Newsletter Registered Charity No: 515733 February 2020 Tynedale

Learn, laugh and live. Meet people, learn new skills and have fun.

Monthly Meeting Tuesday February 4th 2020

The Great North Air Ambulance

he GNAA provides air ambulance services across T the North-East, Cumbria and North Yorkshire and is entirely funded by charity. The bases at Langwathby, Teesside International Airport and Newcastle International Airport support three helicopters.

The charity’s roots go back to 1991, when the Great North Air Ambulance Service Appeal was launched with the aim of providing the North East of ’s first helicopter air ambulance and today’s talk promises to be an interesting insight into the work of the GNAA

We meet at 2.00pm in the Great Hall for registration and tea/coffee, followed by announcements at 2.15pm and the talk at 2.30pm.

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting will take place in the Great Hall at Abbey on Tuesday March 3rd 2020. We meet at 2.00pm for registration and tea/coffee followed by announcements at 2.15 and the main meeting will start at 2.30pm.

Members are reminded that nominations to the Committee should be submitted to the Business Secretary no later than Sunday 9th February 2020. There are four vacancies on the Committee: Business Secretary, Newsletter Editor, Membership Secretary and Group Liaison Secretary (see details about these last two posts on page 6). Members are invited to stand for election and should complete the Nomination form on the back page of this newsletter. These forms should be sent to: Sally Pearson, Business Secretary, Pole Barn, Frankham Farm, Fourstones, Hexham, NE47 5DL or emailed to: [email protected]

Any motions for discussion at the AGM should also be submitted to the Business Secretary no later than February 9th.

https://u3asites.org.uk/tynedale 1

Group News

Could 2020 be the year when you try something completely different? Two members have made some very interesting suggestions...

Wild Swimming Imagine running into icy cold water, gasping with the cold then the pure joy of realising that you are still breathing. Icy water is said to be very good for reducing stress and the harmful effect it has on our bodies. If that doesn’t appeal, how about a warm day on a river bank dappled in shade from the trees, no chlorine, no crowds just pure delight from getting fit and having fun in the fresh open air. Sounds good to me, how about you?

Coffin Club No, your eyes are not deceiving you, it does say Coffin Club. One of our members (who shall remain nameless) wrote to me about a programme he had listened to on the BBC World Service. It was a documentary about a U3A in New Zealand that has a Coffin Club. Their members believe that death should be celebrated and planned in the same way as other major events in life.

They design their own coffins to the dimensions and styles that demonstrate their personalities and interests. Some were highly decorated outside and inside, others were designed like go-karts, canoes, spaceships; as individual as their designers. One lady needed a quickie coffin because her husband died during the night so it was all hands to the coffin so to speak. The boxes come made up ready to customise both inside and out and attach handles. Some have bigger coffins so that they can take “stuff” in with them, like a full sized picture of Elvis that will lie alongside the body. One woman enjoyed afternoon naps in her final resting place! So do you think Tynedale U3A should have a Coffin Club and would like to join it? You can hear the documentary via BBC Sounds, broadcast on 14 January, repeated on 15th.

Blue Remembered Hills This is a lively group of ex / current hill walkers, rock climbers and mountaineers that meet to discuss their own and others experiences and achievements. There will be a series of slideshows and discussions at their next meeting on Monday 17th February, 7pm, in the residents’ lounge of the County Hotel, Hexham. All are welcome to go along.

Fluent French Fluent French speakers may like to know that our current group is now full and we are starting a list for a second group. If you don’t speak French how about German? We would like to start a group for members who are fluent German speakers.

Latin Learners This group has room for members who have some basic knowledge of Latin. For more information contact Janet by email at [email protected], or tel 01434 604130

Continued on page 3 https://u3asites.org.uk/tynedale 2

Continued from page 2

Walking With Dogs Our first Walking With Dogs group is now full so we are planning to start another one. We have members waiting for a few others to join them before we get a new group started.

Photography The Photography group alternates photoshoots with discussion sessions. There is room for more photographers with any level of experience. For more information contact Bill by email at [email protected], or tel 01434 608170.

Military History Anyone interested in military history? We have members waiting for you to join them.

Food Group The Food Group is seeking more members to join them in a host of culinary activities such as lunching out sometimes, going to cookery courses, sharing recipes & ideas, maybe having themes eg the cuisine of one particular country or perhaps sharing meals in each other’s homes. There are lots of ideas to shape this group and to have interesting events and outings.

Corked Just when I thought we had sufficient members for a second wine appreciation group, the bottom dropped out of my plan. We need a couple more members to join us so that the group can get started. It will be a very tasteful group.

MahJong For Beginners We are still waiting for just two more members to learn and enjoy this fascinating game.

Garden Visits It is planned to re-start the garden visits group in the Spring. If you would like to have days out visiting special gardens or garden-related venues then this group is for you. A programme will be collated from members’ ideas and suggestions.

Appeal To Group Convenors If you haven’t already done so, could you please let us have a list of your group members? There are a significant number of group returns still outstanding. You can email them to Margaret Earl (contact details below), post to West Neuk NE46 4AG or bring them to a monthly meeting.

Thank you Our thanks to Lynn Banger for taking up the role of a joint Group Convenor of the Easy Going French Group.

For more information about any of the above group activities, please get in touch with Margaret Earl, Group Liaison Secretary, [email protected] tel 01434 689123 https://u3asites.org.uk/tynedale 3

Events - 2020

February 12th The Snow Queen Theatre Royal March (17th pm, 23rd am, 29th pm) Trinity House May (dtbc) Bywell Hall tour June 3rd Ushaw College tour June 11th The Mouse Trap Theatre Royal July 24th/25th Tatton Park RHS Show (Prudhoe U3A) August 4th Garden Party

Ushaw College June 3rd 2020

Ushaw started its life as a catholic seminary, training men for the priesthood. Tony, our guide for the day, will provide us with first- hand knowledge of his experience as a student.

We will arrive by coach at 10.00am. The coach will pick up at Hexham and Corbridge. First, there will be an opportunity of walking around Ushaw's Gardens, which have been a main feature of the College almost since it was established; they boast a beautiful selection of flowers and greenery, as well as an old lake and wonderful walks.

The tour will continue inside to see the college and visit the chapel. 12.30 - 13.30 Lunch (vegetable soup and sandwiches) will be in the professor’s parlour and the day will end with a tour of the library for an hour between 2.00 and 3.00. The library has an amazing collection of first editions of famous books and medieval manuscripts as well as a comprehensive collection on Catholicism in the 18th Century. We will depart at 3.30.

The cost is £27 (£12 for the coach, £5 for the morning, £5 for lunch and £5 for the library). There are only 25 places for this trip and they will go fast! Please book with Wendy Dale direct or at the February meeting.

Railway Academy

There was only one person, other than our events secretary, who expressed an interest in a visit to the Railway Academy in Gateshead, so unless a few more come forward it will not go ahead.

For any information about the above events or ideas for future events please contact Wendy Dale, Events Secretary 01434 606215 or email [email protected]

Subscriptions

Subscription renewal time will soon be with us! (Where DID the year go!) Have you changed any of these since last March: Postal Address? Email Address? Telephone Number? Not sure?

If any of this could apply to you, then please contact me so that your details can be checked and updated if necessary. You can contact me by phone on 0785 108 5476, by post at Five Dykes, Whitley Chapel, Hexham, NE47 0HZ, or by email at [email protected] Barbara Herring, Membership Secretary https://u3asites.org.uk/tynedale 4

Hadrian’s Wall Group

We started the Hadrian’s Wall group on the web six years ago, as there was a lot of misinformation and out of two dozen sites associated with the Wall, less than half a dozen were covered in any detail. We also describe how the Wall was built, the legion who built it, the garrisons, the history of its occupation and other useful information.

Risingham Roman Fort, north of Corbridge on Dere St.

There are over 1200 pictures and illustrations and I believe that a picture is worth 1000 words! We have had 20,000 visitors to the web site.

Recently we expanded our guides to all Roman sites north of York as we realised that the Northern Frontier was a single defence system. There are about 60 Roman sites on the Northern Frontier, which was the most heavily manned frontier in the Empire.

Join us on our visits; our 2020 Programme is on the website at:

https://www.u3ahadrianswall.co.uk/wordpress/

Next visit: Thursday 5th March - Stanwix Roman Fort and Tully Museum at Carlisle The most important fort on the Wall. There is a cafe in the museum. We will meet at Corbridge Car Park at 10.00am, to consolidate cars/arrange car sharing, then on to Carlisle.

For further details, contact John Sandiford, Convenor Tynedale U3A Hadrian’s Wall Group at:

[email protected] https://u3asites.org.uk/tynedale 5

Committee Posts

At the AGM on March 3rd, three members of your committee will be finishing their three year term of office so we are looking for new members to fill these vacancies. There was information in the November and December editions of the newsletter about the Business Secretary and Newsletter Editor roles, and below is a brief description regarding the post of Membership Secretary. In addition we are seeking a second person for the Group Liaison Secretary post which is to be divided into two new roles. See below for a description of the activities for this role.

Tynedale U3A Membership Secretary Being Membership Secretary is the best way to get to know people in the U3A. The role is to distribute application forms etc., then record completed forms in the U3A’s specially designed computer database. Dealing with membership renewals is similar. As a Committee Member you would be expected to attend Committee Meetings and inform on the latest statistics (downloaded from the computer). It is also very useful to be present at monthly general meetings to meet prospective new members. You will, of course, need to be a bit computer savvy.

If you would like any further information, please get in touch (contact details on page 6) or have a chat at one of the monthly meetings. Barbara Herring, Membership Secretary

Group Liaison Secretary The Group Liaison Secretary receives enquiries and ideas from members about group activities. These are either referred on to group convenors or used to start the development of new groups. New group development is achieved by alerting members to the new ideas, registering interest then arranging a meeting to set up the new group. The Group Liaison Secretary uses the monthly meeting noticeboard and newsletter as tools to inform members of group activities and seek their support. The Tynedale U3A website is amended to record changes to group activity. The post holder will be expected to attend monthly Committee meetings.

For more information talk to me at a monthly meeting, or email or telephone at anytime. Margaret Earl, Groups Liaison secretary

Tynedale U3A AGM March 3rd 2020 - Constitutional Amendment

The Chairman and the Committee propose the following amendment to the Constitution. (This was agreed by all present at the Committee Meeting held on Dec 19th 2019 Minute 4b) The proposed amendment to the Constitution is:

Section 8 (Annual and Special General Meetings) Paragraph 8d "A quorum shall be 10% of the paid up members."

The reasons the Committee wishes to reduce the number necessary at a General Meeting from 20% of the membership to 10% are as follows:

1. With a membership of 465 and rising, the number of attendees required to constitute a quorum is 93. It is often the case that General Meetings are less well attended than Monthly Meetings, thus the likelihood of not achieving that figure is quite high. 2. As our membership total continues to increase then so will the quorum figure, thus ultimately rendering it impossible to hold a General Meeting in the current premises. https://u3asites.org.uk/tynedale 6

U3A Space Exploration Group

This a fairly new group set up to bring together those interested in various aspects of our beautiful blue-green planet that involves near and far space. The group has this year looked at subjects as diverse as the possibility of a permanent Moon base, Life on Mars, Space junk, psychological aspects of space travel and gravity waves. Coming up in the new year will be presentations regarding threats to the planet from space such as solar neutrinos, cosmic rays and near earth asteroids as well as talks on four cosmic record breakers, ICARUS and how to survey a planet.

Should we be worried about what’s circling above our heads and coming at us from space? If we find a threat, can we do anything about it? If we find a possibly habitable planet, how do we survey it? These are just a few of the questions that we address, often as a group discussion after a talk when the group members let their knowledge and imagination rip.

Given the huge amount of cash being thrown at space projects by the likes of Branson, Musk and Bezos, not to speak of NASA, India, France and China to name but a few, whatever they do it is going to affect us all. There is no doubt from the presentations we have had to date that this is a hugely dynamic area and our members are having great fun trying to keep up and let the rest of us know what they found.

Although we have some group members with brains the size of a small planet, the talks are always presented in a fun and graphic way so we can all understand and appreciate the content. As you can imagine this subject lends itself to some pretty spectacular images!

“Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is.” Douglas Adams, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

So if you would like to know more contact the group convenor, Colin, any member of the group or Margaret Earl our hard-working U3A Group Coordinator.

Baroness Joyce Quin

The speaker at our January monthly meeting, Baroness Joyce Quin, was disappointed that the reprint of her book, ‘Angels of the North’, was not ready in time for the meeting. However, it is due to be published soon and will be available from all booksellers. Joyce has told me that, if anyone purchases a copy and would like it signed, she and her co-author, Moira Kilkenny, will be happy to oblige. If you would like a signed copy, just let me know and I will make the necessary arrangements with Joyce. My email address is [email protected]

Mike Worthington https://u3asites.org.uk/tynedale 7

Your Committee 2020/21 Programme at a Glance

Chairman March 3rd AGM Alistair Sinclair - 394158 [email protected] April 7th Prof Michael Bentley (Durham Uni): Climate Change in Antarctica Business Secretary May 5th Seán Mac Nialluis: Unlikely Sally Pearson - 674896 Connections [email protected] June 2nd Ian Moffat: Cuthbert Collingwood - Treasurer Northumbrian Admiral David Pattinson- 01661842903 July Alan Hodgson: Marine creatures of [email protected] the Knysna lagoon of South Africa Membership Secretary August No Meeting Barbara Herring - 07851085476 See the Events section of the web site for full details of [email protected] all meetings, speakers, outings and much more. Events Secretary and Vice Chair Wendy Dale - 606215 We meet at 2.00pm in the Great Hall at Hexham Abbey [email protected] for registration and tea/coffee, followed by Programme Secretary announcements at 2.15pm and the talk at 2.30pm. Barrie Mellars - 07831255520 [email protected] Membership News Group Liaison Secretary We have 11 new members to welcome this month. Margaret Earl - 689123 [email protected]

Newsletter Editor Sue Charlton - 684475 [email protected] They are: Jean Mitchell, Barbara Child, Margaret

Joint Website Manager and Publicity Officer Richards, Chris Spencer, Kathleen Eden, Warwick Eden, Kevin Stephens - 01661 843347 Valerie Argent, Kate Maclachlan, Susan Dark, Pat Lynch [email protected] and Joan Bennett.

Beacon Administrator Our current Membership stands at 478 (including 9 John Sandiford - 602262 associate members) [email protected]

NEXT MEETING: AGM Tuesday 3rd March 2020

Please send contributions for theMarch Newsletter to the editor at:

[email protected] by Thursday 20th February.

NOMINATION FOR THE COMMITTEE (Please print)

Position / Role ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Name of Nominee ……………………………………………………. Signature......

Proposed by ……………………………………………………. Signature......

Seconded by ……………………………………………………. Signature......

Send to Sally Pearson, Business Secretary, Pole Barn, Frankham Farm, Fourstones, Hexham, NE47 5DL or email to: [email protected]

https://u3asites.org.uk/tynedale 8