SPRING 2020 Christmas Lunch Was Enjoyed by Some of the Stalwarts of the Cycling Group at the White Horse in Stourpaine

Blandford & District

Jim Worsnop and Lesley Badgley with their Table Tennis Gold medals. The Table Tennis Group members enjoy their Christmas lunch

At their Christmas lunch Gra- ham Poynter presented a gift voucher from the walking group to retiring Group Leader Stuart McAinsh.

Scrabble group members enjoying their Christmas lunch John Rees Ness Hickish Sylvia Andrews Chairman B&D U3A Chairman Blandford Museum Director Blandford Museum

5 members went ‘foreign’ along the Frome Valley from Stoborough to B&D U3A presentation of £285 to 2019 Charity of the year Wool ... – The Blandford Museum - The presentation took place at the beginning of the U3A January Open Meeting at Durweston Village Hall

NEWSLETTER – SPRING 2020 Christmas lunch was enjoyed by some of the stalwarts of the Cycling Group at the White Horse in Stourpaine www.blandfordu3a.co.uk

24 The memorial to the Collingwood Blandford & District U3A Battalion, Royal Naval Division NEXT OPEN MEETING and AGM

FRIDAY 27th March 2020 2.00-4.00pm Rupert Brooke in the uniform of the Royal Naval Division DURWESTON VILLAGE HALL

Amy was the daughter of the landlord of David N. Smith “The Farquharson Arms”, Pimperne; she “Kingston Lacy, if only time could tell” and her mother ran the establishment after her father died c.1917. The history of the Kingston Lacy estate

Frederick Adam took on the licence after he left the forces: he came from Essex and these two are an example of a young cou- ple who would not have met if it hadn’t Wedding photograph of been for the war. The youngest of their Amy Dowling and sons lived in Pimperne until comparatively Frederick Adam c.1919 recently. See Blandford in the Great War 1914-1918 page 6/7

An illumination from the Echternach photo-copyright-Philip-Halling Gospels (Echternach is in Luxembourg, and the monastery was founded by St. Timetable: Willibrord in 698). He was born and brought up in Northumbria, and the MS was taken to Echternach. It was 2.00-2.15pm Greeting and seating probably produced in Northumbria. 2.15pm Annual General Meeting The world of western Europe was 2.30pm Speaker VERY cosmopolitan in the 7th century. 3.15pm Tea, Cake and Chat! See Illuminated Manuscripts of the British Isles c.597-c.800, page 16. REFRESHMENTS: £1.00 for Tea & Cake

Book Exchange: bring your old paperbacks and choose a new one!!!

2 23 Garden Visits Group Notes from the Chair

The Garden Visits programme will be issued shortly and sent to all those There are, or should be, three extra sheets en- group members on the list. If you don’t receive a copy when you think that closed with this Newsletter: an advertisement for you should have done so, do please let me know. We will again be arranging our next skittles match against Sturminster New- garden visits between April and September inclusive, to include two coach ton U3A, an AGM agenda & Committee Nomina- and four ‘drive yourself’ visits. tion form and a Membership renewal form. This year we will be visiting Leonardslee near Horsham in May and The Gar- I would like to take this opportunity to bring as- den House and Wildside in Devon in July, both by coach. pects of these to your attention. The skittles match Whilst we are a large group, our only restriction is the size of a coach or the cannot take place unless we have some players (it could be you!) support- number restrictions at a particular garden, so it is essential to book, as these ed by some cheering fans (now this is you!) bookings are taken on a ‘first come, first served basis’. The AGM is important, as it is an opportunity for you, as a member, to If you are not already a member but would like to join us, please let me help define the way our U3A is managed and the direction in which we know – I look forward to meeting up with members old and new again in develop in the future. If you have any thoughts or feelings about this the spring, when we can hopefully shrug off the depths of winter and enjoy please either nominate someone (with their agreement) who feels the some spring sunshine! same way or attend the meeting when you may be given the chance to Lynn Hawkey have your say. Finally, the membership renewal form. To save distribution costs the com- Cycling Group mittee have decided to send this out with this Newsletter, but it requires a GO GREEN - GO HEALTHY - GO BIKE! change to the membership year. On this basis we have declared a membership holiday for one month so the membership year will now run from Our intrepid band of two-wheelers (sometimes only two, usually -4 5, occa- the 1st March to 28th February. If you currently pay by standing order it sionally 8-9) have braved the Dorset winter and enjoyed some splendid would make life easier for our Membership Secretary and Treasurer if you outings. As well as the expected practice in puncture-repairing, we have also could change the payment date to the 1st March from this year onwards. become experts in puddle-jumping and bicycle valeting. The Committee have decided to extend Blandford Museum as our Annual On 5 December, Christmas lunch was enjoyed by some of our stalwarts at the Charity for another year as we feel that they are the most deserving from White Horse in Stourpaine (see picture). the choice available. We hope that you agree. Usually, we venture along one or other segment of the North Dorset Trailway This will be my last Chairman’s Notes as I am resigning from both the or simply along Langton Lane towards Wimborne, but, on 29 January, 5 mem- Chairmanship and the Committee at the AGM in March after 10 years in bers went ‘foreign’ along the Frome Valley from Stoborough to Wool (nice various roles. I have enjoyed it all, even if I haven’t always looked like it. and flat-ish). (see picture) However more than anything else I have appreciated the help and support Since my last report, we have ventured out on 7 occasions, having lost only that all of you have given me over the years, either directly or indirectly. I one to rain (though some would say it should have been two!) (which is not hope you will continue to give that support to our incoming Chairman, bad at all in the winter), completing a further 107 miles, so that our accumu- Sarah Houghton, and make her feel really welcome. lated distance is now 1700 miles after 90 rides. Peter Aldous Thank you. Johm Rees.

22 3 Mah Jong Group GROUP LIAISON Members Chris & Rob say... We now have a Photography Group up and running - contact details can be found in the Group Listing. The Craft Group is full so I will keep a " As fairly recent members of the Mah Jong Group, we have received such a waiting list for anyone wanting to join and can then start a second warm welcome and have thoroughly enjoyed our Thursday afternoon ses- group. John has been asked to revive the Beginners' Crossword Group - sions. Playing in groups of 3 or 4, the emphasis is on improving skills please see his Crossword Notes. (especially learning the scoring system where we are concerned!), It's always good fun - with excellent tea and biscuits - thanks Lynn." It would be good to have someone come forward and volunteer to organ- ise the cakes for our Open Meetings. It is not an onerous task and you We are sorry to report the death of Jocelyn Jenkins, a long standing and val- don't have to join the Committee- we will keep you informed of any ued member of the Mah Jong group. Jocelyn was an active member of the events. It would entail contacting the 'cake-makers' (I have their details), U3A being on the committee and a member of the Garden Visits Group making sure there is enough coffee/tea/milk and being in the kitchen on amongst other things; she will be sorely missed. the day, with help from others. Not too much to ask, surely? Lynne Hawkey You will have read elsewhere in the Newsletter that we are holding a U3A Singing for Fun Group Open Morning on Friday 5th June in the Corn Exchange. So I'm hoping that each Group can get their heads together and come up with original Our Winter Term was quite busy so we have had a few weeks break for ideas as to how they can represent their Group. We need to make people Christmas and New Year. Our concert in Blandford Church on 17th No- realise that they can't live without Blandford & District U3A! vember was very successful with a reasonably sized enthusiastic audience. The afternoon tea provided by the ladies at the Church was delicious and I can always be contacted on [email protected] or 01258 451673. all in all the retiring collection and donations raised over £250 for the Pam Rees Church Restoration Project. We were saddened to hear on Tuesday 7th January of the death of Sheila Music Appreciation Group Wooldridge, a long standing member of our group. She will be sadly missed. “What a lovely way to start the weekend and the month!” On the first One thinks of the phrase ‘You see them come and you see them go’. That Friday morning of the month we enjoy a delightfully varied programme seems to apply to us whose members for one reason or another have to of music with friendly people. Stuart's download of Bizet's opera Car- leave us. Recently a stalwart member of our bass section has had to leave men was a popular choice. In November we welcomed Dr Richard Hall and a year ago one of our altos who had sung with us from the start - ie from Dorset Rural Music School DRMS) with a programme entitled late 90’s! - moved to be nearer some of her family. Of course members of “Music from a New Land” which included music from the Americas from th th U3A are at a stage in their lives when circumstances can change, but it is the18 Century to the beginning of the 20 . Our pre Christmas meeting always sad to say ‘goodbye’. On a more positive note though we have gave everyone the chance to bring a short piece and as well as seasonal welcomed three new members during 2019 and here’s wishing everyone a music we liked Pat's choice of jazz and thought we should have more. In good Spring 2020! January Lorna demonstrated with video clips and Cds how much music has developed from Shakespeare and from Romeo and Juliet in particu- Rachel Cook lar. Viv Chapman

4 21 The Welsh Group In our meeting before Christmas, the Welsh group took an excursion into A Date for your Diary - 5th June 2020 the territory usually occupied by another group – that is Genealogy. The history and culture of Wales is an aspect which we often explore when we U3A has announced the very first national U3A Day. The official date are introduced to it through the medium of Welsh articles in our learners’ is 3 June but for local reasons we are having our morning on Friday 5 magazine Lingo Newydd. It was brought to life for us when one of our mem- June. U3As across the country are being invited to mark the day by bers, Ann Leyshon, brought her family tree for us to see. This is an amazing document, which was compiled by her great grandfather. In places, it celebrating and showcasing what happens in their U3A. stretches back to the Princes of Wales in the early twelfth century. Imagine our amazement when this fragile, yellowing paper was unrolled along the We have over 40 groups and all are invited to show what they do. whole length of the floor of the sitting room. This will be at the Corn Exchange from 10am -12noon on 5 June. The morning could take the form of displays of photographs, demonstra- tions, simple quizzes, performances, research results, theatre pro- grammes etc. The possibilities are endless.

Several groups may not be able to take new members but Pam Rees is always looking for new or parallel groups. This is a chance to in- crease our membership and range of groups, giving more opportuni- ties for all. Please could all groups discuss how they could be repre- sented and showcased? It would be wonderful if as many members as possible could be on hand to participate, demonstrate and chat to The entries are in separate cells ruled by hand in what looks like pencil and visitors.. neatly and precisely copied in black ink.

As we poured over this very fragile record, imagine the delight when it was The committee envisage the following: photograph displays, Power- discovered that Ellen and Ann were very distantly related. It would seem Point loops, Craft activities, Cryptic Crosswords, Scrabble/Bridge/ that Ann’s great grandfather and Ellen’s great great grandmother were Rummikub/MahJong games, Birdwatchers with binoculars, photo- cousins may times removed. Ellen’s name had been used for girls in her fam- graphs etc, Cyclists with route maps and cycles, Walkers with ruck- ily down through the generations. She saw that she was descended from sacks, maps and photographs, Language activities, Painting, Art Histo- Cadifor Fawr, one of the Welsh princes, and that family tradition concerning her name had documentary support. ry quiz, Table Tennis games, Music and much, much more.

Ann is now looking for a conservator of ancient documents who can per- Please could you let me have an outline of what your group plans to haps, strengthen the scroll and repair some of the holes, and who knows do on 5th June as soon as you are able to? Many thanks Sarah whose long forgotten ancestors might be discovered. Margaret Flood [email protected] 07766048505

20 5 “BLANDFORD IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918” Art History Group EDITED BY NICCI BROWN Member Jack Schonfield says... (POOLE: CENTENOR BOOKS, 2019. ISBN 9781907680045) Having previously been looking at British female artists, many of whom

were relatively unknown, we are now looking at major artists, using a video Just over 100 years ago, when the guns fell silent at the close of what every- series featuring leading art historians and experts on the artists concerned. one hoped was “the war to end all wars”, the British Isles fell into a period Each video features an individual painting by a major artist, where we learn of deep mourning for the people who had died in that conflict. It found a about the background and history of the artist and the painting. This is then followed by a group discussion about the painting and the views ex- visible expression in the war memorials which can be seen in almost every pressed in the video. town and village, and in the poppy wreathes which are still laid on the anni- To date we have looked at The Birth of Venus by Boticelli, The versary of the end of the war. Most of these memorials are very modest, Last Supper by Leonardo, The Night Watch by Rembrandt, and for many of the communities that were commemorating their sons and the Art of Painting by Vermeer. Attached is a copy of Klimt's The daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers, husbands, and sweethearts were Kiss which we will be discussing in May. not wealthy: most of them were financed by the towns and villages them- Neil Houghton selves; and their very modesty makes them all the more poignant (in a few cases, benevolent landlords paid for them, but those were few). Nicci Scrabble Group Brown’s book, “Blandford in the Great War” describes the impact the war Member Jill Curtis says... made on the town and the surrounding area, and it was considerable: for My husband & I used to play Scrabble a lot but when he died 18 months ago instance, more than 400 people lost their lives; and most of the farm horses I not only missed him, but also the challenging games we enjoyed together. were requisitioned, which forced the farmers and landowners to invest in When a few months ago I found that Blandford U3A had a Scrabble group I machinery. joined. I was made very welcome & really enjoy it. The group still has room for some more members so why don’t you join us? The military presence at Blandford Camp made a significant impact on the We meet on the 4th Monday of the month, 2pm to 4pm, at Pat Ashworth’s area. Inevitably, there were some marriages, and quite a lot of romances, house — Endellion, St Leonards Avenue, Blandford. Contact Ann on between the soldiers who were stationed at the Camp and the local girls, [email protected] and boys (the Royal Air Force arrived in 1918, and many of the RAF clerks at Ann Edwards the Camp were women). The Royal Naval Division (the “Khaki Jacks”) arrived in Blandford in November 1914, and many had to be billeted in the Please note: from the beginning of this membership year all renewing surrounding area until the accommodation at the Camp was ready for them: members wishing to receive the Third Age Matters magazine from National the construction of this was delayed by quite dreadful weather when Black Office will be required to add £3.00 to their annual membership subscrip- Lane was turned into a quagmire by the traffic taking building supplies to tion. This has become necessary due to increases in costs by National the site. The most celebrated member of the Royal Naval Division to serve Office. A reminder will appear in the Renewal Form. at the Camp was the poet Rupert Brooke, who wrote “If I should die, think

6 19 Latin Group 1 only this of me …” while he was stationed there during the winter of 1914- 15. We have been working diligently on translations from our two textbooks for some time, but felt that something a little different would be nice. So, One of the saddest memorials in the area is at “Collingwood Corner”, on the at the suggestion of one of our number, we have started on "Winnie The right of the Blandford-Salisbury road as you leave Blandford, just before you Pooh" or "Winne Ille Pu" as it translates. You may think "Oh, that's a reach Tarrant Hinton. It commemorates the casualties sustained by the Col- book for children - it will be a doddle", but you would be so wrong. It is, in fact, quite a challenge and, in all probability, our dictionaries will fall to lingwood Battalion, Royal Naval Division, at the Third Battle of Krithia on 4 pieces with so much use! The vocabulary is rather different from our pre- June 1915, during the Gallipoli campaign. So great was the number (more vious experience. than 500 men were killed or wounded) the Battalion was never reconstitut- But this goes to show that Latin is not a‘ dead language’ and can be put to ed: instead, its survivors were incorporated into the remaining battalions of more modern usage. And it can even be fun!! It certainly keeps the little the Division. The land on which the memorial stands was given by Henry grey cells active. Farquharson of Eastbury Park, Tarrant Gunville; and this is just one example Gill Jackson of a kind landowner helping his local community. The research of the Blandford Commemoration Group was used in the series of exhibitions which were held in the Corn Exchange between 2014 and Rummikub Group 2018, to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. Several mem- Member Angela Lawes says… bers of Blandford U3A belonged to this; and other members researched the I very much look forward to 2.30-4.00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the biographies of the men and women who are commemorated on the village month because a warm welcome always awaits at Whitecliffe House Care memorials. The results of all their work are now held in the Blandford Town Home in Blandford – both from the staff who work there and from the Museum, where they can be consulted by appointment. The Commemora- friendly and fun fellow players of Rummikub. So if you are new to the game, tion Group is still hard at work, researching the Second World War which or haven’t played for a while, please come along and join us for tea and bis- had an equally telling impact on the area; and it would be interested to hear cuits, chatter and laughter and a chance to exercise those brain cells in a anything you know about this. It can be contacted through the Town Coun- most enjoyable way – all for 50p. Win or lose! Sometimes, such as at Christmas, there might even be a bonus treat of one of Liz’s brilliant mono- cil (e-mail: [email protected]; tel.: 01258 454500). logues. For further details please contact Lynne Rogers.

Lynne Rogers The book costs £12.00, and can be purchased from the Town Council, the Blandford Town Museum, the Blandford Tourist Information Centre, and the Dorset Book Shop; or from Nicci herself for an extra £3.00 to cover postage and packing (Nicci’s contact details are: [email protected]; tel.: 01258 459346).

18 7 Altogether it was a fascinating insight into early medieval beliefs and the importance of the North East. (See photo on page 2.) Sue Bosworth

Birdwatching Group The group continues to enthusiastically undertake monthly visits to various 'good' birdwatching sites, more often sites which are not too distant, e.g. Arne, Blashford Lakes near Ringwood, and Poole Harbour, with the occasional venture further afield such as the Somerset Levels or Portland Bill. Between us we think we manage to identify most of the birds we see, but on the occasions we have a guide accompanying us, it is amazing (or per- haps not) how many more birds we see and hear! It is equally amazing how often Birdwatching Wednesday (the second in the month) turns out to have the week's worst weather. In January, to avoid venturing outside in the winter weather, we had our annual quiz, comfortably and warmly seated indoors with a buffet lunch to follow. Naturally, the weather outside that day was dry and sunny, ideal for birdwatching! Jack Schonfield

Italian Group

Member Mary Quinton-Edwards says... Italy is the place I really enjoy, the culture, food, art and architecture and have been there many times. Florence, Lake Garda, Basilicata, Tuscany, Verona and the Jewel in the crown, Venice (see photo on back page). I never tire of the beauty. When I retired I joined U3A in Blandford and noticed there were Italian classes, so I took the plunge and rang Angela Warsany in Child Okeford who runs the classes. She spoke to me saying she had been running Italian for quite a few years but said if I wanted to join them I would be welcome . I am a complete beginner so I was a bit worried that I could not contribute to the class. I need not have worried - they all helped me and I am beginning to enjoy the classes; I have a long way to go but look forward to going every time. Angela Warsany

8 17 Walking Group As you know l have taken over running the walking group with the COMMITTEE help of Graham Poynter & Alison Collard - thanks to both. I would also like to thank Stuart for running it for the last few years and l Officers know he will still be on the walks. We decided this year to plan the walks for a 6 month period and Acting-Chairman John Rees 01258 451673 we have 12 walks planned up to the end of June, all around 5 Vice-Chairman Sarah Houghton 01258 857260 miles taking up to 2 to 2 1/2 hours. It is also nice to see that so many members of the walking group have offered to run walks Hon. Secretary Richard Pearson 01258 488762 (50% of them) and looking at the routes we have some very good Hon. Treasurer Jack Shonfield 01258 863542 walks to come. There is still room for one or two new U3A members to join us. Membership Secretary June Lane 01258 458116 We also have a system in place where we can inform members on the morning of the walk if it needs to be changed or cancelled due to bad weather. Members Now just hoping for some good weather. Phil Allen Lynn Hawkey 01258 455678 Mark Morley-Smith 01258 453341 Illuminated Manuscripts of the British Isles c.597-c.800 Pam Rees Group Liaison 01258 451673 Ten of us met fortnightly through the autumn at Durweston Village Hall to be instructed in the finer points of Illustrated Manuscripts by Dr. Ken Law- Bridget Spiers Speaker Co-ordinator 01258 455081 son from Sherborne. The course was loosely designed around the exhibition Anglo Saxon King- doms: Art, Word, War that the British Library had put on earlier in the year and gave us an appreciation of the beautiful texts used by the Church in the early Middle Ages. WEBSITE We saw how Christianity had co-existed with paganism in late Roman Brit- Web Managers: Ron & Koli Pluck ain which led to much of the Imagery used in the texts (the peacock for in- NEWSLETTER stance was the pagan symbol for everlasting life and was similarly used by the Christians). Editor: Lois Fletcher-Jones [email protected] We learnt about the importance of the monasteries in the North East, the burgeoning cult of St. Cuthbert in the 7th Century and the skills of the monks 07442 848284 of the area in producing manuscripts which looked as though they had been made in Italy.

16 9 GROUPS TIMETABLE Poetry Group The poetry group continues to meet on the second Wednesday of the First Monday First Tuesday First Wednesday month at one another’s homes. Each host chooses a topic and a poet and this often leads to new discoveries and appreciation of old favourites. The 10:30 Cryptic Crosswords 09:30 Spanish 09:30 Cycling topic for November “Everyday Life” drew out some interesting subjects as 11:00 Singing for Fun *** 10:00 Committee Meeting 14:00 Meditation varied as television, carpentry and the true meaning of life. Meanwhile the 14:30 Reading for Pleasure 14:00 Table Tennis 14:15 Latin 2 14:30 Spanish 2 December topic of glass/ice gave us lots to think about. One of the poems we shared has particular relevance in today’s world so here it is :

Make the Earth your Companion

Make the Earth your companion, Second Monday Second Tuesday Second Wednesday Walk lightly on it, as other creatures do.

10:30 Cryptic Crosswords 11:00 Coffee Morning at Hall & 10:00 Walking Let the sky paint her beauty - she is always watching over you. Woodhouse Brewery 10:00 Bird-watching 12:30 Lunch Club 2 Learn from the sea how to face harsh forces, 14:00 The Celtic World 12:30 Lunch Club 1 14:00 Poetry: Reading/Listening 14:00 Craft Let the river remind you everything will pass, 14:00 Table Tennis Let the lake instruct you in stillness, Let the mountain teach you grandeur,

Make the woodland your house of peace, Make the rainforest your house of hope, Third Monday Third Tuesday Third Wednesday Meet the wetland on twilight ground,

10:30 Cryptic Crosswords 09:30 Spanish 09:30 Cycling Save some small piece of grassland for a red kite on a windy day, 14:30 Spanish 2 14:00 Table Tennis 14:00 Meditation Watch the icecaps glisten with crystal majesty, 14:30 Rummikub 14:00 Genealogy 14:15 Latin 2 Hear the desert whisper hush to eternity, 14:30 Discussion 1 Let the town weave a small basket of togetherness,

Make the Earth your companion, Walk lightly on it, as other creatures do.

J Patrick Lewis Fourth Monday Fourth Tuesday Fourth Wednesday

10:30 Cryptic Crosswords 14:00 Craft 10:00 Walking We have room for two more members if anyone is interested in listening to 14:00 Geology 14:00 Table Tennis 14:00 Photography poetry and sharing their discoveries and favourites. 14:00 Scrabble 2 Sue Murty

10 15 The Lighthouse Theatre Group. GROUPS TIMETABLE After a quiet Autumn , we now have a busy January with a production of The Sleeping Beauty by the St Petersburg Ballet followed by Agatha Chris- First Thursday First Friday tie’s Mousetrap. 11:00 Recorder Ensemble 09:30 French 1 In February there is a lunchtime concert of a Cello and Piano recital . Finally 14:00 Mah Jong 10:00 Writing for Pleasure in April we look forward to a lunchtime concert by the B.S.O. On Beetho- 14:30 Welsh 10:00 Music Appreciation ven. 11:30 French 2 14:00 Bridge We continue to book matinees and the x8 bus stops just outside! All are welcome. Debbie Fuller

Second Thursday Second Friday Crossword Group 09:30 Italian 10:00 Discussion 2 The Crossword Group is still going strong so I shall not repeat my past de- 10:30 Garden Visits # 14:00 Art History scriptions of our activities. However... 10:30 Russian 14:00 Scrabble 1 ...I have been asked if I will try to start a Beginners Group again. If any of 14:00 Latin 1

you are interested in trying to learn how to interpret Cryptic Crossword clues please let either me or Pam Rees know and we will get everyone together to choose a suitable date, time and location. John Rees Third Thursday Third Friday

Genealogy Group Historic Visits ** 09:30 French 1 11:00 Recorder Ensemble 10:00 Writing for Pleasure The Genealogy Group has room for the occasional visitor. 14:00 Mah Jong 11:30 French 2 14:30 Welsh 14:00 Bridge If you have a query about any ancestor, or historically interesting person

who may be related to you, please let me know and I can probably ar- ** Time of Visits to be advised range for you to do some research (initially at no cost), or provide assis- *** Every two weeks, check with tance if needed. Fourth Thursday Fourth Friday Group Leader for dates # April to September Please contact me and, where possible, I will make suitable arrangements. 09:30 Italian 10:00 Strollers John Rees 10:30 Russian 14:00 Book Group 14:00 Dorset History 14:00 Latin 1 14:00 Painting 14:00 Scrabble 1 1 14 11 Blandford & District U3A – Groups and Contacts Meditation Group

SUBJECT CONTACT TEL 01258 After a false start in a new venue we have managed to transfer to a better 1 Art History Neil Houghton 857260 2 Bird-watching Lorna Clark 722056 one. Needless to say, I meditated on it (ironic). We were, for our first 3 Book Group (see also Reading for Pleasure) Adrienne Shaw 450789 meeting of this year, above the Corn Exchange in the Council Chamber, 4 Bridge Jean Palmer 450544 which was very grand what with the wooden panelling and names of signifi- 5 Celtic World, The Auguste Shepherd 860905 6 Craft (knitting, crochet, embroidery, tapestry etc) Marie Harris 453424 cant people of Blandford over the years. We found it to be not as oppres- 7 Cryptic Crosswords John Rees 451673 sive as we had imagined it to be, but the stairs are off-putting. The very 8 Cycling Peter Aldous 458510 9 Discussion 1 Bernadette Morley-Smith 453341 helpful staff of the Town Council let us transfer to the Community Room in 10 Discussion 2 Richard Pearson 488762 their offices behind Iceland henceforth; this room had previously not been 11 Dorset History Jan Sale 01202 515502 12 French Richard Pearson 488762 available to us but it now is! 13 Garden Visits (April to September) Lynn Hawkey 455678 14 Genealogy (aka Family History) John Rees 451673 Some of our new members have not been able to continue with us but 15 Geology Alison A’Court 453249 those of us who remain still get a lot out of our meetings. We have, after 16 Historic Visits Bridget Spiers 455081 discussion, changed the format a bit and so far it appears to be OK. Na- 17 Italian Angela Warsany 861149 18 Latin 1 Gill Jackson 453376 maste. (I understand this to mean: respect for the path you are on. Our cur- 19 Latin 2 Claire Smith 454182 rent path does not involve tricky stairs.) 20 Lunch Club 1 John Draper 455356 21 Lunch Club 2 Philip Brown 489326 Catherine Miller 22 Mah Jong Lynn Hawkey 455678 23 Meditation Catherine Miller 01929 289477 Table tennis Group 24 Music Appreciation Jacquie Dakin 861533 25 Painting Alan Dennis 454372 The table tennis group held their Christmas lunch at Vecchia Roma (see 26 Photography Jeff Rogers 456202 photos on back page). The meal was excellent and the company lively. 27 Poetry: Reading & Listening Sue Murty 01747 811679 28 Reading for Pleasure (see also Book Group) Barbara Curtis 456367 ‘Gold’ medals were awarded to Lesley and Jim who were the winners of 29 Recorder Ensemble Auguste Shepherd 860905 30 Rummikub Lynne Rogers 456202 the mixed pairs competition organised by Bob and held within the group in 31 Russian Chris Poole 454364 the autumn. 32 Scrabble 1 Shirley Lister 454748 33 Scrabble 2 Ann Edwards 452246 The group is going well with 12 members, enthusiastic play and a sociable 34 Singing for Fun Rachel Cook 452641 tea break. New members are always welcome. 35 Spanish 1 Lin Bett 455569 36 Spanish 2 Lois Fletcher-Jones 07442 848284 Sheila Worsnop 37 Strollers John Draper 455356 38 Table Tennis Sheila Worsnop 480860 Bridge Group 39 Theatre Goers (Poole Lighthouse)** Debbie Fuller 721306 40 Virtual Computer Group** David Shepherd 860905 The Bridge group meets on the first and third Friday of the month in the 41 Walking Group Phil Allen 453009 42 Welsh Margaret Flood 880334 refurbished Woodhouse Pavilion from 2 - 5 pm. 43 Writing for Pleasure Thelma Wood 860191 We would welcome players of all standards to join us. Experienced players and those striving to improve their game would be especially welcome.

It is a friendly group with usually 5 tables. For more details please ring Jean ** These groups do not meet on set days and therefore have not been included on the Timetable. Ring on 01258 450544 or email [email protected] contact number for date of next meeting and/or more information. Jean Palmer

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