Members have enjoyed a wide variety of meetings recently.  In February, Melvyn Rees’s topic was 'Brought to book – my family and other setbacks'.  His audience reacted with delight and laughter, as Mel described his family’s rise in fortune from a newsagent’s shop at Clapham Junction to an address in the Surrey stockbroker belt.  "A village near Guildford" he told us before admitting that it was actually nearer Aldershot.  As a child he had been fascinated to notice how his mother’s accent and demeanour changed according to the customer she was serving.  This had led him into a lifetime observing with amusement the antics people adopt as they seek to improve their lives.  Then he told of the trials and tribulations of life with teenagers. Thus, in his 60s he had started writing about his experiences and this had led to the publication of several highly popular books of comic anecdotes.

The March meeting was in a more serious vein.  The AGM, efficiently concluded in 12 minutes was followed by a presentation on fair trade by Janet Munro from the Salisbury Fairtrade group.  She outlined the benefits to producers – decent wages, good working conditions and the opportunity to choose how the profits are used to provide schooling and health facilities as well as to set up new businesses.  And, she reminded us, we the consumers benefit from buying high quality products, knowing that the producers are not being exploited and harmed in ways that we would not tolerate for ourselves.  She brought samples of the range of Fairtrade goods now available, including a cola canned drink and rubber gloves.

At the April meeting’s talk, billed as 'Puppets – demonstration and talk', members might have been expecting more light entertainment.  And yes, the speaker, Alix Booth, demonstrated her puppets often raising a laugh with Mr Punch, Mr Samuel Pepys and even Mr Gordon Brown.  But she also shared with us her knowledge of the history of Punch and Judy, going back to the eighteenth century and earlier, with related traditions in other parts of Europe.  Quotes from Samuel Pepys’s diary were a fine reminder that seaside Punch and Judy shows are a far cry from the adult entertainment of Pepys’s day.

Local

After some weeks of communication a group from Launceston U3A in Cornwall visited Salisbury over the weekend of 3rd to 5th April. A number of us joined them for lunch on Saturday after their conducted tour of the cathedral by Anne- Marie. We received an e-mail thanking us for our hospitality. They met some members from Sarum U3A on the Friday evening. The picture was taken outside the cathedral after lunch.

We were represented by Ann- Marie Seacroft, Ann Harries, Chris Dickson, Sue Kenway and Mike Limbrick.

Central & Regional

I have ordered 10 U3A diaries for 2010. Let me know if you would like to have one. The price is £1.90 including postage - the same as last year.  

See the notice board for a range of events being organised on a national basis (notice dated 31st March).  These include a study day on June 16 in Armagh on 'Our Wider Cultural Heritage', a jazz day in Pembrokeshire on May 20 featuring the Ken Colyer Jazz Band and other items.  

See the notice relating to the Science, Technology and Society Network Annual Seminar to  be held at Abergavenny on August 20.