Warsop & District
Issue 23 October 2019
Remarks from the Chair We have had an enquiry about how to contact the Committee and where to find our contact numbers. In every Newsletter there is a list of the Committee Members and their telephone and email contacts are noted under their areas of responsibility within the Newsletter. My contact details can be found below (as was Sylvia’s when she was Acting Chair). Ervin’s can be found under Website news, Ann, Joyce, Jen, Sylvia’s telephone / emails are also in the Group Leader table. If you want to contact the Committee then please use any of these contacts and we will direct the most appropriate Committee member to you .
As a small U3A we are now experiencing problems in developing new Interest Groups and maintaining numbers in our current Groups. The Singing Group is planning to entertain us at our December Christmas meeting and hope you will all join in on the day. They are a small group of 10 members and would love more of you to join them. They are extending a special welcome for their meetings up to Christmas to anyone who would like to rehearse with them for the Christmas Party. Go on!! Give it a try. There might even be mince pies.
Also at the October meeting we will be asking for any bakers among you to sign up to bake Mince Pies for the December meeting.
Our speaker for the 14 th October meeting is Barbara Meyer, a wildlife photographer who has dedicated her photography to help endangered big cat species. She will be telling us the “Stories behind the photos”. I look forward to seeing you all. Zena [email protected] 01623 823755
Refreshment Team / Meeters & Greeters We are currently renewing the rota for Meeters & Greeters and The Refreshment Team for rest of 2019 / 2020. Please let me know if you have any planned holidays etc although I know the rota may need to be adapted as we go along.
On the rota for next two General meetings: 14 th Oct 2019 Meeters & Greeters: Chris Wilson and Yvonne Brown Refreshments: Irene Crawford, Anne Poultney and Margaret Hatfield.
11 th November 2019 Meeters & Greeters: Brenda Pearce and one vacancy Refreshments: Vanessa Morris, Moira Heslop, Diane Gibbons and Margaret Hatfield.
Also, David and Paul will not be attending the 14 th October meeting, so we need volunteers to help setting up and clearing tables and chairs.
Please let me know if you are unable to cover any dates so that I can find a replacement. Sylvia Ellis
New Group Suggestions.
I welcome any suggestions you may have to start any new interest group. There has been a very good suggestion that because some groups are pausing during winter we could have an afternoon spent on card games and board games, anyone interested in pursuing this idea please give their names to Tamar at the groups table at next Mondays meeting. Ann. Last month the suggestion for a Maj Jong group got off to a good start and hopefully we shall commence in September, let me know if you are interested in joining us. Ann.
Group News
Natural History, Science and Technology Group. In September Charles gave us a very interesting and entertaining talk on "Are you in the dark about light". Our future planned meetings are as follows:- October 28th, Joyce giving a talk on "Where is my biopsy result". November, a visit yet to be confirmed. December 16th, Jim giving will be enlightening us on his experiences of Geology. New members are welcome to come and join us, our meetings are held in The Plough function room at 1.30pm. Ann.
The Talk Room This is a Current Affairs Discussion group. Our September meeting was well attended and very good natured. We put the world to rights and had a laugh in the process! Meetings are the third Friday of every month. Christine
Garden Group
The gardening group will have their last meeting of 2019 on Tuesday November 12th with a proposed visit to the Dukeries in Edwinstowe (May be altered but l will inform any members not at October’s meeting) for a meeting followed by lunch. The next meeting will be at The Plough in Warsop on Tuesday 11th of February 2020, at 10.15 to plan our program for the year. Suggestions will be appreciated. I would like to thank the group for an interesting year of visits and discussions. Susan
Trips DAY TRIP TO BEVERLEY IN YORKSHIRE ON 2 nd OCTOBER 2019
We were blessed with a dry, sunny day following
some very wet days.
When we arrived in Beverley a lady from the Tourist Information Centre boarded the coach and gave a brief outline on what we could see and do in the town and as we left the coach we were all given a “goodie bag” containing a street map with information, a book of discount vouchers and a postcard. Armed with these I set off for the Tourist Information Centre, bought a nice cup of coffee in their cafe, found a table and using the map and information planned my day.
I managed to do two of the Town Trails set out in the information with the town map. Along the trails I visited St Marys Church with its decorated ceilings, stained glass windows and beautifully carved misericords – passed under The North Bar which is the earliest brick-built town entrance in England and looked at the old Friary building and surrounding modern cloisters. Of course, when visiting Beverley a visit to The Minster is a must! You need to be there to fully appreciate what a magnificent building it is. Personally I was most taken with the beautiful and intricate work crafted by the ancient stone and wood carvers.
My day also included a visit to The Treasure House - containing a Museum, Library, Art Exhibition, Cafe and Tourist Information Centre. Apart from all of the history in Beverley there were plenty of small independent and larger chain shops, interesting little side streets and plenty of places to buy food and drink.
At the end of our day I climbed the stairs to the top of The Treasure House Tower and viewed Beverley from above with The Minster dominating the view.
Thank you to Chris and Brenda for organising yet another good U3A coach trip and to Dave our friendly and helpful driver.
Christine Chapman
TRIPS FOR 2020
Tues 12 th May YORK - including York Chocolate Story Tour. £16 ( Museum £25 )
Sun 19 th July WOODALL SPA 1940’s FESTIVAL. LINCS £17
Fri 4 th Dec MELTON MOWBRAY LEICS. Christmas Tree Event /Victorian Fayre £13.50
French Conversation.
If you wish to join this group contact Gill Ferguson to confirm dates and venue.
Walking Group
This month we went for a walk around the Thorseby estate. The weather was kind and the 13 members present enjoyed a pleasant walk. The route was not quite as planned due to a flooded road but we managed to have nice views of the Hall, Perlethorpe village and Perlethorpe church. Part of the walk took us along an impressive avenue of Redwood trees.
FUTURE WALKS-
7th Nov approx. 3mile walk from Warsop Windmill
5th Dec 3 or 4.5 mile walk (depending on the weather) on the Teversal trail.
PLEASE NOTE THAT FROM JANUARY THE WALKS WILL BE ON THE THIRD THURS OF THE MONTH.
16 TH Jan 4 mile walk around Shirebrook Woods
Craft Group At the September craft meeting we welcomed 2 new members,
decorated wine bottle or jars, some painted the bottles while others decorated with stickers or fabrics, we then finished off with cork lights. Everyone individual and lovely.
Silver Screeners
Hello Silver Screeners, the film showings at the Mansfield Odeon for October are- Tuesday 15th Oct at 10.30am - The Art of Racing in the Rain (a dog, Enzo and his family's tale) Tuesday 15th Oct at 2pm - Blinded by the Light Thursday 17th Oct at 10.30am - Blinded by the Light Thursday 17th Oct at 2pm - The Art of Racing in the Rain Terry Hatfield
Luncheon Group The Luncheon Group meets usually on the 3 rd Wednesday of the month however due to the dates in October our next lunch will be on 30 th October 2019 at The Devonshire, Upper Langwith. The Devonshire , prides itself on individuality, seasonality and the freshest produce every day. They have an extensive Main Menu and a Lunchtime Favourites Menu with vegetarian, gluten free meal options. The Devonshire can be found on Rectory Road, Upper Langwith , Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG20 9RF
Sylvia and Patricia will be at the back of the Tudor Barn taking bookings and a £5 deposit. A menu will be available to make your choices.
The Books and Literature Group.
At the beginning of September, we discussed The Woman in the Window, a psychological thriller. Some lived the novel, whereas others couldn't abide it, finding it predictable and a bit staged,rather than thrilling! October sees us reviewing Finger in the Sparkle Jar, a memoir by Chris Packham, who used to be on The Really Wild Show. Meetings are in the Mansfield Woodhouse library, where we are well looked after and comfortable. We meet the first Tuesday of every month in the afternoon. All welcome. Christine
Dancing Group The dancing group plans to meet on the second and fourth Friday of each month, from 10 am to 11 am at Warsop Methodist Church, the October dates being 11th and 25th, followed by 8th and 22nd November. Unfortunately the session on 27th September was cancelled due to illness and numbers were low for the previous session due to holidays and other commitments. I would be grateful if members could let me know in advance whether or not they will be able to attend so we can decide whether there will be enough dancers to make it worth Gill coming to do the session. Thank you in advance. New members are welcome to come and join us for some fun and exercise, based on Dance Fit 5 - that is Latin, Ballroom, Rock N Roll, Musical Theatre, Freestyle, to a variety of different styles of music. (Please contact me to check the session is on before travelling.) Afterwards we have a cuppa and chat at the Tea Cosy Café on High Street. Ann Ballinger
Singing Group
The Singing Group normally meets on the 2nd & 4th Tuesdays in Warsop Methodist Church at 6:30pm to 8pm. However, as the nights have drawn in, we have decided to meet once per month during the run up to Christmas. We are rehearsing Christmas carols and songs which we plan to sing at the Christmas U3A meeting on 9 th December. We will be providing song / carol sheets for all attending the Christmas meeting so you will all be able to join in with us. So why not join us for our next few meetings for a fun evening of singing together. Singing is one of the best ways to improve your mood and increase your ‘happy’ hormones. So why don’t you come along for a free trial evening. You even get a biscuit and a cuppa!!
Our next meetings will be on the 22 nd October, 26 th November and 3 rd of December 2019.
Sylvia Ellis
History Group The History Group met on Tuesday 17 th September 2019 for a visit to the Holocaust Centre. There were 14 members and guests present. The group met at the Carr’s, car park at 11.00am and proceeded to the Centre by car share. On arrival the group gathered in the reception area, paid the admission fee (which is valid for 12 months so one may visit as often as you wish in that time) and began the tour. This included The Journey; Leo’s diary. This is a diary written by a 9 year old German Jewish boy, Leo, set in the year 1938. Leo explains his experiences and feelings in his own words. The Journey is part of a learning programme for primary school pupils, but of interest to everyone none the less. It is founded upon authentic Holocaust Survivor testimonies. There is video footage to watch of survivors talking at key points in Leo’s story as you move around from Leo’s home, to school room, to his father’s shop and finally the “Kindertransport” train, these video clips really bring the narrative to life. Leo is off to England and safe, but his family remain in Germany and are eventually transported to the east and the death camps.
The group then moved to the Lecture Hall to hear a Survivor Talk, Bob Norton (Robert Nuebauer) known as ‘Bob’, was born in 1932 in Teplitz Schönau, Czechoslovakia, where he lived with his family during his early childhood. This was part of the German speaking Sudetenland, and Bob grew up speaking German. Bob’s mother was from Czechoslovakia and his father, who owned a successful knitwear manufacturing business, was from Budapest, Hungary. In September 1938, Bob’s life changed dramatically after the German-speaking part of Czechoslovakia was ceded to the German Reich, after the Munich Conference, incidentally no Czechoslavak diplomat attended this meeting! Bob was stopped from attending school, and his father had his business, property and flat confiscated. The family fled to Prague, where they rented a small flat and tried to rebuild their lives. On 14th March 1939, however, the rest of the country was invaded by the Germans, placing Bob’s family in danger once again.
Luckily, an elderly uncle in the USA vouched for the family, which enabled them to obtain an entry visa for America and a transit visa for England. Due to an oversight in 1918, Bob’s father had retained his Hungarian citizenship, which also enabled the family to obtain an exit visa. Bob and his family boarded a ship at the Hook of Holland and travelled to Harwich, England, where they arrived in July 1939. By the end of 1940, Bob’s father moved the family to Leicester where he had business friends from before the war. Bob resumed his education, and his mother and father worked illegally until 1943 when they were given a work permit. At the end of the war, Bob and his family felt settled in Leicester and decided to remain there, eventually becoming British citizens in 1949. Bob’s father was able to start another small clothing factory which eventually grew to employ around 50 people by the time he retired. Bob grew up in Leicester, married and had a family, and eventually started his own successful business with his wife.
Memorial Gardens and Museum; After the talk members were free to wander the gardens and visit the museum as they wished.
October Meeting; The next History Group meeting will be on Tuesday 15 th October 2019, in St. Teresa’s Hall at 10:15am. The talk will be about Newark and the Civil War, our speaker will be Tamar Holland.
November Meeting 19 th Nov- Forgotten Authors of Nottinghamshire
December Meeting 17 th Dec – History of Christmas and a Christmas Quiz
Cycling Group
The cycling group has been suspended until Spring . Joyce O’Neill
Swimming Group A small group meets to swim at South Forest swimming pool at varying times and days. Anyone wishing to join us would be most welcome. Please get in touch with either Tamar Holland or Ann Ayodele for details. Tamar
Photography Group. Suspended till the spring but for anyone interested, West Notts Tech, Community Learning Group, are running a digital photography course at the InfoTec Group, Warsop Town Hall. Starting 12th September for 7 weeks. Thursday afternoons 1-3pm, £10 per session, pay as you go. Book a place through Community Learning 01623 413602 or by phoning InfoTec on 01623 846794 Joyce O’Neill
Sherwood U3A Ten Pin Bowling Group. Our members are able to join with Sherwood U3A for Ten Pin Bowling. This group meets on the 4th Monday of the month at 10.00am at the bowling alley in Mansfield. The cost is £4.50 (if you have your own shoes which you can buy at Primark for £3.00). If you need to borrow shoes the cost is £5.00 and it is suggested you take a spare pair of socks for hygiene reasons. Ann.
Golf
This is not a Warsop U3A group, but a couple of us from Warsop U3A enjoy a round of golf, followed by a drink something to eat and a chat with Mansfield U3A. We meet on a regular basis, once a month. If anyone out there would like to know more speak to Jim.
Social Events Christmas Lunch, Thursday 28 November. This has been booked for 29 of us at the Hostess Restaurant and we need to be there for service beginning at 12 noon. The after lunch entertainment will finish at 3 pm. I shall collect the balance of £11.50 due from everyone who hasn't already paid in full at the October general meeting. One member has had to drop out, so there is room for one more person to come. If anyone needs a lift please let me know.
Quiz night, Thursday 5 December. £5.00 Our next quiz will again be held at the Plough, with supper being served at 7pm. I have again requested jacket potatoes as these suit those with various dietary requirements. Meat pies will also be available. If anyone has any other suggestions, please let me know. I shall collect money for this at the October and November meetings.
Jen
Robin Hood Lottery Warsop and District U3A is now a registered cause with the Robin Hood Lottery.
To buy a ticket you can register on line at www.robinhoodlottery.co.uk and set up regular payments. If you buy a ticket every week for a year Warsop U3A will receive £26.
Remember the more members that have a go (specifying Warsop & District U3A) the more money we get for our funds.
Speakers for the main meeting
Meeting date Title Speaker 14 th October Wildlife Photography Barbara Meyer
11 th November Purple Community Fund Jane Walker MBE
th 9 December Christmas Party
13 th January Origins of Jigsaw Puzzles Rosemary Beney
10 th February The Galaxy Julian Onions
9th March The Police Aid Convoy to Zambia Joan Green
If any of our members feel able to give talks at the general meetings please get in touch with me. Jen
Jigsaw Exchange
50p to borrow a jigsaw.
Book Table Please bring along any books you would like to contribute. Anyone can then borrow a book for 50p for as long as they like. Ann.
Raffle
The raffle held at the September meeting raised £44 for U3A funds. A £1 a ticket can be purchased as you arrive. The prizes will be drawn during the meeting. If anyone has any prizes to donate please bring them to any meeting. Thank you.
North Notts Network Group Warsop & District U3A is a member of the NNNG (North Notts Network Group of U3A’s). This means that you as a member of Warsop & District can ask to join an interest group in another U3A that is also in the NNNG. Please note that joining another U3A’s interest group depends on whether there is space in the group. A U3A will give priority to its own members.
Website
The Warsop & District U3A website has gone on line. It can be found at the address below. www.u3asites.org.uk/Warsop
The website is managed by Ervin Devney. [email protected]
Warsop & District U3A now have a Facebook Page. It is a closed group page which can be seen by the public. What this means is that you have to be invited to join the group or have your request to join accepted. To this end I have e-mailed all Warsop U3A members with an invitation to join the Group. Obviously it is your decision whether to Accept or Decline the invite, also you need to be on Facebook which some of you may not be. As a member of the group you will be able to put your own posts on the page, please keep them relevant to the U3A and what it stands for. We would ask that you don't put anything on that is in anyway party political or anything that may be offensive to others who may be of a different creed or religion. Hopefully everyone will join, use the page and find it useful.
Ervin
Data Protection Rules Warsop & District U3A is committed to treating all people equally. Anyone wishing to see the Privacy and Data Protection policies may view them on the Warsop & District U3A website, alternatively please ask Zena or Sylvia.
The deadline for including articles/information in the next newsletter is Tues 5th November 2019. Please send contributions to Chris Shervey before this date.
Email to [email protected] or phone 01623 846128.