Hickling Broad U3A Newsletter July/August 2017

July Meeting: Picture Postcards - An entertaining source of local history

Well known speaker and presenter Peter Lawrence brought history alive with his talk inspired by vintage picture postcards. Peter took us on a journey through time and social history. He began his collection in the 1980’s. Peter told us interesting facts about the history of royal mail and photography and printing industry. Did you know that Queen Victoria and Albert were the first royal couple to be photographed for public viewing? Or, that the first Christmas and birthday cards were postcards? Churches most photographed buildings but there was a particular interest in Coaching inns, railway stations and the changing high streets of towns and villages. We saw how methods of transport have changed over the years – including our own railway which is long disappeared.

August/September 2017 at a Glance: 2nd August Walking

2nd August Sailing

7th August Country Dancing

11th August Voices of Hickling

11th August Main Meeting in the Barn

14 August Wildlife Walk

16 August Sailing

16th August Pub Lunches 16th August Sailing

17th August Cycling

21 August BLURR

22 August Gourmet Diggers

25th August Sailing

25th August Art

30th August Sailing

31st August British History

6th September Walking

4th September Country Dancing

6th September Sailing

6th September Bookworms

8th September Voices of Hickling

8th September Main Meeting in the Barn

Next Members’ Meeting in the Barn: 11th August at 2.00pm and Association for the Blind

Donna Minto will come to talk to us about the amazing work of this local charity. Here she introduces her talk:

The Norfolk & Norwich Association for the blind is one of the oldest charities in Norfolk and its mission is to help Norfolk's 20,000 plus people with poor sight remain independent, active and to live fulfilled lives.

Sight loss affects all age groups and the Association supports everyone from new born to those over 100 years of age. Last year our community workers made nearly 7,000 separate visits to individuals in their homes and there were over 6,000 visitors to the five equipment centres in Norwich, King's Lynn, , Cromer and our Mobile Centre.

In Norwich we have a residential home for 37 residents and 20 sheltered flats as well as a volunteer presence in all four hospital eye clinics in the County. We have a busy sports and leisure programme and over 200 active volunteers give generously of their time to deliver these essential aspects of the charity.

The Bradbury Activity Centre, located in Norwich and opened by our Patron, Her Majesty The Queen, in 2010 acts as a hub for all that the Association does for Norfolk's visually impaired and blind - whatever the age and wherever they are in the County. The Association receives no state funding of any sort instead relying entirely on legacies, fundraising and donations. All the money raised in Norfolk is spent in Norfolk on our service users.

HBU3A Committee Monthly Update

We would like to thank everyone for attending our July meeting when Peter Lawrence brought history alive with his presentation "Picture Postcards- An entertaining source of local history." We had an interesting and entertaining afternoon learning many interesting historical facts from what can be seen on old postcards. It was great to see so many people there particularly when our date clashed with the mens semi finals at Wimbledon!

We are keen to boost numbers at our walking and cycling groups. Please contact Roy on 01692 598060 for more information. The groups run at an easy pace and they always stop for tea or a swift half somewhere!

The committee are very keen to hear of any ideas, suggestions from members about how our U3A is run and how we can continue to develop and grow. You can always talk to us at meetings or email to let us know your thoughts.

Julie has got some more kind volunteers for the tea rota, but all help is gratefully received, just let us know at the next meeting if you are happy to pitch in.

Most people have already paid their subscriptions for the year, but there are still a couple outstanding, if you think your membership may have expired please contact Andy immediately at [email protected]

National office have circulated a survey for members nationwide to complete. We will forward this to you in the next few days. The idea is to show us all how easily a research survey can be done on line nowadays. It is totally confidential and there is no obligation at all to complete it if you don’t want to, but if you do we hope you find it interesting.

We look forward to seeing you all at the August meeting when Donna Minto will be telling us all about the work of the Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind.

From the Interest Group Co-ordinator:

Looking forward to seeing all the Group leaders on September 8th at 4pm after the Barn meeting, which is to be our next get together. An Agenda will be sent out in good time. However if there are any issues that it is felt should be discussed please let me know in advance so I can do some ‘homework’ if necessary.

Unfortunately there has not been enough interest to warrant setting up a croquet group for this year but I hope we can have another go at raising interest early in the new year.

Julie Liggitt Interest Groups: Art 4th Friday (2.00pm-4.00pm) in the Methodist Hall

The Art Group meet on the fourth Friday each month from 2 – 4pm at the Methodist Church Hall in Hickling. The next Art group is on Friday, 28 July. If you would like to come along, please do so. You will be made very welcome. There's tea and coffee and sometimes cake or biscuits!

Backgammon 1st and 3rd Fridays at the Pleasure Boat Inn (2.00pm-4.00pm)

Backgammon is now finished for the season and will restart in the autumn at the end of the sailing season.

BLURR – The Camera Group 3rd Monday each month at The Hickling Barn (2.00-4.00pm)

This month’s Blurr meeting was held for the first time in the ‘Barn’ and it will continue as our venue from now on.

Malcolm English a renowned judge of photographic competitions was our visiting speaker for July and presented a great assortment of pictures for our enjoyment. He explained how they were assessed by other judges and why they were rated as they were.

Our members interacted with the speaker and much was discussed and learned. An excellent session.

Our monthly topic of 'reflections in water' was well supported and diverse. Early plans for next years Calendar were started. Lots going on and lots to come, the future is looking very positive. Our picture of the month this time is by Alan Sellwood and is of the lovely Broads boat Arabella and her reflection in the staithe.

'Bookworms' Reading Group 1st Wednesday each month (pm)

Bookworms meet on the first Wednesday of the month. In July we discussed 'This isn't the Sort of Thing that Happens to a Girl Like You' by Jon McGreggor. Odd sort of book consisting of lots of short stories – some good and some not so good. However, it did provide us with quite a good discussion.

There is no Bookworms in August so the group will meet up again on 6 September to discuss 'Dominion' by C J Sansom. Please give me a call if you are interested in taking part.

British History 3rd Thursday of each month, 2.00pm

For this month's meeting the group went on a visit to Felbrigg hosted by Julie Liggitt. Julie is a tour guide at Felbrigg and, although we had all visited before, her knowledge and stories definitely added an extra level to our knowledge and enjoyment.

In addition to touring the house we watched a very informative dvd on how the house was opened up at the start of the season.

A very enjoyable day was completed by a visit to the tea rooms. Our next meeting is on 31st August at 2 p.m. when we will be going to Norwich Castle to see a re- enactment of one of the old trials held there (possibly the Downham Market rioters trial). Admission is free and we will meet at the Castle just before 2 p.m. and other U3A members are welcome to join us even if they are not members of the British History group. Please contact Steve Whitby on 01263 721227 if you would like to attend as the Castle would like to know approximate numbers.

On September 21st we will return to our normal meeting date - 3rd Thursday of the month at 2 p.m. when Joan Lockhart (who was also a Felbrigg tour guide) will give a further insight into the colourful history of Mad Windham, his life, loves and how he squandered a fortune.

Country Dancing 1st Monday each month (pm):

Cycling 3rd Thursday each month (am)

We all started our July ride at the Horse and Groom in Tunstead (formally the Olive Branch).

We have cycled this route before so this time we decided to cycle this route the other way round. We got lost almost straight away, but managed to cycle to Dilham and back.

At Honing outside the village hall there was a 1917 German Mortar (picture).

The weather held but started to rain just as we got back to the pub for lunch which was very good. Bill (one of the group) informed us we had cycled 16 miles at an average speed of 6mph, so if you would like to join us for a leisurely ride good company and fresh air contact me.

Future rides: 17th August and 21st September

Gourmet Diggers 4th Tuesday each month (pm)

This month we celebrated Summer and Gourmet Diggers with a barbecue held in Martin and Maureen's garden. It was indeed a Gourmet barbecue, none of your beef burgers and sausages (all burnt of course), but a feast of delicious foods brought by each person.

Martin and Roy expertly cooked on the Barbie spicy chicken, spare ribs and fish parcels, all served alongside a selection of dips, salads and home made bread, for pud cheesecake and Martins special banana dish. All delicious.

A very big thank you to Martin and Maureen for holding this event in their garden. We all enjoyed it.

The next Gourmet Diggers is held at Kate's, details to follow

If you would like to join our group held on the 4th Tuesday of the month, 2-4pm, various locations for a fun packed afternoon, and hopefully learn something, pleas do come along.

For further information ring Jane Brooker 01692 598060 or speak to anyone at the U3A

'Let’s Discuss It’ 2nd Thursday each month (pm)

No meeting in August. The next meeting will be on on 14th September.

Topics for the rest of the year:

14 September Trump - review 12 October Alternative Therapies 9 November Brexit - review December No meeting

Outings No set dates

Various suggestions for outings have come across the Group Coordinators ‘desk’ and will be on display at the next meeting (as they were at July’s meeting).

Anyone interested in taking part should sign up. However it does need someone to take on the organisation of any of the outings suggested… over to the membership!

Pub Lunches 3rd Wednesday each month

19 July 2017 “The Ship”, Mundesley

“The Ship” is located on the coast road as you drive through Mundesley, after some very narrow twisty bends. There is a car park to the side of the pub, and a large overflow park through the walled gateway. There is a bar at the front of the pub, with two restaurant areas at the back which overlook the sea. The décor is definitely seaside based! Additionally there is seating outside at the front, and another large grassed area at the back with sea views.

Our 16 diners chose a range of dishes from the menu, both snacks, salads and main meals. Most seemed to have enjoyed their meal, although scores varied considerably. All but one of our guests would make a return visit.

Our next Pub Lunch is at 12.15pm on Wednesday 16 August at “The Horse and Groom” in Tunstead. Please let me know if you would like to join us, by phone or email.

Sailing Varied Wednesday and Friday mornings, May to October

We have enjoyed three sails this month. The last was very windy! The 28th was cancelled

Next dates: August: Wednesday 2nd, Friday 11th, Wednesday 16th, Friday 25th; September: Wednesday 6th, Friday 15th, Wednesday 20th, Friday 29th.

Voices of Hickling 2nd Friday each month, 11.30-1.00

A brief formal meeting on 27th July was followed by the group's "annual summer outing". We went to Hickling Hall, where Bernie Ellis gave us a fascinating tour of the Hall. This brought to life his recollections (as one of our "Voices") of the tragic events of Boxing Day 2014 when the Hall was severely damaged by fire.

We were able to see the remarkable restoration work undertaken and appreciate the immensity of the rebuilding task involved. There were further bonuses in that Martin was able to take a number of photos which will be used to further enhance the website and Bernie very generously provided tea and cake! All who attended are very grateful to Bernie for his time and generosity in allowing us to visit.

As we reach the end of our summer lull the group turns its attention back to recording, transcribing, and indexing our growing collection of memories from people living in Hickling in the middle of the last century.

We are working hard on our website and are planning an open afternoon in the autumn for anyone interested in our work who would like to meet us and our live "Voices" over tea and cake.

We are keen to recruit new members to allow us to increase our collection of memories of those who have spent their lives in Hickling. If any HBU3A member, old or new, feels they would like to help we would love to see you, at our open meeting or any of our working meetings. We meet on the second Friday of the month 11.30-1.00pm.

There are a range of things to do but we are particularly keen to find people who can listen to and help record more "Voices" - no prior knowledge is necessary and the stories you will hear, first hand, are fascinating. If anybody is interested in joining us please contact Teri Ellis or Ann Kinmonth on [email protected] or talk to any of the other VoH members.

Walking 1st Wednesday each month

0ur July walk started at Horning Church, which backs onto .

This walk took us past Neatishead Radar Station (worth a visit) , then we walked through Horning village getting back to the Church, completing four and half miles. We met up with four others and had lunch at the New Inn in Horning. Fish and chips was on the menu which four of us had and which was brilliant .

Our next walks are on August 2nd and September 6th. All welcome.

Wildlife Walks 2nd Wednesday each month

In July just two of us set off to walk the footpath between Horsey and Brograve Mills: a stark contrast between Horsey Mill (undergoing restoration) and the (romantic?) ruin at Brograve.

I heard blackcaps singing as I parked the car and chiffchaffs were in good voice along the route.

Although breezy, the weather was pleasantly warm and we saw plenty of butterflies. These included small and large whites, brimstone, peacock, red admiral and - in large numbers - gatekeepers (aka hedge browns) which we saw all the way along the footpath.

There were scarlet pimpernels, yellow loosestrife and great willow-herb among the many flowering plants. We were also lucky to see a common lizard baking in the sun - until it became aware of our presence and disappeared rapidly into the undergrowth.

Our walk on 14th August will take us along the south side of Hickling Broad. Meet by Potter Heigham church from where we shall make our way to the footpath which leads us to the broad, giving good views across the water. Hopefully we shall see good numbers of water-loving birds - possibly even cranes flying overhead.

Dogs on leads will be welcome. The walk starts at 2.00pm and will last about two hours.

Drawing in the Archive:

The visual Record of Norwich’s Medieval Churches, 1700-2017

Free Exhibition at Norfolk Record Office 21 August - 17 November 2017

Based on new research, this exhibition explores the rich visual record of Norwich’s medieval parish churches. Since 1700, artists, antiquarians and archaeologists have drawn the City’s churches in diverse ways. The remarkable archive that they have left reveals information about the churches that would otherwise be lose and encourages us to look again, and look differently, at these familiar landmarks.

During Norfolk Record Office opening times Mon, Weds & Fri 9-5, Tues 9.30-5, Thurs 9-7 For more information www.archives.norfolk.gov.uk/events [email protected] or 01603 222599 Members’ Meeting in The Barn - 8th September at 2.00pm Cromer Pier

Deb Lewis will be coming to tell us all about the Cromer Pier, the gem of the coast is a Grade 11 listed Pier and has one of only five remaining end of pier theatres in the UK.

The theatre was originally a bandstand opened in the 1890s, it was most popular for roller skating and live music. The bandstand was covered in 1905 to form the beginnings of the Pavilion theatre that we see today.

Inside the theatre the original seats and wind shelters are in perfect condition and are still used for full house shows. The famous Cromer Pier Show is the only end of pier show of its kind in the World. A feast of traditional live variety with a thoroughly modern twist, loved by generations of visitors. Fondly known as The Seaside Special, The Cromer Pier Show is now in its 40th year and going from strength to strength with audience numbers increasing every year. What is our secret of success? Photos by Al Pulford and Richard Shashamane. AYLSHAM & DISTRICT

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE

River Cruise and Buffet Why not join us for a memorable river cruise and buffet as part of our Second Birthday Celebration Wednesday 6th September 5.30 - 7.30pm From Horning £15.00pp (including Buffet) 2 hour Cruise Stunning views from upper deck Lounge on lower deck with fully stocked bar Wheelchair access ------

Please use this form to book.

Please enclose your payment by cheque made payable to Aylsham & District U3A

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Please return to Pam Skillings, Social Secretary at 5 Goulder Drive, Aylsham NR11 6NG or e-mail [email protected]