U3A Matters A Newsletter for Carlisle and District U3A Summer 2015 June, July, August

The Leisurely Walkers Group visited Gretna recently to see the site of the Quintinshill disaster and learn from Tom Branney the story behind it. The 22nd of May was the Seventieth Anniversary. Photograph Ken Davidson

Carlisle and District U3A is a Registered Charity No 1073444 www.u3asites.org.uk/carlisle A New Members Pack may be obtained from the Membership Secretary Printed by Opening Doors, Carlisle. [email protected] From the Chairman

If like me you receive the TAM and actually read it, then you will have come across the Opinion Pages and the Chairman’s Column. In it Barbara Lewis refers to the ‘Awareness Campaign’. This takes the form of targeting the community where we live through ‘Direct Marketing’, ‘Media’, a ‘Campaign Pack’ and supporting Literature.

‘Nothing new under the sun’ goes up the cry, with, I imagine, those past Committee Members reading this nodding in agreement; plus our present Committee is already active in these areas as seen in our continuing success with monthly Coffee Mornings and a regular piece in the News. At the time of writing we have now achieved a total of 700+ Members so we must be doing something right! That’s a figure in the Carlisle & District I would love to increase by at least another 50% before my tenure as Chairman comes to an end next year. Which is a tenuous link to remind you all that our A.G.M is on Thursday 17th September from 1.30pm at Wigton Road Methodist Church. It’s an opportunity for you to not only hear reports and voice your opinions or concerns about our U3A, but also to consider taking up a position on the Committee. See you there and have a good Summer.

David Stevens Chairman ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Remember If you have access to a computer or smart 'phone you can check for any date/time changes, or early notices about events, by logging on to our website. www.u3asites.org.uk/carlisle First Network conference

Cumbria Network's first ever conference titled Energy will be held on 9th October. The conference programme was designed by four network members from Grange, Skiddaw and Lancaster U3As and was supported at the network meeting on the 28th April. We have chosen Energy as the focus, not only because of global and national concerns about how we use and produce energy, but also because of local concerns about nuclear energy, fossil fuels and renewable energy and the need to reduce our energy consumption. We want the conference to provide current and, as far as possible, unbiased information for our members.

Because this is our first conference we do not have any reserves to support us and the conference must therefore break even financially. To do this we need at least 100 members to attend (the venue will accommodate 190 in total) Preliminary market testing suggests that the conference will be popular but its success depends on the individual U3As in the Network advertising and promoting the conference as widely as possible to their members. If this conference is successful it will, of course, help the development of future network events.

Please note that there is a deadline for application of 20th August.

If you or any of your members require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Maggie Potts Chair, Skiddaw U3A [email protected] Rag Rug Group

At the beginning of April Judith's Rag Rug Group spent a very enjoyable and successful day at the Knit and Stitch Show held at Rheged.

Despite the number of attractions on offer, we were delighted by the number of people, old and young, who stopped at our stall, interested by the rugs on display. This sparked in many of the older generation their memories of the rugs made and used in their homes in years gone by.

Memories, as young children, of being allowed to cut up the rags ­ the hooking process being firmly the preserve of the adults! Memories of the new rug being proudly displayed in front of the hearth (or on the bed!), gradually progressing through the house as it became worn and grubby, to end up at the back door as a doormat for muddy boots. A new rug would then be made, every 6 months or so.

Today rag rugging is more of a craft and leisure pursuit, but in the not so distant past it was a tradition and ensured nothing went to waste. A functional and attractive item, made from old fabrics past any further use, old hessian flour sacks and homemade prodding and hooking tools, these rugs represented the ultimate in recycling! Both a social affair, with groups of women meeting to make larger rugs on a frame and a family affair, the children and women and sometimes the men, making smaller rugs in the evenings for their own homes

It struck us that this is an important part of our social history, kept alive today by groups such as ours, though hooked and prodded rugs are still desirable objects, sought after to go in front of the Agas of today's farmhouse kitchens. If you want to try your hand at one, the style and pattern is up to you ­ the only limits are your imagination and the contents of your recycling bag!

Morag McCormack

If anyone is interested in joining the Rag Rug Group new members are always welcome

Contact [email protected] 016974 73528 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gilbert & Sullivan at the Harrogate Festival

Rudiggore Matinee on Saturday 8th August 2015

Tickets:£23.30. Cheques should be made payable to GS Festival Ltd. and sent, before June 1st to:

E. Hutchinson, 46, Green Croft, Brampton, Carlisle, CA8 1AX

Coach cost is £13.00 depending on numbers and size of the coach. Payment for the coach in cash to be paid on the coach. Please have correct money.

For details contact: Ena Hutchinson 016977 2177 Email [email protected] Third Thursday of the Month Meetings

All meetings take place at Harraby Community Centre, Edgehill Road, Carlisle, CA13PP Start time 2.00pm. Entry is free

Thursday June 18th The life of Charles Dickens, talk by Isobel Stirk

Thursday July 16th Getting Down & Dirty, talk by Alasdair Brock

Thursday August 20th No Talk

Thursday September 17th Annual General Meeting at Wigton Road Methodist Hall

Thursday October 15th Cumbria University Active Ageing Research Group

Thursday November 19th A Day in the Month, talk by Anthony Payne ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scrabble and Lunch

The Scrabblers' Group would like to invite you to a morning of Scrabble, followed by a Bring and Share lunch.

Belah Community Centre, Monday 27th July, 9.45am

Please let me know if you are coming.

Doreen Atkinson, 01228537363 email [email protected] Creative Gardening

On each occasion we shall leave from Irving's Depot, Jesmond Street at 08.45am, Tesco's lay­by, Rosehill at 08.50, and any other requested pick­up en­route.

Monday15th June

Our first visit will be to Wallington (NT) where we can have coffee and lunch, or picnic, before moving on to Garden Cottage, Bolam the Northumbrian garden of Heather and John Russell. Tea/coffee available here. Names please to Rhona on 01768 891830 no later than 9th June

Monday 20th July

Carolside, Earlston, Scottish Borders. To quote Scottish Field ­ “Carolside, in the Borders, is home to a range of magnificent flowers but it is the collection of roses ­ ancient, new and rambling ­ that set Rose Foyle's garden apart from the rest”. There may be time to visit another garden ­ Rose has still to come back to me. Names please to Rhona no later than 13th July 01768 891830

Monday 17th August

Leighton Hall, Lancaster. After a tour of this private house we have permission to spend as much time as we wish in the gardens ­ if a nice day maybe we can all picnic? If there is time we will return home via Beetham Nurseries. Names please to Rhona on 01768 891830 no later than 10th Aug Sunday Lunches ░ Writing for Pleasure Group ░ 7th June ░ We have vacancies and we The Golden Fleece, ░ meet on the first Thursday in , ░ every month from 2.00 pm. , ░ until 4.00.pm. at my house in CA6 4NF ░ Burgh by Sands We are a ░ small friendly group who 5th July ░ enjoy the act of writing and Stoneybeck Inn, ░ then reading out the result of Bowscar, nr Penrith, ░ our endeavours, for CA11 8RP ░ comment. Each month we ░ have an exercise under the 2nd Aug ░ general headings of Greenhill Hotel, ░ Description, Dialogue, Red Dial, ░ Memories, Atmosphere ,etc. Wigton, ░ CA7 8LS ░ If you are interested please Please contact by the preceding ░ call me: Wednesday to book your place: ░ Dorothy Ford Doreen Colley 01228 710912 ░ 01228 576436

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Remember

If you are having problems with laptops, tablets, telephones, or cameras, bring them along to a coffee morning on the first Monday of each month. We may be able to help. In fact why not come to the coffee mornings anyway? Oh Mr.Editor, Not More Change For The Sake Of It

This issue is a trial run and we want your feedback. We have kept the same typeface and 12pt size to ensure that those with poorer vision won't be inconvenienced. The change of format to an A5 page size is an attempt to reduce the amount of work which our Membership Secretaries have to do, at the enveloping and posting stage, for delivery to those who prefer the paper edition. The change also makes it possible in the future to have the printers deal with the entire process of posting at a favourable cost if it becomes difficult to find volunteers for the job.

The print version contains a centre spread on a different coloured paper. The two centre pages of this will feature Diary Dates and contact details of committee members – we are told that some of you tear off the Diary page to keep as a handy reminder. The change releases the rear page for more colour photographs. Please bear this in mind and send as many as you can. Try to capture members doing things rather than sitting or standing facing the camera (peoples backs can be very revealing). And try holding your camera vertically rather than horizontally; it not only tends to make you more selective but also fits the portrait shape of the newsletter.

The centre spread has to be sent as a separate file to the printers. I haven't found a simple way of combining this with the main file, and to avoid having to produce two versions, the email posting will be sent as two attachments. The website will hold both files in the Newsletters section under Newsletters and Diaries in Links.

I hope all this calms your fears/irritations/annoyances/anger. The Environment Group

We are a group interested in topics – local and worldwide – related to the environment. Sometimes we agree but more often we have debates about our environment in its many aspects.

Recent topics have included: 1 Should food be locally produced, organic, fair traded, or just as cheaply as possible? 2 Can genetically modified food ever be good? Good for us or the farmers? 3 What's happening to the climate? Some good changes and some disasters but should we care? 4 Can the world agree on a strategy for dealing with Climate change?

We try to find out more as we move towards crucial UN Climate Change negotiations in Paris in December 2015 when 196 countries try to finalise an agreement that could change the world significantly. Can we influence these decisions?

We pursue these topics in a variety of ways using outside lectures, TV programs and the internet to try to keep up with the many changing aspects of these points.

We have just enjoyed a fantastic lunch and walk round The Croft which is an organic small holding of 42.5 hectares. Pedigree Longhorn cattle – a traditional Cumbrian breed ­ raised at The Croft live out all year, in the winter being fed on hay made at The Croft (photograph back page). There are also geese and a small flock of mule ewes which were in the process of lambing as we visited. Here we could find out about the practical side of organic farming to help our discussions.

Our next outing is to Cragside where we will explore the work of Lord Armstrong the Victorian inventor, innovator and landscape genius. It was the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity and now has a newly installed hydro electric scheme using an Archimedian Screw.

If you fancy keeping up with current Environmental issues why not join our discussions on the first Thursday of the month?

Barbara Sanderson (016977 2469)

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New Culture Vultures

Theatre by the Lake – Keswick.

"Fallen Angels" by Noel Coward. (Stylish, witty & sparkling classic) Matinee 2.00pm. Wednesday 12th August, 2015. Tickets £14.00 each.

Please send cheque for theatre ticket only, made payable to Carlisle U3A to: Elspeth Cooke, 5, Willow Place, Parkland Village, Carlisle, CA1.3GQ by Friday 26/06/2015

Coack pick up points: 9.30.am Chemist (Jobsons), Brampton. 9.50.am Tesco (Rosehill). 10.00.am Old Lonsdale, Warwick Rd, Carlisle. Coach cost will depend on how many tickets sold eg. £10.00. to £13.00. email: [email protected]. Tel: 01228­319152 Left: Site plaque showing contemporary photographs of Quintinshill accident.

Below: Site of the accident and Tom Branney brings it to life.

Photographs Ken Davidson

Right: The environment Group visited The Croft, an organic smallholding.

Photograph Barbara Sanderson