CAM, DURSLEY & DISTRICT

Bulletin May 2020

Bulletins are published a few days after each General Meeting - these are normally held at 10.30am on the third Thursday of each month at Dursley Methodist Church. Please try to ensure that anyone not on e-mail is made aware of the contents of this bulletin.

Your Committee: Alan Keith Chair Richard Barlow Treasurer Sue Gibson Secretary Pam Davis Groups Co-ordinator Nigel Dodd Assistant Treasurer Myrtle Moreton-Cox Welfare & Bulletin Carol Green Speaker Secretary Luke Wilson Membership Secretary Linda Bettridge Assistant Groups Co-ordinator

Membership: [email protected] - Chair: [email protected] Website: https://u3asites.org.uk/cam-dursley - Beacon: [email protected] Bulletin: [email protected]

WE SHALL OVERCOME THE VIRUS

Things seem to be moving in the right direction, albeit slowly - we are now allowed out more than once a day and can meet up with one person, not from our own household, as long as it is outside. There was a mad dash to local Garden centres when they re-opened – if only for a change of scenery!

I hope there have been no further cases of the virus amongst our Membership and that the continual cheerful output of jokes and information via the Mag, courtesy of Mike Hadley, is helping to boost the morale of our Members. I also hope the messages from both our Chair and Groups Co-ordinator, together with the poem by 10-year-old Sarah Coates will help to inspire you all. The Telephone Number for help with meals, shopping etc. Is 01453 548530.

Charities - several local Charities are struggling financially and appealing for donations to help them to continue in operation. These include: Allsorts which supports families with disabled children, Hope for Tomorrow – the mobile Chemo unit which operates locally and is seeking nominations for a Grant - and the Jenner Museum. Please see the Articles in this Bulletin.for further information on two of the Charities and how you can vote for Grant funding for the third. Myrtle Moreton-Cox, Welfare & Editor A Message from your Chairman

Firstly, I would like to say a very big thank you to all of you, especially the 356 members who have kept faith with the U3A and given us their continued support by paying their subscription for this year. Unfortunately, as you know, we have had to suspend all social and educational activities until further notice, which, in the light of the Prime Minister's address to the nation is likely to be at least until September. Some groups are, however, managing to continue their activities on-line. Your committee members are also working hard on your behalf with regular monthly on-line meetings. We hope to be able to restore a full programme of activities as soon as we are allowed to, so that, hopefully, you will feel that your membership is still worthwhile. In the meantime, U3A National are still operating and have started organising on-line events for Members e.g. the on-line lectures as communicated by Graham Ellis, and TAM is still being delivered to Members. I would also like to mention our AGM. According to our constitution this should be held in June. Unfortunately, this will not be possible this year so the AGM will take place when it is safe to do so. When the AGM does, finally, take place we will be looking for volunteers for the Committee. In particular, we need people to step forward for the posts of Assistant Treasurers (2) and a Speaker Co-ordinator as both Nigel and Carol will be stepping down. In view of the current situation, Richard Barlow has very kindly agreed to continue in post but will not continue beyond July 2021. Therefore, we will need someone to come forward early next year to be ready to take over as Treasurer at the June 2021 AGM. Please note that without a Treasurer in post the U3A cannot legally continue to operate. Finally, I would just like to say - stay alert and keep safe. Alan Keith, Chairman

News from our Groups We are all missing our many U3A group activities at the moment which is very sad. Some of them, such as trips, walks, theatre visits and many of our other group gatherings, are all out of the question. However, some groups are managing to keep things going in new and imaginative ways, with at least twenty groups actively communicating on a regular basis. Here are the ones I know about, there may be more. Quite a few members, including the Committee, have been learning to use Zoom to hold online meetings. Several book groups, the Acoustic Guitar Group and Writing for Pleasure have all been trying it out. I have heard that the writers’ current topic is ‘ Heroes ‘, which seems very appropriate, and some are entering their work for a competition with the entry fee going to the NHS. A few of us have recently joined Danielle Ellis’ U3A Sourdough Workshop on Zoom which was good fun and when we all manage to get a regular supply of flour we’ll be able to keep practicing. Fresh, homemade bread is delicious! Thanks Danielle. The Wotton Wine Appreciation Group has not let lockdown affect their research. They are using Zoom for online tasting meetings to share their comments and suggestions. Some Book Groups are sharing book lists, reviews and news via email. The French and Spanish groups are all still in full swing using email to send out work sheets and videos. The Spanish group has also made contact with a similar U3A group in Teignmouth and they are sharing ideas on Facebook. Members of John’s French group who are not on email are receiving paper copies of worksheets by post. Thanks John. Members of the Architecture group are sharing power points and photos on-line and the Art Appreciation Group is sharing links to Arts Society lectures and TV Arts programmes. The MOTO group is sharing a wide variety of fun items including poems, videos, photos, news and comments. As result of this it now has an expanding membership which includes members’ friends and neighbours and I have heard of some international interest! Several groups are taking photos. The Craft and Textile group is sharing photos of work they’re doing during lockdown, while the Natural History and local flora groups are sending out photos taken in the area. These are particularly appreciated by members who are unable to leave their homes. There is a WhatsApp group called Badminton Buddies sharing photos, jokes and banter. There are also informal messages of support and news passing between members as we all try to keep in touch. Many thanks to all members who are managing to contact others in any way. We look forward to getting together again for real as soon as it’s safe to do so. By the way, I make no apology for using the word ‘sharing’ repeatedly in this report. That’s what our U3A is all about! Keep Safe! Pam Davis, Groups Co-ordinator

STAY SAFE

No more shaking hands Don’t touch your face Never stand close in a crowded place

A virus is among us, It’s roaming around, It contaminates and does us harm by the simple touch of our hands

Dark days are fast approaching We have to be aware Hygiene is our only shield To this demon who waits out there

Our world is at war now With an enemy that is unseen But we can beat the invader With our hygiene

Don’t be afraid of the monster among us As it will soon be gone Back to the place it belongs

Sent by Sarah Coates aged 10 to her Grandma, Rosemary Canning Such talent and wisdom from one so young! Amen to the last verse!

HELP REQUESTED

Several U3A members are also members of the Dursley & Cam Society, and we might be able to help out with the following research.

Does anyone remember the red material from local mills drying on racks in our locality, or have seen any pictures of that from earlier centuries? This is assumed to be the Stroudwater Scarlet that the area is famous for. Any recollections or photographs will be welcome.

There is a well-known painting of the hills around Stroud being festooned in red, but this search is specifically for the Dursley and Cam area, with the names of Rack Field which is now Sainsburys' car park, and Rackleaze, the wetland area behind Tesco, having a history of being used for this purpose.

Any information please to: [email protected] Fairy Tale in 2020 - Red Riding Hood

Red tied her hood under her chin. She probably didn’t need it on this lovely spring morning but, as mum said, it would be a lot cooler in the shady woods. She picked up the basket by the door. “Bye, mum,” she called as she opened the front door. “Take care, love,” said her mum as she came through from the kitchen, wiping her floury hands on her flowery apron. “Stick to the path. Only step off the path briefly if you see someone coming the other way. Keep your distance.” “I will, don’t worry,” smiled Red. “Say hi to Grannie for me. Ask her if there is anything else she needs.” Red set off, glad to be outside. She was getting fed up, cooped up indoors for most of the day. She was even missing school. She hadn’t gone far when she caught sight of a figure on the path up ahead. She approached cautiously, ready to step off the path if necessary. As she got closer she realised it was a policeman. It wasn’t the local ‘bobby’, she didn’t recognise him. “Hello miss,” he said as she got nearer, “and where are you off to this fine spring day?” “I’m visiting my grannie at the edge of the wood. She’s over 70 and can’t go out to get her shopping so I have a basket of food for her.” “Let’s have a look what you’ve got in that basket then,” said the policeman suspiciously. Red held out the basket towards him, trying to keep 2 metres between them. He stretched out a hand and lifted the cloth cover. In the basket was a freshly baked loaf, some homemade cookies, eggs from Red’s hens and two toilet rolls. “OK then, on your way young lady, then straight back home. No meeting up with your pals.” He stepped back to allow her to pass. As if she would meet up with anyone. Red had listened to all the advice and was determined to keep herself and her family safe. Eventually she arrived at Grannie’s cottage. She placed the basket on the step and knocked on the door, stepping well back before the door opened. “Hello, sweetie,” said Grannie, opening the door a crack. “Thank you so much. I’m down to my last crust, and I do love your mum’s baking. How are you both?” “We’re fine, Grannie. Don’t worry about us. You look well.” “I’m grand, here on my own. I don’t have any visitors except you, and while it is a bit lonely I know it’s for the best and we will soon have our family get togethers again. I’ll even be able to go to my bridge club again.” “Mum says is there anything else you need?” “Actually, next time you come I’d love a jar of your mum’s homemade jam, and maybe a couple of apples if you have any left from last autumn, please.” With that Grannie turned and went back into the cottage to empty the basket. Red sat on an old tree stump to wait. Little did she know that a sly old wolf had been watching the whole time. He now approached her, getting a little too close for comfort. “Hello, little girl. What are you doing sat here all alone?” he said, licking his lips. “I’m just waiting for ….” Red began, but broke off in a fit of coughing. “I’m so sorry. I have just started this awful cough, and now I’ve got a headache too. I feel so hot.” The wolf didn’t wait around to listen. He shot off through the trees with his tail between his legs. Grannie appeared at the door again. “Here’s your basket, Red. Did I hear you talking to someone?” “Nothing for you to worry about, Grannie. Make sure you wash your hands when you go back in.” “I will. Thanks, sweetie. See you again soon. Love you,” Grannie blew Red a kiss and waved as she watched her walk back down the path. Red smiled as she skipped along the path back home. She had fooled that nasty old wolf, had a lovely walk in the fresh air, ‘caring for the elderly’, and still had her hour’s exercise to use up. Perhaps she and her mum could go to see the bluebells, they should be just about out by now. Grannie was well and they would get through this. The Lockdown version by Carol Barton – Writing for Pleasure Group

From the Standing Orders of St Thomas’s Hospital 1699 - 1752

RULES FOR NURSES & OTHER MEMBERS OF THE HOSPITAL

1 No Person shall be received into the House who is visited, or suspected to be visited, with the Plague, Itch, Scald-Head or other Infectious diseases, and if any such be taken in, then to be discharged as soon as discovered.

2 Patients shall not Swear, not take God’s Name in vain, nor revile, nor miscall one another, nor strike or beat another, nor steal Meat or Drink, Apparel, or other thing, one from the other.

3 Patients shall not abuse themselves by inordinate Drinking, nor incontinent Living, nor talk, nor act Immodestly upon pain of expulsion: and when they go to or return from the Meals and Beas, they shall crave God’s Blessing and return Thanks to God.

4 No drink shall be brought in and sold to Patients except by the Physician’s and Surgeon’s Licence.

5 No Patient with the Foul disease shall go out of his Ward, nor come into the House to fetch anything, nor within Chapel, nor sit upon the seats in the Courtyards, upon pain of Expulsion.

6 None of the Women shall go into the Men’s Wards, nor the Men into the Women’s Wards, without Licence, upon pain of Expulsion.

7 The Sisters shall clean the Wards by Six a.m.

8 Every tenth bed is to be left empty to air and not more than one patient is to be put into each bed.

9 The Sisters shall see that no Card Play or Dicing takes place in the House.

10 If any of the Sisters shall disorder themselves by brawling with one another, or other misdemeanour, she is to be removed her Ward and subsequently discharged the House for ever.

11 Old sheets shall be washed and given the Surgeons for Dressings.

12 No Surgeon shall suffer his Servant to perform any Operation; dilate or cut open Imposthumes, or Sinuous Ulcers, except the Master of such Servant be present, and direct the same.

13 No Dead body shall be opened, Dissected or Dismembered without leave from the Treasurer, or Steward in the Absence of the Treasurer.

14 The Sexton shall keep the Chapel and yards clean and make graves six feet deep, six feet long and three feet wide at eighteen pence each. Provided by Valerie Moores

HEROES My Grandad is very, very, very old. He is my Dad’s Dad. My Dad is quite old, so you can see that Grandad’s ancient. I’m not sure exactly how old he is but he must be a lot more than a hundred. A long time ago when I was small, he had his own house with my Granny and they had a garden and a dog and everything. Granny died when I was a baby, so I can’t remember anything about her, but I’ve seen pictures and she seems very nice. There are some photos of their dog Toby and he looks lovely - a Labrador with a sticky-out tongue.

Grandad started having accidents like leaving the cooker on and falling downstairs, so he sold his house and moved to Sunny Pines where there are people to look after him. We go to visit on Sunday mornings. It used to be me, Maisie, Mum and Dad, but Maisie does other stuff on Sunday now and Mum has to get the dinner ready, so it’s usually just me and Dad. Sunny Pines is similar to a school. There are people who work there and they are a bit like teachers. Some of the people who live there are a lot like children, but not Grandad. He’s just very old, but still a proper Grandad. In some ways it’s not like a school at all because the teachers at my school would never feed you your dinner or wash your face, but it does smell like school. My Dad thinks Grandad goes on a bit and talks rubbish, but I like listening to his stories. Usually, after we’ve been at Sunny Pines for about half an hour, Dad goes outside for a smoke. He walks up and down the path outside the window with a cigarette in one hand and his mobile phone in the other and he laughs a lot. This week, Grandad opened his bedside drawer and got his medals out to show me. There are five of them, each on a different coloured ribbon. Grandad said that each of them has a story to it, but when I asked him to tell me the stories he said they were best left untold. I know that medals are awarded to brave people. They give them to heroes. I told Grandad that he must be a hero and he got as close to angry as I have ever seen him. “Just a bloke doing a job. No other choice” he snapped. “If you ask a bunch of squaddies or firemen, nurses or lifeboat crews ‘Which one of you is a hero?’ you won’t get an answer. They’re all just people doing a job as best as they can. Don’t really have a choice. If that makes a hero, then we’re all heroes.” He soon calmed down and added “You can see that Batman and Captain America are Superheroes. You’d never spot a real hero in a crowd. By Dave Wilkinson - Writing for Pleasure Group

WITH APOLOGIES TO WORDSWORTH

I wandered lonely as a cloud Two metres from the madding crowd When all at once my name was called To enter Waitrose hallowed hall.

This was the pensioners’ special hour. I’d gone to get a bag of flour. But I forgot, when through the door, What I had gone to Waitrose for.

The Waitrose staff are extra kind. I told them it had slipped my mind. They asked what else I had forgot They clearly thought I’d lost the plot.

I phoned my wife again to ask. She reminded me of this special task: “I need some flour to bake a cake with all that cream you made me take.”

“Ah yes I recall” I had to lie. I dared not ask what flower to buy But then I saw them next the tills - a bunch of golden daffodils!

Anonymous – provided by Valerie Moores

Dr Edward Jenner, FRS, FRCPE, FLS - an extraordinary man

Acknowledgements to: The Jenner Trust, Berkeley, the publication Angel of Death by Professor Gareth Williams, Wikipedia, and other internet searches, some of which were contradictory!

May 2020 is the 40th anniversary of the World Health Assembly’s ratification of the declaration that smallpox had been eradicated from the world after a global campaign.

By 1980 people had become accustomed to vaccination and were more concerned with other illnesses, but at the peak of smallpox from the Middle Ages to the end of the nineteenth century it regularly killed people in their millions. In the twentieth century alone smallpox killed 300 million people and even in the 1960s, it caused 2.5 million deaths worldwide every year. This is not the place for some comparisons with COVID-19, but there are many.

The story of a country doctor from rural Gloucestershire who became known as the father of vaccination is already well known to members living this close to Berkeley, as Dr Edward Jenner was an exceptional man and one of our more famous local historical residents. A few years ago, Dr Jenner was named in a BBC list of the 100 Greatest Britons.

Born in May 1749, Edward Jenner was the eighth of nine children of the vicar of Berkeley. Both of his parents died when he was five. He was educated at Katherine Lady Berkeley’s School in Wotton-Under-Edge. After medical apprenticeships in Chipping Sodbury and with John Hunter at St George’s Hospital in London he returned to Berkeley in 1773 as a family practitioner and surgeon. Smallpox was misunderstood; although bacteria were visible under a microscope, viruses were not, until the invention of the electron microscope in 1931.

Jenner was by no means the first to try out vaccination, but his detailed research, testing and science-based approach meant that it was eventually accepted and arguably became one of the greatest medical coups of all time. To put it into context, this was in and around the period of The French Revolution and the American Revolution.

Edward Jenner spent his life making remarkable discoveries, driven by an intense curiosity about how everything worked and a desire to make the world a better place.

Jenner had an extraordinary number of interests including Zoology. By 1789 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, the greatest honour that could be given to a scientist, for his careful study into cuckoos, which caused Charles Darwin to revise a later edition of his work “On the Origin of Species”. Other significant papers were presented by Jenner, for example “Observations on the Migration of Birds”. Research was carried out into toads, snakes, and notably, the hibernation of hedgehogs. He undertook detailed research into the effects of varieties of manure on various plants and trees. Other varied interests included geology and poetry. Jenner was certainly not a “simple” country doctor.

Jenner was a member of various local medical societies, one of which met regularly at the Ship Inn at Alveston, and another at the Fleece Inn at Rodborough.

Hydrogen ballooning was yet another of Jenner’s interests, an activity in which he was supported by the 5th Earl of Berkeley. The interest was piqued by the first flights in France by the Montgolfier brothers and by similar attempts in England. Helped by a fellow enthusiast, Jenner launched his own balloon from the courtyard of Berkeley Castle. It flew ten miles north east and landed in a field at Kingscote. This is rumoured to be where he met Catherine Kingscote, who later became his wife. The balloon was relaunched and drifted north along the line of the hills for a further fourteen miles, coming down to land on the escarpment at Birdlip near to the New Inn. This establishment was subsequently renamed the Air Balloon Inn “to commemorate the famous balloon flight by Edward Jenner which ended close to this building on 2nd September 1784”.

Pictured is a recreation of the take-off from Berkeley Castle’s Inner Bailey by Exclusive Ballooning of Berkeley in 2019. (Photo courtesy of VisitBristol.co.uk)

It has been said that Jenner’s achievement was acknowledged more readily outside Britain as he was not a recognised member of the medical establishment, but in 1821 Jenner was appointed physician extraordinary to King George IV. He also became Mayor of Berkeley and was a Justice of the Peace. He died from a stroke in 1823.

Jenner is recognised the world over, including the statue first placed in Trafalgar Square, unveiled by Albert, Prince Consort, in 1858 and now in Kensington Gardens. Coins and medals have been issued in his honour. He is also recognised in Japan by a sculpture in the Tokyo National Museum. The lunar crater Jenner is named in his honour.

When the world leading London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine’s new headquarters was constructed in 1926, Jenner’s name was featured as a pioneer on the frieze of the building.

Jenner’s far-fetched dream was that vaccination would result in the annihilation of smallpox. He would have been gratified by the success of the global eradication campaign, but he would probably have been dumbfounded to know that this would become one of the most valuable transferable technologies in the whole of medicine, becoming the science of immunology.

Dr Jenner’s House, Museum and Garden, Berkeley. www.jennermuseum.com

If you wish to help the Museum to weather the current storm and build a strong platform for recovery please visit : https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/drjennershouse By Valerie Moores

£1,000 could make a big difference to the work we do, It would pay to keep one unit on the road for a week and allow up to 100 patients That’s why we’d be really grateful if you could nominate us in the Ecclesiastical Movement for Good awards. Your nomination could be the one that wins us £1,000.

The awards are designed to give eligible charities in the UK and Republic of Ireland the financial assistance they need to help them make a real difference. In total, 500 charities stand to gain £1,000 and we’d love to be one of them.

It’s quick and easy to nominate us, click ‘nominate now’ and enter our details. Our Charity Number is 1094677.

The closing date for nominations is Sunday 24 May 2020.

The more nominations we get, the greater our chance of winning, so please spread the word to your friends and family.

Thank you in advance for your time and support.

Nominate Now

Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Hope for Tomorrow Kingscote Priory Park London Road Tetbury GL8 8HZ

Our Vision

Gloucestershire is an inclusive community in which families with disabled children and children with additional needs feel supported, included and able to contribute.

Our Values

Everyday Fun

Everyone in our communities can have fun. We don’t make a song and dance about what we do – we keep things simple and ‘everyday’. We want families to feel that Allsorts is easy to join in with, and to know that everywhere Allsorts is, fun will follow.

Creating Positive Opportunities

Allsorts is positive about disability and the opportunities there are for children with additional needs to have fun and try new things. We look for positive opportunities for work and life skills for our older members. We’re creative with the things we do, changing all the time to develop new opportunities.

Families Leading the Way

Families are at the centre of Allsorts. The Allsorts team exists to make what families want happen.

Hearing Young Voices

Allsorts is an environment where young voices are listened to. Those voices guide our approach and how we work with partners and the community.

Our Goals

We want to help families to do three things:

• Forge friendships • Try new things • Reduce Isolation

These are the things we measure ourselves against to make sure we are achieving what families want from us.

Tel: 01453 750474 Email: [email protected]

Aren’t you glad that you don’t live in the USA?

Acknowledgement: The Daily Telegraph, April 2020

YOUR PERSONAL DATA - It is important that your details are correct and up to date If there have been any changes, or if you wish to ensure that your details are correct, you can access your personal details by clicking here MemberLink or through the ‘Membership’ page of our website: You will need to enter your membership number, your real forename and postcode with a space in the middle e.g. GL11 7ZZ. You will receive a confirmatory email. If you encounter any difficulties in using this facility, please get in touch via email to Membership Secretary so your database entries can be checked. Many thanks. * * *