Issue 5 Email: edwin [email protected] Autumn...

Magazine Autumn 2014 Magazine 1st October - 31st December 2014 Page No. 1

Heart of England U3AStratford-upon-Avon

Website: www.heartofenglandu3a.btck.co.uk

Autumn 2014 MagazineWelcome to the autumn 2014 edition of ourMagazine. This issue runs from 1st Octoberto 31st December 2014.

It includes reports from the followinggroups:

Games Group - October

Walking Group - October & December

U3A Study Day

Skittles Evening

China Group

December Main Meeting - Christmas Enter-tainment

Science & Nature Group - Christmas Quiz.

The Choir concert at Briarcroft.

There are many other activities and groupswithin HoE U3A which go unreported. If anyGroup Leaders wish to see their group fea-tured please contact the editor or providephotographs and a brief report.

Editor: Edwin Lilly

Email: [email protected] 5

Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon - Shakespeare’s Church




Games Group

The Games Group meet on two Mondays permonth - 1st and 3rd. The NEW meeting placeis Side Room 1 at The Methodist Church Hallin Old Town, Stratford-upon-Avon. We arenow settled there and find the room verycomfortable with excellent facilities. Sue,our leader, has now obtained some

table cloths - the dominoes were making aterrible noise on the Formica table tops asthey were shuffled!!

Three games are currently played - Scrabble,Dominoes (5’s and 3’s) and Whist. There isroom for other games and Canasta has beenconsidered but not yet actioned.

At our first meeting in October (Monday 6th)there were 12 members present, including 2new members. There were also a few regularmembers not present for various reasons.

The Scrabble table.

Tea break.

At our second meeting on Monday 20th Octo-ber there were a similar number playing onthree tables, including one of Scrabble.

Our meeting on 3rd November saw our largest

attendance so far - 17 members attending.There were two Scrabble tables.




Thirteen members gathered in Little Comptonfor the October walk. This is supposed to beunlucky and we were, for once, unlucky with theweather. Whilst it was dry when we set off, itwas not long before the rain started and contin-ued for much of the walk. We sheltered undersome trees in a wooded part of the walk when wehad a break for refreshments, those who hadbrought them. It did cease raining during thelatter half of the walk, but was never far awayand we did receive a few drops all the way.

Little Compton church, below left, has an unusualtower. We parked next to the church.

Above, it is still raining when we turn right tofollow a field edge on our way back to LittleCompton.

Below, the large image shows a wet party tryingto find some shelter under the trees when westop for a refreshment break.

Walking Group - Wednesday 8th October 2014




Heart of England U3A hosted an afternoon meet-ing at the Methodist Church Hall, Old Town,Stratford-upon-Avon., devoted to services andproviders for older people. Presentations weremade by 17 service providers who also each had asmall display stand or table where informationleaflets and further questions could be askedfollowing the presentations.These included:HoE U3A Card Making Group (image below).They make many types of greetings cards whichthey sell at U3A meetings. Proceeds are given toa different charity each month.

NRB GroundsEmma Restall Orr said a few words about SunRising Natural Burial Ground and Nature Reserve.Opened in 2006, Sun Rising is located near LowerTysoe, off the Banbury to Stratford road(A422), in beautiful rural countryside. It is 16acres that is gently developing into a valuablenature reserve in which you can be buried, orhave ashes interred, either in growing woodlandwhere trees can be planted on graves, or in wild-flower meadow or grassland. It’s a wonderfullypeaceful site, for people of all religious and non-religious beliefs, for traditional funerals, or verypersonal funerals – which can be colourful andcelebratory, or totally graceful in simplicity.

Whatever the case, whatever your situation, Em-ma can lead you step by step with real care,through the process, allowing you to stay in con-trol at what can be the hardest times of life.It’s all about choice, freedom, and being able tobe yourself, just like the U3A! Call Emma (01295688488) or check the website(sunrisingburialground.co.uk) for more informa-tion. (See image top right)Image below shows several displays in the mainhall.

Citizens’ Advice BureauMarilyn Price gave us information. Address ofSoA CAB is 25 Meer Street, Tel 01789 200156.

U3A Study Day - Services & Providers for older peopleWednesday 22nd October 2014




Advice is given about Welfare Benefits; money,including banking; utilities & credit problems;consumer rights and many other concerns. ReachOut and Help is a new service which will be run-ning drop-in sessions. Telephone 01789 200131 oremail [email protected] is also the number to check on WarmHomes Discount. There is an awful lot of helpavailable from CAB.

BUPA Alveston Leys Nursing & Residential HomeEmma Miles brought information about the excel-lent facilities at the home for long stay & alsoshort stay care, for instance, after an operation,or may be to give a carer a break. There is also aDay Care ‘Pop in’ Service.

LifewaysJames Pavitt spoke about the wide range oftherapies on offer at 30 Albany Road. He alsotalked about the beautiful gardens which areconstantly developing for the benefit of thecommunity. One of our members is arranging agroup visit in the spring, when James will de-scribe the activities & forthcoming events.

Dorn HausBirgitte talked of the Dorn Method as being agentle therapy for back & joint pain & re-align-ment of inbalances throughout the body. It alsoteaches a set of simple exercises to be continuedat home, to maintain balance longer term.Tel: 0845 5192744; www.domhaus.org; see dis-play at Stratford Garden Centre.

Samaritans Stratford-upon-AvonNoreen Dean & Ros Hill told us about their ex-tensive 24 hour services. They offer personalhelp with emotional problems, self-harm & giveencouragement for people to help friends andfamily. They offer understanding to people whoare suicidal. They are not funded by government.Tel: 08457 909090; [email protected] (formerly known as Age Concern)

Barry Collier brought information & advice on anumber of important issues for older people, in-cluding health & well being, home support, moneymatters. It offers a befriending service for

people over 70 living on their own or with a de-pendent relative. It also provides home safetychecks, adaptations & small household repairs,where suitable. They facilitate 20 minute AdviceClinics provided by Moore & Tibbits.Warwick HQ 01926 458100Stratford 01789 205059

ShoeMedLisa Preston brought a varied selection of shoesfor people to look at and try on. They look styl-ish but are designed to be kind to our feet andmay even redress some of the damage we causeour feet by our constant walking on them.Shop in Minories in Stratford.

Harmony Skin Care Specialist.Rachel Dixon told us about the range of treat-ments available for the older skin, plus beautiful




cosmetics to keep the skin in top class condition.If a little pampering is required, then here it is.6 Union Street, Stratford

Johnsons CoachesWendy Moore brought plenty of brochures aboutholidays of all kinds, including visits in Britain andin Europe to Christmas Festivals, summer holidaysall over the Continent and as far afield as Aus-tralia and New Zealand. They also do day trips allover Britain to places of interest.

Shakespeare Hospice.Katy Connor told us that in addition to the wellknown day service there is a new service “Chil-dren & Family Support Service” which gives sup-port to children between 4 and 18 years oldfacing loss or who have a parent suffering a se-vere illness. The support will also be there forother family members.

VASA. (Lately CVS)Charles Barlow brought information about theVolunteer Drivers Scheme, which takes people tohospital & essential medical engagements.As always, more drivers are required to keep agood service going. Tel: 01789 262886

Men In ShedsRichard Ware told us something of this, as yetsmall enterprise. Needing more space to houseit’s DIY equipment & space to work, it offers auseful activity and friendship. More convivialthan a shed in your own garden!Chairman Richard Ware 01789 268294.

Transition Stratford/TimeBankRoger Cooper brought some information aboutboth projects. Transition Stratford organise 3services which may be ofm interest to our read-ers.Harvest Share - is about picking & distributingfruit from trees in people’s gardens, fields andeven community orchards which otherwise would

be wasted. It needs many willing hands to do this.Even in poor years, plenty of fruit can still besaved.Garden Share is about garden sharing whensomebody who has more garden than they canmanage invites somebody who would like to growplants in to share their garden.TimeBank is a similar idea where one personearns credits for doing something for somebodyelse & then they use the credits to get somethingthat they need done.Tel: 07419 373680;[email protected]

Back & 4th TransportKate Skinner explained about the communityscheme offering affordable transport in SouthWarwickshire. The minibuses seat 15 to 16 pas-sengers & are wheel chair accessible & are usedfor shopping trips, lunch outings, educationaltrips etc. In Warwick District it provides trans-port to medical appointments. Tel: 01789471595.(See image on page 5 - right column)

Stratford Leisure Centre.Nick Richards was not able to attend, but a DVDof Walking Basket Ball was shown, which was anexample of facilities available for people of ourage group. Also available is Aquafit in the pool,Badminton, Short Mat Bowls, Exercise To Music,Table Tennis & now, Walking Football. All gearedfor our age group & very reasonably priced.

Family Solicitor Lodders.Emma Vaqueiro highlighted the urgent need foreveryone to put in place a Lasting Power of At-torney, which eases and speeds up the task foranyone who has to take control of your affairswhen tragedy strikes - accident, dementia, etc.




Skittles Evening Friday 14th November 2014

Brian and Coral Bradley organised a skittlesevening at Welford Bowling Club. This was thethird time we have been there for such anevening - the venue is wonderful with very goodcatering for the supper. We are made to feelvery comfortable. In fact, it was left to ourChairman, Geoff Bridgewater and his other half,Heather, to get the ball rolling, so to speak, asCoral was in hospital for an operation. Brian ap-peared about halfway through the evening, havingbrought Coral home. We all hope you are feelingbetter Coral.All 30 U3A members had managed to get to thebowling club and we had an enjoyable evening withtwo rounds each. As usual, there were severalpeople who managed to miss all the skittles onone or other of the rounds, your writer included.

The ladies ruled the evening for a change . High-est score in the first round was by a lady and la-dies won all the prizes. See the photos. Two ofGeoff’s granddaughters managed the skittles forus and did a good job. The supper was, as usual,very tasty and enjoyable.Pictured below the business end of the skittlealley.

Pictured below an action shot.




Another action shot! Good one Cyril!

There were four contenders for the runner upprize:-

The three pictures opposite are Chairman GeoffBridgewater presenting first, Runner up and Boo-by prizes to

Lorely EdwardsIvy StevensonJanet Anslow




At the meeting of the China discussion group on7th November I gave a snapshot of the highlightsof my recent trip to China with my husband.

We began in Beijing where we visited historicsights such as Tiananmen Square, the ForbiddenCity, the Temple of Heaven & Summer Palace. Wewere also driven from there to Jinshanling wherewe walked up to the Great Wall & then along itfor a few hours- an impressive experience & quiteawe inspiring to think that over 6000 km of wallbegan construction over 2000 years ago.

From there we went by high speed train to theold capital of China- the walled city of Xian- nowmade famous since the discovery of the Terra-cotta Warriors in 1974. These life size warriorsare all unique and entry into Pit 1 produces an al-most magical feeling - as if they are about tostart marching!

Following this was our 4 day cruise along theYangtze River seeing some spectacular scenery,new towns growing up quickly along the now flood-ed banks replacing old villages and culminating inpassage through the Three Gorges Dam. The Damhas 5 ship locks, each changing the water level by20 metres, it is the world's biggest hydro elec-tric plant and the world's largest constructionproject to date.

In Shanghai we saw the modern skyline of thePudong district across the river from almost co-lonial architecture on the Bund. We did tea tast-ing then visited a silk factory seeing the wholeprocess from silk worm to finished products &spent a lot in the shop!

We boarded a boat in Guilin to spend a morningsailing downstream on the scenic Li River disem-barking in Yangshuo which is apparently descibedby the Chinese as 'the most beautiful place inChina'. There we joined a local fisherman with his

China Group - Illustrated talk by Sandy Stewart




trained cormorants who returned their catch tohim. We saw a captivating performance of thelocal folk story- all of which takes place on a sidestream of the Li. The Liu Sanjie performancewas first opened in 2003 and was directed by theman who later went on to choreograph the open-ing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

Our final destination was Longji, the Dragon'sBackbone, which is a region set amongst steeprice terraces in the mountains in the north of theGuangxi province. It took the local farmers over400 years to terrace the land by hand & the areais accessible only by foot. However, the stunningpanorama of rice terraces made the climb morethan worthwhile.

Above - Pit 1 of the “Terracotta Army”.

Opposite:River Li

Below:Terraced hillsides where rice is grown.




December Meeting - Christmas EntertainmentThe December meeting on Thursday 4th Decem-ber took the form of a Christmas Entertainment.U3A members led to the entertainment andmince pies were on offer in the welcome and re-freshment area after the meeting.

Dorothy was MC for the afternoon and intro-duced each item. The first item was a showing ofthe DVD of the presentation of an MBE at Buck-ingham Palace by HM The Queen to Clarissa Rob-erts. Clarissa has worked in Stratford for manyyears in the voluntary sector in high profile posi-tions.

Geoff Bridgewater was on next to demonstratethe “coat of many colours” made by members ofthe Creative Crafts Group from many knittedsquares. The sponsorship and sale of squaresraised £100 for The Stroke Association.

Norman Heads lead us in a series of seasonalsongs and carols, accompanying with his ukelele.

The Play Reading Group entertained with a shortplaylet “A Victorian Melodrama”. It was also veryamusing.

Janet Anslow read a poem

Geoff in his Coat of Many Colours:




Walking Group - December 2014Val and Fred chose a route that we have used be-fore - start point in Loxley Close near the Co-op-erative supermarket in Wellesbourne out into thecountry towards Walton Hall, through theirgrounds on a bridle way, and then back to themiddle of Wellesbourne via the Kineton Road, andthen through the village to the start point.

We stopped for a refreshment break by the lakein the grounds of Walton Hall. There are two very

convenient wooden benches there and a very niceview. The ducks on the lake were quite noisy andthe sunshine was very welcome. Mince pies wereon offer from Fred and were most welcome.

Thanks to Val and Fred for organising the walkand for hard footpaths and roads all the way.

Pictures - deep ford; group walking




Science & Nature Group - December Quiz

The meeting on Friday 12th December was billedas a “fiendishly easy quiz”. Quizmaster was theinimitable Geoff Bridgewater. Heather, his otherhalf, organised the rest of us to provide a bringand share buffet after the quiz was finished andall felt in dire need of a drink and bite.

There was a good turn out of members with 8teams of 4 players to confide to produce the an-swers. The winning team managed 32 correctfrom a total of 35 questions. Everyone had agood time - the questions were on a variety ofsubjects, loosely associated with things scientific- mathematics, geology, geography, cosmology,chemistry, physics.

Winning team were the “ ‘elf team”, comprisingIan, Dave, Edwin and Brenda, who achieved acollective score of 32. Close second were a teamcomprising Sarah, Heather and Athena, whoachieved a score of 29.

A few photographs are included - done with anIpad as the normal camera was forgotten. Soplease forgive the paucity of images and theirrelatively poor content, etc.

The buffet was superb and most members man-aged to stay awhile and chat over a drink andbite. Thanks to both Geoff and Heather forputting on the event.




The Choir - Concert at BriarcroftThursday 18th December 2014

A large contingent from the choir performeda concert of Christmas carols, songs and po-ems for the residents of Briarcroft, underthe very able leadership of Musical Director,Stewart Wallace.

There were some popular songs with a Christ-mas theme, a good selection of popularChristmas carols and some thought provokingand some witty readings and poems.

Merry Christmas and a happy new yearto all our readers

Let us hope for a very enjoyable time over the festiveseason and a healthy start to the new year

The winter 2015 edition will commence in january

Issue 5 Email: edwin [email protected] Autumn...

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