BULLETIN issue No 52
9th February to 7th March 2012
If you are interested in joining the U3A, you can join the Wycliffe Lutterworth U3A, that does not have a waiting list, by coming along to one of the monthly meetings. )
However, if you would like some more information, please contact Eddie Hemsley, the chairman, on 01455 554564.
Report on the January Monthly Meeting
We started the New Year with a most entertaining talk from Paul Kerryson, the artistic director of the Curve theatre in Leicester.
Paul started by giving some background on his career which started with the English National Ballet where he was in a production that included Dame Margot Fonteyn. This was followed by some well know musicals, some of which were put on at the Manchester Rep. When he started directing, he did direct a little known musical called ‘Chicago’ that everyone now knows about. Paul then moved to the Haymarket in 1992 where some Steven Sondheim plays were put on. Things then got political but eventually the Curve design was selected and built.
In addition to the main auditorium, there is the studio but with very flexible walls and the like. In fact, for the recent production of West side Story, the audience had to get to their seats by going through the ‘gangs’ on the stage first. The Queen herself came to open the Curve, hopefully not noticing the less salubrious surroundings outside. However, things did not improve and Paul was given six months to turn round the theatre. This he has achieved with some successful productions including ‘The King and I’, as a Christmas musical, and some equally successful youth
performances.
The theatre is probably one of the best equipped high tech ones around. Some of the performances certainly exploit these aspects. In the future, there are some interesting new productions coming including ‘Hotel Paradiso’, from a Spanish mime group, and Butterfly Lion, the follow-on from War Horse.
One question from the audience was ‘what about a traditional pantomime’? Paul indicated that this might well be put on in the not too distant future.
BOARD/CARD GAMES
Co-ordinator
Cynthia Griffith
01455 554308
It is with great sadness that we commemorate the loss of one of our founder members, Peter Palmer. He was with us when we formed in April 2007. He convinced us that we should meet every week. His knowledge of card games was invaluable to us and during the summer months he suggested we could take a turn in the garden for mini golf or croquet. We took turns to have it at each others houses to make it easier. Over the years we have all become firm friends and Peter was still attending our group until October of last year. We shall all miss him.
LIVELY DISCUSSION
Co-ordinator
Dot Barnard
01455 208190
January Meeting:
Should charities spend so much on publicity and give-aways and are there too many charities?
We changed the format this month and instead of one person choosing the topic and providing some information to everyone a month beforehand, each group member did his or her own research on the topic. This worked very well, and there was just as much, if not more to say than on previous occasions.
Prior to our discussion most people felt that money spent on mailings containing free gifts could be better spent on the charitable causes themselves. However, we discovered that Barnardo’s for example, spends less than 0.5% of its turnover on marketing of all kinds. We discussed various mail shots and their effectiveness.
Concerns were raised over the amount of a donation actually going to those in need. It was felt that Oxfam and other large charities seemed to spend far more on admin than smaller charities. Medicins Sans Frontieres was praised for the work they do particularly in war-torn areas, often staying when other charities are leaving. In Haiti after the earthquake they built makeshift hospitals and now treat a third of all cholera cases. LOROS uses much more of every pound for those in need as do other smaller charities. Lutterworth’s Open Christmas is funded by donations usually of goods, and the organizers have to market it and ask for money in just the same way as larger charities do. A breakdown of spending can be obtained from the Charities Commission. Large organisations have to provide full information, smaller ones provide according to their size, so that the donations aren’t wasted on admin. The larger charities are commercially run businesses, but not for profit.
There were mixed feelings about giving at the door. Some people never give in this way, as it was felt to be an invasion of privacy; others give to known people or charities. Concerns were raised about the empty plastic sacks requiring filling and the need to check the small print to see how many were actually commissioned by the charity or collected by the charity itself.
All group members were angry about phone calls and online requests for more money, sometimes even asking for a particular amount. This practice had caused some to stop donating altogether.
One member had looked at obituaries in the Mercury and the Telegraph to see which charities were favoured. The largest number chose hospices and cancer charities,
followed by the RNLI and armed forces.
Whether there are too many charities it is difficult to say. Often people start something to fill a local need, and this is apparent when we see some charities chosen by celebrities on TV.
Our meeting was very informative and helped to dispel some fixed ideas.
March Topic:
Should huge sports projects be allowed to bid to host functions such as the 2017 Athletics when there is a precarious financial situation.
BRIDGE
Co-ordinator
Bob Howes
01455 550027
Peter Palmer will be greatly missed for his guidance on our play and his sense of humour. One of the highlights over the past month was a sacrifice bid that made a small slam.
Something wrong there perhaps.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Co-ordinator
Mick Curtis
01455 554504
The theme for our meeting this month was food a choice that was received with enthusiasm.
We welcomed two new members, so we had a lot of images to peruse. Christmas food figured very prominently but we also enjoyed feasting our eyes on cuisine from far a field. From Italian ice-creams to cruise liner melon sculptures. A very mouth watering collection.
When I have the technology in place I will share some of these images via the website.
The next theme is "Literature" and hopefully in the near future we will be venturing on a field trip.
BOOK CHAT
Co-ordinator
Mick Curtis
01455 554504
Our latest discussion on books revisited or a title that we had always promised ourselves to read proved to be very interesting, showing what a diverse group we are. We were unable to talk about all we had read, so we will continue when we next meet.
Books ranged from 19th century novels ( Charles Dickens, Emily Bronte and Anna Sewell) to 20th century authors Robert Graves and Laurie Lee and on to more modern authors Vikram Seth, Frances Osborne, Elizabeth Jane Howard, Douglas Kennedy and Alexander McCall. The range of styles and story telling skills were too great to cover here but the discussions relating to the books chosen proved to be quite lively.
Our next read may prove to be more mundane as the method by which we will be obliged to borrow our books is subject to quite restrictive new lending rules from the library service.
THEATRE AND TRIPS Co-ordinator
Eddie Hemsley 01455 554564
42nd Street
On the 10th January 47 members visited the Curve Theatre, Leicester for a performance of 42nd Street. This was a first class production of this long established musical which had the audience on the edge of their seats from the first beat. The momentum was maintainedthroughout with a series of high energy dances, interspersed with some memorable songs. Although the story line is, perhaps, not one of the strongest it did not matter because the focus was on the song and dance routines and I doubt if there were many in the audience whose feet were not tapping out the beat. I certainly enjoyed the evening and left the theatre with very Happy Feet!!
Kilworth House Theatre
Seats have been reserved for the afternoon performance of “Me and My Girl” on the 10th June. Would those members who have indicated to me that they plan to attend and have not yet paid please let me have their ticket money by the 10th February at the latest.
Eddie
FAMILY HISTORY
Co-ordinator
Jackie Yeo
01455 552376
"Five members of the group attended the meeting on the 24th January. We discussed some of the members 4x great grandparents and suggestions were made for overcoming some of the "brick walls" being encountered. Gaps in knowledge are being identified, and members are looking to filling in these gaps.
The next meeting will be on Tuesday 28th February, at 10am instead of 2pm. Note the change of time!!!!!
The venue remains the same."
QUIZ GROUP
Co-ordinator
Sylvie Curtis
01455 55450
We had a good turnout for our monthly quiz meeting and once again we had some challenging questions this month from Lynn and Pat. Some of these questions came in the form of TV programme signature tunes.
TUESDAY WALKING GROUP Co-ordinator
Gordon Jones (Lutterworth U3A)
01455 556192
Date of walk: Tuesday 21 February 2012.
Walk Organizer: Peter and Jean Child, Rugby U3A.
Meeting Point: Meet at the Coventry Road recreation ground Car Park.
Meeting Time: Meet by 9.25 to leave at 9.30.
Route and distance: Starting from the Malt Shovel pub at
Bubbenhall a circuit through Wappenbury of between 4½ and 5 miles using mainly field paths and a bit of roadway.
Directions to the Starting Point: Lutterworth to the Magna Park
island and take the second exit to Pailton and on to the Fosse Way and Brinklow. Stay with Fosse Way through Bretford and on until just past the overhead railway bridge then turn right through Woolston to the island at the A45. Take the A445, Leamington road straight on at the island; Bubbenhall is about 2 miles down the A445. Turn right off the main road into Spring Hill; follow the road into Lower End where the pub is situated.
Lunch: At the Malt Shovel, choose food before leaving on the walk.
Return Journey from Lutterworth Mileage: 45
Co-ordinators:
Roger Watmore, Lutterworth U3A
01455 552431
Julian Hargreaves, Wycliffe U3A
01455 557704
7th March 2012
Walk Organisers: Peter & Jean Williamson Tel: 01455 209882
Meeting Point:-Lutterworth Recreation Ground, Coventry Road Car Park.
Time:-9.25am to leave at 9.30 am.
Directions to the start: - Take the road to Bitteswell and then Ashby Lane to Ashby Parva. After the Lutterworth Rugby Club bear right into Ashby Parva and continue into the Village down Main Street. Park in the Hollybush Pub car park which is on the left hand side. (LE17 5HS)
Route and Distance; Walk of just over 6 miles on bridle paths, paths and a small amount of road walking. The route goes east over fields towards the A426 and then north by the Slip Inn Quarry into Dunton Bassett. The walk continues along bridle ways/paths via Stemborough Mill to Leire. From Leire, after a small amount of road walking, the route takes us via Leire Mill and through the fields back up to Ashby Parva. Lunch is at the Hollybush Pub.
January Walk
22 walkers completed the walk without one of them falling in the mud, which was in plentiful supply. Thankfully we managed to pick the best day of a wet and windy week.
4th WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP Co-ordinators:
Sue and Peter Creeden (Wycliffe U3A)
01455 557888
Meeting Point and Time:
Lutterworth Recreation Ground Car Park at 9:20am to leave at 9:30am. The walk will start from the Wharf Inn, Welford.
Directions to the Start
Drive towards Market Harborough on the A4304. Pass through North Kilworth and after the canal bridge take the right turn signposted to Welford. Continue until you reach the A5199. Turn Right. The Wharf Inn is about a mile on the right, just before you enter Welford.
The Walk
The walk is a relatively easy 6.3 miles along canal towpaths towards North Kilworth, through the village, then along footpaths and finally through Welford to return to the Wharf Inn
January Walk
A small group of only 10 set off from Crick to be joined by a further 3 when the walk passed through Yelvertoft. The weather was kind, a bit overcast but dry and mild for the time of year. We stopped for a break at Winwick where some enjoyed their small repast in the comfort of the pews of the church of St Michael & All Angels.
Afterwards an enjoyable lunch was taken by most in the very busy Red Lion pub.
BIRD WATCHING
Co-ordinators
Mary & Peter Rolleston
01455 209156
The Birdwatching group split into two this month, one small group went to Welney to watch the Whooper and Bewick Swans being fed - a wonderful sight - and a variety of ducks were observed on what turned out to be a lovely sunny day. Some of the other members went to Brandon Marsh where there was a large variety of ducks including, goldeneye, tufted, and widgeon. A big flock of lapwings had settled on one of the pools and one lonely snipe was seen on the bank. It was very pleasant sipping coffee in the cafe where we watched bullfinches, greenfinches, chaffinches, blue and great tits taking seed and nuts from the bird-feeders. Our February outing will be on Friday, 24th February when we plan to go to Carsington Water in Derbyshire. Please telehone us if you would like to come along.
POETRY
Co-ordinator
Stuart & Angela Rhodes
01455 554553
We were delighted that Stuart and Angela Rhodes are back in circulation and able to take over the leadership of this group once again. From February onwards the meetings will be back at their house in Lutterworth. One new person has joined the group and we had a very interesting afternoon covering the topic of weather.
Shakespeare, T. S. Eliot, Thomas Hardy, John Masefield and Roger McGough featured more than once. Humour was provided by Spike Milligan, Pam Ayres and a young poet called Adrian Henri whose poem ‘I’m in Love With the Weather Lady’ was
appreciated by all. U. A. Fanthorpe’s ‘The Weather Map’ took some people back to their childhoods listening to the shipping forecast, which can still be heard twice a day on Radio 4. For the first time we had a poem by Patience Strong, called ‘Rose in the Rain’. Other poets’ work which we haven’t heard before were verses by Molly Bancroft, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sir Owen Seaman, James Henry Leigh Hunt, and Charles Kingsley – truly something to suit everyone.
February Topic – Ted Hughes
February Topic – Ted Hughes
March Topic – A walk through the 20th century
FRENCH CONVERSATION
Co-ordinator
Sue Hicks
01858 880273
As Sue away on holiday, Pearl very kindly provided the material. There were 11 of us, and we read and translated an article to promote discussion about what we did for Christmas and New Year. This was followed by a crossword puzzle with words to widen our vocabulary, and an article for us to read on citizenship proposals in France. We will continue with this next time.
GERMAN CONVERSATION
Co-ordinator
Sue Hicks
01858 880273
Five of us met for an enjoyable afternoon. We started following a German course on CD to jog our memories and fill in the gaps, and then had a discussion about our Christmas festivities, followed by a small puzzle.
The next meeting is planned for either Tuesday, 21 February, or Tuesday, 14 February, probably the former, but to be
confirmed. The discussion topic will be Holidays and we shall be meeting at Alan’s.( ring Sue for details).
JOINT GOLF GROUP (with Lutterworth U3A)
Co-ordinator (Lutterworth U3A)
Peter Moore
01455 552594
peter79moore@gmail.com
The programme for 2012 is as follows :-
April 2012 - Lutterworth Golf Club - Late April - DTBC
June 2012 - Hinckley Golf Club - Mid /End June - DTBC
August 2012 - Ullesthorpe Golf Club - Mid/End August - DTBC
October 2012 - Whetstone Golf Club - Mid October - DTBC
I am already being requested to visit Sandwell Park Golf Club again.
Provisional date :- Friday 2nd November 2012 - DTBC
For more details please contact Peter
PRELIMINARY NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
On THURSDAY 8TH MARCH 2012
At the AGM we need to elect a new committee.
The committee will consist of a maximum of 10 members of which 5 will be Honorary Officers as follows:
Chairman Vice Chairman
Secretary (vacant) Treasurer/Membership Secretary
Interest Group Liaison
Written nominations for the committee shall be proposed and seconded on the form below, which should be delivered to the Chairman at the address at the bottom of this notice by 29th February 2012. Consent of the Nominee MUST be obtained in advance of submission of this form. In the event of excess nominations a vote will be taken.
If insufficient written nominations are received, the members present will be asked for nominations from the floor. A vote will be taken on all nominations.
At the time of going to press it is uncertain which officers of the Committee are willing to stand again. More information at the next AGM, or ring The Chairman.
Chairman: Mr. Eddie Hemsley, 4, Shelley Close, Lutterworth., LE17 4XF. Email: edwardhemsley@btinternet.com
February 2012
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
NOMINATION FORM
We wish to nominate (full name)…………………………………………………
Proposed…………………………………………...Signed……………………………….
Seconded……………………………………………..Signed……………………………
Agreement of Nominee (Signed)……………………………………………….
Date and Time of Receipt by Chairman: Date…………….Time…….
MONTHLY MEETINGS
These are held on the second Thursday of each month at the Methodist Church Hall. Between 10am and 10.30 coffee and tea will be served. Members will have a chance to meet friends old and new.
Group co-ordinators will be available to answer any queries. The speaker will commence at 10.30 for approximately 45 mins.
Visitors to our monthly meetings are always welcome. We charge £1 per visit but space is limited.
Membership of interest groups is limited to full members only, but one trial visit is allowed. If you would like to join one of the groups you should contact the appropriate group leader.
9th February to 7th March 2012
If you are interested in joining the U3A, you can join the Wycliffe Lutterworth U3A, that does not have a waiting list, by coming along to one of the monthly meetings. )
However, if you would like some more information, please contact Eddie Hemsley, the chairman, on 01455 554564.
Report on the January Monthly Meeting
We started the New Year with a most entertaining talk from Paul Kerryson, the artistic director of the Curve theatre in Leicester.
Paul started by giving some background on his career which started with the English National Ballet where he was in a production that included Dame Margot Fonteyn. This was followed by some well know musicals, some of which were put on at the Manchester Rep. When he started directing, he did direct a little known musical called ‘Chicago’ that everyone now knows about. Paul then moved to the Haymarket in 1992 where some Steven Sondheim plays were put on. Things then got political but eventually the Curve design was selected and built.
In addition to the main auditorium, there is the studio but with very flexible walls and the like. In fact, for the recent production of West side Story, the audience had to get to their seats by going through the ‘gangs’ on the stage first. The Queen herself came to open the Curve, hopefully not noticing the less salubrious surroundings outside. However, things did not improve and Paul was given six months to turn round the theatre. This he has achieved with some successful productions including ‘The King and I’, as a Christmas musical, and some equally successful youth
performances.
The theatre is probably one of the best equipped high tech ones around. Some of the performances certainly exploit these aspects. In the future, there are some interesting new productions coming including ‘Hotel Paradiso’, from a Spanish mime group, and Butterfly Lion, the follow-on from War Horse.
One question from the audience was ‘what about a traditional pantomime’? Paul indicated that this might well be put on in the not too distant future.
BOARD/CARD GAMES
Co-ordinator
Cynthia Griffith
01455 554308
It is with great sadness that we commemorate the loss of one of our founder members, Peter Palmer. He was with us when we formed in April 2007. He convinced us that we should meet every week. His knowledge of card games was invaluable to us and during the summer months he suggested we could take a turn in the garden for mini golf or croquet. We took turns to have it at each others houses to make it easier. Over the years we have all become firm friends and Peter was still attending our group until October of last year. We shall all miss him.
LIVELY DISCUSSION
Co-ordinator
Dot Barnard
01455 208190
January Meeting:
Should charities spend so much on publicity and give-aways and are there too many charities?
We changed the format this month and instead of one person choosing the topic and providing some information to everyone a month beforehand, each group member did his or her own research on the topic. This worked very well, and there was just as much, if not more to say than on previous occasions.
Prior to our discussion most people felt that money spent on mailings containing free gifts could be better spent on the charitable causes themselves. However, we discovered that Barnardo’s for example, spends less than 0.5% of its turnover on marketing of all kinds. We discussed various mail shots and their effectiveness.
Concerns were raised over the amount of a donation actually going to those in need. It was felt that Oxfam and other large charities seemed to spend far more on admin than smaller charities. Medicins Sans Frontieres was praised for the work they do particularly in war-torn areas, often staying when other charities are leaving. In Haiti after the earthquake they built makeshift hospitals and now treat a third of all cholera cases. LOROS uses much more of every pound for those in need as do other smaller charities. Lutterworth’s Open Christmas is funded by donations usually of goods, and the organizers have to market it and ask for money in just the same way as larger charities do. A breakdown of spending can be obtained from the Charities Commission. Large organisations have to provide full information, smaller ones provide according to their size, so that the donations aren’t wasted on admin. The larger charities are commercially run businesses, but not for profit.
There were mixed feelings about giving at the door. Some people never give in this way, as it was felt to be an invasion of privacy; others give to known people or charities. Concerns were raised about the empty plastic sacks requiring filling and the need to check the small print to see how many were actually commissioned by the charity or collected by the charity itself.
All group members were angry about phone calls and online requests for more money, sometimes even asking for a particular amount. This practice had caused some to stop donating altogether.
One member had looked at obituaries in the Mercury and the Telegraph to see which charities were favoured. The largest number chose hospices and cancer charities,
followed by the RNLI and armed forces.
Whether there are too many charities it is difficult to say. Often people start something to fill a local need, and this is apparent when we see some charities chosen by celebrities on TV.
Our meeting was very informative and helped to dispel some fixed ideas.
March Topic:
Should huge sports projects be allowed to bid to host functions such as the 2017 Athletics when there is a precarious financial situation.
BRIDGE
Co-ordinator
Bob Howes
01455 550027
Peter Palmer will be greatly missed for his guidance on our play and his sense of humour. One of the highlights over the past month was a sacrifice bid that made a small slam.
Something wrong there perhaps.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Co-ordinator
Mick Curtis
01455 554504
The theme for our meeting this month was food a choice that was received with enthusiasm.
We welcomed two new members, so we had a lot of images to peruse. Christmas food figured very prominently but we also enjoyed feasting our eyes on cuisine from far a field. From Italian ice-creams to cruise liner melon sculptures. A very mouth watering collection.
When I have the technology in place I will share some of these images via the website.
The next theme is "Literature" and hopefully in the near future we will be venturing on a field trip.
BOOK CHAT
Co-ordinator
Mick Curtis
01455 554504
Our latest discussion on books revisited or a title that we had always promised ourselves to read proved to be very interesting, showing what a diverse group we are. We were unable to talk about all we had read, so we will continue when we next meet.
Books ranged from 19th century novels ( Charles Dickens, Emily Bronte and Anna Sewell) to 20th century authors Robert Graves and Laurie Lee and on to more modern authors Vikram Seth, Frances Osborne, Elizabeth Jane Howard, Douglas Kennedy and Alexander McCall. The range of styles and story telling skills were too great to cover here but the discussions relating to the books chosen proved to be quite lively.
Our next read may prove to be more mundane as the method by which we will be obliged to borrow our books is subject to quite restrictive new lending rules from the library service.
THEATRE AND TRIPS Co-ordinator
Eddie Hemsley 01455 554564
42nd Street
On the 10th January 47 members visited the Curve Theatre, Leicester for a performance of 42nd Street. This was a first class production of this long established musical which had the audience on the edge of their seats from the first beat. The momentum was maintainedthroughout with a series of high energy dances, interspersed with some memorable songs. Although the story line is, perhaps, not one of the strongest it did not matter because the focus was on the song and dance routines and I doubt if there were many in the audience whose feet were not tapping out the beat. I certainly enjoyed the evening and left the theatre with very Happy Feet!!
Kilworth House Theatre
Seats have been reserved for the afternoon performance of “Me and My Girl” on the 10th June. Would those members who have indicated to me that they plan to attend and have not yet paid please let me have their ticket money by the 10th February at the latest.
Eddie
FAMILY HISTORY
Co-ordinator
Jackie Yeo
01455 552376
"Five members of the group attended the meeting on the 24th January. We discussed some of the members 4x great grandparents and suggestions were made for overcoming some of the "brick walls" being encountered. Gaps in knowledge are being identified, and members are looking to filling in these gaps.
The next meeting will be on Tuesday 28th February, at 10am instead of 2pm. Note the change of time!!!!!
The venue remains the same."
QUIZ GROUP
Co-ordinator
Sylvie Curtis
01455 55450
We had a good turnout for our monthly quiz meeting and once again we had some challenging questions this month from Lynn and Pat. Some of these questions came in the form of TV programme signature tunes.
TUESDAY WALKING GROUP Co-ordinator
Gordon Jones (Lutterworth U3A)
01455 556192
Date of walk: Tuesday 21 February 2012.
Walk Organizer: Peter and Jean Child, Rugby U3A.
Meeting Point: Meet at the Coventry Road recreation ground Car Park.
Meeting Time: Meet by 9.25 to leave at 9.30.
Route and distance: Starting from the Malt Shovel pub at
Bubbenhall a circuit through Wappenbury of between 4½ and 5 miles using mainly field paths and a bit of roadway.
Directions to the Starting Point: Lutterworth to the Magna Park
island and take the second exit to Pailton and on to the Fosse Way and Brinklow. Stay with Fosse Way through Bretford and on until just past the overhead railway bridge then turn right through Woolston to the island at the A45. Take the A445, Leamington road straight on at the island; Bubbenhall is about 2 miles down the A445. Turn right off the main road into Spring Hill; follow the road into Lower End where the pub is situated.
Lunch: At the Malt Shovel, choose food before leaving on the walk.
Return Journey from Lutterworth Mileage: 45
Co-ordinators:
Roger Watmore, Lutterworth U3A
01455 552431
Julian Hargreaves, Wycliffe U3A
01455 557704
7th March 2012
Walk Organisers: Peter & Jean Williamson Tel: 01455 209882
Meeting Point:-Lutterworth Recreation Ground, Coventry Road Car Park.
Time:-9.25am to leave at 9.30 am.
Directions to the start: - Take the road to Bitteswell and then Ashby Lane to Ashby Parva. After the Lutterworth Rugby Club bear right into Ashby Parva and continue into the Village down Main Street. Park in the Hollybush Pub car park which is on the left hand side. (LE17 5HS)
Route and Distance; Walk of just over 6 miles on bridle paths, paths and a small amount of road walking. The route goes east over fields towards the A426 and then north by the Slip Inn Quarry into Dunton Bassett. The walk continues along bridle ways/paths via Stemborough Mill to Leire. From Leire, after a small amount of road walking, the route takes us via Leire Mill and through the fields back up to Ashby Parva. Lunch is at the Hollybush Pub.
January Walk
22 walkers completed the walk without one of them falling in the mud, which was in plentiful supply. Thankfully we managed to pick the best day of a wet and windy week.
4th WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP Co-ordinators:
Sue and Peter Creeden (Wycliffe U3A)
01455 557888
Meeting Point and Time:
Lutterworth Recreation Ground Car Park at 9:20am to leave at 9:30am. The walk will start from the Wharf Inn, Welford.
Directions to the Start
Drive towards Market Harborough on the A4304. Pass through North Kilworth and after the canal bridge take the right turn signposted to Welford. Continue until you reach the A5199. Turn Right. The Wharf Inn is about a mile on the right, just before you enter Welford.
The Walk
The walk is a relatively easy 6.3 miles along canal towpaths towards North Kilworth, through the village, then along footpaths and finally through Welford to return to the Wharf Inn
January Walk
A small group of only 10 set off from Crick to be joined by a further 3 when the walk passed through Yelvertoft. The weather was kind, a bit overcast but dry and mild for the time of year. We stopped for a break at Winwick where some enjoyed their small repast in the comfort of the pews of the church of St Michael & All Angels.
Afterwards an enjoyable lunch was taken by most in the very busy Red Lion pub.
BIRD WATCHING
Co-ordinators
Mary & Peter Rolleston
01455 209156
The Birdwatching group split into two this month, one small group went to Welney to watch the Whooper and Bewick Swans being fed - a wonderful sight - and a variety of ducks were observed on what turned out to be a lovely sunny day. Some of the other members went to Brandon Marsh where there was a large variety of ducks including, goldeneye, tufted, and widgeon. A big flock of lapwings had settled on one of the pools and one lonely snipe was seen on the bank. It was very pleasant sipping coffee in the cafe where we watched bullfinches, greenfinches, chaffinches, blue and great tits taking seed and nuts from the bird-feeders. Our February outing will be on Friday, 24th February when we plan to go to Carsington Water in Derbyshire. Please telehone us if you would like to come along.
POETRY
Co-ordinator
Stuart & Angela Rhodes
01455 554553
We were delighted that Stuart and Angela Rhodes are back in circulation and able to take over the leadership of this group once again. From February onwards the meetings will be back at their house in Lutterworth. One new person has joined the group and we had a very interesting afternoon covering the topic of weather.
Shakespeare, T. S. Eliot, Thomas Hardy, John Masefield and Roger McGough featured more than once. Humour was provided by Spike Milligan, Pam Ayres and a young poet called Adrian Henri whose poem ‘I’m in Love With the Weather Lady’ was
appreciated by all. U. A. Fanthorpe’s ‘The Weather Map’ took some people back to their childhoods listening to the shipping forecast, which can still be heard twice a day on Radio 4. For the first time we had a poem by Patience Strong, called ‘Rose in the Rain’. Other poets’ work which we haven’t heard before were verses by Molly Bancroft, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sir Owen Seaman, James Henry Leigh Hunt, and Charles Kingsley – truly something to suit everyone.
February Topic – Ted Hughes
February Topic – Ted Hughes
March Topic – A walk through the 20th century
FRENCH CONVERSATION
Co-ordinator
Sue Hicks
01858 880273
As Sue away on holiday, Pearl very kindly provided the material. There were 11 of us, and we read and translated an article to promote discussion about what we did for Christmas and New Year. This was followed by a crossword puzzle with words to widen our vocabulary, and an article for us to read on citizenship proposals in France. We will continue with this next time.
GERMAN CONVERSATION
Co-ordinator
Sue Hicks
01858 880273
Five of us met for an enjoyable afternoon. We started following a German course on CD to jog our memories and fill in the gaps, and then had a discussion about our Christmas festivities, followed by a small puzzle.
The next meeting is planned for either Tuesday, 21 February, or Tuesday, 14 February, probably the former, but to be
confirmed. The discussion topic will be Holidays and we shall be meeting at Alan’s.( ring Sue for details).
JOINT GOLF GROUP (with Lutterworth U3A)
Co-ordinator (Lutterworth U3A)
Peter Moore
01455 552594
peter79moore@gmail.com
The programme for 2012 is as follows :-
April 2012 - Lutterworth Golf Club - Late April - DTBC
June 2012 - Hinckley Golf Club - Mid /End June - DTBC
August 2012 - Ullesthorpe Golf Club - Mid/End August - DTBC
October 2012 - Whetstone Golf Club - Mid October - DTBC
I am already being requested to visit Sandwell Park Golf Club again.
Provisional date :- Friday 2nd November 2012 - DTBC
For more details please contact Peter
PRELIMINARY NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
On THURSDAY 8TH MARCH 2012
At the AGM we need to elect a new committee.
The committee will consist of a maximum of 10 members of which 5 will be Honorary Officers as follows:
Chairman Vice Chairman
Secretary (vacant) Treasurer/Membership Secretary
Interest Group Liaison
Written nominations for the committee shall be proposed and seconded on the form below, which should be delivered to the Chairman at the address at the bottom of this notice by 29th February 2012. Consent of the Nominee MUST be obtained in advance of submission of this form. In the event of excess nominations a vote will be taken.
If insufficient written nominations are received, the members present will be asked for nominations from the floor. A vote will be taken on all nominations.
At the time of going to press it is uncertain which officers of the Committee are willing to stand again. More information at the next AGM, or ring The Chairman.
Chairman: Mr. Eddie Hemsley, 4, Shelley Close, Lutterworth., LE17 4XF. Email: edwardhemsley@btinternet.com
February 2012
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
NOMINATION FORM
We wish to nominate (full name)…………………………………………………
Proposed…………………………………………...Signed……………………………….
Seconded……………………………………………..Signed……………………………
Agreement of Nominee (Signed)……………………………………………….
Date and Time of Receipt by Chairman: Date…………….Time…….
MONTHLY MEETINGS
These are held on the second Thursday of each month at the Methodist Church Hall. Between 10am and 10.30 coffee and tea will be served. Members will have a chance to meet friends old and new.
Group co-ordinators will be available to answer any queries. The speaker will commence at 10.30 for approximately 45 mins.
Visitors to our monthly meetings are always welcome. We charge £1 per visit but space is limited.
Membership of interest groups is limited to full members only, but one trial visit is allowed. If you would like to join one of the groups you should contact the appropriate group leader.
