.”
Sam Mauger, u3a CEO, said: “The
40th Anniversary Quilt is a lasting legacy I know the next generation of u3a members will appreciate.
“It is a wonderful way to celebrate four decades of the u3a movement and the amazing opportunities it offers.”
The Blanket Hall is open to the public from Wednesday to Saturday. Built in 1721, it was the home of the Company of Witney Blanket Weavers and a public hall for the first 150 years.
- Entry is free but groups should book ahead. The hall is famous for its cafe and pie shop. For details, visit blankethall.co.uk
u3a 40th anniversary events
u3a returns to Royal Institution
Enjoy an afternoon of science talks either in person or online at the Royal Institution on October 31. The event will be the first time the u3a has had an event at the RI in three years.
Speakers include Mark Sumner, professor of electrical energy systems at Nottingham University. He will talk about how the electric motor, invented at the RI in 1821 by Michael Faraday, has helped develop technology and what its future role is in renewable energy.
Rebecca Smethurst is an astrophysicist at Oxford University and star of YouTube channel Dr Becky, where she explains an unsolved mystery, a weird object found in space or general space news. She will introduce the world of supermassive black holes.
Dan Plane, the RI’s head of demonstrations, will end the afternoon with 30 minutes of spectacular science displays covering the world of chemistry.
- To book, go to the 40th anniversary national events page which can be found at u3a.org.uk/events/40th-anniversary
Join 40th Anniversary bridge festival
Bridge groups are invited to take part in a u3a 40th anniversary festival, either online or face-to-face.
The event takes place from September 19-23.
A leaderboard will be published each day showing how well players scored nationally against others.
Online players will be able to take part on all major online bridge-playing platforms.
Members playing face-to-face may do so at their usual location and still enjoy participating in this national event.
Larger bridge groups are encouraged to invite smaller ones to join them.
To register your group, go to bridgewebs.com/u3abridgegroup, where you can also sign up for free courses or try bridge online before the festivities. There will also be news on the festival and other u3a bridge events.
- Steve Carter is contactable on the Bridge Subject Advice page at u3a.org.uk/learning/subjects
news
Spotting the clues in our family trees
Dr Nick Barratt, genealogical consultant on the first four series of hit BBC show Who Do You Think You Are?, and speaker at the u3a Peak District Family History Conference, says family-tree research can uncover some difficult truths …
When researching your family history, you should be careful what you wish for, says Dr Nick Barratt, who uncovered a Russian spy and a criminal great-grandfather when he delved into his.
This is what makes the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are? so appealing as you never know where the past will take you.
And while the celebrities on the show have fascinating backstories, Nick insists it is the same for all of us – providing you are interested in social history and know how to spot the clues to a good tale.
“It depends how interested you are in certain themes in history than others,” he says. “For those people with roots in this country, you are going to find agricultural labourers in the family – they worked the fields, they worked in a particular seasonal way, they migrated around certain estates. I find that fascinating but it may not have that touch of scandal or shock value that you find on Who Do You Think You Are?
“We’ve probably all got someone in our family who interacted with the state in some way that generated records; whether it’s poverty, criminality or military, let alone births, marriages and deaths. It’s about storytelling, about understanding why that person’s moment in time is captured and what that tells you. It’s about how you then extrapolate information from that to lead you to other records and sources of information.”
What the programme does so well is to show the celebrities’ raw emotion and excitement when they uncover stories about their ancestors. And audiences can relate to many of these because their relations will have had similar experiences – whether on the battleground, in workhouses or on the agricultural fields. Nick adds: “Every now and again, there’s that jaw-dropping story that you think is just extraordinary. But it’s often the humble stories that are just as moving.”
Nick cites journalist Ian Hislop, who appeared in the first series, as an example of a story many people can relate to.
He says: “Ian has a military theme running through his family and it’s about bringing those moments to life: his grandfather on a battlefield waiting for the orders to go over the top to capture German lines shattered by gunfire. But actually they had miscalibrated the guns and the Germans were still there. You could really weave a story about that moment in his grandfather’s life and that will affect many of us.”
But how do you get started? Nick says you need to ask why you are interested now, who do you want to find out about and how are you going to do it.
Nick says: “Don’t rush online because you are going to get bogged down and lose the thread. Take time to think about what you know about yourself, about your parents and grandparents. Is there anyone you can ask? Where is all this wonderful family material – letters, correspondence, newspaper clippings, school reports, diaries, journals, military records? Where are the clues, what do they tell you about the person? Then you can start to plot your relationship map. That’s your family tree – it’s a tool, it’s a map of your connectivity rather than an end point.”
Joining a u3a family history group or society will help you find your way around online sources and archives.
Nick worked at The National Archives before becoming an archive researcher at the BBC on shows such as The House Detectives. Then an idea was hatched for a ten-part genealogy show which became Who Do You Think You Are?
“It was really exciting,” he says. “It showed people that there was more to genealogy than just building family trees.
“It was about the story, the social history, that connection with a place or a moment of time. That’s what we brought to life on the show.” WDYTYA? has been helped by the birth of datasets, the 1901 Census being released in 2002 and census records being digitalised, making it appealing to people to look themselves.
Nick says: “There was this glut of information at a time people were saying ‘this is something that is really exciting’. It was perfect timing.”
Nick is one of the guest speakers at the tenth annual u3a Peak District Family History Conference in Buxton on
17 September, along with Dr Janet Few, Debbie Kennett and Helen Tovey, editor of Family Tree magazine.
“I love talking to u3a groups because there is so much passion in the room and enthusiasm for the subject,” he says.
This will be Nick’s third appearance, with his focus this year on tracing the history of your house. Periods of history, such as the dissolution of the monasteries, the English Civil War and the coming of the railways all affected house building.
When Nick looked at his own family tree, he discovered a mysterious great-uncle on his father’s side turned out to be a Soviet undercover agent in the 1920s.
Nick has turned his relative’s story into a book called The Forgotten Spy.
Now he is looking into a long-standing mystery about his grandmother, who had always claimed she was illegitimate.
DNA tests revealed a whole new family, and the journey has taken Nick from Belgium to France, China and America, where he discovered his great-grandfather was a bigamist and convicted felon running a fraudulent land-sale scheme. He adds: “Be careful what you wish for. You are going to find all sorts of stuff out – hence asking up front ‘what do you want to know?’ Because when Pandora’s Box is opened, you can’t get it back shut.”
- For more about the Peak District Family History Conference, email
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . - The Forgotten Spy, Blink Publishing, paperback, £8.99
u3a’s English lessons boost for Ukrainian refugees
A u3a has set up English classes for Ukrainians to help refugees in their area learn the language.
The lessons are so successful they are now being run by the local council’s learning services department.
Thornbury u3a in South Gloucestershire now has plans to hold conversational classes for adults this autumn.
The u3a started the classes three times a week when refugees began arriving in the market town with little or no English. Contact with Ukrainians had been made through a WhatsApp group and a Worcester language school, with residents offering rooms in their homes to refugees.
Local u3a member Angela Chapman has a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) qualification and volunteer teacher Olga Taylor also helped.
The class is open to Ukrainians and their hosts, and refugees have been given free membership of u3a so they can join other groups.
The town rallied to provide support, with churches offering free halls for classes, discounts in shops, and residents donating clothes, toys and bedding to a weekly clothes stall.
The local Men’s Shed group has been refurbishing old bikes for refugees to use.
Pat Wells, of Thornbury u3a, who set up the group, said: “This is one of our most important initiatives. By supporting the refugees and their hosts, the u3a is performing an important function in the community of Thornbury.”
Refugee Oksana arrived from Lviv with her children Maksim, eight, and Denys, 18 months, and mum Halyna, leaving her husband and other relatives behind.
She told Pat that their home was near the western city’s railway station and, when it was bombed, the whole house shook.
Oksana, who was a bookkeeper in Lviv, said Thornbury had been very welcoming. She said: “Everyone says hello and smiles.”
Oksana and her mother’s English improved after just a few weeks at the classes, enabling them to get part-time jobs as a cleaner and in a pub.
They hope, as their language improves, that they will get better jobs and rent their own home.
The u3a classes are now being operated by the council-run Community Learning and Skills Service. Pat will be setting up a conversational u3a English for Ukrainians group this autumn.
- A concert by Dundee u3a’s Strings Entwined group raised £3,640 for victims of the invasion. They played to over 200 people in aid of the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Appeal.
Hybrid AGM looks to the future
The Third Age Trust would like to announce that its 39th annual general meeting next month will be celebrating the achievements of the last 40 years and looking at where the movement should be in the future.
The AGM will include the announcement of the outcome of the director and officer elections; have reports from the Chair and Treasurer from the year; consider and vote on the business of the day, including resolutions and any amendments; and the annual plenary session will celebrate u3a anniversaries and look towards the
future strategy.
Members are welcome and encouraged to join online to watch the AGM 2022 live. There are some limited places for those wanting to attend in person, however priority on places will be given to voting delegates.
Members can find out more detail from the website and the national electronic newsletter. A full report of the AGM and plenary sessions will be in the November issue of TAM.
The plenary session will include outgoing vice chair Michaela Moody giving an illustrated talk about the highlights of the 40th anniversary year.
Allan Walmsley and u3a Chair Liz Thackray, assisted by trustees, will
look at the direction of the u3a in the future. Liz Thackray said: “During the anniversary year, we have used the strapline ‘Fit for the Future’. By looking at our history and anniversary achievements, we can celebrate our growth over the past 40 years.
“In looking ahead, we are planning for the challenges of the future.”
- The AGM 2022 of the Third Age Trust will take place on 6 October at 11.15am. See more details including those standing for election at u3a.org.uk/events/agm-2022. Sign up to the newsletter at u3a.org.uk/newsletter
PEDAL POWER ON ANNUAL AWAY TRIP
Some 29 members of the Skiddaw (Keswick) u3a cycling group in Cumbria took their annual three-day away trip based at Guy’s Thatched Hamlet in Bilsborrow, Lancashire.
On the first day, the group cycled to Beacon Fell Country Park. Day two saw most of the intrepid group cycle through the Trough of Bowland while some opted for an easier day of cycling around Wyre. On the final day, all of the group cycled from Bilsborrow to Broughton then completed the circular Preston Guild Wheel route.
Meals at Owd Nell’s Tavern and at Guy’s restaurant finished off three perfect days in May.
A successful and exhilarating time was had by all and plans are already afoot for the group’s away trip in 2023.
Can you help?
Volunteers needed for website project
The Third Age Trust is looking for volunteers to help replace web content system Sitebuilder with WordPress.
Helpers are needed to assist with all aspects, including coding, testing, documentation, training, communications and user support.
- If you have skills in these areas and are interested, please contact Alan Russell, chair of the steering group, on
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Volunteers needed to present seminars on cyber scams
Do you have a background in IT, the police or banking? If so, your help is needed to deliver seminars to u3a members about cyber scams.
Essex Police, together with Barry Linton, of Thorpe Bay u3a in Essex, have been running non-technical seminars on cyber protection
since 2017.
Live sessions are held around Essex and now volunteers are needed to take the seminars to other parts of the UK.
Barry, who is a specialist volunteer with Essex Police’s cyber protection team, said: “We need to identify similarly knowledgeable u3a members who would be prepared to volunteer to help deliver the seminars locally. We will be able to put them in contact with their local police force’s cyber protection officer and share the seminar slide pack with them.” Barry also has a cyber
crime alerts page on the Thorpe Bay u3a website.
- For more information, email
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Help disadvantaged youngsters with their schoolwork
Volunteers are needed to tutor children from underprivileged backgrounds in maths
and English.
No teaching experience is necessary as full support will be given by the charity Action Tutoring to provide face-to-face or online tutoring for both primary- and secondary-aged schoolchildren.
Ilina Ghose, from the charity, said: “Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds don’t do as well in school as their peers. This isn’t because they are any less able but because they don’t have access to the same opportunities.”
Disadvantaged pupils were, on average, 18 months behind their peers pre-pandemic. Projections suggest that gap will have widened by as much as 75 per cent. The Education Endowment Foundation claimed an intense programme of tuition could add five months’ progress to a person’s schooling.
Tutoring workbooks are supplied and Action Tutoring provides all the support you will need.
Volunteers commit to one hour a week for a few months, either online or face-to-face.
- You can find out more at actiontutoring.org.uk
Get your u3a diary 2023!
The u3a diaries are now available from the Brand Centre for £3.50 each. Go to u3abrand.org.uk
Zubaida’s book joy marks fresh chapter in life
Zubaida Metlo, of Mill Hill u3a, has had her first book of short stories published in her home country of Pakistan.
Yaram Piyaram, which means ‘My dear, my friend’, is about how young people are being thrown into poverty, unemployment and frustration by the nation’s political situation.
Zubaida had to overcome cultural obstacles to get her book published, which she has written in her home language of Sindhi.
She came to the UK in 2002 to complete her Masters in gender studies at Leeds University and worked as a researcher for the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
The first lockdown in 2020 gave her the space to return to writing, having first had a book of poetry published in 2002 which scooped the most prestigious literary award in her homeland from the Pakistan Academy of Letters.
She has now given up work to concentrate on a writing career. She said: “I consider myself a writer but, since being in England for many years, earning my bread and butter has had to take priority.
“Lockdown provided me with solitude, silence and a space to recall myself, and to get back to my old passion. I started writing again after so many years. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing process and my imagination. It was fun.”
Zubaida revealed the book has been well received back in Pakistan, with positive reviews from critics. She is now writing another novel.
She added: “Writing is not easy, it’s very tough. It develops with time, by rewriting numerous times. It’s an incredibly repetitive action. It’s a highly demanding, boring and isolating discipline which requires enormous sacrifice and hard work.”
Her tip for budding writers is to not give up. She said: “When a first draft is done, a big chunk has been completed. If you are unhappy with it, leave it for a while. Do not lose confidence, keep your faith. The right time will arrive and the draft will call you back to fill its gaps.”
- To read one of Zubaida’s stories, email her at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Meet and greet helps make new members feel welcome to u3a
A u3a member has taken it on himself to make new members feel welcome and recruit others.
Peter Wildsmith is a ‘meeter and greeter’ at Burton on Trent u3a’s twice-monthly coffee mornings, where his friendly manner usually results in several new members signing up.
Armed with a u3a banner, table, lanyard, flyers, membership forms and a copy of TAM, he always looks out for potential new members.
“I make it my responsibility to ensure any enquirer receives my prompt attention,” said Peter, a retired nurse and lecturer.
“I listen and then present helpful information about our u3a activities.”
Group leaders can also go a long way to make new members feel welcome.
One said: “I have always made a point of not only welcoming new members but sought to maintain the connection between meetings as well as encouraging participation during meetings.”
Liz Thackray, u3a Chair, said: “It is unfortunate some potential members have a poor experience when first attending a u3a meeting, especially when we promote ourselves as friendly and welcoming.
“Fortunately, most u3as are good at welcoming new members, but I hear too often stories of people being turned away because groups are full. Perhaps we need to think more about the journey to u3a membership from the initial contact to crossing the threshold to meeting people and making new friends.
“There are some great stories of people finding a real welcome in the u3a. Let’s try together to create more.”
Police talk about appeal
u3a members will be able to learn more about a police investigation into allegations of abuse at mother-and-baby homes, Magdalene Laundries and workhouses in Northern Ireland at an online talk later this month.
Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland are appealing to anyone who lived or worked at the institutions between 1922 and 1990 to come forward.
The u3a online talk takes place at 10am on 22 September. To book, go to www.u3a.org.uk/events/educational-events
- To contact the dedicated investigations team, either email
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call the direct line on 028 9090 1728 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).
u3a science network
Hot and cold fusion at the time of u3a’s inception in the 1980s was one discussion at the 40th anniversary meeting of the u3a Science Network this summer.
The meeting went on to address the climate crisis and the need for a substantial reduction in carbon emissions, and the prospect of human colonisation of space.
- A full report on the topics can be read at
sources.u3a.org.uk
John Lloyd
In the Summer issue of TAM, we incorrectly stated that John Lloyd was a former u3a national Chair. We would like to point out that John was made a trustee in 1994 when the roles did not have geographical locations and he was involved with finding suitable accommodation for the u3a staff.
Help shape your future
Future Lives, a nationwide u3a group looking at how we can maintain our independence and quality of life as
we get older, is inviting members to
get involved.
The group examines what can be done in terms of design to improve unsuitable housing and products, isolation and poor health.
It wants u3a members to join
forces to share information and stimulating ideas.
A series of online events kicks off on 12 October with a talk by Professor Janet Lord, of the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing at Birmingham University, on how we can age better.
Future Lives is also asking members to complete a questionnaire on its website about your home and whether it will meet your future housing needs. The right home and adaptations can add up to five years of independent living. It is hoped that, by completing the questionnaire, members will be encouraged to think about their home and any changes they need to make.
- For more information and to book at place at the event, go to u3a.org.uk/our-impact/future-lives
It’s top of the Shrops for folk band album bid
A u3a folk band which got together five years ago is planning to make an album.
All members of Pontesbury and Rea Valley District u3a's folk music group sing, while some play instruments including the mountain dulcimer, mandolin, bodhran and concertina.
The group size grew from four to 14 and they moved from meeting in their homes to a parish hall for two hours a week.
“A set of ground rules were drawn up, such as being prepared to listen, respect each other and enjoy yourselves,” said group coordinator Malcolm Brown.
Members have now written their own Shropshire-based songs. Colours, by Sue Lambert, celebrates the changing hues of the area's southern hills, while Les Parker takes a whimsical view of the happenings at The Crown, a country pub.
And Mal Brown’s Douse the Fire is the story of the Home Guard extinguishing flames from incendiary bombs on Minton Hill during the Second World War.
Some members have also played for the Women's Institute and fundraisers.
Tech news
Getting to know you
Our tech expert James Day reveals how he helped trace his family history via DNA test kits
If the wildly popular BBC series Who Do You Think You Are? has piqued your curiosity about your origins, you are not alone. More than 25 million people are now listed on DNA registers worldwide, many of whom have joined online genealogy websites to trace their family tree back hundreds of years.
The Beeb has taken things a step further with DNA Family Secrets, presented by Stacey Dooley, which aims to help ordinary people rather than celebrities to unravel the mysteries of their past, whether that is to identify their ethnicity, find missing relatives, or discover more about their health and wellbeing.
So if they can do it, why can’t you? Well, it is easier than you think and, from personal experience, if you are brave enough to take the leap it can paint an incredible picture of your past, present and future.
Home testing
Taking a home DNA test is as simple as giving a saliva sample. Order a kit online, follow the instructions, send your sample off to a lab for testing and receive your results typically in six to eight weeks. Depending on what you are looking to discover, different services are available. For example, Bupa’s SmartDNA test (£149, bupa.co.uk) provides genetic reports on your health and fitness to help you bring about lifestyle changes. More on this later.
I was more interested in finding out about my family and this is where something called centimorgans comes in. This is essentially DNA we share with relatives and forms the basis for creating a family tree. The more people who register their DNA, the greater the chance of finding a family member you did not know about – be it now or in the future.
History books
Given that I’m a melting pot of British, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern backgrounds, I went with an AncestryDNA test (£79, ancestry.co.uk). This promised to pinpoint my regional origins but, thanks to the website’s clever use of data and algorithms, it can paint a picture of your ancestors’ journeys over time, even speculating if they were present at a pivotal moment in history.
For example, I discovered a widowed great-aunt had decided to up sticks following the death of her husband and move from London to Chicago in the 1920s at the height of Al Capone’s reign. It helps to have a vivid imagination here, of course, but Ancestry illustrates your relatives’ ‘life story’ with pictures from the age – including more than 12 million historic UK newspaper pages – to help make it feel all the more real and put you in their shoes.
It is worth pointing out that Ancestry offers a toe-dipping 14-day free trial. That doesn’t include the DNA test, but it does give you the chance to explore a massive vault of online records, familiarise yourself with the site and its services, and begin to build your family tree at no cost.
However, it is when your family tree is coupled with your DNA test results that things really start to happen.
When you consider one in 50 do not have the biological father they think they have, the results can be life-changing – if you are prepared to take the leap.
There are bigger implications at play here, too. Laws passed in 2005 mean anyone conceived from donated sperm, eggs or embryos from that day forward can discover the identity of their donor parents once they reach adulthood. Starting from late 2023 the oldest of these people begin to turn 18, meaning there could be a huge wave of young people wishing to find out who their donor was.
It turns out my dad was who he says he was, which is reassuring, but to date Ancestry has found more than 1,000 close matches – that is a fourth cousin or closer – and I have already been in contact with some of them via the website living in exotic locations such as Honolulu and Australia. When new relatives join the Ancestry platform, it automatically matches DNA profiles making it a never-ending story as fresh family connections are established.
DNA marketplace
Ancestry isn’t the only site offering ways to trace family members online and it pays to shop around for special offers and sites you feel comfortable navigating. Among some of the more popular ones are 23andme.com, myheritage.com and livingdna.com. In most cases, there are options to upgrade your test results from just being about linking you to possible relatives but delving into your health and wellbeing too.
Whether your motivation is to find out more about your family or your health, you should be sure it’s absolutely what you want to do. You may wish to consult with friends and family first, and it is worth ensuring you have a support network in place if the results come as a shock. I can’t promise you will discover you are a direct descendent of royalty like EastEnders’ Danny Dyer, but buying a ticket to life’s lottery with a DNA test can be an awfully exciting way to play detective.
- Have you got a tech question you’d like help with? Send in your questions to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we’ll do our best to find a solution on these pages
- Follow James on Twitter @James_a_day
Esther Rantzen
We must challenge institutionalised ageism
Older people should not be bullied, patronised or treated as stupid in our modern, digital world, says Dame Esther Rantzen.
I do not believe in losing my temper. Memory teaches me that my worst decisions were made when I was angry; for example, the gust of rage which impelled me to stand as an independent candidate in Luton South because I was so cross about the MPs’ expenses scandal.
That just led to my being derided by the Daily Mail, beaten up on The Moral Maze and by Paxman on Newsnight and losing my deposit. So I ended up bruised psychologically and financially. But at least I thought I had learned a valuable lesson to, as my coffee mug advises, keep calm and carry on.
But I have a dear friend I’ve never met but telephone every week. I’ll call her Elizabeth. She used to ring The Silver Line, and she wrote to tell me how much it meant to her. Elizabeth is in her 90s and suffers from acute agoraphobia which literally imprisons her in her home. She depends on carers helping her night and morning. But they became more and more erratic so last February she moved to a new-build flat with resident carers.
From the moment she moved in she was double-billed by her electricity company, Scottish Power, paying the firm by direct debit, but also inexplicably receiving additional monthly demands.
She believes the company may be confused that her flat, number 10, had a different plot number, 6, so it is billing her for both flats 10 and 6.
But no matter how often she rings to explain, she says the firm doesn’t listen.
It’s serious now. She has just been told she owes £170, so she will be put on to a pay-as-you-go meter. In the good old days she could have asked for someone to visit and sort it out.
She told me: “For the last six months I have rung them over and over again to explain. I just want somebody to come and see my actual meter. They have given me five different account numbers, I’ve kept all my bank statements and documentation for them to look at, but every time I tell them I am regularly paying what I owe, they don’t listen.
“They just treat me like a stupid old woman. When I
put the phone down each time, I’m shaking. It’s really getting me down.”
And she’s not alone. I constantly hear infuriating stories of older people being bullied, or patronised, blamed and treated as if they are stupid. I have been told of an elderly couple who went to a local store to order two new chairs, were sent the wrong ones by the shop which then refused to take them back because they had been unwrapped and were now ‘second hand’. Suppose the couple had been in their feisty 40s, would the shop have backed down and taken proper responsibility?
Then there’s Joyce, the previously fit and healthy 82-year- old, who wrote to me because she has developed a fault in her heart valve which means she is a housebound invalid, but her hospital has refused to operate to put it right because of her age. She believes that is blatant ageism.
“Surely,” she says, “if all your health results are excellent, then age should not be used against this evidence.”
I checked with my cardiologist son and Joyce is, of course, quite right. Age should have no bearing on a decision to operate; the criteria are only whether the operation is appropriate and if the patient is fit enough to stand the operation. My son was shocked. So am I.
The new digital world has also excluded many older people and distressed their families. The traditional copper-wire landlines stayed sturdily connected even in storms and power cuts, and have been a lifeline for many.
Now they are being switched to digital, some older people without effective mobile coverage risk being entirely isolated, even from 999 calls. Once again when older people protest, they are blamed for being old and out of touch with progress.
Even if it’s not life and death, ageism can affect our quality of life. A u3a sea-swimming group tells me that members have used the same car park for years because there are spaces, there’s a public loo and they can swim safely in the sea. This year an app has been introduced as the only way to pay, as it has in car parks around the country, and “this has impacted enormously on our pleasure”. For many older people their car is the only way they can stay connected with the world. If they don’t have the smartphone they need to pay by app, that can make it impossible to attend their local church, high street or hospital.
How do we solve this? Whatever you think of our latest Prime Minister, we desperately need a Minister for Older People to eradicate this institutionalised ageism. At least then I may be able to follow my coffee mug’s advice and stop losing my temper.
• TAM put Elizabeth’s case to Scottish Power. They told us that Elizabeth had been receiving bills for two different meters – one in her name and the other listed as “vacant”. The “vacant” was supplying her home, while the one in her name and account supplies a nearby property. Scottish Power said: “We are sorry for the issues experienced by our customer and assure her we’re doing everything we can to resolve things. The problem stems from the fact that the details for the new properties were never updated on the builders’ portal and this resulted in the plot numbers being reflected on the national meter database as the flat numbers. For some, this means their meter information correctly matches their postal address, but that is not the case for a number of others – including this customer.
“While we did update her account details when she contacted us, there was also another account – listed as vacant – at her address and we didn’t investigate this at the same time, which was our error. As we now know this issue affects multiple properties in the new development, we’re working with the housing association and the national meter database to rectify this as quickly as possible.
“We’re also keeping our customer informed about what’s happening, have sent her flowers to apologise for her poor customer service experience and will discuss further goodwill when everything is sorted.”
The firm said all payments will be correctly allocated to Elizabeth’s account and meter once the information on the national database is correct.
What's on
For more events and to book those listed below, go to u3a.org.uk/events/educational-events
The British Royal Collection – And Japanese Art
Tuesday 8 November, 2pm-3pm
Rachel Peat, from the Royal Collection Trust, discusses the collection and the hidden gems of Japanese art within it, acquired over four centuries of courtly interaction.
Maths Activities and Games Workshop
Thursday 29 September, 1.45pm-3pm
u3a Maths and Stats subject adviser David Martin hosts a fun session of interactive puzzles and games.
Mindfulness and Meditation
Tuesdays from 4 October to 8 November, 10am-11.15am
How can mindfulness enhance our lives and what is its relevance to ageing? Each week explores a new theme.
Tai Chi
Thursdays from 20 October to 24 November, 10am-11am
Join Peter Karran, registered instructor with the Tai Chi Union of Great Britain, for a six-week course integrating deep breathing and relaxation with gentle movement.
Exploring World Faiths
Queries to Dr Peter Rookes at
Divali – Festival of Light
Monday 24 October, 10am
Contributions from the Jain, Hindu and Sikh faiths.
All Souls – Day of the Dead
Monday 14 November, 10am
Contributions from Christian and Muslim faiths.
Setting up a group
Monday 12 December, 10am
How to organise and run local Exploring World Faiths groups.
Opinion
Learning and laughter amid challenging year
Liz Thackray: view from the chair.
When you read this column, I will have been Chair of the Trust for 12 months. I have learned a lot and still have a lot to learn.
I have enjoyed spending time with many u3a members. Much time has been spent in meetings – both online and face-to-face. I have read, listened and talked a lot. I have used skills I thought I had forgotten and learned some new ones.
It has been an interesting and challenging year.
There have been high spots and low spots. Some plans have been postponed or cancelled due to accidents, weather and Covid. But there have been memorable events, such as the trip to the east of England and being blessed by a 12th century bishop.
I am looking forward to storing more memories as I plan to spend u3a week in Northern Ireland.
During the past week, I attended the Research and Shared Learning Projects conference in Preston. It was good to be in a room full of interested and inquisitive people, most, if not all, of whom had participated in one or more of those projects that were showcased. And those of us in the room were joined by others online.
A presentation focusing on the u3a Push Back on Ageism initiative and work with Future Lives and the Design Age Institute was faced with a challenge from the audience – why focus on activities benefitting older people? The response reminded us that improving things for some can benefit all.
I recalled the cartoon of a janitor clearing snow from steps so that a group of people could enter the building, but ignoring the ramp required by a wheelchair user. Clearing the ramp would have enabled all to enter the building.
The Diary Book: u3a in the Time of Corona was showcased – if you haven’t yet read it, it is available from the Brand Centre (you will need to register with the Brand Centre at u3abrand.org.uk and use the search box to find it) and well worth obtaining as it reminds us of the joys, sorrows and challenges of life in early 2020 as experienced by u3a members. Many presentations spoke of partnerships. The High Street Project focused on Barnsley & District u3a and how its partnership with the local authority and other bodies helped make a difference in the redevelopment of parts of its town centre.
Partnerships with universities have facilitated research for u3a members into a variety of subjects: members took part in researching the back stories of women forced to leave their babies in the care of the Coram Foundling Hospital in London, and in another partnership they researched the experiences of postal pensioners in 1901. The audience was somewhat surprised to learn that 20 per cent of these pensioners were women.
The partnership theme was there again as speakers from Burnham-on-Crouch u3a’s archaeology group in Essex and North Down & Ards u3a’s film unit in Northern Ireland spoke of the assistance they had received from professionals.
One of the archaeology team had dreamt of a career in the subject as an 11-year-old and is now realising that and sharing her new-found skills with others. While Burnham-on-Crouch is a small u3a which punches above its weight, Sheffield, a very large u3a, also shared its story of the values of partnership and engaging members in learning together.
A great day – and a real reminder of the beating heart of the u3a. Together we are learning, laughing and living!
Surge in over-65's can be boom era for u3as
Eric Midwinter: u3a founder
People are retiring later than they used to; people are getting older and are not able to be as active as they were; people of older age are now called upon for grandparenting duties, as their daughters are now more likely to have full-time jobs. All of this makes it more difficult for u3as to recruit new members.
Really? Never mind following the money: follow the numbers.
In 1982, when the u3a was launched, 56 per cent of 50 to 64-year-olds and only five per cent of over-65s were working. Today, 72 per cent of 50 to 64-year-olds and ten per cent of over-65s are in full-time employment.
But that still leaves 28 per cent and 90 per cent respectively of those groups who are post-work adults.
The context has changed dramatically. The UK population has risen during the past 40 years from 56 million to 68 million. There are two main reasons for this. One is immigration; the other is the increase in life expectancy from 73 to 81.
It is true that this may mean some extra chronic illness and disability – but it is wrong to suggest that this means considerable health difficulties. On average, surviving for eight more years might incur an additional 18 months to two years of ‘not good health’ – not the whole eight years.
Studies continue to show that 70 to 75 per cent of older people report themselves as being in ‘very good or good health’. Ninety per cent of one’s personal NHS budget is expended in the last five years of life – whenever that may be.
It is certainly right to point to the increase in female employment. This has risen since the 1980s from about half to two-thirds of women below the age of 65. On the other hand, 42 per cent of those jobs are part-time.
The upsurge of older people means that there are now 17 million people in the UK over 65, that is some 25 per cent of the population. The number of state pensioners has risen from ten million to 13.3 million.
In those earlier years, I did a very careful analysis of the number of people who were in their Third Age. The figure was 11.3 million.
Now Third Age numbers are something between 13 million and perhaps as high as 16 to 17 million possible recruits for u3a.
Over the past 40 years, I have done one in-depth study of u3a incidence, plus, at intervals, two further checks. This was based on calculating the number of Third Agers in various areas, which ranges widely from about 12 per cent to well over 30 per cent.
The results were the same each time. The highest incidence of u3a membership is roughly one in ten of the possible Third Age echelon in that u3a’s catchment area. Of the several locations where that had occurred, I could find only one denominating factor. Seemingly the only genuine commonalty was the energy and enthusiasm of one or two committed individuals in organising the u3a.
This led to me to suggest that, if most u3as could be promoted so brightly and run so effectively, that is, to enlist one in ten of its local cohort, then the national membership would boom to a million.
I have never argued that the u3a would suit every older person. I quote for the umpteenth time my mantra that ‘the u3a is very good for those for whom the u3a is very good’. But the present growth of the number of people in their Third Age tempts me to wonder if I am being a little on the modest side.
sources
Grandnature activities; Speaker swap initiative; subject adviser contact details; family history research; summer schools
For more inspiring stories visit sources.u3a.org.uk
Planting seeds to grow youngsters’ love of nature
A u3a member is inspiring grandparents and families to discover gardens and wildlife together, writes Elise Sargent.
Astrophysicist and former primary school teacher Trevor Ponman, of Wyre Forest u3a in Worcestershire, was looking for ways that older people could help younger generations understand climate change when he came up with the idea of GrandNature, a collection of tried-and-tested activities to bring children closer to nature.
Activities on the website range from making collages from leaves, flowers and stones to how to create a mini pond in your garden to attract wildlife.
Children can learn about leaves by collecting different samples, painting the undersides and pressing them onto a sheet of paper to make a painting.
Asked what inspired him to set up GrandNature, Trevor says: “I’m a member of the Wyre Forest u3a Environmental Concern Group and we’d had a number of projects but I wanted to do something more. Lots of people in u3a have grandchildren and I asked myself, ‘How can we work together to tackle climate change?’
“A lot of children spend significant amounts of time at their grandparents’ homes and really enjoy it. So how can we get them more interested in nature – because that will make all the difference.” Trevor believes it was his generation and previous ones who “made a mess of things” but it’s down to the younger generation to sort out.
“Fast fashion, cheap flights, throwaway society – we really have to do something about it,” he adds.
“The younger generation have grown up with these things and to make that change is a big thing to ask of them.
“A lot of young people live in urban areas and spend a lot of time online or in front of the television. They have very little contact with nature.
“Grandparents tend to have gardens and are in a good position to introduce their grandchildren to nature. There is a real opportunity here.”
Trevor has nine step-grandchildren and he hopes that through his collection of nature-related activities he will be able to forge strong bonds with them.
He would love to hear from other u3a members who have expertise in areas such as geology, birds, plants and are interested in contributing to the collections.
- To find out more or to contact Trevor, go to grandnature.github.io
Struggling to find a new talk for your group? Try Speaker Swap!
With online talks increasingly popular, a new u3a initiative sees groups exchanging speakers. Here’s how it works …
Speaker Swap is an initiative to exchange talks between interest groups in u3as across the UK.
The aim is to provide a platform for groups to share their tried-and-tested events and to receive a talk or workshop in return, with most swaps taking
place online.
Details are held on a central u3a database and shared securely among those involved in swaps so that talks
can be organised.
Meet the speakers
Mike Stringer, history group leader at Limebrook Maldon u3a in Essex, talks about his experience with Speaker Swap.
He says: “It seems a long time ago now, but the arrival of Covid has led to a huge number of changes to our lifestyle.
“For me, taking part in what was at the time a pilot project focused solely on history, but which is now part of our Speaker Swap portfolio, was ideal. Zoom has been the platform we have used to keep going. Since the start, we have been able to provide talks to other u3a groups on an exchange basis as well as swapping presentations and source material.
“My own group has had talks from speakers as far apart as London and Newcastle, and members have even been able to join in a talk while on holiday. We had a group member joining us while visiting family in Taiwan!
“I travelled to North London to give a talk in a church hall to the Palmers Green & Southgate u3a, which was also streamed online via Zoom (known as a hybrid talk). It attracted the highest number of attendees for Palmers Green & Southgate u3a since the start of Covid.
“The list of talks has raised ideas for presenting to our own group and demonstrates the skills, experience and knowledge that exists across the u3a network.
“While we all would much prefer to meet face-to-face, Zoom offers an alternative and opens up our range of speakers. Long may it continue.”
Catherine Stevenson, chair of Newcastle u3a, outlines the presentations she is offering through the scheme …
“Art history is where art, history, geography, science, poetry and many other subjects meet to enrich us with knowledge, beauty, curiosity and all the ethos of the u3a!
“The excitement begins with art history and appreciation, drawing on many subjects from history to science and music, creating an insight into the world of artists whether ancient or modern, the cultures and human experiences over the centuries and yet uncovering messages for us today.
“Which art is explored? The choice is boundless. We look at all forms of the visual arts such as paintings, architecture and sculptures throughout the centuries.
“Art is explained, interpreted and evaluated in such ways as to appeal to all levels of art knowledge. Members are welcome to contribute their vast knowledge, too. Please note that these presentations are animated.
“Learning continues in general history, as members delve into our past and try to understand human societies and political, social, religious and cultural aspects of different eras. The causes and effects of, for example, governments, wars and ideas are investigated plus those who influenced various events from Elizabethan terrorists to skeletons in cupboards. References are made to primary and secondary sources from different centuries and cultures which impacted on people’s lives, often with repercussions for us today. Drawing on the information, members can make their own conclusions about the people and events.
- To get involved, and to learn more, go to u3a.org.uk/speakerswap
Join in hybrid events nationally
The u3a’s national online learning events programme features a range of talks by members and experts.
One popular talk is by Henry Howarth , u3a subject adviser for cryptic crosswords, who is also happy to give his talks online to u3as.
“This talk tells the story of cryptic crosswords as a cultural phenomenon: how they work, how they came about, who solves them and why, and how people learn this skill,” he says.
“Cryptic puzzles are a unique form of creative writing that beguile and delight solvers every day, and the talk brings out the processes, events and pioneers that have shaped them.
“The talk may inspire people to want to learn how to solve cryptic clues, and one way to take this further is to attend an online course. Introduction to Cryptic Crosswords is a two-hour taster session for people to try their hand at solving cryptic clues, and Cryptic Crosswords for Beginners is a comprehensive course that teaches people how to solve cryptic puzzles in six weekly sessions.”
- To find out more, go to u3a.org.uk/events/educational-events. If you have a talk to offer, email
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . - TAM editor Joanne Smith is happy to give talks about TAM and how she got into journalism, from local newspaper reporter to sub-editor on national newspapers. Email
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details.
Subject Advisers
Looking for fresh ideas for your interest group? Whether you want to share ideas with similar groups or need some support to start a new one, find resources, information and a list of subject advisers at u3a.org.uk/learning/subjects
For a ful list of subject advisers: https://www.u3a.org.uk/learning/subjects
My Oz-some family history
Author Stephen Lally, of Dacorum u3a in Hertfordshire, explains how research into his past generations revealed his Irish ancestors were founders of Western Australia.
My father was a great hoarder. When he died, I inherited more than 1,000 letters that he and my mother wrote to each other during the Second World War, plus school reports, sports trophies and photos, including the German surrender at Luneburg Heath and of Berlin in June 1945 when he was there as a signals officer at the Potsdam Conference. I began to research my parents’ family history to eventually turn into a book for future generations.
I went to Hammersmith Archives as my parents were brought up in the area. Here I found details of Patrick Lally, my great-great-great-grandfather – his date and place of birth, parents’ names, mother’s maiden name. He was born in Ireland in 1818, so few records survive.
However, with a bit of luck I managed to find his family on a very rare surviving fragment of the 1821 census. This led me to a newspaper report of a gruesome double murder that he witnessed when he was just four years old.
I turned this information into a book, The Leaving of Loughrea – An Irish Family in the Great Famine, which was read by a lady in California. She emailed me to say that my book contained so many facts that coincided with her family history that we had to be related. We established that we were indeed related, and she revealed a whole new story of British India and the foundation of Western Australia. I then spent lockdown carrying out further widespread research at the British Library and many other sources.
I discovered that Patrick’s sister, Eliza, emigrated from the poverty of Ireland to India in 1823 with her husband, Thomas Little, who had enlisted in the East India Company Army.
There he rose from the ranks to mix with the elite of Bengal. In 1837, they moved to Western Australia, where they are still remembered as founders of the colony and of the Catholic Church there.
I have Googled everything I know about these ancestors: their occupations, towns and neighbourhoods, religions, what they might have eaten and worn, how they travelled, the economics and social habits of their times. What I found led me to the people who put this information online, each with enormous but different enthusiasms.
There are enthusiasts on every subject under the sun and you must not be afraid to contact them because they will be keen to provide detailed information relating to your story. My research has involved contacting enthusiasts for Irish canals, the Great Exhibition of 1862, the RAF in France, laundries, railways, small towns, wine-making and much more, and they have all loved to hear from me as I am approaching their pet subject from a new and interesting angle.
For example, I needed to know how my ancestors, who were Irish workhouse orphan girls being shipped to Australia in 1848, got from Loughrea on the west of Ireland to Dublin and then to Plymouth. My new internet friend supplied me with descriptions of canal barges, timetables, prices and pictures – and he loved it.
A similar enthusiast answered questions about the Great Exhibition of 1862. What I thought was a small side story about Thomas winning a medal became, with his help, a major part of my new book Thomas & Eliza Little – Irish Pioneers in India and Western Australia 1797-1877.
Without these people, and in particular two local historians in Ireland and Australia, I could never have completed my books. I was giving all these people new information too and, with our two completely different areas of interest, we could work together on a common theme.
Summer schools 2022
Top-class efforts from members as they reunite to LEARN, LAUGH and live
London
London – past, present and future
The two-day London Region summer school covered a range of subjects including history, current affairs, art, literature, music, science and social studies, write Rona Black and Catherine Ware of the London Region of u3as events committee.
Activities on offer included 18 talks, three creative workshops and eight guided walks. Applicants chose their activities to make an individual programme.
There was a very strong demand for walks this year and the 160 available spaces were quickly booked up.
Routes included London aspects such as Spitalfields and the East End, contemporary architecture on the South Bank, The City and slavery, and Wren’s churches. Talks covered a wide range of London features such as West End theatres, art of the Underground, ‘symphonic’ London, The Port of London, county lines drug dealing, London’s waste management, and Pearly Kings and Queens. Participation in workshops is always much enjoyed, and there were three including writing a play, tracing changes in European or British art, and playing with Shakespeare.
As usual, the venue was
the St Bride Foundation Institute. Members came from across the UK, including the home
counties, Lancashire, Northumberland, Wales, Norfolk and Devon. One delegate said: “I travelled up from Dorset and have thoroughly enjoyed it all. Not only were the speakers top notch and the lunch delicious, but the fellow attendees were friendly and welcoming.”
Unfortunately the rail strike on 27 July created difficulties for members outside central London but happily most applicants were able to overcome the transport challenges. More than half of the delegates had not experienced a London summer school before but attendees were favourably impressed.
Comments included: “My first London summer school. I had a most enjoyable day – excellent lecturers.”
Another wrote: “Great venue! Nice choice of lunch, great value for the fee paid, very well organised.”
The enthusiastic feedback indicates that attendees very much enjoyed this year’s event, with more than 80 per cent saying they would like to come again next year. The organisers already look forward to planning the tenth anniversary event
in 2023.
South-east
From Family History to yoga
Around 190 u3a members enjoyed a week of activities at the South-East Forum’s 16th summer school at Chichester University.
Members stayed on campus and enjoyed courses ranging from cycling, yoga and walking to French, maths and poetry.
Earth Matters was a popular new course this year, the family history event was well attended and the game of mahjong provided a fun few days, while the ukulele group performed a concert on the final day.
Another highlight saw the Mayor of Chichester and the university’s deputy vice chancellor come to the summer school to plant a tree in celebration of the u3a’s 40th anniversary and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Extracurricular activities included a quiz night, a talk on the golden age of
wireless and a trip to Chichester Festival Theatre to see The Southbury Child prior to its moving to London’s West End.
Helen Turner and her team, who have organised the summer school for 11 years, are retiring and a new team is in place and already planning next year’s summer school, which will be in the first week of September.
It is open to any u3a member and details will be on the South-East Forum’s website u3asites.org.uk/southeastu3aforum/home early next year.
Yorkshire and Humber region
SPANISH, ARCHAEOLOGY AND JEWELLERY CLASSES AT Summer Learning Break
After a two-year delay due to Covid, u3a members once again gathered for the annual Yorkshire & Humber Region summer learning break.
More than 110 u3a members attended the event at The Hawkhills conference centre in York – not just from the local region but from as far afield as Lowestoft and Kent – as either day or residential delegates.
They were warmly welcomed back by the staff of The Hawkhills as delegates immersed themselves in a variety of subjects including An Introduction to Spanish Conversation, The Air We Breathe, Four Philosophers from Four Centuries, Archaeology of Britain since the Normans, Greek Mythology, Women Artists from the Renaissance to the Present Day, Introduction to Jewellery Making and Portrait Drawing and Painting.
A big thank you from all the delegates to the tutors who gave their time, expertise and knowledge to make the event such a success once again.
Pat Collard, YAHR Chair, opened the event urging everyone to “Learn, laugh and live”. Comments included “Superb! Brilliantly planned.”
- Look out for 2023 summer school updates on the u3a website u3a.org.uk
Travel
Mesmerising experiences on long-awaited adventure
After three years’ planning and a two-year Covid delay, Windsor & District u3a’s patience is rewarded with a trip to see the renowned Oberammergau Passion Play as part of an Alpine tour.
In June this year, 26 u3a members set off for Germany on a trip that had been five years in the making, organised by Jackie Wiggins and her husband John.
First stop was a visit to the Bavarian village of Oberammergau to see its Passion Play, which shows the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and has been performed every ten years since 1680.
In 1633, an outbreak of the Plague devastated Bavaria. The villagers of Oberammergau promised to perform the Passion every ten years if God answered their prayers that they were to be spared more suffering. It was performed every year from 1634 until 1680, when it was then performed once every decade. Only those who have been born in Oberammergau, or who have lived there for at least 20 years, can take part (with exceptions for children).
The five-hour play, with a break for lunch, is performed in the open air to an audience of around 4,000 people between May and October. The cast of 2,000, including 450 children and orchestra, prepare for two years for the event, which plays to around 500,000 people from around the globe.
The villagers have kept the tradition of the Passion Play going for almost 400 years. To be as authentic as possible, all participants let their hair and beards grow and even travel to Jerusalem before rehearsals begin.
“The enormous cast, including children shouting ‘Hosanna’ on Palm Sunday from their mother’s arms, drew you in so much that you almost felt as if you had been transported back to those days 2,000 years ago,” says u3a member Kerry Giles.
“It was performed in German but that wasn’t a problem as we had been helpfully provided with the entire script in English. This meant that we were totally absorbed following the words in our script and watching the drama in front of us.
“It was totally mesmerising. You could feel the tinderbox atmosphere in Jerusalem, with revolution in the air, as Jesus was condemned to death and mocked by those who didn’t understand that he was the Son of God. Live animals on stage added to the air of authenticity.
“The choir, soloists and actors were superb. The Passion Play in this beautiful Alpine village setting is truly unique. It was a wonderfully special experience.”
The group then travelled to Feldkirch to see the sights of Austria, including visiting a cheese producer in Bregenzerwald and a chocolatier.
“We had a guided tour of the town and Schattenburg Castle, the ancestral seat of the Montfort family during the High Middle Ages,” says Anne Inglis.
“Our guide also took us to see the Romanesque building of St Nikolaus’ Cathedral, which suffered damage in several fires and was rebuilt by Hans Sturn in 1478 and fully restored in 2005.
“It was a very relaxing and most enjoyable day. We had time to stroll through the town and return to the hotel at our leisure.”
Mary Findler returned to the cathedral to enjoy the stained-glass windows.
She says: “The original windows were damaged by a bomb in the Second World War. The designs of the replaced windows are of traditional messages, but with a modern slant. For those with a creative bent, it would be a good starting picture for embroideries.”
Seeing the Passion Play in Oberammergau was a lifetime ambition for Brigitte Mitchell, who was able to tick another box on her wish list – a visit to Liechtenstein. She says: “On our free afternoon, I hopped on a bus in Feldkirch to Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, which was 20 minutes away. What I found was a modern, vibrant and thriving place. Vaduz is pocket-sized – the whole country has a population of just 38,500. The only old building I could see was a 16th-century castle on the hill above the town, with views of the Rhine Valley, and the home of ruler Prince Hans Adam II.
“On my way back I caught the slow bus, which took me through some of the villages and small towns of Liechtenstein, all neat and modern. At one point we crossed the border into Switzerland.”
Other highlights of the trip included a visit to Innsbruck in Austria.
“The views coming into Innsbruck were mesmerising,” says Andrew Giles. “We strolled through the Hofgarten into the old town with its array of boutique shops and narrow lanes. Then down Maria-Theresien-Strasse, past the beautiful Spitalskirche where a string quartet was playing, and St Anne’s Column all the way to the Triumphal Arch.”
While visiting Oberammergau, most of the group stayed in Murnau, a small town about an hour’s scenic drive away.
“Many of the buildings were beautifully decorated with painted patterns and figures,” says Melva Woods.
“Most of the group walked to the nearby lake, before indulging in extravagant ice cream sundaes.”
In Appenzell, Switzerland, the group was lucky to see a celebration of Corpus Christi, which included a procession, choir of children in traditional dress, village band and Army cadets. “The local people were following the band and we, too, joined them,” recalls Bali Gill. “They would stop frequently and the choir boys would sing with the band. The Army performed a gun salute, firing into the air. Some women were in traditional dress.”
Special treats for many on the trip were their outings on the Alpine railways.
“We started with the Rheineck to Walzenhausen mountain railway in Switzerland following the path of a former water-operated funicular, which opened in 1896,” says David Simpson.
“Next a journey on the very modern Appenzell Railways. We went from Appenzell to Gais, where we changed to a rack railway to Altstatten which, after a short climb, was downhill all the way.
“Finally, we rode the Walderbahnle Bregenz Forest Railway in Germany, a heritage railway between Bezau and Schwarzenberg, featuring the Sporenegg Bridge and the Ried Tunnel. What a joy.”
Cheese, chocolate and beer-tasting were all on the menu, too.
Organiser Jackie Wiggins says: “Due to Covid, we were all five years older than when we booked this holiday!
“But we all had fun, made new friends, discovered new places and enjoyed new experiences. I know that for some, there were intensely religious moments inspired by the emotionally dramatic Passion Play; by the awe-inspiring majesty of the mountainous scenery and also by the visible example of the power of peaceful co-operation by small village communities working together to create a successful cheese-making industry.
“This holiday truly was a u3a ‘learn, laugh, live’ experience.”
Wave hello to Croatia
Some 55 u3a members and guests from across the UK find their sea legs as they set sail in the Adriatic for a ten-day holiday aboard an 11-strong flotilla of boats.
Crews lived up to u3a’s motto as they formed bonds and learned boating skills on their Croatian adventure.
Each boat, ranging in size from 35ft to 51ft, was skippered by a qualified u3a member along with a fully experienced first mate. The remaining crew on board each vessel ranged from complete novices to reserve skippers, with a very wide range of ages.
Half the flotilla set off from Dubrovnik and the other half from Trogir, near Split, meeting up midway.
The trip was organised by Nick Hoskins, u3a’s boating subject adviser. He says everyone learnt a great deal about sailing and boat handling during the trip, particularly when having to reverse to a landing point.
Each day would start with a conference for skippers to agree overnight stops, leaving each boat to go at the pace it wanted during the day, then meeting at an agreed point. Breakfast and lunch were normally on board, with dinner at a local restaurant.
Nick says: “Most crews had only met via a Zoom meeting as they came from across the UK but the adventure brought them together. Bonds were formed and much enjoyment had by all.”
Some members arrived early or stayed on to explore the area, with one couple driving the near 3,000-mile round trip taking in Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungry and the Czech Republic.
Nick adds: “Given all the challenges of the arrangements and how Covid affected things, the trip was a great. It is clear that we lived up to the u3a motto of ‘Learn, laugh, live’.
Skipper Tony Robson said: “The six islands we visited were, without fail, beautiful and interesting.”
- For more information about future trips, email Nick at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Please note that this is not a u3a activity, it is an activity with and for u3a members. There is no u3a insurance cover.
Sent to Coventry? It’s a thrill for Mill Hill u3a
London travel group takes in war-ravaged cathedral and Shakespeare’s birthplace on Midlands tour.
The Travel Group from Mill Hill u3a in London enjoyed a four-day trip to Coventry, led by Liz Driscoll, writes group member Simeone Salik.
Highlights included a visit to St Mary’s Guildhall, which survived the Second World War and has been lovingly restored. Here, members learnt about the background to a 16th century tapestry before walking the short distance to the ‘new’ cathedral – an iconic building with stunning stained-glass windows and works of art. Next door stands the blackened remains of St Michael’s Cathedral, whose roof was destroyed in 1940 in one of the worst air raids of the war.
Some members visited Herbert Art Gallery and the Transport Museum, where they were given a glimpse into Coventry’s automotive heritage.
Day three saw the group visit Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, with tours of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Mary Arden’s Farm on the way. The return trip home included a visit to Compton Verney, an interesting house with a comprehensive art gallery. The four days has been a most enjoyable break.
- Group leader Liz Driscoll is happy to give tips and guidance to other u3as on how to start a travel group. She can be contacted at
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Favouite walks
Walking in Scotland, Leicestershire and the West Country. Send details of your walk in up to 150 words and a photo to
Perth u3a - Mountains, rivers and beautiful vistas
This is a walk over Kenmore Hill (Creag an Fhudair), which stands at the eastern end of Loch Tay in Perthshire, writes walk leader John Andrews of Perth u3a.
From a tiny hillside car park, the path winds uphill through gorse and then over heather-covered slopes. Gradually, a view eastwards along Strath Tay opens up, in which the vast bulk of the mansion Taymouth Castle is prominent. Shortly afterwards, the unmistakable shape of Schiehallion appears some miles to the north. This mountain became famous as the site of scientific experiments in the 18th century, which increased people’s knowledge of the nature of Earth.
As you approach the summit of the hill, you pass beneath magnificent mature Scots pines before you are surprised by a remarkable steep downhill view of Kenmore, looking almost like a toy village from this
lofty perch.
You continue over the brow of the hill before being greeted by the sight of a long stretch of Loch Tay, dominated by a cluster of mountains, among which stands Ben Lawers, Perthshire’s highest at just under 4,000ft.
Now the path twists and turns as it drops down through scattered conifers and over rocky outcrops, eventually reaching a pleasant grassy track known as Queen’s Ride. This is part of the Rob Roy Way, an 80-mile route which runs from Drymen, near Loch Lomond, to the Perthshire town of Pitlochry. Continue to enjoy the splendid views as this leads you back to your starting point.
Glenfield u3a - Canal and countryside for Leicestershire stroll
Walking Group 1 was one of the first to start when Glenfield u3a in Leicestershire was formed in 2010 – and it is still going strong with fortnightly four to six-mile walks, writes co-ordinator Michael Barbour.
One of our favourite walks starts from the large village of Blaby, some five miles south of Leicester city. The five-and-a-half-mile walk takes us through some lovely varied countryside, starting in shady woodland, on through meadows, skirting the village of Countesthorpe and arable fields to join the Grand Union Canal. This is the halfway point and a great place to stop for refreshments!
The walk continues along the canal towpath past the ancient Crow Mills before returning along quiet lanes to the start point in Blaby. Not only do we stay fit and healthy, but we also get to enjoy the great British countryside, birds, flowers and nature right on our own doorstep.
We shouldn’t forget to mention that the walk ends with a lunchtime pub meal.
Tiverton u3a - Three peaks of the West Country
The Three Peaks Challenge normally involves climbing the highest mountain in each of England, Scotland and Wales – namely Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis and Snowdon – but Tiverton u3a devised a West Country version.
A group of 13 set off in July to tackle the three highest peaks in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset – Brown Willy, High Willhays and Dunkery Beacon respectively – in less than 12 hours.
Weather conditions were dry, cool and breezy, which was ideal for the initial climb up Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, and the summit was reached ahead of schedule.
Buoyed by their success, the group drove to Okehampton for the ascent of High Willhays on Dartmoor, a straightforward slog up a rocky track. They enjoyed a late lunch at the top with fine views across Devon.
The next leg involved a lengthy drive to Exmoor, giving the trekkers time to regain some energy before the final push up Dunkery Beacon.
The summit was reached by 6pm and the weary walkers assembled in glorious sunshine at Somerset’s highest point before a hasty dash back to a local pub for well-earned refreshment.
A grand day out for all concerned despite 200 miles of driving, more than 11 miles of walking and an ascent totalling well over 2,000 feet.
Recipes
Harvest potential of season’s produce
Cookery writer Beverley Jarvis, of Ashford, Wye & District u3a, reveals healthiest and tastiest dishes on her post-summer menu.
A good way to embrace healthy eating – and save money – is to shop according to the season.
With an abundance of fruit and vegetables readily available, you can cook hearty dishes this autumn and freeze a few for winter.
Take your pick from the last of summer fruits, such as blackberries, raspberries, apples and pears, as well as lots of root vegetables. Now is the time to buy local and use British produce for stews, curries, soups, casseroles and crumbles.
For this issue, I have developed tasty recipes which should prove popular and are fairly easy to prepare. They won’t break the bank, either, which is certainly useful in the current economic climate.
Both the soup and curry recipes freeze well.
Autumn salad
Serves 2 as a main course
Suitable for vegetarians if you buy vegetarian Gruyére cheese. Serve with warm wholemeal rolls, heated for about 8 minutes in a moderate oven. Spinach is a good source of magnesium, potassium and iron, as well as vitamin A. Kiwi fruit is an excellent source of vitamin C and fibre.
Ingredients.
1 eating apple (Cox or Discovery varieties are nice), cored and chopped
Juice ½ lemon
80g young spinach leaves, stalks removed
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 medium carrot, grated
4 dried apricots, chopped
1 kiwi fruit, thinly sliced
40g Gruyére cheese, chopped
25g pecan nuts, chopped
For the dressing
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp runny honey
1 tsp Dijon or granary mustard
Salt and pepper
Method.
1 Prepare the dressing. Put all ingredients for the dressing into a screw-top jar. Screw lid on tightly and shake to form an emulsion.
2 Toss the prepared apple in the lemon juice.
3 Prepare the salad. Put spinach into a medium-size salad bowl. Top with tomatoes, carrot, dried apricots, prepared apple, kiwi fruit and Gruyére cheese. Drizzle the prepared dressing over and toss together. Serve immediately, sprinkled with the pecan nuts.
Butternut squash and mushroom curry
Suitable for vegetarians.
Serves 4
This curry is simple to make, yet full of fibre and flavour. The mushrooms and spinach truly complement the butternut squash. Mushrooms are an excellent source of riboflavin (vitamin B2) and the antioxidant nutrient selenium.
Ingredients.
800g butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
Salt and pepper
2 red peppers, roughly chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 thumb-size piece ginger, peeled and grated
3 tbsp tomato purée
4 tbsp water
4 large flat mushrooms, roughly chopped
250g young spinach leaves, stalks removed
175ml vegetable stock
2 tbsp sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Method.
1 Preheat oven to 210°C, 190°C fan, gas mark 6.
2 Put butternut squash into a large roasting tin, in a single layer if possible. Toss in olive oil and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 35 minutes, until starting to char round the edges, stirring halfway through.
3 Put the peppers, tomatoes, chilli, garlic, ginger, tomato purée and water into a food processor, fitted with the metal blade. Process to a paste.
4 Turn prepared paste into a large casserole dish and cook on the hob, stirring continuously, for 4 minutes. Stir in the charred butternut squash with any pan juices. Add the mushrooms and spinach. Add the vegetable stock.
5 Bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until spinach wilts.
6 Serve immediately, sprinkled with the seeds, and accompanied by either rice or pasta.
Carrot, parsnip, fennel and ginger soup
Suitable for vegetarians.
Serves 6
A high-fibre soup. Ginger is known to help keep your mouth healthy. It can also help calm nausea, ease arthritis symptoms and lower blood sugar levels. It’s a great addition to this tasty soup.
Ingredients.
About 12 dashes of Frylight cooking spray
2 medium red onions, chopped
500g carrots, chopped
500g young parsnips, peeled and diced
1 bulb fennel, tops reserved, chopped
1 tsp ground sweet paprika
2 tsp dried coriander, or 1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
Thumb-size piece root ginger, peeled and grated
½ tsp Very Lazy Chillies from a jar, or 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1.4 litre vegetable stock
1 garlic clove, chopped
Salt and black pepper
To Serve
Optional natural yoghurt and reserved fennel tops, chopped
Method.
1 Heat the spray oil in a large casserole dish on the hob. Add onions and cook, stirring over medium heat for about 5 minutes to soften.
2 Add carrots, parsnips, fennel, paprika, coriander, ginger and chillies with 4 tablespoons of stock. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat for about 6 minutes to soften vegetables a little. Stir in garlic.
3 Add the rest of the stock and a light seasoning of salt and black pepper.
4 Cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30-35 minutes until vegetables are completely tender.
5 Blend soup either in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, or use a hand-held electric stick blender.
6 Adjust seasoning if necessary, then serve the soup topped with a dollop of yoghurt and a few fennel tops.
Brain games
Bridge
From Michael Cleaver, of Lancaster & Morecambe u3a
Safety Play
North
♠ 65
♥ 32
♦ AKJ8543
♣ 32
East
♠ Q83
♥ Q98754
♦ -
♣ Q765
South
♠ AJ10
♥ AK10
♦ 63
♣ AJ984
West
♠ K9742
♥ J6
♦ Q1098
♣ K10
The auction:
South
1♣
2NT
North
1♦
3NT
Note South's rebid. With 17 points and good intermediates, she is better than 1NT.
The Play:
She wins the first trick with ♠A and considers the diamond position. Not needing all seven tricks from the suit, she only concerns herself with the possibility that East is void. Therefore, when she leads a low diamond towards the dummy, she ducks when West plays the 8. When East shows out, the rest is plain sailing. Just as it would be if East followed suit. The subsequent diamond finesse ensures six winners in the suit and a total of 10 or 11 tricks in all. Often it is worth taking out a little insurance in order to guarantee your contract.
Note that if West tries the gambit of playing the queen on the first round, South should refuse to take the bait.
Crossword
From Verulam u3a's Cryptic Crossword Compilers Group
Across
1. Star in ‘Tangled up in Blue’ becomes too tangled (9)
6. One of 13 pinched tail of fish (5)
10. Dab hand was saucy (6)
11. Unruly dawn rout (8)
12. Obstructed last deal without a solution (7)
13. Thieves heard in churches (6)
14. Endless nibbles mixed up in cow’s stomach (5)
16. Battlefield opportunity − but not for tradesmen? (5,4)
18. Plant mine traps all over the place (9)
21. Drugs hidden amidst a shootout (5)
24. Second musical yarn (6)
25. Private report from the east − there’s nothing in it (7)
27. Service dog for prisoner? (8)
28. Paradoxical element 99 − not einsteinium (6)
29. Small force causing uprising (5)
30. Swimmer intended to report situation (9)
Down
2. Bond character involved in kinky sex (5)
3. Total protection for dirty work (7)
4. Dumb-bell reported? No! (6)
5. Disrupt rule and clean up (7)
7. He checks a range of stock (7)
8. Bloody revolution rumoured on Saturday (9)
9. Stirring up stink go wild (7)
15. I arrive in good time − it sounds like you are unprepared (9)
17. Extreme elements of mob argue incoherently causing offence (7)
19. Morning with a sparkle. Wow! (7)
20. Simple kind of order (7)
22. High class (3,4)
23. Circle of 12 for the future (6)
26. Control limited by pure ignorance (5)
- To submit a Crossword, grids should be no bigger than 15 square. email it to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Crossword solution
Across: 1 Insoluble. 6 Scamp. 10 Expert. 11 Untoward. 12 Stalled. 13 Knaves. 14 Bible. 16 Front door. 18 Spearmint. 21 Stash. 24 Mohair. 25 Trooper. 27 Springer. 28 Ironic. 29 Surge. 30 Placement.
Down: 2 Nexus. 3 Overall. 4 Untold. 5 Launder. 7 Cowhand. 8 Murderous. 9 Stoking. 15 Impromptu. 17 Umbrage. 19 Amazing. 20 Natural. 22 Top form. 23 Zodiac. 26 Reign.
professor rebus
pitcherwits™
Across
5. Vehicle sounds snaky from Mr Kipling! (3)
6. Listener is a bit fearful (3)
10. Bird's lost some appetite (3)
11. Making no sense of unity (7)
12. Printing units, in themselves (3)
16. Take in in the heat of the moment (3)
17. Uncommon sense that's in especially short supply (3)
1a. Nettle, far gone for idle male, say (3,6)
7a. Bread ad. could be rubbed up the right way? (7)
13a. Swop rug over as it ‘matures’ (5,2)
18a. Felt a dent where it had been squashed (9)
Down
2. She's a roan in disguise! (4)
3. Old ship with a horn (4)
8. Sierra Leone-speak in urban turmoil (5)
14. Would, in days gone by, go all floppy (4)
15. Hammer back into shape en masse (4)
1d. Travel's nothing when confined no more (4,2,2)
4d. Paper audience trying to ease her despair (10)
5d. Scoffing at attempts to work with yarn or hawser (7,3)
9d. Steered round bad ending with noone about (8)
- For more professor rebus puzzles visit pitcherwits.co.uk
professor rebus solution
Across
1 Fan letter. 5 Car. 6 Ear. 7 Abraded. 10 Tit. 11 Oneness. 12 Ems. 13 Grows up. 16 Eat. 17 Esp.
18 Flattened.
Down
1 Free to go. 2 Nora. 3 Tuba. 4 Readership. 5 Casting off. 8 Bantu. 9 Deserted. 14 Wilt. 15 Peen.
Letters
Email your letters, Including your name AND YOUR u3a, and with “letters” in the subject line, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or post to u3a office.
TAM receives more letters than it has space for, so they may be edited, cut, omitted or held over.
GAMES CULTURE STRIKES GOLD
In celebration of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer, the arts and culture group of Silhill u3a explored the 14 Commonwealth Realm nations, from larger countries such as Canada to lesser explored ones like Papua New Guinea. It was most interesting to discover the diverse range of arts and cultural traditions that celebrate and bind communities together.
The activity inspired members to follow the fortunes of the athletes from their selected nation during the games.
Of course, the Raging Bull was a great hit at the opening ceremony. Made from bits of machinery from Birmingham factories, it stood ten metres high, weighed 2.5 tonnes and symbolised a message of peace for all nations.
The games brought a joyous summer of Commonwealth sporting success to millions, both at home and abroad, and Birmingham did us proud.
From Collette Higgins, Silhill u3a, Solihull.
Solar panels keep bills bright down
Regarding the story ‘Plant-friendly ways to reduce energy bills’ (TAM, Summer), I have always been interested in hydro-electric power and am surprised at the lack of installation of mini systems on our rivers and streams to provide energy for local housing.
I installed six solar panels and a water heating panel in 2010. They cost me £10,000 but they paid this off several years ago. With the solar water heating panel, the water temperature never drops below 30°C. From May to October, the water is 40°C to over 50°C all the time. It cuts out at 75°C. My combined gas and electric bill has been £67 per month. The house is a four-bedroomed detached with double glazing and individual temperature-controlled radiators.
The National Grid pays me about £1,000 a year for the energy I feed into it.
From Jo Gardner, Croxley Green u3a, Hertfordshire.
The u3a is not the only organisation I’m involved with that, until recently, has avoided discussing climate change because it was seen as a ‘political hot potato’.
The time for that is past. It’s now a clear scientific and sociological ‘fact’ (no facts are final in science, hence the quotation marks) that by burning fossil fuels, humans are radically altering the Earth’s climate – so much so that it is likely
that we’ll push the climate out of the stable regime it has been in for the past 10,000 years.
It’s only in those 10,000 years of the Holocene epoch, since the end of the last Ice Age, that the climate has been stable enough to allow complex human civilisations to develop.
We’re now pushing the climate into unknown territory, into conditions never seen before by humans in complex societies. How badly will this impact the wellbeing of the Earth’s human population over the next 150 years? That’s impossible to quantify with any precision, but it could be as bad as – and much more likely than – an asteroid impact or an all-out nuclear war.
It is therefore true to say that human-induced climate change now poses an existential risk (not a certainty but a risk) to human civilisation as we know it, within the lifetimes of our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
We should take the climate threat at least as seriously as the threat of nuclear war, if not more so, and do everything we can to avert or mitigate it. And we need to act now, because the ‘climate super-tanker’ will take a long time to change course. Otherwise, what sort of legacy are we leaving our grandchildren and great-grandchildren?
From Hillary Sillitto, Edinburgh u3a, retired physicist and systems engineering director.
Tense times in Past or Present debate
I couldn’t agree more with Stuart McKinney (Letters, Summer) regarding English usage, especially what one hears on television. Admittedly, the only correct use of ‘I was sat in (say) a more expensive seat’ is if one was directed to sit there. Otherwise ‘sat’ and ‘stood’ are, of course, completely misused.
If I may add a few misused words, ‘unique’ is constantly and incorrectly prefixed with ‘very’ and ‘quite’. Unique is an absolute, meaning the only one of its type. ‘Almost unique’, I can accept.
Another which really annoys me is the frequent misuse of ‘between’. It is a preposition and must be used with ‘and’. ‘Between 20 and 25 degrees’ is correct, as is ‘From station A to station B’. ‘Between 20 to 25 degrees’ is incorrect. Would one say ‘between you to me’?
It’s not ‘myriads of’. ‘A myriad stars’ is correct. And when did the letter ‘H’ become aspirated, i.e. haitch? It is pronounced ‘aitch’.
Perhaps some grandparent readers could ask their grandchildren what they are taught in this respect and report back. Final whinge: it’s species of bird (not birds) please. And don’t get me started on ‘like’! And, OK, I’m aware that one should not start a sentence with a conjunction!
From Colin Read, Croydon u3a.
The words ‘sitting’ and ‘standing’ were virtually phased out of our language several years ago. Of course ‘sat’ and ‘stood’ in their current context would have been grammatically unacceptable in our youth, but language is like the world inasmuch as that it is constantly changing and each generation introduces or discards different words.
You will inevitably find that your grandchildren, however well educated, will use words that you won’t understand. In our lifetime, some words have changed their meaning and many have been completely dropped from common usage.
Going back a century or two, we would struggle to communicate with our ancestors.
From Avril Robertson, Eastbourne & Wealden u3a, East Sussex
Hurrah for Stuart McKinney for voicing his confusion, or should I say voiced? Me and you both, Stuart!
Why are we now falling ‘off of’ a roof instead of just falling off? Why must we now say he is ‘outside of the room’ instead of just ‘outside the room’?
And what happened to adverbs? And don’t get me started on ‘different to’! I really feel like a dinosaur when speaking to my grandchildren and, like Stuart, must go back to school and get learned.
From Jenny Hatfield, Liskeard & District u3a, Cornwall.
Stuart McKinney touched upon a pet hate of mine. Perhaps the confusion about sat/sitting and stood/standing started when it was considered that teaching grammar in schools stunted pupils’ development of ideas and expression.
I shall continue to use the appropriate tenses of the verbs. I am currently sitting down writing this. I also wonder when the word ‘amount’ started being used sloppily to express number (of people), length (of time), volume (of water), etc?
From Janet Philpott, Chiltern u3a, Bucks.
Traditional past tense use is northern county dialect, mainly Cumbria, Yorkshire, Durham, etc. It is infuriating to hear it used by presenters and interviewees not from north of Watford on national TV channels, and when used out of time (1980s docu-dramas) and out of context (such as Death in Paradise) where locals would never use it. It is ludicrous. I am surprised local actors seem not have the gumption to point out to directors/producers that the dialogue is inappropriate for the location.
Foreigners learning English, or even the Scots, Welsh and Irish, would not understand grammatical misuse. These fashionable sheeple (sorry, people) are not evolving the language. Bad grammar will always be bad grammar.
So, Stuart, complain to the BBC, ITV and anywhere else it is found, including local newspapers, until we get our language back.
From Jill Chambers, Skiddaw u3a, Cumbria
I am prompted by Stuart McKinney’s letter to ask a question.
When were the terms ‘majority’ and ‘vast majority’ first used, and by whom?
Although I can’t check, I very much doubt whether they occur in classic novels and other published work.
To me, ‘majority’ implies actual numbers – one can have a majority in a vote but it’s nonsense to say that ‘the majority of Canada is forest’.
How big must a majority be in order to become ‘vast’? Is it 75 per cent?
Writing or saying ‘majority’ or ‘vast majority’ are simply knee-jerk actions.
From Alan Beasley, Leominster & District u3a, Herefordshire.
FAR FROM PURRFECT
I am a great admirer of Esther Rantzen, but regret I must take issue with some of her remarks in her article about Boots the cat (TAM, Summer).
First, is she 100 per cent sure Boots leaves his ‘messages’ in only her garden?
I am not a cat owner, so I know the ‘messages’ I find in my garden come from neighbourhood cats. I found out the hard way that I need to use a trowel, not my hands, when gardening.
Secondly, Boots is clearly not a
skilled hunter. But many cats are. I have never found a dead bird in my garden
but a mass of feathers, which must have left some poor bird neatly plucked, are
not infrequent.
So, given my way, the government would bring in rules for cat owners, just like they have for dog owners. I suggest the following:
All cats to be trained to use litter trays on their owner’s property only.
All cats to wear elasticated collars with bells on.
All cats to be kept in at night to keep the indigenous nightlife safer.
Anyone else agree?
From Beth Hawthorne, Locks Heath u3a, Hampshire.
My love for scooters
I read with interest the article about Scooter Girls (TAM, February).
I, too, was a Scooter Girl during the late 1950s and early 1960s. I had three of them during that time, but ended up with a red Lambretta 150. It had tartan seat covers, a tartan bag at my knees and a tartan cover on the spare wheel (my mum made all the covers for me).
Initially ‘Josie’ was my mode of transport to get me from Twywell, the village where I lived, to Kettering, where I worked. When I discovered the Kettering 5 Star Lambretta Club, it opened up the world of rallies, Sunday runs, treasure hunts, quizzes, socials and parties – my 21st being one of them.
I was the press officer for many years, reporting to the local Evening Telegraph, and with the committee and most of the members we organised the Wicksteed Park rallies. It was so wonderful to see all the bikes coming into the park, either to participate or just to be there among
the scooterists.
There were lots of fun classes but definitely those taken most seriously were the ones for the Queen or Couple and, of course, the Concours d’Elegance. Members attended huge rallies at Kidlington Airfield and Woburn Abbey.
I was lucky enough to be runner-up at Woburn, but I swear the girl who won that year had never been on a scooter!
With my cousin as my pillion girl, we set off to places such as the Isle of Man for our holiday. What an adventure!
In those days your fuel was siphoned out before you could get on the ferry, leaving you with just enough to get to the nearest garage. Of course, it was a petrol and oil mixture. Now when I hear ‘pop, pop, pop’, it reminds me of the many good times had with my Lambretta.
From Julie Beech, Bridlington u3a, Yorkshire.
PRESCRIBE TOGETHERNESS
Eric Midwinter asks why u3a’s distinctive voice is not being heard through such bodies as GP practices’ Patient Participation Groups (PPGs), (TAM, Summer).
Through personal experience, this requires considerable effort and commitment as PPGs can achieve little unilaterally, having to rely on strong support from its host practice.
Where a robust partnership is developed, then many benefits can flow, for example in the area of social prescribing. Cheltenham u3a linking up with its local practice’s prescribing team is a brilliant example.
But without backing from its practice, PPGs can easily wither away.
From Russell Cleaver, Watford & District u3a, Hertfordshire.
Music for all ages
I was very interested to read about the musical tastes of u3a members (TAM, Summer). As a child, I remember telling my mother I would never like the classical music that she listened to on the radio.
We didn’t have other means of listening to music. I discovered pop aged 12 when a friend introduced me to Radio Luxembourg and I fell in love with Pat Boone and The Everly Brothers.
My father gave me a radiogram for my 14th birthday, my first record purchase was If I Had A Hammer by Trini Lopez. I must have driven my parents mad! Then, to my surprise, I bought Tchaikovsky’s 1812 on an LP. I also saw The Beatles and Rolling Stones on stage in Southend.
When my daughter was 25 she took me to the Royal Albert Hall to see Madam Butterfly. I wept at the beauty of it.
At 74 years young, I love most types
of music!
From Shirley Eastwood, Leigh Estuary u3a, Essex.
Karen Steele (Letters, Summer) is an inspirational person, who at 86 still loves pop stars Billie Eilish, Michael Jackson, Take That and Rod Stewart, to name just a few. Good on her for living life to the full. I would love to be like her at 86...
From Linda Hutchings, Evesham & District u3a, Worcestershire.
FRIENDSHIPS FORMED IN u3a
Though the prospect of joining a u3a may be a bit daunting at first (Letters, Summer), especially if you have an introvert nature like me, one should not despair as good relationships soon form within the groups one joins.
I have been particularly lucky to meet a very special lady at a talk we both booked. We did not even belong to the same groups, but a friendship soon developed and she has made a huge difference to my life through the darkest lockdown times as she was in my ‘bubble’.
I won’t name her, as it would embarrass her, but good deeds often remain anonymous. I would also like to express my admiration and respect for a member of one of my groups as, together with her husband, they have just welcomed a family of five non-English-speaking Ukrainian refugees.
To conclude, be positive and trust that – like me – you can meet special people when you join u3a.
From Marie-Claire Davidson Orton, Newcastle u3a .
There have been a number of letters in recent issues of TAM about welcoming new members.
We’ve just carried out semi-structured interviews with 15 new u3a members about their experiences (to provide feedback to our committee) and thought it might be helpful to share some of our findings more widely.
It’s clear that joining the same u3a can feel very different to different people. Some were incredibly positive, others very disappointed.
Factors that make it a positive experience include:
Being gregarious and outgoing
Going with someone else, particularly if that person has already been a member for some time
Being welcomed at their first meeting (either general or activity group meeting) and being introduced to other members.
Quieter individuals who are not actively welcomed were much less positive about u3a.
We can’t always know why people join u3a. For some it will be to find new social contacts, possibly after traumatic life events or maybe just after two horrible years of being isolated and staring at four walls. To expect someone in this situation to dive in at the deep end in a group of strangers is asking a lot.
Our conclusion is that it is the responsibility of existing members to make a point of ensuring new ones feel welcome, and that we should have sufficient empathy to realise that not everyone has the social confidence to push themselves forward and start volunteering from day one.
The confident ones will get involved naturally – other people may need some TLC at first!
If anyone else has carried out a similar review we’d love to hear their results and, in particular, hear if they’ve got any ‘best practice’ ideas to integrate new members.
From Brenda & Rob Urwin, Leeds u3a.
Cupar u3a has no beginners in French now as members have progressed. Time to see if there’s interest in a new group and perhaps a conversation group too, but where to start? Ask someone who knows, of course.
An email to Sylvia Duffy, u3a subject adviser for French, prompted an answer with loads of advice, ideas and links to further information. Absolutely superb service.
From Pauline Galloway, Cupar u3a, Fife.
A NOTE OF APPRECIATION
I would like to thank members of Bradford on Avon & District u3a in Wiltshire who welcomed and guided our art and architecture group on a study trip.
Our group has in previous years visited Glasgow, Liverpool, Norfolk, Colchester, Edinburgh, Manchester, Oxford and Lincoln on residential trips. This year the study visit was to Bath.
As part of the planning, our group leaders decided on a midway break en route to Bath to visit the Saxon church of St Laurence in Bradford-on-Avon. Enquiries to the local visitor information centre resulted in a welcome and unexpected invitation from members of Bradford on Avon & District u3a to join them in one of two possible walking tours in their undeniably attractive town.
The walks were a success and Jill, Pam and Colin offered an insight and depth which enhanced the visit immeasurably. We wish to take this opportunity to place on record our sincere thanks to the trio in giving so freely of their time to guide us and extend true fellowship to like-minded u3a members.
This underlines not only the nationwide coverage of u3a, but also the real benefits of local knowledge when visiting a new area.
We would like to think that if any u3a members from other groups visit Bishop Auckland to see our castle and our internationally famous Spanish Gallery they might contact us via our website so that we can say hello and perhaps offer some pointers to the town.
From Gerald Cumming, Chair, Bishop Auckland & District u3a, County Durham.
WE ARE ALL MEMBERS
u3a chair Liz Thackray says in her column in the Summer issue of TAM: “We have a saying ‘by the members, for the members’ but perhaps we should be rephrasing that as ‘with the members, for the members’ recognising ... those members who take a lead in significant areas of development that in many other organisations would be done by paid employees.”
I feel that such rephrasing would be to undermine the very principles of u3a. To use the phrase ‘with the members’ is to imply a separation – that those who do more are effectively above, or more important than, other members because they do more. That way can lead to a hierarchical structure.
For example, as a former lecturer, it was appropriate that I was not, myself, a part of the class of students that I was teaching. I had a more senior role in the hierarchy than my students, and worked with them to bring about an end product for them – passing an exam. However, as a u3a group leader, I am part of the group and all of us have the opportunity to suggest what we do and to lead a session. There is no end product, it is all about the process – enjoying what we do – and laughing and learning. I don’t do it ‘with the members’ – we are the members.
If we start to see group leaders or committee members as working with the members, rather than being members, then we will find ourselves with a top-down model which, in my understanding, is the very opposite of the vision of the u3a ‘founding fathers’. We will find ourselves losing the spirit of u3a.
From Tricia Forrester, Teignmouth & District u3a, Devon.
SPEAK UP OR KEEP SCHTUM?
Gary Webster appears to think that the u3a would claim to speak on his behalf on social and political issues (Letters, Summer). While the u3a may respond to such issues, I’m sure it would, like other membership organisations, declare its total membership but never claim to speak on their behalf.
That would, in any case, be impossible given that the letters columns in TAM illustrate the old dictum ‘for every two members there will be three opinions’.
For an organisation that has four subject advisers under the general heading of ‘Thought’, including ‘Current Affairs’, it would be a retrograde step to inhibit topical discussion. The Summer edition of TAM contains a healthy debate on nuclear power – surely a political hot potato? A recent publication by an energy expert summed up the matter as follows: “The most energy-inefficient design of all, he says, may be nuclear power, which is heavily subsidised, costly and pushed by a politically powerful lobby. Using it to address shortages of electricity or to counter climate change, he argues, is like offering starving people rice and caviar when it’s far cheaper and easier to give just rice. Where nuclear is cheap, renewables are cheaper still and efficiency is cheaper than that. There is no new type or size or fuel cycle of reactor that will change this. Do the maths. It is game over.”
One point to bear in mind is that the nuclear industry has one of the most powerful political lobby organisations. Look up SONE (Supporters of Nuclear Energy). You used to be able to find the names of members but not any more!
I see nothing wrong with any of the above being part of a healthy debate – but, of course, it includes a political dimension. If we curtail such discussion we would soon run out of new insights on whether the Earth is flat.
From J Gwynfryn Jones, Ambleside & District u3a, Cumbria.
I noted the letter (TAM, Summer) where the writer was not supportive of u3a campaigning on social and political matters. Well, there is campaigning and then there is campaigning – and I would imagine most members would support u3a in campaigning for just and fair treatment for those experiencing state pension problems.
On the other hand, I imagine that for u3a to campaign for reform to our electoral system may have less support from those of particular political persuasions.
However, to keep quiet about current social and political issues seems to me to be irresponsible bearing in mind that we are experiencing the worst inflation and cost-of-living crises for years.
We have the lowest growth of G7 countries combined with a low-wage economy resulting in strikes across
many sectors . We also had a PM who broke the law and was put in the humiliating position of having to apologise to the Queen for his illegal prorogation of parliament. So let us get real and comment more on social and political issues.
Those who don’t like that need to realise we are in 2022, not the 1950s.
From John D Brian, York u3a.
To the Tower!
Hammersmith & Fulham u3a archaeology group enjoyed a trip to the underground chapel at All Hallows-by-the-Tower in London.
We were met by a very informative guide who took us down to the museum and crypt. Evidence of a Roman home, including a tessellated floor area and tiles, plus numerous kitchen and home items, were found here.
We visited the superb Saxon arch, which no one knew existed until the church was bombed in the Second World War and was discovered when the rubble was being cleared.
I went across the road to Seething Lane to visit St Olave’s Church, attended by Samuel Pepys and his wife Elizabeth, who died at 29. He had her portrayed in stone and fixed high up above the altar on the left, looking down to where he would sit.
From Margaret Graham, Hammersmith & Fulham u3a, London.
State pension is not a benefit
Nothing annoys me more than reading or hearing incorrect or incomplete reporting of financial facts that are relevant to us.
In particular, that applies to articles about payments of the State Pension reported as a ‘benefit’ rather than an ‘entitlement’ that we have contributed towards all our working lives.
Recently, the subject of the triple lock was discussed again, which was not adhered to last April.
In discussions on TV and in newspapers, the present payment is
duly reported as being in the order of
£185 per week.
However, as of autumn 2020, only six per cent of pensioners (740,000 people) received this amount, but this is only paid to those who retired after 6 April 2016.
Currently, 30 per cent of pensioners (3.7 million) are on the lowest payment of between £82 and £141 per week.
Women make up the largest proportion of these.
The ‘old rate’, prior to 2020, is £141 per week, which is paid to 57 per cent of pensioners (7.1 million).
Debates and other articles discussing increases, and whether they are justified, invariably refer to the top figure of £185. The conclusion is often reached that this seems adequate in the present circumstances.
This ignores the fact that a large proportion live on only £82. An increase of ten per cent would bring us up to £90, not exactly earth-shattering, so they need to apply for handouts such as pension credits, foodbanks and others, which is demeaning if not offensive. These pensioners don’t live the high life but live below the breadline, which should be unacceptable in a country as rich as ours.
We can all help to highlight this anomaly by contacting the media and pointing out the error of their reporting. With a readership such as this magazine’s (more than 200,00), we can all help to make a difference.
From Joyce Thorne, March u3a, Cambridgeshire.
APP-Y TO HAVE SOME HELP
I find it very difficult and frustrating to complete application forms for visas, passports, etc., online – especially when required to submit several documents in certain formats, including photographs in particular sizes or to take a photograph of oneself and submit this.
The process can be very time-consuming and it is not easy to get help from young people who themselves are extremely busy.
It is particularly difficult for people like myself who live alone.
It would be most helpful to have a service where someone could make our application on our behalf – and many of us would be quite happy and relieved to have this done for a fee.
Maybe the service does exist but is not widely known. Many people in the same situation as myself would be most grateful if this issue could be addressed and a lot of unnecessary stress reduced.
From Zia Rawji, Ealing u3a, London.
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Email: advertise@u3a org uk
Deadline for next issue:
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Rate £1.87 a word + VAT @ 20%
Box number charge: £10
A box number is essential for any advertisement seeking contact with others, as we do not publish private postal or email addresses, nor phone numbers, in such advertisements.
Send box number replies to: Jenni Murphy, Third Age Trust, The Foundry, 156 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8EN. Write the Box No above the address on the envelope and remember to enclose your contact details.
As soon as your order is accepted, you will be sent a formal invoice with the details of your order, and you will be asked to pay this before the deadline. Please include a full postal address (not for publication unless requested) with your advertisement and state if you are a member of a u3a and, if so, which one. Remittances should be sent to Jenni Murphy at the national office (address left) and cheques made payable to the Third Age Trust.
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Readers should ensure any offer complies with UK and EU regulations governing package holidays etc, if appropriate, before parting with any money. The Third Age Trust cannot be held responsible for this.
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Website: ivormcgregorproofreading.co.uk
07516 698300
Research participants sought Study exploring perspectives on autonomy among people living alone. Participation involves an interview. If you live alone and are interested, please contact Glenys Caswell for information,
Or visit www.glenyscaswell.com/call-for-participants/
Female u3a member Now sadly pet-free would love to sit your pets and home in return for travel expenses.
07542 754792
Wanted
Ercol Windsor (BLONDE) Furniture bought and sold, refurbishment service available.
Fountain Pens, Ball Pens and Pencils Parker, Montblanc, Waterman, Cross etc
National house sitting company Looking for applicants to join their team. You must have your own car, be honest, reliable and flexible, and have a love of animals. You must be a non-smoker and have a permanent home in the UK.
If you would like to apply, please log on to www.housesitters.co.uk and complete the application form
BOOK COLLECTIONS Interesting books, the older the better.
Martin Johnson 01253 850075
Stamp collections/Albums Especially Great Britain and Empire. Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire. Major collections. Other areas.
07527 538863
Pet Lover? Looking for mature, responsible house-sitters for paid holidays.
www.minders-keepers.co.uk 01763 262102
competition winners
The winners of tickets to the 28th International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, in the Summer issue of TAM were: Maureen Chamberlain of Countesthorpe u3a, Leicestershire; Enid Hayes, of Stone (Staffs) & District u3a; Susan Bennett of Northampton u3a; Margaret Williams of Prudhoe & District u3a in Northumberland; Andrew Clayton of Cestrian u3a, Chester; and Laura Gorner, of Sherburn and Villages u3a, North Yorkshire.