At the September meeting of the Salisbury U3A it was announced that the 18th anniversary of the group will be celebrated by a lunch in St Francis hall, at 12 noon on 2 November. Tickets are on sale now.

Groups: The Sixth Form Forum still needs a leader. Julian Jackson will repeat his course on Digital Photography in the spring. There are places on two Sarum U3A courses: Peter Tee will teach Basic Conversational Spanish on alternate Tuesdays from 11 October, and Art and Artists once a month from 1 November.

Outings: Mystery tour on 13 October, Mayflower Theatre on 1 December, Swindon Designer outlet on 8 December, Three Emperors of China on 20 January at the Royal Academy, and “Arms and the Man” on 13 February at the Playhouse.

Peter Redmond gave an amusing and informative account, with slides, of his life as an pharmacist. He joined the Army in 1947 and was sent to Khartoum to the British Military Hospital in the dispensary. From there he went to Aqaba, York, Malaya, Catterick, Paris, Malaya again where he gained a certificate in the Malay language, back to Hull, Porton Down, Ludgershall, Germany and Stoke on Trent. He left the army, sold china on a market stall, and became Administrator of Cricklade Theatre in Andover. He cycled across Jordan to raise money for deaf children. There were 84 riders, 24 of them deaf, and they gave a cheque for £5000 to a school for the deaf, and £15000 worth of equipment.