S I D M O U T H Newsletter September 2017 Issue 48 From the Chairman I closed my piece in the last newsletter by wishing you a great summer unfortunately that has now passed and, according to the met office, we are now officially in Autumn! One of the "hot topics" for the last newsletter was the proposed takeover of the lease of St Francis Church Hall by the Sidmouth Town Band, this has been delayed with no further developments likely until December this year. I'm confident that many organisations, apart from the U3A, hope that the layout of the hall does not change regardless of who operates the lease. It is with some sadness that I've learnt of the passing of Joy Pollock, a founder member of Sidmouth U3A. Joy along with Madge White and June Newbould were the three ladies who met at the Sidmouth Sports Centre and decided to create a steering committee to set-up a U3A branch in Sidmouth. That small seed planted in October 1993 with 15 members has blossomed into our present branch with approaching 350 members. The original membership fee was £5 per head but interestingly the attendance charge for a monthly meeting was 50p the same as it is today! The U3A which Joy helped to start was very different to the organisation we have today, however, when Joy attended the anniversary lunch in 2014 she seemed to approve of the way the branch had developed. There will be those who remember Joy and mourn the passing of one our founder members. Along with 35 other members I enjoyed an afternoon at Cad Hay House, a full report appears later in the newsletter. The weather was perfect as was the Tudor mansion and the cream tea. Once again I must pay tribute to our social committee for their ability in finding interesting places for us to visit. Apart from the main committee the social committee is the only part of our organisation that has to address the full membership. Group leaders have the advantage that their members attend through a common interest in the subject on offer whereas the Social Committee have to try and find activities that appeal across the entire branch. They achieve this superbly and long may it continue. Next year is the 400th anniversary of Sir Walter Raleigh's death and there will be local and international events to mark the occasion. I have been contacted by Michael Downes, a trustee of the Fairlynch Museum, Budleigh Salterton, who will be compiling a blog of up and coming events. If you would like to be added to the blog list please email Michael at [email protected] Finally, sadly I have to report that our Secretary, Ian, has decided to stand down at the next AGM - the quest to find our next Secretary starts here! If during your working life you performed an administrative role and could spare the U3A a few hours each month do give the position some thought. Organisations like ours don't just happen, helping the U3A move forward is a rewarding experience and I look forward to introducing our next Secretary at the March meeting. Group Co-ordinator’s Report I am now entering my final six months as Sidmouth U3A’s Groups’ Co-Ordinator. When I started in March 2015 there were 36 active groups. It has been my ambition to ensure that by the time I finish in March 2018 there will be 40+ groups. With Sidmouth’s continually increasing membership this did not seem a ‘tall order’ but when several groups ran out of steam and fell by the wayside it did, at first, seem to be one step forward, two steps back, but finally at the start of 2017 the 40+ target was achieved and is still growing, with three new groups commencing soon. BEGINNER’S GARDENING starts in September, WRITING FOR FUN in October and RUSSIAN FOR BEGINNERS will hopefully get underway in October or November. They all still have a few spaces. (See the Groups List for further details and Group Leaders’ contact numbers). Do let me know if you wish to start up a new group, or if you have any queries regarding the current groups list. I am always open to new ideas. New Group News Aviation – Group Leader Anthony The first meeting of the Sidmouth U3A Aviation Group convened on the 19th April. The group currently has 14 members with a wide variety of aviation interests with members who have worked in the aircraft industry, RAF and airlines, including airfield history researchers and past private pilots. The first presentation was on civil aviation in North Korea. The group shares aviation experiences through monthly discussions and presentations, share books and journals and plan to undertake visits to aviation related organisations and conduct research, The group meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at the Leigh Browne Room of the Unitarian Church, Sidmouth at 10.00 a.m. New members are welcome. SOCIAL OUTINGS NEWS As the year draws into autumn, we still have two outings to look forward to: SEPTEMBER 19th Agatha Christie’s Greenway House. This has been fully booked for several months, and has a waiting list. NOVEMBER 23rd BSO Concert, Exeter. (details on page 7) The 2018 Programme is well underway with another BSO Concert on February 21st and our Annual Group Luncheon, just confirmed to take place on April 12th. The December newsletter will provide more information about these and further itineraries for the Spring and Summer. It is a shame that we had to cancel (once again) our proposed theatre trip to see Hedda Gabler in Plymouth on October 5th, due to lack of support. Theatre trips need to be ‘block booked’ and paid for well in advance in order to achieve a reduced rate and confirmed seating. This can make it difficult for us to promote them in time, especially as it is hard to find suitable ‘Matinee’ performances, with only the main Theatres in Plymouth and Torquay, offering the occasional Matinee. If you would like to see a specific ‘Matinee’ performance which you think would also be popular with our U3A members, please contact myself, or Veronica (See Social Committee contact numbers). We do have a draft-varied programme planned for next year, but if you have any suggestions about future outings the Social Committee would love to hear from you. Janis 2 Sidmouth U3A - Recorder Group On Wednesday, August 2nd U3A Members from Sidmouth, Exmouth and Honiton gathered for a summer 'jolly' at Aylesbeare Village Hall. Despite driving rain and the unexpected road diversions everyone arrived in good heart ready to enjoy making music together in a larger group. From 10.30 a.m. until 12 noon we played a selection of pieces from the early music repertoire and some folk music from the British Isles and Brittany. Each group had also prepared a 'party piece' to play to the other two groups so we enjoyed these listening breaks too. We particularly appreciated hearing the fuller sound of the range of recorders from soprano to bass played in greater numbers. At mid-day we enjoyed lunch with an amazing variety of food and drink – not the picnic on the grass outside we had hoped for - but still very convivial. After all, one of the favourite Tudor pieces we play is entitled 'Pastime with Good Companye'. Thanks are due to Judith from the Exmouth group for smooth organisation and to her husband John for setting out the shared lunch contributions so well. Monthly Meetings and Speaker Reviews June 13th Mark Elliot from The Devon Wildlife Trust - Mark presented a fascinating description of the River Otter Beaver Trial, England’s first licensed beaver re-introduction and monitoring project. Despite speculation no one really knows how a population of beavers came to be living on the River Otter since 2010. Recently, responding to evidence of new born beavers, the UK Government planned their removal from the river, DWT consulted locally and formulated an alternative plan: to turn the situation into a five-year trial to monitor the beavers’ effects on the landscape. We were provided with a real insight into the project so far, through a series of captivating diagrams, pictures and video clips. It was amazing to see the way that these surprisingly large creatures have already transformed the environment in ways that will potentially have a positive impact on the landscape; water quality and it’s levels; local farm businesses, communities and infrastructures. This talk created a real buzz, inspiring many of us to go to The Devon Wildlife Trust website (see link below) where it is possible to find out more about this highly rigorous scientific monitoring plan and to check out the video clips of the mother beaver with her kits. www.devonwildlifetrust.org July 11th Experiencing Egypt, Speaker - Janet Diamond Despite political unrest in North Africa after 2 Arab /Israeli wars along with the Suez crisis, in 1980, Janet’s husband’s work took him to Cairo where they spent an unforgettable 3 years experiencing the sights and sounds of this historical but chaotic city. Their home was in a top floor apartment in the city centre. The many restrictions such as limited electricity, no air conditioning even in the 40- degree heat, shopping was extremely limited making domestic life very difficult and uncomfortable. Inspired by French architects Egypt’s political leader, Khedive Ismail, decided to rebuild Cairo in the Parisian style of architecture. Tahreer Square situated between the old and new part of the city was named after Ismail but renamed Tahreer (liberation) Square after the Egyptian Revolution.