NOTES FROM OUR CHAIRMAN
A very Happy New Year to all members, and it is looking
like an exciting year as well. Have you seen the programme arranged for the Heritage Group? There is an excellent range of visits listed on the website. The list of
speakers, arranged for our General Meetings, also promises a variety of subjects. Details of the first few are to be
found elsewhere in this Newsletter and also on our website. A number of new subjects have been suggested for
Interest Groups. Contact Sally Jackson about joining, and
particularly, if you would like to help in starting one of
these Groups.
What a magnificent response we
have had to the Whitehawk Food
Bank collection - a whopping 93kg. It
is good to know what happens to our
collection. The organisers have
thanked us and told us that so far
they “have seen 230 clients and fed
577 people including 260 children.
The main reasons our clients need this
emergency food are; Benefit changes
14%; Benefit delays 36%; and low
income 26%”. The 577 includes 17
people who are over 65. Can we
donate more than 100kg at our next
collection on 4th February?
Some members took advantage of two for one
offers to make a donation, one for themselves
and one for the Food Bank; another member had
been wondering what to do with some loyalty
points from which the Food Bank benefitted; others bought a couple of items each week between
our November and December meetings. It all
mounts up and is much appreciated. By the way,
if anyone wants to see this Food Bank in operation, they have issued an open invitation to “just
pop in”.
Learn, Laugh and Live is what the U3A is about. I
look forward to your help in ensuring that we
achieve these aims in 2016.
Tony Beirne
Interest Groups
We already have a variety of interest groups, but we hope that some more will be started soon.
Suggestions arising from the U3A Annual Conference are: Camera Club, Woodworking, Stamp
Collecting and Bird Watching. Suggestions from our own members include Ukulele
music, Choral singing, Reading music, Literature, the place of Religion in History, History of the
Crusades, History of the Classical World, Interaction of Islam and Christianity, Christian and
general ethical issues, Shakespeare's sources for his plays, Beauty of Mathematics, Aristophanes'
and Euripedes' plays, Plautus' comedies and 19th and 20th century exploration. If you might be
interested in any of these, do please see Sally Jackson at the next General Meeting, or email her
(email address is on the PP U3A website).
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‘Drop-in' Bridge
As the name suggests, we're starting a new 'Drop-in' Bridge group at the Park
View Pub (corner of Preston Drove/Surrenden Rd) in February. This will be on
the first Thursday and the third Tuesday of the month from 11am - 1pm (on the
Thursday you can then walk down to Knoyle Rd for the monthly meeting). The
5B stops outside and parking is fairly easy nearby.
You don’t need to come with a partner, as we’ll pair you up, but you'll need to have some experience of bridge (ACOL)...as there won't be any tuition available. The Park View are letting us use
their room free but we will be expected to buy a tea or coffee - or something stronger if you like!
Please sign up at the January meeting and join us at the first session on 4th February. The more
the merrier.
Esther Harrington & Elaine Corcut
Conveners
[email protected] 01273 559334
[email protected]
01273 552523
A NewVenture.
On Friday 12th February at 2pm to 4pm in the Crowhurst Hall, we are going to hold a Barn Dance
Class. Put the date in your 2016 diary and sign up either at the 7th January U3A meeting in Knoyle
Hall, or with Sally Jackson on 01273 507517. The cost will be £5, or less, depending on the number of people participating. If there is sufficient interest, it may be possible to have a Barn Dance
once a month. Neither partner, nor experience, required but a sense of humour and knowing your
right from your left will help!
Julia Clark
Gardening Group
Well we made it to a soggy Prairie Garden (124 in the book) in September, probably a little
bit late in the year for this garden.
They had an Open Day at the end of
August which had to be cancelled because the car park, in a field next door,
was waterlogged. The scale of the
planting was enormous, with interesting and expensive sculptures dotted
around the garden. I think the photograph, taken by Mike Stace, gives a
good idea of the scale.
On the 20th October, Lisa, from Lilybud Gardens by Design, came to the
Crowhurst Hall to talk about her work
and answer questions. Lisa has been
busy designing gardens in and around
our area for some time and knows her subject.
Our last visit this year was to McBeans Orchids at Cooksbridge. On Saturday 21 November,
they had one of their several Open Days held throughout the year . It is a very different and interesting form of gardening.
We now go in to hibernation until we come out again with the snowdrops in Spring. Personally
I can't wait.
Jack Wright
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Notes from our Eighth Annual General Meeting held in December
There were 107 members at the meeting. After the a financial statement and the Chairman’s
report, the following were elected to our Committee (Trustees) for 2016:
Chair
Tony Beirne
Vice- Chair
Terry Careford
Business Secretary
Julia Clark
Treasurer
Pam Mutton
John Colman
Anne Dale
Roger Luther
Sally Jackson
Tina McKellar
Our next AGM will be held on Thursday 1st December 2016.
Full transcripts of the AGM Minutes and the Chairman’s Annual Report may be found on our
website.
MESSAGE FROM ANN & DAVID BURGESS
To all our friends at U3A, thank you all for your support, friendship, and help through the
years we were in Brighton.
I was one of the founder members of Preston Park U3A and have enjoyed watching it flourish and grow. U3A helped Dave and I when we were new in the area and we have loved all
the groups, outings, Theatre and Concert Groups. Most of all we have made many friends,
who, we hope to meet up with when we visit. We are slowly getting organised in our new
home. I am sitting looking out at a rough sea which is lovely. However, we do miss all our
friends - more than we expected. Thank you again. Happy New Year to you all.
Love Ann and Dave.
Badminton Group
This is a photo of a farewell lunch
for Dave Burgess with the U3A
Badminton Group. Dave presented
the Group with a Trophy. We will
have fun deciding how the "Dave
Burgess Cup" will be awarded and
it will always remind us of the
happy times on the Badminton
Court with Dave. We all sent Dave
and Ann best wishes for their move
back to Kent, and hope he will return with a team from U3A Westgate to challenge us.
Here we have the Dave Burgess trophy being awarded to the
winners of the U3A Preston Park Badminton tournament:
Val Chitty and John Hogg, with their group, coach Julia
Alkema.
For anyone interested in playing on Wednesday mornings,
from 11am to 1pm at Moulsecoomb Leisure Centre, please
contact Julia Clark on 01273 557015.
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Visit to the Winchester
Planetarium in November.
Here are some of the photographs.
DATES FOR YOU DIARY
OUR MONTHLY GENERAL MEETINGS AT 1.30 P.M., KNOYLE HALL
Date
Event
Thu Jan 7th
The speaker for our January General Meeting will be Ian Everest
and his subject “The Women’s Land Army in two world wars –
Sussex Connections.”
Thu Feb 4th
The speaker for our February General Meeting will be Laurence
Leng with a talk on “The World of Gilbert & Sullivan”.
Thu Mar 3rd
The speaker for our March General Meeting will be Joanne Wilkins with a talk on “The Secret Life of the Bayeux Tapestry”.
Thur Apr 7th
The speaker for this month will be Sheila Innes with a talk on:
“Are You Sitting Comfortably? My Life in the BBC.”
CLASSICAL MUSIC GROUP
The CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERTS in the new
year will be 31st January, 14th February, 6th March and 20th
March.
Prices and concert details from Julia Clark.
Booking dates for all remaining concerts to be advised.
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HERITAGE VISITING GROUP
Please contact John Colman
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 07710 298221
Date
Event
Fri Feb 5th
NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM and PAINTED HALL, Greenwich.
Train and short walk. Cost £15. Booking and taking firm reservations.
Fri Feb 19th
VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM, South Kensington. Train, tube and
walk. Cost £12. Booked & taking firm reservations.
Thu Mar 10th
ROYAL ENGINEERS MUSEUM, Gillingham, Kent. Coach. 1¾ hours.
Cost £23. Taking provisional reservations. Please note this trip is on a THURSDAY.
Fri Apr 8th
BANQUETING HOUSE & NATIONAL GALLERY, Whitehall & Trafalgar Square. Train, tube & walk. Cost £20. Booked & taking firm reservations.
Fri Apr 29th
TANK MUSEUM, Bovington, Dorset. Coach 2½ hours. Cost £26. Booked &
taking firm reservations.
Fri May 27th
HAM HOUSE (N.T.). Coach 1½ hours. Cost to National Trust members £15.
Cost to non members £24. House tour Extra £6.80. Booked & taking firm reservations.
SOCIAL OUTINGS
Please Contact Alan Beebe
Thu Mar 10th
40 Tickets only, for The Carole King Musical - BEAUTIFUL - the musical
life and songs of Carole King, at The Aldwych Theatre, London, 2.30 performance on Thursday 10th March 2016. Price £35, which, for the West End,
is very good. For members comfort, transport will be by coach, the cost of
which is in addition to the show ticket. It is suggested members could visit
Covent Garden in the morning and perhaps stop for a meal on the way home.
Coach costs approx. £15, which may be paid in February 2016.
Please send your booking form and cheque for £35 to Alan Beebe, asap.
THEATRE GROUP
Please contact Maureen Dickson tel:07787 563261 email: [email protected]
Thu Jan 14th
Thu Jan 28th
Thu Feb 4th
Thu Feb 11th
ANNIE. Starring Lesley Joseph (Birds of a Feather). Tickets £20
THE MOUSETRAP. (for those of you who did not see it 3 years ago!).
Starring Louise Jamieson. Tickets £17.50. FULL - all tickets taken.
PRIVATE LIVES by Noel Coward. Starring Tom Chambers and Laura
Rogers. "Two Hours of Comic Bliss” I would stress this is the first Thursday
of the month and therefore a U3A General Meeting. Tickets are £17.50 and
are selling very quickly. One ticket remaining.
KING CHARLES III. Direct from Broadway and the West End, starring
Robert Powell as King Charles III. The Queen is dead. After a lifetime of
waiting, Prince Charles ascends the throne with Camilla by his side. As William, Kate and Harry look on, Charles prepares for the future of power that
lies before him – but how to rule? This ‘bracingly provocative and outrageously entertaining new play’ (the Independent) explores the people underneath the crown, the unwritten rules of our democracy and the conscience of
Britain’s most famous family. Tickets are £17.50
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Date
Sun Feb 21st
Event
TOSCA. An Ellen Kent Production.
This traditional production is a heady mixture of true love, torture
and betrayal, with two of the best roles for tenor and soprano, plus
a truly bloodcurdling villain. A magnificent new set with towering
marble pillars, fabulous costumes and a shepherd boy’s solo. Tickets are £31 and are in The Royal Circle. This event is on a Sunday evening at 7.45pm.
Wed Mar 9th
THE PERFECT MURDER by Peter James, starring Shane
Ritchie and Jessie Wallace. ‘Marriage Can Be Murder’. Have you
ever wondered how to commit murder? A young Detective, Roy
Grace, starts to investigate his first homicide case. Tickets are
£17.50.
This play is on a Wednesday. FULL - All tickets taken.
Thu Mar 24th
THE HERBAL BED an English Touring Theatre Production.
Shakespeare’s daughter is publicly accused of having a sexual liaison with her neighbour, but her husband stands firmly by her, suing her accuser for slander. Tickets are £18.50
END OF THE RAINBOW. The Judy Garland Story starring Lisa
Maxwell. Join Judy as she makes her explosive London comeback
at the height of the swinging sixties. Given five stars by The
Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Independent. Tickets are
£17.50 and are selling very quickly.
Thu Mar 31st
U3A HOLIDAYS
Mon Apr 18
ARTS & GARDENS IN CORNWAL Bookings closing date up to
February 2016. Please contact Ann Kerrison.
Mon Aug 15
THORESBY HALL, SHERWOOD FOREST (Warners)
Please contact Alan & Caroline Beebe.
For the latest details of events, please see our Preston Park U3A website.
Please send any items for the April newsletter by:
25th March 2015
to Terry Careford: [email protected]
The Preston Park website is http://u3asites.org.uk/code/u3asite.php?site=88
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