U3A - Area University of the Third Age Registered Charity No: 1049254

Newsletter ~ February 2020

Picture by Philip Cakebread Printed by Chipstead Services

CONTENTS OPEN MEETINGS

2 … FROM THE CHAIR Meetings are held at The Banstead Community Hall

2 … ALISON’S CORNER Park Road, BANSTEAD SM7 3AJ

3 … . GROUPS SEEKING ADDITIONAL Meetings start PROMPTLY at 2.30 pm MEMBERS (So please come early!) 3 … All About Jazz

3 …. Family History 3 …. Local Walks. DIARY DATES th 3 …. Naval / Military History Open Meeting Wednesday 15 April 2020 3 …. Sketching Odette Ellicott Lecture. 4 …. Science & Technology Mandy Rice Davies. 4 …. Society Today Speaker Terry Johnson This event is members only. Membership Card

required. No guests or visitors 4 … NEW GROUPS. 4 … Mah-jong for Beginners **** 4 … Explore London 4. th Wednesday 6 May 2020 4 … GROUP UPDATES. Banstead Arts Festival 4 … Wild Flower Walks Landscapes of . Speaker. Dr Stuart Downward. Talk starts 7.30 pm 5 … QUIZ

**** 5 … PREVIOUS OPEN MEETINGS. th 5 … Annual General Meeting Open Meeting Wednesday 10 June 2020 6 ... Around the World in 80 Gardens Tommy Cooper. 6 … Christmas Drop-In Speaker - John Field 6 … Songs of the Seas. **** 6… FUTURE OPEN MEETINGS / EVENTS Saturday 4th July 2020 6 … Odette Ellicott Lecture Banstead Village Day 6 … Banstead Arts Festival. 10.00 am – 3.00 pm 7 … Tommy Cooper 7 … Banstead Village Day. **** 7 … Cakes to Computers Open Meeting. Wednesday 15th July 2020 7 … Open House Cakes to Computers. 7 … Annual General Meeting Speaker. Mike Fox

8 … ANSWERS TO QUIZ. Open House. Wednesday 16th September 2020

Information event for Members and the public 8 … LOOKING BEYOND BANSTEAD

Open Meeting. Wednesday14th October 2020 8 … SUTTON, EPSOM & BANSTEAD Annual General Meeting U3As

Joint Science Talks For more information and updates visit

our website: https://u3asites.org/banstead/home 9 … SURREY NETWORK STUDY DAYS

FROM THE CHAIR

I’m sure that I am not alone in finding that Christmas and New Year celebrations fade very quickly from memory as the new year pushes its way forward. January was a very busy month for group leaders and the Committee. We seem to be continuing at last year’s brisk pace. Our final 2019 Open Event was the Christmas Drop-In which was, unfortunately, not well attended. Those 70 or so members who did manage to drop-in enjoyed it. However, it’s clear that December, is just too busy for our members with many festivity dates clashing with one another. I have been told that some of our groups have also given-up on December and are now holding their “Christmas Get-togethers” in January. We will not run the Christmas Drop-In this year and will consider any alternative event that may better suit the membership. If any of you have any ideas, please let me know.

We need a volunteer to act as the liaison person between us, Banstead U3A, and the Banstead Community Association who manage and maintain the Banstead Community Hall premises. Banstead U3A is a significant user of these premises and we are fortunate to have access to them. We need one of our members to join the Banstead Community Association Council, on our behalf. There are 4 evening meetings a year in Banstead. I have asked for someone to come forward and volunteer on many occasions and it is disappointing that out of our 700+ members in our U3A nobody has come forward. I make this request again and ask that you contact me if you are willing to give it a try.

It is with great sadness that I announce the death of Alan Pryce. Alan had been the Banstead Area U3A “Independent Examiner” for a number of years. Organisations as ours are required to have their accounts and financial documents checked by an Independent Examiner, which Alan did, working closely with our Treasurer, Robert Lowes. Alan was probably best known by those groups who undertake walks and table tennis. He was a keen walker and thoroughly enjoyed being outside. He was a highly gregarious man who never allowed his profound deafness to inhibit him from taking an active part in group activities, or from volunteering to help our Committee. He will be missed. We need to find a new Independent Examiner and would love to hear from any member with a financial background who would be willing to help.

It’s coming up to that time again, Banstead Arts Festival when once again we are sponsoring an event which this year is organised in-house by a couple of Group Leaders, Noreen Siba aided and abetted by Peter Wakeham. It’s titled the Landscapes of Surrey,– Understanding the formation & diversity of Surrey’s countryside. We are very fortunate to have it presented by Dr Stuart Downward, Associate Professor of Geography and Environment, Kingston University. Other agencies who manage Surrey’s land and its wildlife will also be represented. Please see a copy of the poster on the last page.

All events organised by the Committee running from now until October are listed in this Newsletter. If you see something that you particularly want to attend, it’s worth noting it in your diary even if it’s months ahead. These events have been organised for the membership and it is a pity to miss out because the event was “forgotten”. Gill Ross [email protected]

ALISONS CORNER

We held a breakfast for group leaders recently. It was good to see so many, and illuminating to realise the range and number of fascinating topics delivered by them on behalf of Banstead U3A. We are most grateful to them.

If anyone has an idea for a new group they would like to offer, we can help in various ways, either from within Banstead or reaching out to the Third Age Trust for advice. So do please talk to me if you have a good idea.

- 2 - Anyone currently on a wait list for a popular group do let me know. We can start a new group by either running it in a similar way to the existing group, or by varying it in some way - maybe on a different day or different meeting place or the way it is lead. I have had requests from members interested in Creative Writing and Singing for pleasure - but not enough to form a group.

All best wishes for happy learning in 2020. Alison Gaitonde 01737 351782

GROUPS LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL MEMBERS

All About Jazz - Covering the main figures in jazz. Contact Brian Johnson 01737 361428

Looking for new members. Meets 2nd Tuesday in Banstead Community Hall at 2pm. Next meeting: March 10th. We aim to introduce people who might not have had too much previous exposure, but may have heard one or two tunes that they really like into the delights of Jazz - so why not come along and have a look, a warm welcome will be extended to all.

Sessions usually take the form of a talk (video sometimes) about one of the main figures in Jazz with examples of their music, followed by a short discussion. Previous subjects have included Ella Fitzgerald, Tommy Dorsey, Billie Holiday and Benny Goodman.

Family History Group For more details contact group leader John Court 020 8286 3336

We meet in the Mead Room, Banstead Community Hall 2pm monthly on 2nd Thursday. New members always welcome, or just drop in for one or two meetings. If you just want guidance on how to trace your family and relatives then just pop in for a few meetings, we are a friendly bunch willing to share our expertise.

Local Walking Local walks lasting between an hour and an hour and a half at a gentle pace.

Suitable for people who would like to take a little walk in the company of friends, but do not feel they are up to striding along with the other walking groups. Walks start at 10.00am. Just turn up on the day or contact Roger Findlay [email protected] - see our website for walks for more details.

Next walks:

16 Mar 2020 - Meet at the bottom of Holly Lane West and walk across Park Down

30 Mar 2020 - Meet at the bottom of Holly Lane West and walk across the fields

Naval / Military History – Meets the last Monday of the month. For more information and to check meeting dates call Mike Fox on 01737 350452.

New members always welcome. See our website for more details. Our discussions cover all areas and talks have ranged in time from the Battles of Alexander the Great to World War 2 and even to the future with a presentation by a serving officer on the Royal Navy's plans for its next generation of aircraft carriers. The group would welcome new members, please contact Mike Fox to confirm details of the next meetings date and topic.

Sketching: This newly formed group would welcome more members. Meets 2nd and 4th Thursday each month from 10-12am in Walton-on-the-Hill. Our intention is to identify a place or subject on each occasion when we take our pads and pencils and each of us identify what takes our fancy to sketch.

If you are interested, please call Roger Ponsford 01737 814396

- 3 - Science & Technology - Meets in the Mead Room at 2.30pm on the 4th Wednesday of every month. The current membership has a broad spectrum including non-scientific members. Contact Roger Findlay - see our website for more details.

Society Today - Looking for new members. Meeting third Thursday at 2.30pm in the Mead Room, Banstead Community Hall. We discuss life today. For more information contact Alison Gaitonde 01737 351782.

NEW GROUPS

Mah-jong for beginners. Alternate Friday afternoons in Purley. Looking for new members, plenty of spaces - contact Gloria Stein on 020 8645 0375.

Explore London 4. 3rd Thursday monthly. All day

This is a new group and is the fourth Explore London group for Banstead U3A.

This group meet monthly and, like the other 3 Explore London groups, each member takes a turn leading a walk around their chosen specific area. The group members are generally paired into Buddies and work in twos. Some chose to work singly. Together using books and the internet they compile a walk which is generally not lengthy in mileage but is high in interest. Most members start off very nervously, but they have the support of the rest of the group who are all “in the same boat”. Advice is given as to which books to use or websites to access. These usually become very sociable groups with the lunch location being nearly as important as the walk itself! This new group is up and running but another 5 members would help it along. For more details contact Amanda Tilley 07988138134

GROUP UPDATES

WILD FLOWER WALKS 2020 Date Venue

Wednesday 29th April Banstead Woods for spring flowers. Meet 10.00am at the Holly Lane car park. Wednesday 13th May Ranmore Common/Denbies Hillside. Meet 10.00am at the NT Denbies Hillside car park off Ranmore Common Road. Parking free for NT members. Wednesday 27th May . Meet 10.00am at the NT car park at the end of Margery Lane. Parking free for NT members. Note: access to Margery Lane is from the A217 heading north. Wednesday 10th June Howell Hill, Ewell. For orchids and Small Blue butterflies. Meet 10.00am at St. Paul’s Church at the end of Northey Avenue. Wednesday 24th June Epsom Common. Meet 10.00am at the car park off Christ Church Road/B280. Wednesday 8th July for chalk downland plants. Meet 10.00am by the footpath in Commonfield Road leading to the Downs Wednesday 22nd July Walton Downs for Juniper and other chalk downland plants. Meet 10.00am at the car park within Epsom Downs Racecourse, accessed via the internal perimeter road. Wednesday 5th August Headley Heath. Meet 10.00am at the NT car park opposite the cricket pitch in Headley Common Road. Parking free for NT members.

There may be wet or uneven ground, appropriate footwear should be worn. See U3A website for maps showing meeting points. Please bring U3A membership card to your first meeting. Peter Wakeham (020 8642 3002).

- 4 - QUIZ.

1. Which ancestor of Noah is also the name of an oversized Champagne bottle that holds six litres?

2. Which Apollo 11 astronaut did not set foot on the moon?

3. FC Liverpool's signature song 'You'll Never Walk Alone' stems from which musical?

4. Which cocktail, named after a city, was invented by the Raffles Hotel barkeeper Ngiam Tong Boon in 1915?

5. Spats Columbo is the bad guy in which popular black and white film?

6. Which James Bond theme song that starts with the words "Meeting you" was the only 007 theme song to reach number one in the US charts?

7. Mariposa, Motyl, Farfalla, Borboleta, Papillon and Sommerfugl are all European words for what?

8. What kind of orange is used to flavour Earl Grey tea?

9. According to legend, which man rode horses named Llamrei, Hengroen and Passelande?

10. What is the Greek word for fire?

PREVIOUS OPEN MEETINGS

Wednesday 16th October 2019, Banstead Community Hall - Annual General Meeting.

Thank you to all the members who attended our Annual General Meeting. It was good to have such a large number make the effort to come along and take part in the running of the business of our U3A. The following members were re-elected onto the Committee:

Gill Ross, Janice Bridger, Dee Brodie, Robin Brodie, Alison Gaitonde, Robert Lowes, Doreen Oliphant, David Rowles and Paul Williams.

Three members who were co-opted on to the committee during the year: Helen Bertels, Anne Edney and Roger Strong were also elected onto the Committee.

Two proposals were explained and discussed in some detail:

The first being to cease the “Associate Membership” category of membership which was agreed unanimously;

The second was to ratify the policy of U3A Banstead that only its own fully paid up members may attend its groups or member meetings. This proposal, was carried with two group leaders wanting it to be noted that they disagreed with the policy of not allowing members of other U3As to attend U3A Banstead groups and meetings. They asked that the committee reconsider this decision. The Committee will discuss this request and report back.

After the close of business, volunteer member Peter Wakeham gave a demonstration and explanation of Banstead U3As website which he designed on behalf of our U3A. This presentation was very well received and it became obvious that many members were surprised at the amount of information available to them which Peter hopes that Group Leaders will add to over time.

Website address https://u3asites.org/banstead/home

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Monday 18th November 2019. Banstead Community Hall, Around the World in 80 Gardens.

Speaker Colin Jones Colin Jones is a highly accomplished speaker who certainly knows his gardens. He took us around the world with pictures of plants, gardens and trees from every continent. This was a particularly well supported talk having attracted many paying guests from the various local horticultural organisations.

Wednesday 4th December 2019 Banstead Community Hall Christmas Drop-in. 2-4pm

See Chairman’s Address.

Wednesday 15th January 2020 Banstead Community Hall Songs of the Seas Speaker Steve Poole

Steve is a guitarist and musician who provided a musical presentation about the Jubilee Sailing Trust charity, which takes mixed crews of disabled and able-bodied people of all ages and backgrounds on tall ship sailing adventures on board its two specially designed vessels being the Tenacious and Lord Nelson. Steve explained how the voyages were organized and how they functioned. He showed pictures of the two ships in full sail and of people in wheelchairs being “hoisted” up the masts. Blind or partially sighted people can also take the wheel and steer the ship using and audio instruction system. He explained the meaning of some sea shanties and had the audience join in and sing a few choruses.

U3A FUTURE OPEN MEETINGS/EVENTS

Wednesday 15th April 2020. Banstead Community Hall. The Odette Ellicott Lecture Subject: Mandy Rice Davies Speaker: Terry Johnson

Terry Johnson is a retired Metropolitan Police Superintendent. He returns for a second year by popular request. He will follow up on last year’s talk about the Profumo Affair and Christine Keeler, with a talk about Mandy Rice Davies. Terry is an excellent speaker with a lot of first-hand experience in the Metropolitan Police service.

Odette Ellicott was a founder member and benefactor of our U3A, and this special annual event is held to recognise her contribution. This event is for Banstead U3A members only – no visitors.

Wednesday 6th May 2020. Banstead Community Hall. Banstead Arts Festival [BAF] 7.30 pm. U3A Banstead Area presents Landscapes of Surrey

– Understanding the formation & diversity of Surrey’s countryside – A presentation by Dr Stuart Downward, Associate Professor of Geography and Environment, Kingston University

We are lucky living in such a varied and picturesque part of the world. But why is it so varied? What lies beneath to bring about this variation? How do different landscapes impact on us and our local flora and fauna? This event is for the curious with an interest in Surrey’s outdoors.

Tickets £7 each. See last page of this newsletter for full details.

- 6 - Wednesday 10th June 2020 Banstead Community Hall Tommy Cooper Speaker John Field

John Field’s passion in life is magic and he has been performing as a magician for almost 50 years. He is a member of the world-famous Magic Circle and within that club has been elevated to the rank of Associate Member of The Inner Magic Circle with Silver Star. This accreditation is only held by about 350 magicians worldwide.

John is an experienced speaker and his subject today is Tommy Cooper. This ungainly, tall, ugly, incompetent magician only had to stand on stage and the public would laugh. As soon as he chuckled, shrugged his shoulders, coughed or did a stage shimmy the audience was his. Even now his shows are repeated on television to large audiences who cannot help laughing at his antics. What was he really like and what led him to this successful formula? Hear John’s talk on Tommy to find out.

Saturday 4th July 2020. The Orchard, Banstead High Street. Banstead Village Day 10.30am – 3.00 pm

Banstead U3A, along with many other local organisations, will have a stand at this event. The Mayor opens the event at 10.30. There’s a variety of local groups taking part with chance to buy jam and cakes and plants. It’s a lively event. Come along and say “hello” to us.

Wednesday 15th July 2020 Banstead Community Hall Cakes to Computers. Speaker Mike Fox

Mike needs no formal introduction being not only our Group Leader for Military History, but also the Military History subject Advisor for the Third Age Trust responding to questions from U3A’s located throughout the country.

In the early 1950’s Joe Lyons, a British manufacturer and purveyor of tea cakes, believed that their business could be helped by computers. This was a revolutionary idea as at that time computers were the preserve of Universities and scientists. This talk will explain how the first ever computer designed specifically for commercial data processing was conceived and created in Great Britain.

The talk will be given by Mike Fox who himself worked on one of the later developments of this pioneering machine.

Wednesday 16th September 2020 Banstead Community Hall Open House. 2:00 pm start

This is our annual event when we promote and provide information about our U3A and particularly about our various interest groups. It is open to the public and U3A members who can come along and find out first- hand what the groups do or how the U3A functions. Group Leaders host “stands” and are either able to recruit new members to their group or gather a waiting list for their future use or pass on the list to the Groups Co- ordinator to set-up a second group. This is a very sociable event with members taking the opportunity to meet and catch up with each other.

Wednesday 14th October 2020, Banstead Community Hall - Annual General Meeting

All members are invited to attend, and the relevant documents and detailed information will appear in the next Newsletter. This is an opportunity for members to meet the Committee and to hear a summary of the previous year’s activities as well as plans for Banstead Area U3A.

- 7 - QUIZ ANSWERS

1. Methuselah. 2. Michael Collins. 3. Rogers and Hammerstein's 'Carousel'. 4. Singapore Sling. 5. Some Like It Hot. 6. A View To A Kill (Duran Duran). 7. Butterfly. Mariposa (Spanish), Motyl (Polish), Farfalla (Italian), Borboleta (Portugese), Papillon (French), Sommerfugl (Danish). 8. Bergamot Orange. 9. King Arthur. 10. Pyro.

LOOKING BEYOND BANSTEAD

THE JOINT LOCAL U3A SCIENCE LECTURES

PLEASE NOTE NEW LOCATION: SUTTON BAPTIST CHURCH, CHEAM ROAD

This is on the Cheam Road almost opposite Trinity Church and the Civic Centre.

Sutton Baptist Church, 21 Cheam Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 1SN Website www.suttonchurch.org.uk.

These talks are for members of Banstead, Sutton and Epsom & Ewell U3As and are free to Banstead members. Talks begin at 2:00 pm and are usually held monthly on the Second Wednesday - please show U3A membership cards.

The talks, on science subjects, will be on research topics and given by university speakers and knowledgeable U3A members. The forthcoming programme is:

11th March 2020: David Fishwick, on Astronomy

13th May 2020: Bernie Cohen, on The Trouble with Easter

10th June 2020: Jelena Bekvalac, on Osteological dating in Archeology

8th July 2020: Martin Eales, on Geology

9th September 2020: Tony Brewis, on Water the Weirdo

14th October 2020: Dr Colin Forsyth from the Mullard Space Lab

11th November 2020: to be confirmed

Please note: • the programme may be subject to change; • no refreshments. • no parking is available on the site. • nearest parking is the multi-storey Gibson Road car park; • nearest railway station is Sutton.

The Church is on the following bus routes: 80, 151, 164, 213, 280, 407, 413, 470, 613, 627, S1, S3, S4. Contact Alison Gaitonde 01737 351782

- 8 - SURREY U3A NETWORK STUDY DAYS 2020

Astronomy - Moons of Solar System & Debunking Moon Landings Controversy Presented by David Fishwick & Graham Bryant Fri Feb 21st Places are available

Geography & Landscapes of South East Presented by Dr Geoffrey Mead, Sussex University Fri Mar 20th Booking opened on Thursday 9 January and places are available. A change of study day subject was necessary as the Results of Research on Food & Nutrition by Professor Susan Lanham-New, University of Surrey has been postponed.

The Most Famous Pharaoh of Them All: Tutankhamun, the Boy King Fri Apr 17th Presented by Clive Barham Carter Places are available

The Development of British Style. Fri May 15th Presented by Paul Atterbury, Antiques Road Show Places are available

Understanding Turner - The Man, His Life & His Work Fri Jun 19th Presented by Maria Chester Places are available

The Art and Objects of the Mughal Emperors, from Akbar to Shah Jahan. Fri Sep 18th Presented by Ursula Weekes Booking opens on 1 June

Planned study day on Industrial Archaeology Fri Oct 16th Presented by Professor David Perrett Booking opens on 1 June

The Art of Drawing Fri Nov 20th Presented by Colin Wiggins Booking opens on 1 June

All Study Days take place at the Menuhin Hall, The Yehudi Menuhin School, Stoke d’Abernon, KT11 3QQ and cost £10 for members and £12 non-members. Coffees and teas are provided. Bring your own lunch. Times are 9:30 am - 4 pm. There are plenty of car parking spaces. Applications and SAE to John Kennedy, 20 Greville Park Road, Ashtead KT21 2QT, [email protected], 01372 273561

Deadline for July 2020 Newsletter with articles to Gill Ross by email is 7th June 2020 (send to [email protected]) or by post 25th May 2020 (send to 5 Harpurs Surrey KT20 5UD)

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U3A Banstead Area presents

Landscapes of Surrey

– Understanding the formation & diversity of Surrey’s countryside –

A presentation by Dr Stuart Downward, Associate Professor of Geography and Environment, Kingston University

Wednesday 6th May 2020 - 7.30pm

Banstead Community Hall, Park Road SM7 3AJ (free on-site parking)

Dr Downward will illustrate his talk with photographs of our varied and beautiful Surrey landscapes, including chalk downland, heathland, ancient woodland and rivers

There will also be stands displaying local environmental initiatives and U3A activities

National Trust - Surrey Hills Society - Downlands Trust

Tickets £7 from Banstead Library, at the door, or at www.bansteadarts.co.uk Tea/coffee/soft drinks and biscuits will be served in the interval

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