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CHEERS! U3A members enjoying the Christmas spirit at Thursford

This is an opportunity for new members, and anyone wishing to find outmore about the U3A, to meet and have a chat to some committeemembers and group conveners in a smaller less formal setting than themonthly meeting. Coffee is for sale along with the usual range ofbeverages and the meeting will take place at the Willowbrook Pub at11.00am on Tuesday 23rd December. Convenor Brian Shield.

NEW MEMBERS MEETING

SEASON’S GREETINGSTO ALL OUR MEMBERS

WHAT DO YOUKNOW ABOUTBURTON ROADJUBILEE PARK?The Local History group isworking with Gedling Bor-ough Council to look into thesocial history of the park. Thecouncil is hoping to erect in-formation boards on the site.The park was sold to thecouncil by the Earl of Man-vers in1911 and has beenused as a recreationalground since then.Did you use the park whenyou were younger (perhapsyou still do)? What was it likethen? What sort of games oractivities took place? Appar-ently there used to be abandstand: the Railwayman'sBand and the Lilac Dominoesperformed, with shire horsespulling drays loaded withequipment.So please search yourmemories, ask family mem-bers what they can remem-ber and let us know, orcome along to a meeting andtell us all about it. If you haveany photos, etc that we cancopy for the informationboards, all the better. Anyinformation, from earlydays right up the presentcould be helpful.Jann KirkeGroup Convenor

This Newsletter is published by The Carlton,Gedling & District U3A. Views expressed are notnecessarily those of the Editor or the U3A.Correspondence should be sent to the Editor by

e-mail to eg.rennie@ntlworld.com, or by post to 2Ivy Grove, Carlton, Nott’m, NG4 1RG. Theabsolute deadline for items for the next

newsletter is Sunday 4th January 2015

YOUR CHAIRMAN Tom Grainger

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Your New Look U3A CommitteePolice Files - Rogues Gallery? No. This is

Christine Cracknell

Lynne Jaremczenko

David DobbsTreasurer

Eric Rennie Tricia TerndrupGraeme Bunting

Ian Robey

Rosemary StennettPaul MartinezPat Downing

David Morley Richard DowningMinutes Sec.Nicola DandieBrian ShieldTom Butcher

Tom GraingerChairman

Ned Flaherty

Lindsey Angus

Hello,Family and friends will know thatDecember is my favourite month!A time to fret about what to buyRofie for Christmas (ideas pleaseon the back of an envelope by the20th!) the anticipation of peelingendless vegetables, re-arrangingfurniture to make room for every-one (and a dog this year!), arguingabout when and what to eat, whatgames to play after dinner andtrying to get both kids and part-ners to be in Nottingham at thesame time! Add to that my love ofcold, wet and dark days andChristmas is truly “special” for me,(perhaps I should join the GrumpyOld Men group after all)Friends have learnt how to cope

with my malaise by giving mehelpful tips like “Stop being a mis-erable so and so” “Get a life” andother equally helpful tips. Of course, they are right,December is a special month.Like so many families, ours is splitaround the country and so beingable to get them all together isvery special and worth my havingto sleep on the floor for a fewnights. Yes, it is good to catch upwith friends and to exchangecards and gifts and perhaps theodd drink (!). This year my sister isover from America and it will bethe first Christmas we have spenttogether in Nottingham for toomany years. OK, if you insist, it is also

good to reinforce family traditionsof who cooks breakfast on Christ-mas morning, when you shouldopen your presents and still buy-ing the kids (now 27 and 30) choc-olate money and magic trees andhanging their Christmas stockingon their bedroom door after theyhave gone to bed! And for thosewho go to Church Christmas Serv-ices or school nativity plays, thistime of the year has an additionalspecial meaning. Whatever you are doingthis December, have a very spe-cial time and enjoy every moment.Happy Christmas and New Year!Tom Grainger(AKA Mr. Grumpy)

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An educational and interesting talkfrom Danny Wells, our GuestSpeaker, about the history ofThomas Cook and Son – the mostfamous travelagency in theworld.Danny told usthat thewhole idea oforganisingtrips aroseout ofThomasCook'sstaunchBaptist andTemperanceviews in theVictorian era. The earlyexcursions were to take people tofresh air at seasides or to spatowns for health. The other side ofthe business was a TemperanceHotel in Leicester. (Thomas Cook

himself was born in Melbourne,Derbys.)Queen Victoria's obsession withScotland was a great boon to the

young travel company.The Great Exhibition of1851 gave Cook thefurther chance to takeexcursions to “educatethe people”.As Thomas Cook wasan idealistic man whoran the company badlybut for worthy reasons,his son John MasonCook took over anddeveloped it into theworldwide business itbecame – issuing the

first Travellers Cheques, gettinginvolved in the logistics of wars.Old Thomas was not happy withthe way it was going and spent hisgreat wealth on philanthropy,dying with only £2000 to hisname. ER

COOK’S TOURS

Anne Sen from Nottingham U3Ahas organised a new filmprogramme for U3A members atNottingham Broadway Cinema.The next film in the series is NotWithout My Daughter, onMonday 5th January. This is afilm released in 1991 depictingthe escape of American citizenBetty Mahmoody and herdaughter from her husband inIran. The main characters areplayed by Sally Field and AlfredMolina. The film starts at 1pm andentrance is only £3.50 for U3Amembers.Future films for U3A members:Monday 2nd February:The PrestigeMonday 2nd March: Annie HallMonday 13th April:The Sapphires.

U3A FILMS ROLL AGAIN WIGHTWICK MANOR AND GARDENSWOLVERHAMPTON

WEDNESDAY MARCH 25TH, 2015A trip has been booked for a visit to Wightwick Manor which

is National Trust. Tickets will be on sale at the Decembermeeting, and will be around £20.00 (for non NT members).There will be tea and coffee on arrival and a guided tour just forus which will last approx. one hour. The cost will cover thegardens as well.

Wightwick Manor is a house of timber beams and barley-twist chimneys with gardens of wide lawn, yew hedges androses. There are rich William Morris furnishings and exquisitePre-Raphaelite paintings. It is an idyllic time capsule ofVictorian nostalgia for medieval England. Exhibitions in theMalthouse.

There is a tea room in the stable block serving hot food withkitchen garden produce but we can also pre book a hot twocourse lunch – menu to be provided nearer the time. There isalso a shop with William Morris and Arts and Crafts-inspiredranges and plant centre.A TRIP NOT TO BE MISSED!Janet Whitchurch

News

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Theatre Visits

THEATRE VISITS PROGRAMME

This month we have two new offerings: theever green musical Me and My Girl (in Febru-ary) and Dead Ringer, a comedy about themayhem that follows the sudden death of theprime minister on the eve of a general elec-tion. Dead Ringer is in May. We are thinkingabout a trip to see the musical Hairspray atthe Theatre Royal. There will be a sign upsheet at the general meeting to see if there isenough interest.Advance notice: we will organise a trip to an-other musical in May, Legally Blonde, and youwill be able to sign up and pay for tickets atthe January general meeting. Paul Martinez

Concert: Discovering Debussy Wednesday14th January 2015, 7.30pm (£10) Royal Con-cert Hall, Organiser Paul Martinez CollectticketsBallet: Matinee Edward Scissorhands 22ndJanuary 2015. Matthew Bourne’s Theatre Roy-al (£29.50). Organiser Carolyn Broadhurst.Sold outConcert: Piano recital, Sunday 25th January,11am, Royal Concert Hall, (£10). OrganiserChristine Farnsworth. Collect ticketsMusical Comedy: Forever Young, Thursday29th January 2015, 7.45pm (£7) NottinghamPlayhouse. Organiser Basia Arch, CollectticketsMusical: Barnum, Matinee Thursday 5th Feb-ruary 2015, 2pm Theatre Royal. Organiser Lin-da Spencer Collect ticketsNew Musical: Me and My Girl Saturday 28thFebruary 2pm (£11) Nottingham Arts TheatreOrganiser Anne Porter Sign up and pay forticketsPlay, The Importance of Being Ernest Thurs-day 14th May 2015, 2pm, Theatre Royal (Stallstickets - £28.80). Organiser Anne Porter Signup and pay for ticketsNew Play: Dead Ringer Saturday Matinee23rd May, (£9) Lace Market Theatre OrganiserPaul Martinez Sign up and pay for ticketsNew Hairspray, the Musical Matinee 2.30pm,Wednesday 28th October, Theatre Royal Or-ganiser Linda Spencer Sign up for tickets toexpress interestAdvance Notice Legally Blonde, the MusicalTheatre Royal. Matinee 2.30pm on Wednes-day 6th May. Organiser Ginny Snowden

Arcadia by Tom Stoppard.Definitely not a play for the faint hearted! Twenty membersturned up at the Playhouse to see this, and without doubtfound it challenging to comprehend what the playwright wasintending us to understand. It concerns the relationshipbetween past and present, order and disorder and for goodmeasure, certainty and uncertainty!

Personally, I was swept along with the sheer brilliance ofthe actors, who were so convincing in their roles. However Iwould question the programme telling us the play was“exuberantly funny” (no!), “thought provoking” (yes!) and“touching” (?). But it appears to have “dazzled audiences bothhere and in the USA”. A few of the audience on Saturday weredazzled sufficiently either to fall asleep or leave at the interval! However I am especially grateful to Paul Martinez fororganising not only this event but also other theatre trips andwould encourage other U3A members to join us. Don’t letopportunity pass you by! Janet Whitchurch

RiverdanceA Dance Spectacular. That’s how it was advertised at theNottingham Concert Hall. It certainly was that and a lot more.Twenty four of us went to see the Saturday Matinee. It was atruly wonderful show, and lived up to every expectation. Fromthe first scene we were mesmerised by the beautiful music andsinging. The band were on stage the whole time, and whatincredible musicians, all doing solo performances throughoutthe show.

When the dancers came on it was like a breath of spring,the male and female leads so perfect together. They were thenjoined by the company of dancers who were so enthusiasticand seemed so happy to be on stage, the atmosphere wascontagious. The story portrayed by the show - leaving Irelandfor a new life - was so poignant, and then the new life, shownthrough dance, was superb. Finally the whole cast onstage dancing in this extremely original show was wonderful;we were all on our feet so happy to have been part of it. Whata marvellous way to spend an afternoon. Barbara Rogerson

Sleeping BeautyA good sized party of theatre-goers attended the first nightperformance at the Playhouse, there were no first nighthitches,and it was an excellent performance by all concerned.

The part of Nursie was played by John Elkington who isthe long standing Playhouse dame, and long may he continueas he is perfect in the role.The king and queen together with the jester kept the audiencelaughing, and the fairies Wiseheart and Maleficient cast theirgood and evil spells (no prizes for guessing which is which!)

The Prince of course was dashing and handsome and allended well when he awoke the the beautiful Princess with akiss, no one turned into a frog, or is that another story! Thecast received a standing ovation all except poor Maleficientwho received boos, a shame as she was really magnificent inher role.

Two people bought light up wands for theirgrandchildren.... they said, and created merriment flashingthem around town on the way home - no names! Hope thegrandchildren still had battery power when they received them.A most enjoyable evening and thanks to Basia for arranging it.Gill Horrocks

Interest Groups

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Photography Group

SWAN LAKE

Newstead Abbey was this month's venue for our photographyshoot, being well attended by 12 members of the group (it's free entryto Newstead at this time of the year).The weather being mainly cloudy was rather disappointing. Wehoped for sunshine, especially at this time of the year creating longshadows, ideal in parkland for winter photography. So out came ourcameras only to be met by 2 noisy geese who attempted to drive usback home again - we don't frighten that easy. We dispersed around the grounds looking for the perfect shot,(sometimes you are lucky), spending time at the waterfall takingclever shots on both sides of the falls.  Then onto the gardens anddown to the end of the lake, just missing what would have been agreat photograph of a swan swooping towards us, landing at the endof the lake.  You have to be quick on the ball for a shot like that.  TheCanada Geese also refused to stay still for photographs. It was now starting to get cold so we returned to the Abbey cafefor a welcome coffee after another good day out. Thanks again to our Sneintonian guide David who takes the groupout every month.John BerryPhoto by Linda Shelton (who was quick enough)

Quiz time! Many thanks to all who brought along questions. These ranged from fairly straightfor-ward to quite tricky. There was a fair bit of scratching of heads, much conferring within teams and somechuckles and giggling, too... Very respectable scores were achieved and it's fair to say we all learnedthings as well, so well done everyone!The first signs of wintry weather also had us exchanging tips on protecting the more tender plants, espe-cially those in pots. If you can't get these under cover, grouping them together at the top of the garden -frost pockets form in lower areas - or against a house wall can help. Raising pots on to "feet" allows fordrainage and can stop the compost from freezing. Wrapping less hardy plants (and clay pots) in fleecealso adds a layer of protection.Additionally, 20 of us treated ourselves to a "gardener's supper" at a local garden centre, where we alsoenjoyed a presentation on gardens of the National Trust. Naturally, bit of Xmas shopping took place...Next meeting: Monday 5 January 10.30 a.m. Gedling Inn, Main Road, GedlingTopic: Winter Tasks & Winter Cheer - choosing seeds for Spring. Jann Kirke

GREENFINGERS

We all like a bargain or a mon-ey saving tip and there are lotsof things available but often wejust hear about them bychance. So we thought it wouldbe useful to post them in themonthly newsletter.However this will only work ifmembers send them in andthey can then be collated andpublished. So if you comeacross any useful informationor tips for us seniors, then sendthem my way and we canshare them. Send either byemail or in writing at one of themeetings but make sure thereis a contact number and namein case clarification is needed.We cannot take any responsi-

bility for issues that could ariseand so all suggestions must bechecked out fully yourselves.To start with:-Senior RailcardIf you travel on the train regu-larly or make long journeys.Anyone aged 60 or over canget 1/3 off Standard and FirstClass Anytime, Off Peak andAdvance fares. A Senior Rail-card costsjust £30 for a whole year or £70for 3 years.

HOT TIPS FORSENIORS

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Interest Groups

In November, Audrey ledus in a Christmas session of can-dle decorating and card making.Once again bringing a wide as-sortment of craft materials andspecialist products, she guidedboth second timers and newbiesthrough the process and everyoneproduced a pretty candle or two.Then it was on to the cards tomatch (or not) using a similartechnique, but complete with print-ed inserts and matching enve-lopes, very professional.

I showed everyone how to

fold glossy magazines to makeChristmas trees complete with asilver star, a simple but effectivetechnique.There is no meeting in December,so our next meeting will be onFRIDAY January 23rd, not Thurs-day as it has usually been. We willbe doing a paper folding projectwhich has yet to be finalised, butyou won’t need to bring anything.Next meeting – Paper folding -January 23rd 2015 - 1 to 3 pmat Carlton Fire Station.Rofie Clennell

CraftsCHRISTMAS CANDLES AND CARDS

Our November Topic. The subjectthat seemed to crop up in so manyprevious discussions - so topical.

Its not the biggest issue fac-ing Britain today. We mentioned thehousing crisis, the economy, thehealth service, the depression, lowwage jobs, etc. But at times in thediscussion it seemed like all thoseproblems were because of immigra-tion. They aren't, of course.

We recognised that historical-ly Britain always had waves of mi-grants - even your Anglo-Saxonswere immigrants and where wouldthe railways be without the Irish la-bour, or the Asian corner shops openall hours. It got muddied about which immi-grants were acceptable. We tried toseparate out asylum seekers as ahumanitarian issue. There are legalimmigrants (through marriage), stu-dents encouraged for their fees,those brought in by gangmasters todo menial and agricultural work, EUworkers through European freedomof movement, illegal immigrants whoget locked up and deported. And weseemed to find another group whoonly come for the benefits.

People who come here to work areOK but we criticised them for takingour jobs. We criticised immigrantsusing the health service but acceptedthat it is largely staffed by immigrants.Also the services industries – hotels,catering,etc.Why here and not somewhere else?The underlying reasons were dis-cussed – refugees from famine & warin the Middle East and Africa,thecomparative richness and stability ofthe west. We argued about othercountries should do more but in factthey do take a lot more than Britain.We discussed integration and the ef-fects on schools and health facilitiesand housing. Integration always tooktime over generations – the UgandanAsians in the 70s, the Boat People ofSouth East Asia.Towards the end of over an hour andhald of talking about immigration, welost the will to live and went off topic.Next meeting is Monday, Decem-ber 22 at 10.30 in the Fire Station.Our topic is: The House of Lordsand the Honours System....andmaybe just a few more mince pies?Convenor: Eric Rennie

....and meanwhile next door

IMMIGRATIONin the Discussion Group

We had a good meetingin November. Many thanksto Steve for the hospitalityand for showing us hisbonsai. We won't bemeeting in December, asthere's an awful lothappening generally, butnot so much with bonsai. Our January meeting ison Wednesday 21stJanuary. We will visitGreenwood Bonsai centre.Meet up at Ranmoor Rdshopper's car park at 1000to arrange car sharing to goto Greenwood's. Rofie haskindly agreed to lead thevisit. We have arranged anextra meeting in March,because that's a really busytime in the bonsai calendar.If you’d like to join thegroup, please sign up at ageneral meeting or emailpkmartinez14@gmail.com.Paul Martinez

GROUPBONSAI

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Interest Groups

This month as a specialtreat the Reading Group visitedBromley House Library. Tuckedaway next to Barnado's charityshop on Angel Row, it is Notting-ham's unique subscription library.Stepping into the building is likestepping into another world andback in time.  A stark contrast tothe hustle and bustle of the sur-rounding city streets. It wasintended that we would havea talk and tour followed bytea/coffee and cakes. How-ever, because of meetingswe had things the other wayround and refreshmentscame first. Librarian, Geral-dine joined us in our cosyroom and gave a fascinatingtalk on the history of BromleyHouse. The house initiallybelonged to George Smith, arich banker and baronet in Not-tingham. His son, also George,became George Bromley due totaking his mother's maiden namewhen he inherited a vast amountof money from his Aunt. As so of-ten happens with very rich fami-lies, son George was not soupstanding as his father and afterseveral altercations with the lawwas imprisoned and eventuallybankrupt! Bromley House was putup for sale. Meanwhile Notting-ham Subscription Library, which

had been formed in 1816 as agentlemen's library, was housed inHockley on Carlton Street. Run asmuch as a gentleman's club as alibrary, larger premises were re-quired to house the expandingcollection. So, when Bromleyhouse was put up for sale, it wasbought by the N.S.L. and renamedBromley House Library.

The talk was followed witha tour by our guide Frances.Thankfully we did have a guide,as the building is a maze of roomsand I'm sure we would have gotlost (even though I am a mem-ber!).We started with a climb into theattic and into the photographicstudio containing an original 19Ccamera (I've forgotten the name.)Husband thinks it must be an epi-diascope, whatever that is. Theninto the annexes all containing

shelves of very ancient books. Bromley House is re-nowned for having it's own filingsystem. Books were filed in theorder they were bought, ratherthan alphabetically or by their top-ic, which can be confusing if youare searching for a specific book.Modern fiction and non fictionhowever, are filed alphabetically

by their authors and the librari-ans, along with volunteershave for some time been verybusy putting books onto thenewly installed computer sys-tem. There is so much to writeabout the library. The famousmathematician George Greenreceived most of his educationand support from the library.One room houses a collectionof books found in Alan Sillitoe'sholiday home and these were

donated by his sister when hedied. A rare Meridian Dial consist-ing of a brass strip lies across thefloor of the Standfast room. Cosyarmchairs are dotted around andsome overlook the beautiful gar-den, so that one can peacefullyread a rare book or newspaperand feel you are living a grandGeorgian Home. Bliss and wellworth a visit. Even better becomea member and enjoy this jewel.Jean Berry

Reading GroupBROMLEY HOUSE VISIT

We returned from the U.S.A.to findthat the Tea Dancing Group was notonly still flourishing but numbers hadincreased!! Thanks to Trish and Kenfor ‘holding the fort’ while we wereaway.Since then we have polished ourrepertoire, learning the odd ‘whisk’and ‘chassis’ and brushed up on bothQuickstep and Foxtrot. Last lesson,our teacher Kathy considered that wewere good enough to beginning to

learn something resembling the stepsThe Shadows did in their prime. It iscalled something like the six shoeshuffle (we are learning withoutguitars), and is difficult BUT by theend of the session folks wereshuffling for all their worth!Our final session of the year is onMonday 15th December. Sessionsre-commence on Monday January12th 2015. Helen Madden

TEA DANCING

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Trips & Visits

Last chance to buy tickets for thishighly competitive bowlingcompetition, you win if you comefirst and you win if you come last!The price includes two games often pin bowling followed by a hotPanini and nachos.

Tues. 6th January

56 of us enjoyed a reallymemorable day, even the lunchwas good. Thursford lived up to itsname and was truly spectacular.Set in the magical surroundings ofmechanical organs and fairgroundcarousels, a cast of 130professional singers, dancers andmusicians delivered anextravaganza of non-stop singing,dancing, music, humour andvariety. There was an eclectic mixof both seasonal and year-roundfavourites, with famous and much-loved chart toppers being sungalongside traditional carols.Sue Fairweather

THURSFORD

At 12pm £10

MFABOWLINGCENTRE

Materials Recovery Facility trip

RECYCLING

DONINGTON PARK TRIP

If you have any queries aboutwhat happens to the contents ofyour green recycling bin C&GU3a now has a number of ex-perts on hand. Two groups visit-ed the Veolia plant in Mansfield inNovember. After a warm wel-come by our guide, Victoria, wewatched a short video, donnedhard hats, visibility jackets andheadphones and embarked onour tour of the huge facility whererecycled materials are sorted.A mountain of materials isdumped at one end of the plantand 15 minutes later the contentsemerge at the other end bundledinto bales of paper, metal or plas-tic. The sorting is mainly done bystate-of-the art machines, butsome unsuitable materials can

only be identified and rejected byhand.I think we were all impressed bythe efficiency and relative cleanli-ness of the facility and everyonelearned something new, for ex-ample, the need to remove allplastic caps and not to put shred-ded paper into the green bin.Victoria impressed us with manystatistics, including:-By recycling one 2L plastic bottleyou save enough energy to pow-er a television for 52 minutes.Recycling a 500ml bottle wouldprovide sufficient energy for 1.5hours of tv.We left enlightened and inspiredto be even greener.Maggie Doherty

A small, but very select group of 12 enjoyed a visit to theGrand Prix Collection at Donington Park on 13th November.We marvelled at the number and variety of Grand Prix racingcars that the enthusiast Tom Wheatcroft managed to acquirein a life devoted to motor sport and the development of thislocal circuit. The exhibition fills three halls and is now supple-mented by the Wheatcroft Collection of WW2 vehicles andmotor cycles, mainly of German origin. We are lucky to havesuch a prestigious attraction so close to home.Understandably, absorbing all the detailed information andexploring the collection resulted in hunger and thirst thatcould only be satisfied by a visit for most of the party to theWillowbrook on our return. Maggie Doherty

Interest Groups

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Our Christmas party tastings in December, willbe a blind or 'sock' tasting where you bring a bottle,disguised in a sock. We will then assess (ie guesswildly) the colour (an easy one for starters),dominant grape, countryof origin and age of thewine (a bit moredifficult). Last year'sblind tasting was goodfun and I'll try to dig outthe scores, to see if weare getting better (orotherwise!) Please bringa bottle of wine in a sock(preferably a bottlebetween 2). Guide priceis £5-6 (one person) or£10-12 (a bottlebetween 2).

The November tastings were of EasternEuropean wines, tasting wines from Waitrose andthe Wine Society. Apologies to all for our manglingof the names of grape varieties – but how do youpronounce rkatskeli or czerszagi fuszeres? The top

whites were all good value, coming in at around £6:Eva's Vineyard, the Czerszagi Fuszeres and theCorvinus Hungarian White. The best value whitewas definitely the Eva's Vineyard, which is available

from Waitrose at a veryattractive £4.95. Both WL4and WL2 disliked one of themost expensive whites, theFurmint. Its bouquet wasdescribed variously asalmonds, nuts, rubber, wetdog, wool, and farmyard. It'sfamous as the grape fromwhich the sweet Tokay orTokai is made and we seem tothink it doesn't make a gooddry wine.

The red which dividedopinion most and - by far themost expensive wine of the

evenings - was the Saperavi from Georgia (viaWaitrose). This scored well, despite beingthoroughly disliked by some of us. WineLovers4 alsoliked the Vranac from Montenegro and the Medocstyle Enira from Bulgaria. Paul Martinez

WINE LOVERS

Striders Walk

November Walk. Striders Walk27/11/2014 This month’s walktook us to Laxton and Egmantonfor a bracing sevenand a half mile walk.Laxton still has thefields that were used inmedieval times for stripfarming. Unfortunatelythe weather reducedvisibility to a few hun-dred metres so we sawvery little of them. Wedid see the remainsthe fishponds. The wallof church of the shrineof Our Lady of Egman-ton provided a conve-nient lunch stop. Theteam coped magnificently with thewet and muddy ground and thenumerous extremely slipperystiles and slopes. Things went so

well that at one point they burstinto song but that was to wish oneof our party a happy birthday.

December Walk. This month’swalk would have been scheduledfor Christmas day so having con-sulted with the November striders

I have decided to move the walkto Monday 29th December. Thiswill be a local walk starting from

the car park on RanmoorRoad Gedling. We will walkdown to the river via Nether-field Lagoons then on to Bur-ton Joyce where there will bea choice of following the roador getting a bus back to Ge-dling. Those who have a lot ofTurkey to walk off can returnvia Lambley. As was the caselast year, family members willbe welcome to join us at noextra cost for the Christmaswalk, however they need to beaware that they are not cov-ered by U3A insurance for this

activity. Meet in the car park onRanmoor Road Gedling at 9.00am on Monday 29 December.Convenor Brian Shield

LAXTON

Interest Groups

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This month we talked about WW1 athome and how it affected local people.We heard the family histories of two un-cles who were killed 19 days apart at theSomme and some examples of the med-als awarded to those who served were passed around.Life was difficult for those at home. Women joined the workforce as localfirms turned production to the war effort. Raleigh began to manufacture be-spoke khaki cycles, Lewis gun magazines and pioneered a new kind of fuse.Boots had 900 women producing gas respirators and by 1915  a quarter ofhosiery machinery was producing socks, underwear, pullovers, balaclavasand gloves. And, of course, 1000s of women were employed at the gun fac-tory in the Meadows and on the Chilwell site, where in July 1918 a massiveexplosion killed 134 workers and injured 250. These women were nicknamedthe "Canary Girls" because the  chemicals used in the manufacturing proc-ess turned their skin yellow. Women also became nurses, land girls, droveambulances and worked on the trams, the railway, the postal service and thepolice. Raising a family alone was hard. There were food shortages and pric-es rose. Food rationing was introduced but public spaces were turned intoallotments and everyone was encouraged to grow vegetables. Children oftenworked on the allotments, attending school part-time.Meanwhile, bawdy music hall songs had to have some of their wordschanged and did you know that it became illegal to buy a drink for anyoneexcept yourself in the pub? Apparently at the start of the war, Lloyd Georgewas more worried about the problems of drunkenness than he was aboutGermany or Austria. Beer was watered down and prices went up (and nevercame down). By 1918 convictions for drunk and disorderly conduct fell dra-matically, although how much of this may have been due to the millions awayfighting?Thanks to all for their contributions.Next Meetings: Tuesday 16 December 2.00 p.m. Carlton Library, ManorRoad, Carlton. Topic: Xmas Past.Tuesday 20 January 2.00 p.m. Carlton Library. Topic: Nottingham Riots!Jann Kirke

Local HistoryWW1

Sixteen strollers met onBroadmarsh bus station. Regulars,new & returned .We set off at asteady pace, found the canal &followed it to Trent Bridge. Anuneventful first half, except for thenear death of the leader crossingRadcliffe Road. The main concernwas who would do the walk report?The TBI was warm & welcoming,with a real fire! Two members leftthe walk, the rest, refreshedcontinued beside the river, alongthe Trent Valley Way. Passing the‘City Ground’ some of the men fellbehind. Reminiscing about thegood & bad times of Forest. Therest of the group waited for usfurther along. They pointed out thatthe leader should be at the front. Inresponse I said that like the Dukein a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta ledthe troops from the rear. Avoidingjoggers, cyclists & dogs wereached our destination. Three ofus continued on to the toilets nearthe canoe slalem course. I madethe mistake of saying that I fanciedWhite Water Rafting but I pointedout that I would look like a beachedwhale in a wet suit, so we had oursandwiches instead overlookingthe rowing course. The day wasovercast & cold. However, the walkwas sunny & warm because of thecompany.The next walk date is New Year’sDay. I am unavailable because Iam queuing overnight for the sales.Wet suits are on offer. I shall,however, be at the Starting Gatepub on Friday 2nd January 10.30amas usual for a walk around ColwickPark. So if you want to blow awaysome of that festive cheer pleasejoin me.Report by Ian Robey Contact on9988803Or email iangwyn@tiscali.co.uk

Strollers

TRENTBRIDGE

We had a “bring what you like” ses-sion and got a good mix with aslight unintended Irish folk tint to it.The playlist will be on our MusicAppreciation page of the Carlton &Gedling Website but briefly wewent from the Beach Boys toEartha Kitt, Barbra Streisand toStatus Quo, Trad Jazz to Paddy

Reilly, John Tams from Derby toPerez Predo.Our December meeting on the23rd will have a transportationtheme – TRAINS and BOATS andPLANES. No Christmas records.2.00 in the Richard Herrod Centre.Convenor: Eric Rennie

Music Appreciation Group

Bird WatchingWe are hoping for much better weather for the December meeting!The plan is to visit the Netherfield Lagoons again as many things willhave changed since our first visit. Now that the leaves are almost off thetrees we should see lots of different birds.Meet at the entrance to the Lagoons (at the rear of TK Maxx) on 12thDecember   at 10.15 am. If there is any doubt about the weatherplease contact either Joan or Mo.

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Diary of Events - December / January 2015

DecemberDate Time Group Meet at Convenor DetailsMon 15 10:30 Family History Richard Herrod Brenda Bowers

Mon 15 14:00 Tea Dancing Richard Herrod Helen Madden Christmas fuddle andsocial dance

Tue 16 14:00 Local History Carlton Library Jann Kirke Theme: Christmas Past

Wed 17 10:30 Drawing Carlton Fire Station Alyson Rennie

Wed 17 13:30 Choir Gedling Rd Methodist Tom Butcher

Wed 17 14:00 Bridge & Whist The Willowbrook Ken Savage

Wed 17 14:00 Indoor Games The Willowbrook L Jaremczenco

Thu 18 10:30 General Meeting Richard Herrod Tom Grainger Christmas Party

Thu 18 13:00 Luncheon Club Richard Herrod Ian Robey

Fri 19 11:00 Choir Mechanics Institute Tom Butcher Christmas concert

Mon 22 10:00 Sewing Carlton Fire Station Lyn Jenkins

Mon 22 10:30 Discussion Carlton Fire Station Eric Rennie Topic: The House ofLords / Honours

Mon 22 14:00 Committee Richard Herrod Tom Grainger

Mon 22 18:30 WineLovers4 Burton Road Com Cen Paul Martinez Sock wine tasting

Tue 23 11:00 New Members The Willowbrook Brian Shield Find out more about theU3A

Tue 23 14:00 Music App. Richard Herrod Eric Rennie Theme: Trains & Boats &Planes

Wed 24 14:00 Bridge & Whist The Willowbrook Ken Savage Subject to demand

Wed 24 14:00 Indoor Games The Willowbrook L Jaremczenco Subject to demand

Mon 29 09:00 Striders Ranmore Road Brian Shield Along the river to BurtonJoyce

Wed 31 14:00 Bridge & Whist The Willowbrook Ken Savage Subject to demand

Wed 31 14:00 Indoor Games The Willowbrook L Jaremczenco Subject to demand

CONTACT DETAILSAlyson Rennie 8478094, Anne Porter 9526648, Basia Arch 9539780, Brenda Bowers 07742017482, Brian Shield 9567670, Carolyn Broadhurst 9524203, Charles Cracknell 9157525,Christine Farnsworth 9612199, David Dobbs 9554726, Eric Rennie 8478094,Ginny Snowden 9561661, Helen Madden 9554723, Ian Robey 9988803, Jann Kirke 9615621,Joan Miller 0776 307 1655, Ken Savage 9562780, Linda Spencer 9583567,Lyn Jenkins 9523163, Lynne Jaremczenco 0777 180 1957, Maggie Doherty 9523185,Maggie Martinez 9559285, Mary Bruce 9874550, Ned Flaherty 9116419,Paul Martinez 9559285, Rene Battershall 8418481, Richard Downing 0751 421 2134,Rofie Clennell 9554471, Sue Fairweather 9613140, Tom Butcher 9532140,Tom Grainger 0780 094 9396, Tricia Terndrup 9401707

January

Diary - December / January 2015 (Continued)

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Date Time Group Meet at Convenor DetailsFri 2 10:30 Strollers The Starting Gate Ian Robey Walking in Colwick Country

ParkSun 4 Newsletter/Diary E Rennie Deadline for

Newsletter/DiaryMon 5 10:30 Greenfingers The Gedling Inn Jann Kirke Winter Tasks & Winter

CheerMon 5 13:00 Films Broadway Cinema Broadway Cinema "Not Without My Daughter"

Tue 6 14:00 Reading Carlton Fire Station Maggie Doherty The Unlikely Pilgrimage ofHarold

Tue 6 12:00 Trips & Visits MFA Bowl Sue Fairweather Bowling and BrunchWed 7 13:30 Choir Gedling Rd Methodist Tom Butcher

Wed 7 14:00 Bridge & Whist The Willowbrook Ken Savage

Wed 7 14:00 Indoor Games The Willowbrook L Jaremczenco

Thu 8 11:00 Coffee Morning Top Spot Club Ned Flaherty

Thu 8 13:00 Badminton Southglade LC Tricia Terndrup

Thu 8 14:00 Creative Writing Carlton Library Ian Robey

Fri 9 10:30 Bird Watching Colwick Country Park Joan Miller Meet at Mile End Road carpark

Mon 12 10:00 Classical Music David's house David Dobbs Baroque music (Ian)

Mon 12 14:00 Tea Dancing Richard Herrod Helen Madden

Mon 12 18:30 WineLovers2 Burton Road Com Cen Paul Martinez G’day Australia Part 2

Tue 13 09:45 Photography Ranmore Road Tom Grainger

Tue 13 14:30 Poetry App. 16 Sunnydale Road Rene Battershall Theme: Winter

Wed 14 10:00 Making Music Chandos St. Baptist Charles Cracknell

Wed 14 13:30 Choir Gedling Rd Methodist Tom Butcher

Wed 14 14:00 Bridge & Whist The Willowbrook Ken Savage

Wed 14 14:00 Indoor Games The Willowbrook L Jaremczenco

Wed 14 19:30 Theatre Royal Concert Hall Paul Martinez BBC Philharmonic playDebussy

Thu 15 10:30 General Meeting Richard Herrod Tom Grainger Dave Thomas, CSVvolunteer

      and finally  from the Editor s desk  I wish ye aw a guid New Year