Stroud and District U3A Yearbook 2018 WELCOME TO STROUD AND DISTRICT U3A FROM THE CHAIRMAN We are a self governing organisation working under the umbrella of “The It is with great pleasure Third Age Trust” and established in 1989. We share the common philosophy, that I present you with the aims and objectives of our parent organisation. second edition of the YEAR BOOK. The first in 2015-16 Currently, Stroud and District U3A has over 570 members. As well as interest was well received and we groups, we also hold regular monthly meetings that introduce a range of felt that an updated version speakers of general interest. for existing, new and In the U3A retired or semi-retired people from all walks of life and all ages prospective members would (there is no upper or lower age limit) can meet like-minded people to expand be welcome and useful. their knowledge, share interests and acquire new skills. At present our membership Members can fully involve themselves by organising their own activities in a is approaching 600 a steady wide variety of subjects. and healthy increase year on year. With over 45 There are opportunities to keep your mind and body active, keep interests Groups it is clear that the alive, develop new skills, explore new horizons and meet new people. U3A in Stroud is providing much needed activity, self The current group activities are summarised in the following pages. For more improvement and friendship information, look at our web site: for our members. It helps keep the old grey matter (and other parts) active. With many people moving into the Stroud area, often to be near family or WWW.U3ASITES.ORG.UK/STROUD because of retirement, the Stroud U3A is a great way to get to know new people and assist in settling to a new locality. CONTENTS It continues to surprise me how often, when chatting to someone in Stroud, to find that they have never heard of us. To try and remedy this we will be From the Chairman . 3 Local Flora Group . 25 organising our next OPEN DAY on the 13th June in the Subscription Rooms. Country Walkers . 4 Literature Group 2 . 26 Church History and Architecture Group . 6 Music Appreciation 1 . 26 The last one two years ago went very well and a significant number of new Play Reading Group Two . 7 Music Appreciation Group (2) . 26 members resulted. Please come and support us and encourage friends and or Photography Group . 8 LOST . 27 acquaintances to come as well. In addition we will be making efforts via the Days Out Group . 10 Play reading Group 1 . 28 local media etc., to make our presence known. Nifty Knitters . 12 Lost Property . 28 Art Appreciation group . 13 Stroud U3A Recorder Group . 29 Your Committee continues to work on your behalf to keep things going Black . 13 Practical German . 30 Bridge 4 All group . 14 The Readers Group . 30 and try to improve where possible. I as Chairman am very grateful for their Brighton S .A . 14 Random Thoughts on being a Charity Shop support and hard work, but we would always welcome anyone who might DIY Learn Italian . 16 Volunteer . 31 feel they can contribute. If you think you can please get in contact. Perkins . 17 The Charity Shop . 31 Brief Encounter . 18 Social History . 33 Thank you all for your support and have great year ahead. Monday . 18 Red Sky . 33 French Book Club . 19 What’s a fair price to pay for an afternoon’s David Nathan Our U3A Family History Group . 19 U3A Walkers (easy – no stiles) GROUP . 35 Croquet Group - King Stanley . 21 Home “A cup of tea” . 37 French Conversation Group . 22 Church History and Architecture group . 39 German Conversation . 22 Wednesday Walkers . 42 “Why Germans keep their voices down” . 22 Monthly Meetings planned for 2018 . 48 Happy Feet Walking Group . 24 2018 Committee . 48 Literature Group 1 . 24 2 3 COUNTRY WALKERS The Ups and Downs of walking in the Cotswolds; from a perfect walk full of town and country variations - Nailsworth, Washpool, Tipputs Inn, Barton End. Our walks take place on the second and fourth Fridays of the month and are usually four to five miles in length. They’re completed by a pub lunch for those who wish. Jenny Fenyoe Country Walkers do it in STILE! 4 5 CHURCH HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE GROUP PLAY READING GROUP TWO The Church History and Architecture Group has been in existence for a We started the second Play Reading group in September 2013. I cannot long time, for much of which it was under the knowledgeable guidance believe we have been going for four years!! of Roy and Jean Embleton. Prior to his death Roy let it be known that he would like the group to continue, and since then it has, originally under the We first met in my garden cabin, and then as numbers grew, we moved our knowledgeable guidance of Kath Vickers and Pat Harper and now under the venue to the Residents Lounge in Grove Park...thanks to Betty (Nash). less knowledgeable guidance of Pat Harper, who is keenly seeking another partner. We meet on the third Friday of the month, but not in December – too close to Christmas, or January – churches can be very cold in January. They can be cold in February, so that’s when we have our annual lunch, and March has been known to be cold as well. However, this year March was not cold so we went to Malmesbury Abbey for a guided tour. The Abbey is a warm building! In the cold months in previous years we have attended workshops at Gloucester Cathedral on the Benedictines, the monuments and the stained glass as well as having a tour of Blackfriars in Gloucester. We have great fun reading a wide variety of plays, from Aykbourn Our usual format is to visit two to Coward, Ibsen, Agatha Christie and Alan Bennett and other more churches, one in the morning usually contemporary playwrights, such as Lynn Brittney and David Summers. There starting at 10.30am, one in the are a regular core of six to eight members, of both sexes, though there are afternoon, starting at about 2pm, with occasional gender changes! During our tea break, lively discussions and lunch at a nearby pub or eatery (if that’s interesting ideas come forward. Yes, it’s fun and light hearted....and is a great a word) of some sort. way to get a dose of drama, theatre, escapism without the stress of a public One of us carries out research of the performance or learning lines. Why not join us, new people will always be church and its history. We start off the welcomed. visit sitting down and hearing about the history and, for later churches, the architect; then we walk around the church, pointing out and discussing interesting pieces of architecture, stained glass windows, memorials and in a few churches - sadly not many as the Victorians had a habit of scraping the plaster of church walls - we have the joy of discussing and understanding wall paintings such as the doom painting at St James the Great, South Leigh (see above a part of the painting where a grinning red devil and a yellow devil haul on the end of the chains securing the damned to pull them into the mouth of hell). We do everything by e-mail so members do need to have a device that can read and send e-mails. Pat Harper Ella Gibson 6 7 PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP Quenington Our trip to Cricklade in In May the Photography Wiltshire a was great Group visited the Rectory success. A lovely town with Gardens in Quenington to interesting buildings sitting photograph the sculptures. on the banks of the river Each work of art tastefully Thames (what more could blended in lovely summer a photographer want) borders. It was the kind of Practically everyone who place that, as you saw the passed us in the street said wonderful and sometimes good morning, perhaps bizarre sculptures you that’s because there is might reflect on how they a small population and would look in your own strangers are welcome. garden. Our aim today was We happened across the to get some unusual angles Jenner Hall which is the on this modern art and local pop in centre, they immediately offered us a cup of tea and use of the place them on our Flickr page. The church of St Swithin opposite the Rectory facilities. I believe Maureen and Nigel took them up on the offer. Our visit Gardens was well worth a visit. The north and south porches had some included the lovely churches of St Mary’s and St Sampson both of which are really lovely Norman carvings and local children had created some unusual medieval. elephants using plastic milk cartons, well worth a visit. On Tuesday 25th April Salve (Roman for hello) the Photography group We picked the right met in the Abbey at day to visit the Roman Malmsbury for a welcome Villa at Chedworth, it cup of something warm was warm and sunny. before setting off to The mosaics are housed explore the Abbey in a long building and Gardens next door photographing them was (sometimes called the a real challenge because Naked Gardeners) It was of the light conditions. just a well that it wasn’t They advertised re- a naked day because the enactments during the wind was bitterly cold. school break and it was The light was particularly a little disappointing good and I know the that there was only one, group will have some the mosaic man (I had hoped for a couple of Romans in togas or a soldier or stunning images of the two).