& DISTRICT UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE

NEWSLETTER

November 2020 [

rd SIDCUP & DISTRICT U3A meets at 2.00 pm on the 3 Thursday of every month in the New Community Church Centre, 24 Station Road, Sidcup (meetings currently suspended)

NOTICES

Membership Renewal for 2021

The Committee has discussed Sidcup U3A membership and have agreed that membership renewal will start from the 1st April until the 31st March.

More information to follow regarding renewal procedures and fees.

Carolyn Barclay Membership Secretary

GROUP NEWS

Ramblers 2 • Leader Helen Salmon ¨ Circular walk in Footscray Meadows 27 October 2020 We met up in Sidcup High Street and walked down Rectory Lane into Lane and then to the entrance to the meadows. As expected, after all the rain we have had, the start was very muddy and slippery. We then took the hardstanding path to the site where once stood the Palladian mansion known as Footscray Place with stunning views over the countryside. I showed the group photographs of the grand house taken from the book Sidcup and Footscray written by the late John Mercer. Olive, John’s wife, read the section about the house.

We continued on down through Woods to Five Arches Bridge. After crossing the bridge, we followed the river to Water Lane and on to Kelsey Farm Shop where we had a welcome warm drink in the covered outside seating area. It started to rain a lot heavier but as we were leaving the sun tried to shine – but not for very long!

We followed the river back to Five Arches Bridge where the ground had become much muddier. We walked on following the path with the lake on our right that had been quite dry a few weeks ago but now was muddy with large puddles. One of the group got a ‘bootie’ trying to side step a rather large, deep puddle! When we reached Penny-farthing Bridge it was not only raining but also windy and hard work walking back up Footscray Lawns. We walked past the Information Centre back up to the start.

We all agreed it was a very good walk even though very wet.

Helen Salmon

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Parks & Gardens Appreciation • Leader Jill Bryant ¶

Visit to Danson Park – 27 August 2020 Visit to Oxleas Woods – 24 September 2020

Freedom Pass Explorers • Leaders Christine Withams & Joy O’Donnell ´

Visit to Dartford Park – 14 September 2020 Visit to Kidbrooke Village and Blackheath Village – 12 October 2020

Ramblers 2 • Leader Helen Salmon ¨

Walk from Sidcup to Eltham Park South via Avery Hill Park – 22 September 2020

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GROUP VACANCIES

GROUP NAME LEADER/CONTACT VACANCIES Antiques Appreciation nd th Martin Baker 4 Vacancies © 2 Friday/4 Weds (10.00–12.00) Architecture nd Val Gosden 1 Vacancy ñ 2 Tuesday (2.30–4.30 pm) Bird Watching st Roy Black ! Vacancies ¬ 1 Wednesday (10.00 am) % " Book Reading st Kate Berry Vacancies Ù 1 Thursday (2.00–4.00 pm) Craft & Chat st rd Pauline Springhall Vacancies ° 1 & 3 Thursday (10.00 am) " Creative Writing st Olive Mercer 2 Vacancies Ú 1 Tuesday (10.30–12.30 pm) Family History Kate Berry Vacancies Ä 2nd Tues # & 4th Thurs $ " Handcrafted Cards (Group 1) st Val Gosden 3 Vacancies · 1 Thursday (2.00–4.00 pm) Mono Digital Photography Roy Morton 1 Vacancy Þ Monthly $ [email protected] Needlecrafts st Val Gosden 3 Vacancies ï 1 Monday (2.00–4.00 pm) Quilling Val Gosden 1 Vacancy ½ 3 or 4 times a year $ Ramblers (Group 2) Helen Salmon Vacancies ¨ 4th Tuesday (4–5 miles) Ramblers (Group 3) nd Trevor Ford 5 Vacancies ¨ 2 Friday (5–6 miles) Rummikub ® (Group 1) th Kathy Cordell ! Vacancies ¾ 4 Monday (2.00–4.00 pm) Ten-Pin Bowling () Gay Braybrook ! Vacancies À Mondays (10.00 am) ( " ) Theatre Trips: Musicals Sue Brooks Vacancies Á $ " ) Understanding Russia nd th Val Gosden 3 Vacancies î 2 & 4 Monday (2.30–4.00 pm) Wine Appreciation rd Roger Brown Vacancies  3 Wednesday (7.30–9.30 pm) )

The above groups, unless I am told otherwise by Group Leaders, are the ones with vacancies; any sort of change should be advised to me as soon as possible. Anyone wishing to contact the Group Leader should do so via email from our website’s Group Page. Anyone not able to do this can ring me as the Group Co-ordinator.

Sandra Applegate  07717 020611 email: [email protected]

( Not during school/bank holidays ) A charge applies " Open to all ! Temporary point of contact % Certain seasons only $ Times vary

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2020 March Meeting cancelled owing to outbreak of Covid-19 April Meeting cancelled owing to outbreak of Covid-19 May Meeting cancelled owing to outbreak of Covid-19 June Meeting cancelled owing to outbreak of Covid-19 July Meeting cancelled owing to outbreak of Covid-19 August Meeting cancelled owing to outbreak of Covid-19 September Meeting cancelled owing to outbreak of Covid-19 October Meeting cancelled owing to outbreak of Covid-19 November Meeting cancelled owing to outbreak of Covid-19 December Meeting cancelled owing to outbreak of Covid-19

2021 January Meeting cancelled owing to outbreak of Covid-19 The hall is not available to us until at least February 2021

The above list is subject to change COMMITTEE MEMBERS January FebruaryChairman Colin Barclay 07401 474844 MarchVice -Chairman AGM Sandra Applegate 07717 020611 Minutes Secretary George Murrell 020 8850 2046 Treasurer John Lapham 020 8854 6340 Membership Secretary Carolyn Barclay 07401 474844 Asst. Membership Secretary Lynn Plumer 07714 234398 Speakers Secretary Janet Lambern 020 8300 1786 Group Co-ordinator Sandra Applegate 07717 020611 Welfare Officer Kathy Cordell 020 8300 4573 General Member Brian Topliffe 020 8303 0579

USEFUL CONTACT DETAILS

Newsletter Editor David Smith 020 8304 2305 Please either email contributions to me at: [email protected] or post them to me at 56 Crofton Avenue, Bexley, Kent DA5 3AR – typed if possible since this facilitates scanning. Please submit Newsletter contributions by 3rd of the month.

Third Age Trust: 156 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8EN  020 8466 6139 www.u3a.org.uk Greater London South East Network: www.u3asites.org.uk/glondonsenetwork London Region U3A: www.u3asites.org.uk/london-region World U3A: www.worldu3a.org Virtual U3A: www.vu3a.org

WEBSITE

https://u3asites.org.uk/sidcup/home

Contributions for the website (eg photographs) may be sent to the Webmaster, Trevor Ford, at his email address [email protected].

Afterthought Expect nothing: live frugally on surprise.

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