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March 2021
ASHBOURNE & DISTRICT U3A
Registered charity no. 119048
It may become necessary to update some of the information that follows.
Please check the Ashbourne & District section of the u3asites.org.uk website to check whether
changes have been made to dates, times and meeting places.
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Monthly Meetings - now via Zoom
Details of how to join these events will be sent out, by our secretary, to those who
have registered an interest, a few days before they are due to take place.
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March 5th via Zoom at 2.30pm: Great British Eccentrics
Step Back in Time is a programme of Historical Talks presented
by Paul Robbins an experienced presenter, historian and
author. Paul has over 40 years' experience of public speaking
and delighting audiences.
Have you ever wondered why Britain has had so many
Eccentrics? This talk introduces audiences to some of our
greatest eccentrics from the last 300 years, Paul takes you on a
light-hearted journey that looks at some of the great characters
from our past like the Lord who lived in a converted fish tank, a
unique singer, a UFO obsessed peer and then to more recent
times and some of the great eccentrics of the last 30 years.
APRIL 2ND VIA ZOOM AT 2.30PM: A TRUE ANGLO-FRENCH
CRIME STORY
Vivien Tiano
The victims were British who came from not too far away
from our area, and the convicted murderer was French.
This talk is about one of the most famous/infamous crimes
ever committed in France, on a par with Jack the Ripper
in England, but not well known over here.
LAST MONTH’S MEETING
On the afternoon of Friday 5th February, 60 -70 members Ashbourne U3A listened to a very
interesting Zoom presentation by Paul Blakey, O.B.E. from Halifax, concerning the organisation,
Street Angels, which he founded around 15 years ago.
In 2005, following the controversial liberalisation of the licensing laws that year, several thousand
mainly young people took to visiting the centre of Halifax on Friday and Saturday evenings. Mr.
Blakey described very clearly the scenes of drunkenness, disorder, acute ill-health and
psychological distress that ensued. He, as a committed Christian, and some friends decided that
they were morally obliged to try to do something effective about this. He approached the local
police and put out a call for volunteers and slightly to his surprise the venture was a success from
the word go. The Street Angels, as they became known, found that offering simple practical2 of 6
support and a sympathetic ear was enough to improve many distressed revellers' state of health
and state of mind.
The organisation rapidly expanded to other British towns and cities and there are now also
branches abroad, in Australia and The USA for instance. The Angels have more recently
diversified into other venues so there are now groups of Festival Angels and Club Angels also.
All in all the audience were very impressed by Mr. Blakey's achievements and his determination
and he clearly very well deserved the honour that he received from H.M. the Queen several years
ago.
Philip Aitchison
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MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
The renewal of your membership to Ashbourne & District u3a will fall due on the 1st April 2021.
We are pleased to say that we will be holding the fee at £14.00 for full membership and £10.50 if
you are already a member of another u3a.
We were hoping to be able to accept payment by card this year. However due to the current virus
crisis the roll out of the new version of the computer program, Beacon, used to process payments
has been delayed. So as before payments can only be accepted by cheque or cash. The renewal
form will be sent out in the next few days by e-mail or post. Please will you complete it and return
it with your payment to Helen Bluff as soon as possible after the 1st April. If you have a
problem with printing the form, please contact Helen and she will put one in the post.
We are anxious that members will re-join as we lost a lot of members last year. I can understand if
your group(s) can’t continue because of the lockdown but we hope to compensate members with
something special when all this is over. In the meantime, we have to pay a capitation fee,
insurance, zoom licence, speaker fees etc plus a fee for the Beacon system which allows us to
communicate with you all. So, your subscription is very important to us.
Tony Walden (Treasurer)
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PROPOSALS FOR TWO NEW INTEREST GROUPS
ART GROUP
Calling all u3a members who love to paint!
Two members have enquired about the possibility of u3a running an Art Interest Group. No dates
or venues have been considered but this is just to see if anyone who enjoys painting and would
like to join other like minded members for tuition or guidance would be interested. For the Group
to be successful we would need a Leader who could offer his or her expertise for people like me
who would love to be able to paint either in oils, acrylic or watercolours but don’t have the
courage to teach themselves. The Group could include all levels of ability.
Do please get in touch. This does not commit you to be involved but unless we know if there is
any interest we can’t proceed.
Best Wishes,
Sheila Allen allenfarm@btinternet.com
NATURAL HISTORY GROUP
Following informal discussions it has become apparent that there is a significant level of interest in
forming a new Natural History Interest Group following the demise of the Field Club which
operated in the town for many years.
The group’s remit will be determined by consultation, but it is anticipated that the remit will be
wide-ranging to include plants and fungi as well as animals, in order to satisfy as many areas of
interest as possible.
In the current situation it will be necessary to arrange meetings using Zoom or a similar system.3 of 6
Key members of the staff of the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust have offered very practical help and
support, and the U3A adviser on natural history has also been helpful. Our U3A chair, Sheila Allen,
supports this initiative.
If you are interested in joining the proposed group please let Arthur have your email address and
any other suggestions regarding this proposal.
It would also be useful to have suggestions on topics of interest, speakers, suitable time slots for
Zoom meetings, and any offers of help in running the proposed group.
I look forward to hearing from you, if possible within the next week or so.
With all good wishes,
Arthur Williams. Email. mossgray@aol.com Tel.01335 300063.
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GROUP NEWS
BRIDGE ONLINE
The reason why the committee announced in January that they wished to establish an Online
Bridge Group was because of the known isolation of some members & the likelihood of that
continuing for some time. This reasoning has been why many of our interest groups have adapted
their activities by the use of Zoom or by operating in smaller groups permitted by Covid
regulations applicable from time to time (eg Walkers). Bridge seemed to be an ideal activity to
mitigate this isolation.
What has emerged from last month’s announcement in our Newsletter is that some members of
our u3a have of their own initiative joined Bridge Base Online (BBO), & have been playing for
several months with family & friends (some being in our u3a). However other members of our u3a
who would have wished to do so have not been able to get involved, especially if they needed
encouragement & assistance to learn how to play online because they lack confidence in their
technological skills.
Committee members, Peter & Pauline Worboys & Sue Edmonds, have been looking at BBO. It is
necessary to register with BBO. Guidance on how to do so can be given & it is straight forward to
do (it must be if Peter & Pauline did so!). Registration & use of the system is free. It is possible
then to practise playing games alone with “robots” to improve one’s skills before progressing to
playing a real game with up to 3 other members who themselves would need to register. In other
words, one can polish one’s skills before encountering fellow humans! Playing solo can itself be
quite enjoyable.
However, the committee’s objective remains to reduce isolation, & therefore seek interest from a
few more members so that enough can be helped to progress sufficiently & set up foursomes
amongst themselves. Perhaps this might result in some members continuing to play online after
lockdown ceases. That would have the advantage of not having to play on specified dates hosted
in members’ homes (as happens at present).
Please contact Pauline Worboys at p.worboys@outlook.com if you are interested.
CRAFT
At our March meeting, which will be held on Zoom on Friday 19th March from 2 - 4pm, we are
going to try making self portraits of ourselves on Zoom - to keep as a reminder of these strange
times and hopefully to display together when we can finally all meet in person.
Mavis has drawn some ideas to help us get started and she will send those out to us in mid-
March. As regards materials we all need a rectangle of backing fabric (plain cotton or similar) and
various odds and ends of fabric and thread that you probably already have. The invitation to
Zoom will be sent out a few days before the meeting.
Jill Smith
CREATIVE WRITING GROUP
We would like to encourage people who are perhaps getting a bit bored with lockdown to
consider joining us. Now we have time on our hands, what better way to use it than putting pen to
paper (or fingers to keyboard)?
To give you a flavour of our work, you are welcome to access some of our efforts on our latest
theme - The Wrong Suitcase. These are available on the u3asites.org.uk/ashbourne website - go4 of 6 to the Creative Writing Group page and click on Members’ Work. Our system is that I email out a theme with a deadline, the group members email me their writing, I collate all the contributions and send them out to all members. If they wish, members email me their thoughts on the writings. The current theme is Extreme Weather. We also have regular Zoom get-togethers. If you would like to give us a try, just email me at granimal999@gmail.com. Leader: Gina Harris Tel. 01335 300041 CURRENT AFFAIRS February: Martin Wilson Zoomed us an iconic photograph from 1963 that seems to show a Birmingham, Alabama police officer ordering his attack dog to savage an innocent black man. Close analysis reveals that the policeman was restraining the dog but publication of the picture in the New York Times resulted in greatly increased support for the Civil Rights Movement. Martin’s thoroughly researched and intriguing presentation on misleading evidence kept us entertained for its full 90 minutes. Our meeting on 11th March will start with Steve Wood’s recollections of his boyhood in a country village 85 years ago: Thomas Hardy himself would have been proud of this short essay. We shall then compare life then with what we have now: no friendly village bobby on his bike but no doctors’ bills, no blacksmith’s forge but no Work House, no children playing hopscotch in the street but neither do we see children wearing leg irons because of polio or rickets. Ten for ten thirty, second Thursday in March. David Holt. FAMILY HISTORY At our February meeting on Zoom, one of our members John had put together a Powerpoint presentation on Heraldic Visitations, and we all learnt the origin of the word “Domesday” as in the Domesday Book. And we also learnt that the Protestants were so called because they protested, and that Henry VIII, despite being the Head of the Church of England, never actually left the Catholic Church! Our March meeting on Zoom will be on 12th March at 2.30pm, and we will have some guest speakers. They are part of the archive team at the Derbyshire Federation of Women’s Institutes, and will be talking to us about what they’ve come across in their mission, and will also give some hints for general archiving. This may be of interest to U3A members who don’t usually attend our meetings. Anyone from the U3A is more than welcome to join us. Just contact me prior to the meeting so I can send you the link. My contact details : email to tiano121@btinternet.com or leave a voice message on 079 9981 7759. Vivien Tiano FRENCH Each group currently meets every other week on Zoom, the improvers on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month, the advanced group on the 2nd and 4th Mondays. The improvers have been talking about snow recently. Our next subject is An Accident! The advanced group all brought along a photo to our last session and described what you could see in the photo, or what the photo brought back as memories to them. But if you don’t like the subject of the day, you can always come along and talk about a subject of your own choice. We also try to do some grammar, and the advanced group are nearing the end of our latest chosen novel. There is room in both groups for new members so anyone wishing to join us should contact me : email to tiano121@btinternet.com or leave a voice message on 079 9981 7759. Vivien Tiano GARDEN GROUP We are delighted to tell you that the Garden Group has been awarded £100 by Councillor Bull to help replace the seasonal plants in our flower bed in the Memorial Gardens. We thank Sheila Allen for all her hard work completing the application for the grant on our behalf. Further to a very well attended Gardeners Question Time Zoom session, we are holding another Zoom session on the topic of Hosta’s. This will be given by Peter Savage from Bowden a Hosta specialists based at Oakhampton in Devon.
5 of 6 Bowden Hosta’s was established by Roger and Ann Bowden in the early 1990s when they purchased dormant plants from a deceased friend - John Goater. What started as a hobby quickly grew and the Bowdens came to play a significant role in the introduction and popularisation of Hosta’s in the United Kingdom. They were also key figures in the British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society over the years. In 1992 the Bowdens were invited to exhibit at the Devon County Show where they were awarded a Silver medal. Their high point came in 1999 when they were awarded their first gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The session will be on March 2nd at 2.30pm and Sheila Crawley will send the link nearer the time. Organisers Patti Green 07720 812278 sidewaysw@aol.com and Sue Dandy 01335 345157. GERMAN Although we're not able to meet under normal circumstances, the amalgamated German group is making good and steady progress. We are all always happy to meet up to speak and listen to German and to enjoy a cup of tea and chat together. We continue to work on the topic Politics and Society in Germany from our course book and to read our crime thriller Die Dritte Hand. New members are made very welcome and further information can be obtained from Rhona Hunt by clicking on the blue envelope on the website. Rhona Hunt U3A HIKING Tuesday 23rd March: I very much hope that by the end of March we will be able to walk, even if it has to be in group of six. Watch this space! Judy Harrison LANDSCAPE AND HERITAGE GROUP On Friday 19th March at 10:15 via Zoom, Julia Hickey will present An ABCDery of Derbyshire churches. An A-Z of quirky and interesting facts about some of Derbyshire’s churches and the historical snippets that they contain. From archery to weather vanes via tombstones, chocolates and tympanums take a journey through British and Derbyshire history. There is a small subscription required to pay for the speaker. Please contact me for more information, if you haven't already paid and would like to join in. Pamela Boura pamela@boura.org Tel: 01335 418149 PETANQUE We continue to be unable to meet due to the current Covid situation. We also dream of what is to come ... getting back to playing and the large dose of fun and laughter that goes with it, with social distancing in the first instance. And enjoying a pub lunch afterwards in the sunshine. Keep the faith, it will happen. Best Wishes, Sheila Crawley PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP February’s meeting was again held via Zoom on 4th February and we welcomed a new member Bill Nicholson. The theme was A Colour of your Choice and we had a great selection of photographs, one from each member can now be seen on the website. Next month’s meeting will again be held via Zoom on Thursday 4th March 2021 at 10:00 the meeting will open at 9:45 when the theme will be Glass. A reminder will be e-mailed before the next meeting. Wirksworth U3A Photography Group have been very kind in inviting our group to join them in 6 talks by the well known Nick Lockett. We have joined them for two of these so far and they have been very informative and interesting. John and I look forward to seeing you all at the next meeting with some interesting Glass photos. John Green (John.green122@outlook.com) Helen Bluff (helenbluff@hotmail.com)
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SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING GROUP
At our meeting in January via Zoom John Barnett gave us a very interesting presentation titled
The Wonder of Wood. John showed us a number of views of timber through an electron
microscope down to cell level. He then explained how the various attributes of timber showed up
at cell level. Finally showing us some of the situations where timber can be used, as a decorative
material but also in a structural environment.
The programme set up for the coming months is: -
Thursday 25th February Peter Marston will give a presentation: Sand to Silicon
Thursday 25th March Bob Ruffles will give us a presentation: From Operation Backfire to the
Space Station and Beyond
Thursday 29th April Richard Walden will give a presentation: Automation in the Poultry Industry
All U3A members are welcome to join us, for more information please contact me via the blue
envelope on our page in the Ashbourne & District U3A website.
Tony Walden
STROLLERS
Strollers are looking forward to returning to their
fortnightly walks once restrictions are lifted and we
are allowed to return to mixing socially. Our next
planned walks would have taken us to Minninglow,
Mapleton from Waterside and Ellastone. We can only
dream. I hope everyone is enjoying their walks from
home when the weather allows. Here are a couple of
photos from my recent local walks. Snowdrops on a
bank in Middle Mayfield and floods in fields between
Mayfield and Clifton.
TABLE TENNIS
Unfortunately as the Leisure Centre is still closed our table tennis group is unable to play. If the
situation changes in early March we will get together as we did before.
If anybody is interested in playing in the future they can always contact me via phone
01335342532 or e.mail, wendygoddard@fastmail.fm There was a limit on numbers and only 15
people were permitted. However we have a waiting list.
Wendy Goddard
WALKING GROUP.
Tentative plans are provisionally in place to arrange a
walk from Waterside on 17 March if whatever
Government Covid-19 regulations then apply render
that feasible. If a walk does become possible, details
will be announced on our website & in an email to all
members who have requested me to keep them
informed about Walking group activities. Another walk
from Brailsford is tentatively planned for 31 March.
Meanwhile, a Walking group Quiz on Zoom will once
again be organised by Brian Stockwell at 3.30pm on 3
March. I will email the Zoom meeting ID & password to
members of the Walking group nearer the day. Please
email Brian direct at brianstockwell44@gmail.com as
soon as possible if you wish to contribute a question
such as “Where & what is this?”
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Please send contributions for the April Newsletter to Mavis Lund by March 18thYou can also read
