FROM THE ACTING CHAIRMAN - U3A Site Builder
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FROM THE ACTING CHAIRMAN
MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK
I imagine that, like me, many of you will have been invited to visit the Grantham
vaccination centre at the Meres. One could not help but be impressed by the friendly
and efficient way everyone was dealt with. Whilst the jab itself was administered by
medically trained professionals, they would not have been able to run this operation
without the aid of a good few volunteers.
This country has a proud tradition of volunteering though it is noticeable that recruiting
has become more difficult than it used to be. There are good socio-economic reasons
for this. As the cost of housing has increased two pay packets have become necessary
to keep a roof over our heads.
But even within the retired population there seems a reluctance to take on voluntary
posts. Coronavirus notwithstanding, on average we can expect around 20 years of
retirement; plenty of time to take on some responsible volunteer roles in our
community organisations.
That said, can I commend those who do volunteer as group leaders and committee
members in Grantham U3A. Without their efforts there is no U3A. As a relative
newcomer to the organisation I’ve been really impressed by the level of expertise and
commitment that I’ve found. As we come out of the pandemic and try to re-build our
U3A life perhaps our slogan could be “let’s spread the load”. There can be few of us
who have nothing to offer. So please ask yourself: “Is there something I should be
doing?”.
Steve Potts (acting chairman)
DIARY DATES
As you would expect there will be no face-to-face Monthly Meetings or Coffee
Mornings until further notice.
Notice of Annual General Meeting
The AGM of Grantham U3A will be held by Zoom and Facebook on Tuesday 16th
February 2021 at 2.00pm. You will have received all the relevant papers. Votes must be
received by 9.00pm on Saturday 13th February 2021.
Virtual Monthly Meetings
Virtual monthly meetings will be delivered live by Zoom and Facebook. The necessary
invitations for Zoom and links for Facebook will be sent to all members by email a day
or two before each event.
The January virtual monthly meeting was well attended via Zoom and Facebook. We
have received the following comment about it from Steve and Jeanette Lyons:
‘Thanks for yesterday’s online talk. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Good job we didn't have
our camera on as we were jigging around our lounge, not a pretty sight!’
Tuesday 16th February at 2pm Grantham u3a AGM. Links for the meeting will be
emailed to members on Sunday 14th February 2021.
Sunday 28th February Last date for entries to our Art Competition/Exhibition. Entries
must be submitted by 5pm to asannesamuel@gmail.com.
Tuesday 16th March at 2pm “Queen Victoria the Empress of India” by Tim Young.
Tim will present a talk about Queen Victoria, the Empress of India, the longest reigning
monarch before Queen Elizabeth II. Tim has presented to many u3as around the
country and is a very popular speaker.
Pastoral Care
Please let Pam Down know if you become aware of a member who is ill and would
appreciate a message of support, or if a member has died. Her contact details are: 17
Welby Gardens, Grantham, NG31 8BN Tel: 01476 576204
care.granthamu3a@gmail.com
GROUP NEWS
Group Co-ordinator Janet Hine grpco.granthamu3a@gmail.com 01400 250984
Although there will be no face to face group meetings during this second lockdown,
there is still some innovative group activity, and no doubt groups are keeping in touch
with each other on an informal basis.
Before you restart any face to face group you MUST first contact the Group Co-
ordinator.
Local History from Anne Rudderham
Members may have seen that the earliest reference that's been found about a British
child writing to Santa Claus at Christmastime has been discovered in The Grantham
Journal dating back to 1896. The Postal Museum (whose curator, Joanna Espin,
originally from Lincolnshire and who currently lives in Grantham) was doing some
research for a Radio 4 programme and came across the article dated 24 December. It
was about a letter addressed to Father Christmas, the North Pole, GPO (General Post
Office) which read 'Please, Father Christmas, send me a box of paints for New Year's
Day', and sure enough the authorities 'found' Father Christmas and within a few days
the 'tearful little correspondent' received her box of paints through the post. The
Journal featured Joanna in a follow-up edition about her work and she reminded us
that the Postal Museum in London is only an hour or so train ride and a 10 minute walk
away so perhaps something to look forward to when we’re able? Visit
https://www.postalmuseum.org for more information.
Communication has been key during this pandemic and whilst modern technology is
now part of everyday life, I for one am pleased that lockdown has given people time to
keep in touch, not just via modern technology, but by putting pen to paper and
using 'snail mail'. It's such a nice warm fuzzy feeling when a handwritten card or letter
unexpectedly drops onto the doormat! Grantham's first post office was at the Angel
Hotel (currently being refurbished by its new owners) in the late 1600s. It moved in
1826 to Market Place although a visit by a health inspector some 67 years later said it
was 'unsanitary and rat-infested' so moved again, this time across the road. In 1922 it
occupied specially-built premises on St Peter's Hill with this building being replaced by
a modern (some may give it a different description) building in 1969 until moving to
WH Smith in the High Street in 2019. The old sorting office, a former 1917 army hut,
was also replaced and a new entrance opened on Wharf Road where it remains. In
1871, nameplates were installed on all streets and all houses numbered to help
postmen with deliveries, but due to rapid developments many streets had to berenumbered in 1914.
The first telephone was installed in the town in 1885 with only 33 subscribers some 16
years later. With a new telephone exchange linking up to the National Telephone
Company and the system eventually reaching bursting point with 2,250 subscribers, a
new exchange was built in Inner Street in 1964 for the introduction of Subscriber Trunk
Dialling (STD). This closed and the work transferred to Peterborough in 1992 as more
automation was introduced and manual work declined.
Photography Group from Di Hale
The new year has started well and the January
competition topic of Rows/Piles of things attracted a
diverse range of images from fences, log piles,
dressmaking pins to tennis balls. The image of cones of
knitting yarn submitted by Diane Marriot was voted into
first place.
Last month I suggested we should
look out for the kingfishers on the
River Witham. These two shots
were taken recently by Doug Hale
on the Witham by Sedgwick
Meadows.
Scottish Country Dancers - Burns Celebration 2021 from John Aitken
Following on from the success of our Christmas party using Zoom, it was used again to
celebrate the highlight of the Scottish year - Burns Day.
Robert (Rabbie) Burns was born on 25 Jan 1759 and died on 21 July 1796. He is most
famous for his poetry and songs, many of which were inspired by his work as a farmer
and his colourful love life. Auld Lang Syne is known the world over, has been translated
into most languages and used in countless films.
Burns Suppers are the highlight of Burns Day celebrations and usually consist of
Guests welcomed by a bagpiper
Piping in of the Haggis
Address to the Haggis
Toast: To the Haggis! along with a dram
The Selkirk Grace
Soup, usually Cock-a-Leekie or Cullen Skink
Haggis, Neeps and Tatties
Dessert (eg Cranachan), Cheese and oatcakes
After dinner entertainment:
o The Immortal Memory - stories about Burns (witty)
o Toast to the Lassies
o Reply from the Lassies (or Toast to the Laddies)
The evening is usually interspersed with short readings of Burns poems, perhaps
some songs and maybe a quiz There may be dancing or a ceilidh afterwards depending on how the event has
been organised
Auld Lang Syne to close the evening
Zoom presents many challenges, but we had fun. John and Hugh had dressed for the
occasion in kilts, Charlies and their Glengarry hats and we enjoyed piping in from Hugh,
the address to the (rather restless!) Haggis from John, the Toast (various drams
provided by the participants), piping out, some Burns poetry and a Quiz, before
finishing off with Auld Lang Syne.
We continue to look forward to returning to dancing when the current restrictions are
eased.
A screenshot of the participants is attached.
MEMBERS’ CONTRIBUTIONS
Grantham u3a Art Competition/Exhibition.
Remember to submit your entries by 5pm on the 28th February 2021. The theme is
‘LOCKDOWN’. Please send a photograph of your entry to asannesamuel@gmail.com
Prizes will be awarded as follows: First Prize = £20, Second Prize = £10, Members’
choice = £10.
January 2021 weather from Laurence Parker
A collage of the varied weather January brought to Grantham! Fog, snow, ice and
sunshine.A Lincolnshire Architect from Anne H
Recently I walked along the floodbanks of the Wash and
along the marshy bank of the River Welland in glorious
January sunshine. Walking in the countryside is one of
the few activities that remain from what I like to think of
as “my old life” i.e. pre-Covid. However, I digress....
At the end of this walk, with the sun catching the different
facets of its striking lead roof, we walked through the
churchyard of All Saints’ Church in Fosdyke, which many of
you will know if you ever drive along the A17 and cross the
Welland at Fosdyke bridge.
The architect was Edward Browning, a Stamford man who
went into practice with his father in 1847 and was a prolific
architect, with designs ranging from almshouses and a
drinking fountain to schools, public buildings and churches.
You can still see the archway to the Browning offices at 16 Broad Street, Stamford. He
was the architect of no fewer than eleven churches in Lincolnshire, but most of you will
know his Grantham work best: The Grantham National School on Castlegate, built in
1859, Little Gonerby school, built in 1863, now Belvoir House
Care Home and the chapels and lodge at Grantham Cemetery,
built in 1857. The stone came from the local quarries at Castor,
and the Brownlow family of Belton House were supporters of his
work.
In his private life he was as prolific as in his professional life.
Browning married Louisa Ann Fox on 12 September 1850 at St.
Michael’s Church, Stamford and they had 16 children. If your
surname is Browning and you are local to the area, you are
probably related to Edward!
Addicted! From Chrissie Thomas
I don’t want to shock you but I have an addiction! It’s not the usual kind… so relax. But
you may find it a little sad. I have set my radio alarm for the past year or so for 5.50
a.m. Am I mad? Just a little, perhaps, because around that time on BBC Radio 4 is
Tweet of the Day. At this time, amazing facts and sounds emerge from the radio,
usually presented by such worthies as Michael Palin or Bill Oddie who always amuse.
Chris Packham is fascinating, with his huge array of little-known facts, and David
Attenborough, well, need I say more? However, perhaps the most memorable… and I
can actually recall sitting bolt upright one morning in November… was the Cetti’s
warbler. Why, you may ask? Well, Chetty just happens to be the name of one of my
grandchildren – Dylan Phoenix Chetty, to be precise. So, on this morning I was
particularly attentive. I learned from Oddie that this bird was comparatively new to the
UK and that it was now growing in number. It has an especially engaging feature,
according to Bill, and that is its ability to startle you half to death by its sudden bursts
into loud song, seemingly coming from nowhere, as the bird is somewhat furtive and is
rarely seen. It tends to hide in thick shrubbery.
My other addiction, and this is one to which I binge listen, is perhaps little known to
many of you. It was recommended to me by an old school friend. Nick Frye is a music
teacher at the school my friend formerly worked in. He is an absolute mine of
information about all things musical. Catch him on Mr Frye’s Musical Podcasts. I assureany music lover out there you will find it fascinating. Frye intersperses historical facts,
amusing anecdotes and at times, little witticisms with an array of musical clips from ALL
musical genres. And that is my point. I tend to be rather limited in my musical tastes.
Thanks to Frye, that is no longer the case. Now, because of his enthusiasm, I find myself
researching all manner of artists I had never heard of before. So, if you’re at a loose
end, you could do worse. You don’t have to get up at a crazy hour because, thanks to
modern technology, there’s BBC Sounds. Who knows, there may be some more
budding addicts out there?
OPPORTUNITIES FOR NON U3A ACTIVITY
1 King Lear Prizes is a national creative arts competition for older people during
the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest round of the competition is running from January
to 19th March 2021.
The competition is specifically for amateurs and beginners who are over the age of 65.
It accepts entries in poetry, real stories (short stories from people’s lives), art and
musical performance, and there are over £2,000 of prizes on offer. The winners will be
picked by a panel of expert judges including Gyles Brandreth and Julian Lloyd Webber.
The website gives more information about the competition and the organisation which
runs it. https://www.kinglearprizes.org.uk.
2 An online Memoir Writing course entitled Lincolnshire Lives is a free Arts
Council funded project. Participants must be 55 or over and live in Lincolnshire. The
project is about the lives of 12 ordinary people, people just like you. Perhaps you were
a trawlerman's wife, a shop worker, a carer, worked on a farm, the pier, the arcades, a
school or a hospital? Whatever you have done, I would love to hear about it.
The project will be beginning at 10.30am on 22nd February. There will be 6 x 2 hour
online workshops using Zoom, once a month. In between I will work with you
individually to craft a series of stories telling a slice of your life. We will focus on what
you can remember, not on what you can't. You don't need any experience of writing
workshops and you don't need to be a great writer. I am here to help!
At the end of the course each participant will receive a published anthology which will
contain the stories of everyone in the group. I would love you to share these remotely
with local schools or on the radio, but this is optional and only if you would feel
comfortable. Everyone has stories to tell, so why not you?
If you are interested, please contact: Rosanna McGlone 07570 480802 or
mcglonehealey@yahoo.com
3 Citizens Online is a UK digital inclusion charity which offers free digital support
for anyone wanting to get started using online technology, improve their digital skills
and build confidence to do more online. To find out more email
helen.dobson@citizensonline.org.uk or to use their service please call 0808 196 5883
and leave a message. One of the team of trained digital champions will call you back
and offer friendly, patient support over the phone.
Alternatively Grantham u3a has a Computer Companion group. Please contact the
Group Co-ordinator who will put you in touch with one of its members.
Thank you to all who have contributed to this month’s newsletter.
Contributions to the next Newsletter can be sent to the Editor at any time at
ed.granthamu3a@gmail.comYou can also read
