Weston Turville U3A Newsletter – February 2015

COMMITTEE MEMBERS REQUIRED. Would you like to become more involved in our U3A? We are looking for 2 new Committee Members to come on board and replace 2 members who are standing down at the AGM in April. We are looking for people who have energy and enthusiasm to help take this U3A forward. You need to be present for 8 out of the 11 committee meetings per year. (We do realise that you have other interests but to be on the committee does require some commitment!) You would be expected to deputise, on occasion, for one of the officers and there will be a requirement to take on responsibilities including setting up the hall for meetings. Committee Meetings are held on the 3^rd Wednesday of the month or 8 days before the Monthly Meeting depending how the calendar works. Please contact either Dave Johnson (chair) or Glynn White (Secretary) for further information.

SPEAKER: Our next meeting on Thursday 26^th February is Zachary Taylor ‘A Smile’, a Song and a Ukulele’

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL – 2015/16 Our year commences 1^st April and we will be accepting membership renewals at the March and April monthly meetings. The cost remains the same £15, cheque made payable to “Weston Turville U3A”. If you are unable to attend the meetings, you may mail your renewal to Mary Duly, 1 Bridle Manor, Halton, Aylesbury. HP225PQ.

TRIPS: Visit to 50+ Show has been re-arranged. The Show is taking place at Olympia, London in July 2015 and we are proposing a visit on Tuesday 14^th July 2015. It will be a full day leaving around 8.30a.m. The Show focuses on four key topics: Hobbies, Health, Crafts and Travel. We have opened up a provisional list for interested parties. Please either sign up at the General Meeting or let Mary Duly know if you wish your name added to the list.

GARDEN VISITS: At our February U3A main meeting I will be collecting cheques £6.00 each for those who have put their name down for our visit to Chesham Bois House on Wednesday March 25th for an afternoon visit. This garden is an early spring garden and is an NGS Garden opening for our group only.  

I will also be taking names for the next two garden visits first Chenies Manor, Chenies, on Thursday April 30th for a wonderful display of tulips an afternoon visit £5.00 garden only. 

 

Secondly a visit to Turn End, Haddenham, a garden and three houses an NGS garden, opening just for our group on Wednesday May 13th an afternoon visit with an introductory talk by the gardener Jackie Hunt £7.50p.The Artist in Residence Heather Hunter will open for us and Paul Wilkinson Photography Studio has kindly offered to open too make tea and biscuits £1.00.   Gaynor Edwards

 

 EXTREME GOURMET: St Patricks Day Lunch: Tuesday 17th March 2015 12 – 3pm.The Village Gate. £25 per person. Jazz picnic: Wednesday 17th June 2015; 2pm to 5pm; Aylesbury Rugby Club; £10 deposit on booking. Join us for an afternoon of relaxation with good music by the Dixieland Swing Kings and a Hog Roast from the King’s Farm shop. Salad and rolls will also be on the table. Bring your own favourite tipple with a glass and cutlery. Subject to weather conditions the event will be held outside so you may want to bring along a fold-up chair for your comfort. In the event of inclement weather it will be held indoors. If you care to take to the floor for a dance or two then please do. For further details of either event or to book a place contact Rosemary Williams, Mary Duly or Pam Wilson at extreme@WTU3A.org.uk

THEATRE: Book Now to see The Full Monty at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre on Thursday 26th November at 2.30.  Tickets £24.50 in circle one.

HISTORIC BUILDINGS: Monday 30th March – visit to National Trust property Petworth House – price £17.00. This is a magnificent country house and park with an internationally important art collection. The vast late 17th-century mansion is set in a beautiful 283-hectare (700-acre) deer park, landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown and immortalised in Turner’s paintings. Inside, the house contains the National Trust’s finest collection of pictures, with numerous works by Turner, Van Dyck, Reynolds and Blake, ancient and Neo-classical sculpture, fine furniture and carvings by Grinling Gibbons.

Monday 27th April – visit to National Trust property Ightham Mote – price £17.50. This is an outstanding 14th-century moated manor house. Built nearly 700 years ago, this house has seen many changes and been owned by Medieval knights, courtiers to Henry VIII and high society Victorians. Highlights include the picturesque courtyard, Great Hall, crypt, Tudor painted ceiling, Grade I listed dog kennel and the private apartments of Charles Henry Robinson, who gave Ightham Mote to the National Trust in 1985. The house is surrounded by peaceful gardens with an orchard, water features, lakes and woodland walks. Both visits will be leaving The Chandos at 9am and Weston Turville shops at 9.05am.  The cost is for the coach but there will also be an entrance fee if you are not a National Trust member. If you would like to come on either or both visits please let Eileen Langford know or add your name to the list(s) at the general meeting next week.  

CRAFTS: The craft group are planning to visit Art in Action at Waterperry Gardens on 17^th July. If you are interested in this visit please contact Pat Housego at Crafts@wtu3a.org.uk. Priority will be given to members of the craft and sewing groups!

EXTREME VISITS: Trip Report Ice Karting 23rd Jan 2015.

25 Extreme Group members visited Slough Ice Rink to experience Ice Karting for ourselves. When we arrived, we were told we were the largest group booking they had ever taken. When we finished training, we were told we were the politest group they had ever had but when we left, it turned out that 7 of the group had smashed their equivalent of the 4 minute mile! 7 had gone over the 100 laps in 30 minutes, with Trevor reaching 107. No injuries, no dropouts and unfortunately no award ceremony. Trevor was forced to design his own cup and award ceremony with crayons provided by Tummies.

Ice Sculpting 13th Mar 2015

Hamilton Ice Sculptors in Wimbledon have agreed to take a maximum of 39 on the tour, so all the waitlist has been accommodated and we could accommodate a further 4. The Leather Bottle Pub will allow us access to their snowboard simulator over lunch. £32 now due! Contact Adrian or Trevor email extreme@wtu3a.org.uk

Solar Eclipse 20 Mar 2015 08:30 – 10:30 approx. No signing up for this event, no money (other than parking £3.20 for 4 hours payable with cash, card or phone) required. Just turn up at Wendover Woods (gates open at 08:00). We’ll be near the Café in the Woods (it opens at 09:00). If there is anything to see, we will be there together some method of safely viewing the eclipse (if you have any instruments to project an image of the eclipse, we’d love to hear from you, otherwise it’s going to be a bit Heath Robinson).

For those doubters, we’ve checked (see photo) that you will be able to view the eclipse from Wendover woods. Note. We won’t be there if there’s nothing to see. There is a chance that “Go Ape” will allow us access to their Zip wires too! You can buy your own Eclipse viewing glasses at www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk For further details or offers of equipment contact Adrian or Trevor email extreme@wtu3a.org.uk

Abseil the Spinnaker: 15th May 2015: Now working with U3As on the South Coast, so we don’t need to get up so early and to ensure we meet the 40 abseilers target. (We currently have around 30) If you have friends or relatives that may be interested – we’d love to hear from them. The experience will cost about £85 + transport. www.spinnakertower.co.uk/whats-on/Abseiling.aspx should you feel as if this is too adventurous – checkout Doris Long’s abseil, she’s 100 and already booked again for next year. www.itv.com/news/meridian/story/2014-05-16/dorislongoldestabseiler/

Contact Adrian or Trevor email extreme@wtu3a.org.uk

OVERSEAS NEWS:

Aston Clinton U3A Science and Technology group have a two day visit to Ironbridge Gorge Museum on the 8th and 9th of October. The price of the trip is £103 per person for a double room, £123 for a single room; this includes entrance to all the museums, evening meal and breakfast.

If I remember correctly there are six museums in the complex and entrance passports last for one year.

At the moment there are a few available spaces(8) ,if any of your members are interested could they phone Colin Tuffnel on 01296 631315 for more details.

Buckinghamshire Family History Society Open Day: Saturday 25th July 2015, 10am to 4pm. The Grange School, Wendover Way, Aylesbury, HP21 7NH. Research facilities will include our names database (over five million entries), and Parish Register, People, and Places libraries. Parish Register transcripts and other research aids will be on sale. Expert advice will be on hand, with guest societies from around the country, local heritage groups; suppliers of data CDs, maps, software, archival materials and much more. Free parking is available at the venue. Further information, including (from around Easter) a full list of organisations attending, can be found at www.bucksfhs.org.uk