CAM, & DISTRICT

Bulletin November 2020

Please try to ensure that those not on e-mail are made aware of the contents.

EARLY THIS MONTH IN THE HOPE

IT BRIGHTENS YOUR LOCKDOWN EDITOR’S NOTE: As you will see this Bulletin is also in a new format which it is hoped you will enjoy. Your feedback on this – good or bad as long as it is polite and constructive - will be very welcome. Details of your Committee have not been forgotten but will be found at the end of this Bulletin. DESPERATELY NEEDED: SPEAKER SECRETARY GROUP LEADER FOR THE GEOLOGY GROUP

Wotton-under -Edge

Wotton-under-Edge is a market town within the district of which is located near the southern fringe of the . The Cotswold Way long-distance footpath passes through the town. Standing on the B4058, Wotton is about 5 miles (8.0 km) from the M5 road, on the to Birmingham line.

History - The first record of the town is in an Anglo-Saxon Royal Charter of King Edmund I, who in AD 940 leased four hides of land in Wudetun to Eadric. The name Wudetun means the enclosure, homestead or village (tun) in or near the wood (wude).The Edge refers to the limestone escarpment of the Cotswold Edge which includes the hills of Wotton Hill and Tor Hill that flank the town. In the 1086 Domesday Book listing, Wotton was in the hundred of Dudstone.

Kingswood was founded in 1139, but all that remains is a 16th-century Cistercian gatehouse. Nearby historical buildings include the Tudor houses of and Owlpen Manor. The medieval former public house - the Ancient Ram Inn dates back to 1145.The map of Wotton- under-Edge shown dates from 1946.

The original town was burnt down during the reign of King John (1199-1216). It was rebuilt in 1252 and a charter granted to Johanna de Berkeley authorising her to hold a market and a three-day annual fair on the Feast of the Cross. In 1272 the inhabitants of the borough were authorised to elect one of their members as a Mayor - a practice that continued every year until 1886.

The Church of St. Mary the Virgin (illustrated) was consecrated in 1283 and is the oldest and largest church in the town. The Katharine Lady Berkeley’s Grammar School was established in 1384 and is now a comprehensive named Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School - although the present modern building is a little outside of the town on the way to the village of Kingswood. The British School was established in the village in 1835.

A battle occurred near the Ancient Ram Inn in 1469, when the building was owned by a Viscount Lisle. William Berkeley led the forces that beat the Viscount and, after the battle, his men sacked the manor.

Overlooking the town on the top of Wotton Hill is a collection of trees which were planted in the 19th century to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo. These are situated on the site that housed one of the early warning beacons used to warn England of the approach of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

New Mills, founded in 1810, prospered by supplying both sides in the Napoleonic wars but after a century of decline the mill was near to closing when it was acquired by Renishaw plc In 1981.

Governance - An electoral ward with the same name exists. The ward mainly covers Wotton-under- Edge but also stretches to North Nibley. The total population of the ward taken at the 2011 census was 6,510.

Facilities - The town is relatively well served for a town of its size. It has several pubs, a hotel and a range of takeaways and restaurants. It has several active social groups, such as Scouts, Guides, a gardening club and the Wotton Lions.In 1958, local people and school students built the town swimming pool, which was completed in 1961. Subsequently, the pool had solar and electric heating installed. In 1999 with the fund-raising support of community groups, a retractable enclosure was fitted to prolong the swimming season. In 2002, following the closure of the local cinema, a group of volunteers raised funds for a refurbishment to become one of the first digital cinemas in the UK. It re-opened in 2005 as a 100-seat facility inside an old stable yard, once part of the Crown Inn which closed in 1911. Films were first shown in the old Banqueting Hall of the Inn and moved to the stable yard some years later, due to the popularity of films. The Wotton Electric Picture House (the original name) is now a thriving venue.

The town has always lacked a railway station. There was once one at nearby Charfield , which is still on a partly-extant line, and there have been calls for the station to be re-opened.

Gallery – showing: Monumental brass of Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron of Berkeley (d 1417) Church of St Mary the Virgin, the Ancient Ram Inn, the Falcon and the Tolsey clock which commemorates the Diamond Jubilee (60 years) of Queen Victoria’s reign. It states 1837 – 1897 and lies between Market Street and High Street.

Notable people

• More Adey (1858–1942) – art critic • Ian Alexander – footballer • Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley (d.1417) • John Biddle – Unitarian • Charles Blagden –Physician • Bruce Chatwin – writer. Chatwin and his wife owned the house Holwell Farm from the mid- 1960s to the 1980s • Ann Dinham born Ann Orchard, later Ann Riddiford and then Ann Foster; exiled to Tasmania in 1851 for ‘inciting a burglary’. • U A Fanthorpe – poet • Sir Matthew Hale – Lord chief Justice (1671-1676) • Matthew Blagden-Hale – Bishop • Evan Hayward – MP • Mark Horton – Archaelogoist • Catherine Johnson – Playwright • Richard Knill – mMissionary • Ian MacDonald (1948– 2003) – Music Critic and Author • Sir Isaac Pitman – Created Pitman shorthand, Pitman Place named after him • Mark Porter – Doctor Sean Rig – Footballer • Jamie Stephens Footballer Submitted by John Morton Editor’s Notes - The Ancient Ram Inn is Reputed to be Haunted New Mills was also used to make knicker elastic at one time. GARDENING GROUP The Gardening Group Blooms Again I am sure you’ll all agree that whether you are a gardener on not, our gardens have kept us going this year. Whilst nothing beats a visit to a garden in person, the Gardening Group will bloom again online until trips out can be organised.

An initial series of six talks is being set up on Zoom with at least one talk in before Christmas. Topics will be varied and definitely not just for gardeners. We are also intending to share some events with U3A Cotswold Link Members, Evesham.

Gardening Group members who are interested in the talks will pay a subscription of £20 per person. At less than £4 a talk, this is great value. Rather than having a set time and day of the week for meetings, these will be varied so as many people can attend as possible. Talks will be posted on the Gardening Group page on the website, but we do not intend to offer admission to individual talks.

Should you not have used Zoom before, we can help you in advance. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Danielle Ellis.

Malmesbury Abbey & Gardens on a Previous Visit Photos & Write up by Danielle Ellis

Well done to Danielle for coming forward to lead this Group and very many thanks to Maggie and Sue for all the Garden Visits they arranged.

SCIENCE & ENGINEERING EXTRA BLOODHOUND REPORT

Wow, 2020 has been quite a rollercoaster ride! We hope you and your family are well during these extraordinary and challenging times.We wanted you to be the first to know that the prime-time documentary detailing Bloodhound's successful 628mph (1010km/h) High Speed Testing campaign is scheduled to air on Channel 4, in the UK, at 6pm on Saturday, 14th November.

Building The World’s Fastest Car, the hour-long programme follows the team’s fortunes as they deployed to the Kalahari Desert in South Africa for six weeks in autumn 2019.

Filmed on the Hakskeenpan desert, the programme charts the highs and lows as the team attempts to run the car on the desert racetrack, building speeds, and learning about the destructive impact of supersonic airflow, ahead of a concerted attempt to break the World Land Speed Record. The programme has also been distributed to broadcasters around the world. We'll share the dates and channels as we get them. Watch the trailer!

Those of you with a good memory will recall we mentioned that we had a small batch of limited- edition High Speed Testing liveried model cars in production. Well, these are now available in our shop and you guys, our core fans, are able to buy them before the rest of the world.

As you may have noticed we've been rather quiet since March. The entire project was put into hibernation to ensure it didn't accrue costs whilst we have been unable to progress both the engineering or fundraising programmes. We will, however, be waking up in the coming weeks, so more news to follow. Courtesy of Graham Ellis

CONCERT GROUP

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

WITH JOHN RUTTER & THE RPO

Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the world-renowned English composer and conductor, John Rutter, and his ever-popular concerts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), which is why this year, we’ve pulled out all the stops to bring you this firm festive favourite directly to you in the comfort of your own home!

Join us on Thursday 10 December 2020 at 7.30pm for the online premiere of his specially recorded performance, featuring John Rutter and the RPO, as well as a stellar line-up of special guests, including the acclaimed actor, Simon Callow, and the celebrated vocal group VOCES8.

With so many concerts cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Orchestra was thrilled to be able to record this unique production at the end of October in the stunning surroundings of St Albans Cathedral (complying fully with regional restrictions and social distancing regulations) and is proud to be able to share it with online audiences worldwide.

Why not dress up, pour yourself a mulled wine, warm a mince pie and tune in for a Very special Christmas Celebration, featuring your favourite carols, rousing fanfares, Yuletide classics and much more. A joyful event guaranteed to fill you with Christmas sparkle and cheer!

Tickets are just £10 each (with options of donating up to £250 available). The full performance will also be available to watch from Thursday 10th December at 7.30pm and for a full 12 festive days th

after, when you book your tickets by 10 December.

Book Tickets Submitted by

Rosemary Canning

Déjà vu……. nd SCIENCE & ENGINEERING Zoom Talk 22 October 2020

Sustainable Energy “without the hot air”

Robin Stafford Allen gave us a very interesting talk previously on “Fusion”. He joined in our conversation whilst waiting for others to join this zoom talk. There were several ex CEGB employees present and he recounted how he used to need permission from the CEGB to use large amounts of electricity for small periods of time for his fusion apparatus. He also showed some interest in Barbara’s solar panels and Graham’s cat Henry.

The lecture started in an unexpected way with slides showing the enormity of horse poo in during the 1800s. More being deposited than could be removed, with the worry that it would bring London to a standstill. In the late 1800s Mercedes produced a “Horseless Carriage”. In 1914, many horses were sent to Europe to support the war, most of them never to return. The point being that through time we often suffer what appear to be unsolvable problems.

A map of the world detailing human population increase and energy use provided worrying statistics. The developing world is looking forward to enjoying a lifestyle that requires much more electricity, more similar to our own lives. He pointed out that although 1 million people have lost their lives through Covid to date, 1 million new people arrive on the planet each week. In 1769 Watt’s steam engine heralded the exponential rise in CO2 in our atmosphere. This now needs to be reversed and renewables were examined in detail. Currently they are not contributing much to the world’s energy production. Solar energy is beneficial and Robin dismissed those that said the panels cost more to produce than they save. Living so far from the equator as we do, does not allow optimum performance. Even if the whole country were to be covered in solar panels, it would only provide a fraction of our needs and would take up valuable farmland. Similarly, solar thermal (direct heating of homes or water) has limited use at our latitude.

Wind Turbines, although more productive than solar, suffer a similar problem. The off shore wind turbines are more successful. However, a strip 5 miles deep around the UK would still not suffice. Thirty thousand bird deaths per year can be attributed to wind turbines. This seemed alarming until Robin said that bird deaths from cars are about 1 million and from cats even more. A short pause then took place.

Storage - Dinorwig the hydroelectric station in Snowdonia, provides large quantities of electricity with just a few minutes notification. This is ideal to cover sudden losses throughout the National Grid, but only for short periods. The water in the lower lake then has to be pumped back to the upper lake, using electricity.

Another myth was dispelled “leaving a mobile phone on charge all of the time is expensive”. Robin said that due to the clever “switch mode” technology within the charger, leaving a mobile on charge for a year is roughly equivalent to 1 second of driving a car. Although he did advise us not to do this.

Tidal - Whilst a Severn Barrage would contribute, the flow through turbines would be limited due to just a 2 metre head of water.

In summary, it seems that solar panels for all are still too expensive at the moment. We can’t cover our country in solar panels or wind turbines. Fossil fuels (oil and coal) will become prohibitively expensive as they become harder to reach underground. Renewables are a help but only for part of the day. Electric cars are more efficient but take a long time to recharge. Smart meters do not contribute generally to a reduction in electricity consumption. Their purpose is to educate us with respect to home electricity consumption.

We can help by flying less, driving more efficiently or walking/cycling more. Not upgrading our mobiles and other gadgets each year also helps. Low energy light bulbs help, but take a long time to pay back. Keep house thermostats to 18°C in the winter and wear a jumper. Avoid excess packaging and eat less meat.

Q & A Session Alan – could superconductivity help, with say direct current (DC) links to Iceland. Reply: Not until we have superconductivity at ambient temperature - wind farms already connect with DC. Barbara - could batteries be used to benefit from daytime solar electricity being used at night. Reply: Possibly in the future for individual houses but would be expensive and unlikely for the national grid. Sally - do renewable destabilise the national grid. Reply:They are useful as small contributors, but sometimes prevent power stations from running to their design loading. Richard – could more Dinorwigs be built. Sally also suggested water could be pumped back using solar and wind power. Reply: Available sites are limited and building costs would be prohibitive. Graham asked about the Elon Musk grid batteries that had been installed in Australia. Reply: we have one 1st division football club using batteries which will maintain floodlights for 1 hour following a grid disconnection. Alan – could the use of compressed air be viable as a storage medium. Reply: It would not be cost effective. Alan also asked about the possibility of linking the Red Sea with the Dead Sea which is 500 metres lower. Reply: Environmental issues would preclude this. Barbara highlighted that she would no longer be able to float in the less salty water. Paul said he had enjoyed Robin’s talk on Fusion and it was often said that Fusion is 25 years away and will always be 25 years away. Robin confirmed that this audience would not be benefitting from electricity from fusion although there is hope for future generations.

Graham thanked Robin for a very interesting lecture and reminded the listeners that they can donate to Robin’s suggested charity “Thames Air Ambulance”.

There were rather too many, although interesting, figures to précis. Robin credits much of his lecture to Prof. David Mackay who published a book “Sustainable Energy - without the hot air” should you want to know more. Paul Sheppard U3A WINTER LEARNING

These are just 2 of the many topics available through the National u3a website entitled winter learning:

1) Keep learning and doing! - A U3A website which provides quizzes, challenges and projects. Please visit: https://www.U3A.org.uk/learning/nationalprogrammes

2) Made it! Make it! Crafts with a Christmas theme. Please visit: https://www.u3a.org.uk/learning/made-it-make-it

Please give it a try. Sue Gibson

Canal at Fromebridge Roundabout

Water flowing under the reconstructed roundabout! Submitted by John Morton

(More local photos of interest, or historical, would be welcome only at [email protected])

I was wondering why the ball kept getting bigger and bigger, and then it hit me.

My therapist says I have a preoccupation with vengeance. We’ll see about that A Poem by Sandra Sheppard

November, the month of our second lockdown. In everyday life, new concepts arise. Pupils attend school in city and town. Businesses suffer, another workforce demise.

We’re encouraged to stay positive and look ahead. To the festive season, with extra “fizz”. No parties or U3A gatherings allowed. Return to Windsor for Phil and Queen Liz.

Spare a thought for our beloved turkey. During run-up to Xmas lunch this year. Whose fate is more certain than ours of course. Will that “support bubble” shed a tear?

My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned: I just couldn’t concentrate.

I had an “hour glass” figure, but then the sand shifted.

Your Committee:

Alan Keith Chair Richard Barlow Treasurer

Sue Gibson Secretary Linda Bettridge Groups Co-ordinator

John Hobson Assistant Treasurer Myrtle Moreton-Cox Welfare & Bulletin

Vacancy Speaker Secretary Luke Wilson Membership Secretary

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Happier Times…..