Rummikub Group

Rummikub: Nevil Court, The Moors: 2.15 to 4.15 pm: Second Wednesday of the month. We like to think we are a friendly and relaxed group and we welcome new members. If you've not played before we'll teach you. It is not a difficult game being a bit like the card game, Rummy, but using tiles instead of cards. Call me if you need any other information.

Contact: Wendy Jarvis

Scrabble

The Scrabble Group is a very friendly and helpful one and newcomers are always most welcome to join us. We meet on the first Thursday of the month at Nevil Court from 2.00 pm until 4.00 pm and Scrabble boards are provided if you don't have one. If you need any other information please telephone me and I shall be happy to talk to you.

Contact: Sally Crinean

Songsters Singing Group

Songsters meet on the first and third Mondays of each month in our pianist's home. Due to shortage of space we are unable to take any new members at present. Contact: Rita Bottomley

Adagio Singing Group

We have had a really busy year and are now looking forward to learning some new songs and building up our repertoire. The singing

study day was popular not just with the members of the two singing groups. If you feel you would like to join us, we keep going throughout the summer months, please do come along. You don’t have to read music, just want to enjoy using your voice.

Contact: Lynette Harper

Snooker - 50 Break

Snooker - 50 Break has changed its venue and timings. The New Venue is at ‘The Club’ 3 Cheap Street Newbury RG14 5DD Playing day remains as 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month, the starting time has changed to 11.30 am with general playing time of two hours - this falls within ‘The Club’ car parking and bar service opening hours. Membership of ‘The Club’ is necessary following first visits and equipment is available at no extra charge. The group emphasis is on fun and a social gathering. The order of play and tables in play is dependent on the number of players on the day with no sitting out. New members are always welcome. ‘The Club’ membership year starts on the 1st July and membership terms and conditions apply. Various activities are held at ‘The Club’ including Saturday evening entertainment. Theme nights are planned though-out the year, including a Summer Ball, Christmas and New Year’s Eve Party. As well as the Snooker there are regular organised events such as darts and skittle evenings etc…

Contact: Roy Lawson

Spanish

We meet twice monthly in members’ homes to share friendship, a cuppa and a lighthearted study of the Spanish language.

Contact: Jane Head

Theatre Group

On the 22nd June the Group had a very good day out to the Mayflower Theatre at Southampton. We saw La Cage aux Folles which was very good and funny in places with musical numbers such as “I am what I am” which is very recognisable even out of context. So on to researching the next one! If anyone is interested in joining the group please contact me on the phone number below or at u3atheatre@gmail.com. Contact: Valerie Jackson

Travel Group

We have had full coaches on our trips to Oakham Treasures, Arundel and the Dean Forest Railway and Chepstow. Shortly we will be visiting Knebworth House and then in September, Westonbirt Arboretum and Tetbury.

George winding up the drawbridge at Arundel Castle!

Waiting for a steam train ride at the Dean Forest Railway.

The residential to Scotland in October is fully booked and will be upon us before we know it! Very exciting!

Lots more trips in the planning for next year! Don’t forget to keep me supplied with stamped addressed envelopes if you are not on e-mail, or ask someone to pass on the information.

Contact: Ann Allen

Triominoes

There is a change of times for the Triominoes group. We will meet on the fourth Wednesday at 2pm until 4pm instead of in the morning. We will miss Pam who sadly passed away on the 15th of June.

Please come and give us a try as with holidays etc. numbers have been down a bit. Hopefully they will increase again soon.We will carry on until Christmas and look again at our numbers to decide the future.

Contact:Bob and Dot Wetten

Walkers Group

The Walkers continue to enjoy the monthly walks and the weather has not been too bad for us. April’s walk was led by Joan and Mike starting from Boxford Village Hall - a country walk through fields and woods by the River Lambourn and f inishing through the picturesque village of Boxford. May’s walk was led by Peter, looking at the milestones along the A4 - starting at the Wyvevale Garden Centre and finishing by Colthrop where we caught the bus back to the starting point. June’s walk was led by Doreen and Pete beginning at Brimpton Village Hall. Our walk took us across fields and into woods with the River Enborne meandering at the edge. July’s walk will be led by Linda and Lloyd and we all look forward to that walk. If you like walking, approximately 3 miles, come and join us on the second Thursday of the month at 2pm. Ring Joan and Mike on the number below for details of the starting point of the walk. Contact: Joan & Mike Collins

Vintner’s Dozen Wine Appreciation

We have had another interesting set of monthly meetings in members’ homes tasting a variety of red and white wines from around the world. At some sessions we tasted one variety from different countries in both hemispheres, at

other times we tasted wines from a particular country. On each occasion the host selected the wines. At the end of the session we ‘grade’ each wine on a 10 point scale - decided by each member’s ‘taste’!In February we had our annual ‘New Year’ lunch at the Cotes Brasserie in Newbury, and very nice it was. In August we will have our ‘summer’ lunch at a member’s home - often a BBQ.Sadly we have lost a couple of members recently so we would welcome anybody who has an interest in wine - please contact me.

Contact: Peter Lavarack

Cheers Wine Appreciation

We are a group who enjoy an evening of friendly and topical chat together with a taste of the host’s three bottle selection of wine. Although we freely make comments on the wine the main objective of the group is to have an enjoyable evening together, after hopefully a not to stressful day. At our May meeting two English White Wines were selected together with an Australian Chardonnay, all being discounted at a local supermarket. Bottle labels were hidden from view until members discussed their preferred wine. Surprise, surprise the English wines came top or should I say the Australian wine came bottom! Should Ann decide to include a photo of the evening it was taken at the end, hence the blur effect !

Contact – Roy Lawson

Whist

We are a small group who enjoy a game of cards with a cup of tea and biscuits. Any one is welcome. We meet on the last Wednesday in the month at 2.15pm in the dining room at Nevil Court.

Contact: Pat Howard

The weather was perfect for a lovely day in Windsor. On arrival we went our separate ways, some to the castle, some chose a leisurely boat trip and others enjoyed the sights and watched the pageantry of the castle guards.

We all met for a refreshing afternoon cup of tea or coffee and delicious scones with lashings of

jam and cream at Brown's Brasserie before making our way home.

A jolly time was shared by 60 of our members at the 2017 Beat the Blues Lunch. Sharing a meal and laughter with the added brain exercise of the quiz continues to brighten a winter day for us. Congratulations to all our quiz winning tables! Well done! Some of the quizzes were quite testing!

As usual, I would like to thank everyone who helped me organise the day, set up the room, make the tea and coffee and tidy up afterwards. Without my band of willing helpers these events could not take place. Once again, the cost of the tickets was subsidised by the Executive Committee. Thank you for this support. Jane

Windsor Trip - Jane Head

Beat the Blues Lunch

Glimpses of the Social History of the Thames Valley – A Thames Valley Network Study Day held on 22 March 2017 at the River and Rowing Museum, Henley

This was a fascinating and very informative day which was oversubscribed by 100%, and a repeat day is to be held in May for almost another 100 people. Thatcham U3A was well represented as member, Wynne Frankum, spoke during the afternoon of her research into John Morton of Bucklebury Common. In 1835 this farmer and wayside preacher succeeded in his bid to save the Common from being enclosed, thus allowing us all to enjoy the flora and fauna to this day. During the 2nd World War the Common was used as a storage facility prior to D-Day and housed American Troops and, as Wynne said, white troops on one side of the road and black ones on the other!

The day was split into four distinct parts. The first speaker was Judy Dewey, the curator of Wallingford Museum, who spoke of medieval Wallingford and how the town was one of the top 18 towns at the time with a moat, Royal Castle and Priory. During William the Conqueror’s reign it had a Mint. Originally it had 11 parishes and vintners were especially important. Apparently, foreigners were people who came from across the River Thames from places such as Blewbury! It was mentioned in the Magna Carta and from 1290 to 1832 had two MPs. The Royal Castle was very prestigious and Edward III was proclaimed King there. We even learnt of the history of Indentures and Tally Sticks. An Indenture was a contract regarding land or trade matters and was in two halves (one for each party) with an indented top to each. In 1155 the town was granted its Freedom from the Crown by Charter. Sadly the town’s importance gradually declined.

Then participants were entertained by Avis Furness of Reading U3A, who spoke of the Impact of the Civil War on the citizens of Reading. I grew up in Reading but was unaware that there had been a siege of Reading and that the town had originally been Royalist with a garrison, and was impoverished due to the funding of the Royalist cause. People loaned money but never saw it returned. The important cloth trade was wiped out, even though they made clothes for the army, because money did not change hands. Obviously, this had a knock-on effect on the civilians of the town. The well-fortified town eventually fell to

the Roundheads in spring 1643 when they crossed Caversham Bridge and encircled the town from the west. However, an amnesty was not honoured and disease became rampant. Later in 1643 the Royalists retook Reading but in 1644 the Parliamentarians returned, together with much violence and food shortages. Recovery was slow but by 1652 matters were improving.

After the lunch break which included free access to the excellent Museum, the Citizen 800 project was explained by Dr Matthew Smith of Royal Holloway College, London. This is a bottom up research project to provide an online digital resource for schools in line with a shift in education teaching to focus on British Political and Social History. The U3A is a partner and researchers (any members who are interested) are being encouraged to look into the social history of notable people in their locality with an emphasis on the centenary next year of women getting the vote in this country. This project is building on the centenary of the Magna Carta. All the completed research will be available to U3As for Study Days and deposited in local museums as well as being online. The first researcher who spoke regarding his on-going work was a gentleman from East Hagbourne who is looking into local events in 1795 regarding the high price of corn. And then, Wynne explained Bucklebury Common and John Morton. Anyone interested in participating in the research can find out more by contacting our excellent organiser of the day, Patsy Thornton, at patsy@thorntac.co.uk, as she is also the Shared Learning Project Co-Ordinator for the South East.

Our final highly entertaining presenter was Tony Cullen, who demonstrated and spoke of instruments of punishment in the 17th Century when punishment was short, sharp, nasty and financially punitive. There were no prisons as such (only Royal ones for crimes against the state and debtors’ prisons). Even Houses of Correction had to be paid for! Newgate was the first purpose built prison.

Punishment consisted of the stocks, where humiliation was the main aim and where people spent 3-4 hours at a time. Then there was the whip, finger pillories, scolds’ bridles (for nagging and talkative women but this crime had to be sentenced by a Magistrate). Ducking stools were used for crimes against trade. Pillories were used in most large towns for more serious crimes and bricks etc. could be thrown at the miscreant and many serious injuries are recorded. People could be whipped or have their ears nailed to the pillory whilst in the restraint. The punishment for blasphemy was to have your tongue bored with a hot iron and this was also a military sanction. There was also ear cropping and branding. Crimes committed at night were considered more serious. The worst crimes were dealt with by a death sentence (although this could be for as little as a one shilling theft). Execution was by hanging by noose. The long drop was not brought in until 1850 and resulted in the breaking of the neck. Sadly the noose caused strangulation and could take 20-40 minutes for someone to die. If one was lucky friends could be exhorted to pull on ones legs to hasten the end and this has resulted in the phrase ‘hangers on’.

After a question and answer session with all the participants the day ended at 3.30pm. A superb insight into local historical matters and I urge anyone interested to sign up for future Study Days into topics that interest them.

Hilary Beckingham

March 2017

From the Editor I have enjoyed producing the U3A Newsletter for the last 12 years and I hope you have enjoyed reading it. Paul Shave has kindly agreed to take the job on so please would you send all your contributions to him for the next Newsletter by Monday 23rd October.

Thank you, Ann

GalleryArundel Castle

Dean Forest Railway

Chepstow