Welcome to New Members
We welcome Miss Tracy Combes, Mr Aubrey Orthner and Mrs Cherry Shaw to our membership.
When we send out the Newsletter by email you will see that, on your copy, only “undisclosed recipients” are shown as the recipient. This is because we send the list as “blind carbon copy” (bcc). We do this so that email addresses are protected from being “harvested” by people who want to send you spam and other nasties.
In the last couple of weeks I have received 2 “round robins” from Sarum U3A members who did not use the bcc format so that, in each case, I received a whole list of e addresses which is not only unnecessary but is also, in fact, a very bad idea from the perspective of email security. If you want to know more, Neil Russell or I can help.
Tony Munday, Membership Secretary
1 Downs View Close, Haxton, Salisbury SP3 9PS
From the Chairman
Dear Friends
Many thanks to Wendy Guest who did a fine job editing the June and July newsletters while Judith Copeland was on holiday.
Following on from my report in last month’s newsletter on the rebuilding of St Francis Hall, the news from the church management is that, unfortunately, the available parking area will be much smaller by the August Coffee Morning as space will have been set aside for two Portakabins. The smaller one will house the Parish office and the larger one the playgroup. This means the overall capacity of the car park will be reduced by around 40%. Because of this we have been asked to car share whenever possible; park carefully if using the adjoining streets so as not to inconvenience our neighbours and be mindful that Beatrice Road is a bus route. For members who decide to come by bus, the Red 4 Pauls Dene circular sets off from New Canal at 5 and 35 minutes past the hour, picks up at Castle Street Tesco and stops right outside the church. Could members who receive the newsletter by email please pass this information on to members not on email ahead of the Coffee Morning.
A one-day U3A Regional Conference is to be held at Sturminster Newton on Friday 4 November. The theme is Health and Wellbeing, with contributions from Officers of the Third Age Trust together with lecturers on Clinical Sciences and Exercise Psychology. Each U3A has been allocated 3 places and I’ll be going – so there are 2 spare places. If you would like to come along (I’ll drive), please speak to me at the Coffee Morning or phone on 01722 504295.
With best wishes
Gordon Pardy
P.S. Don’t forget the induction meeting for the Shared Learning Project with Salisbury Museum at 1.00 pm on Friday 9 September. No need to book a place, just turn up.
Coffee Mornings
Please note that coffee is served from 10.00 am
Wednesday 17 August at 10.30 am
The speaker is Jane Pelly. Jane is a granddaughter of Bishop John Wordsworth. This year is the centenary of his death and Jane has very kindly offered to talk to us on her Grandfather’s life.
Wednesday 21 September at 10.30 am
Dr Jean Watkins (alias Mrs Jean MacMillan) will talk on “My Ecuadorian Adventure”. Having worked most of her life as a GP, first in London and more recently in Bournemouth, Jean has had the good fortune to be able to travel widely. As well as following the tourist tracks, the interest of these trips was greatly increased by the opportunity to look at some aspects of Health Care in the different countries, and has thus gained a greater insight into the lives of the people within them. Not actually seeking adventure, this trip turned out to be a little more exciting than Jean would have chosen and the memory is still very much in her mind.
Groups
Striders
1 September 2011
Please meet at the Lord Nelson Arms in Winterslow (Ex 131 SU 239 330) at 10.00 am for a 6 mile circular walk across the downs to Pitton and back through fields and Bentley Woods to Winterslow. There are lovely views from the high ground, with one steep climb out of Pitton, but otherwise fairly flat.
From Salisbury take the A30 towards Andover, and after approx 3.5 miles, turn off down Firs Road, continuing across Dunstable crossroads and up the hill towards Winterslow. Take the first turning left into the village, and the pub will be seen on the right hand side after the school.
Parking is available at the Lord Nelson, with lunch at the pub after the walk if you wish.
Please phone Pam Robinson on 01980 862301 if you are planning to come.
Walking Group
Thursday 25 August
Please meet in the car park of the Silver Plough Inn in Pitton (Ex 131/GR SU 213 312) ready to start at 10.00 am for a walk of about 4.5 miles, which includes passing through the village of Farley with its interesting church and Almshouses.
Please ring Susan (01722 324811) by Tuesday 23 August if you are coming.
Strollers
Thursday 25 August
(2-3 mile gentle walks with a pub at the end)
Members take turns to organise the walks and book the pub. Meet at car park Hampton Inn, near St Thomas’s Bridge on the London Road at 10.00 am.
If you are coming, please let me know on Monday 22 or Tuesday 23 August. New members are welcome.
Aileen Manchee (01722 742368)
Science & Technology
There is no Science & Technology meeting in August.
Rummikub
The new group Rummikub has proven to be very popular. Nineteen people have chosen it, too many to fit into anyone’s sitting room. Therefore, it will take place in the Dennis Marsh Scout Hall, Kingsland Road, off Ashley Road, off Devizes Road, Salisbury SP2 7DG. To pay for the hire of the Hall it will be necessary to charge £1 per person per session along with the normal 50p for coffee/tea and biscuits. It is scheduled for the first Wednesday of the month at 2.00 pm and will start on 5 October.
Anyone interested, but not already enrolled, is welcome to join the group.
Philosophy
The Philosophy group will continue for another year. The subject will be “An Introduction to Political Philosophy”. We will be following and working to a series of seven video lectures given by Professor Steven Smith of Yale University.
We normally meet monthly on Wednesdays at 2.30 pm. Please ring Brian Capel (01722 505438) if you are interested in participating.
New Computer Group
A new Computer group will be starting soon. This will be an open group, not one of the priority choices. We will be meeting in Laverstock Village Hall on the second Wednesday of each month, starting 9 November at 10.00 am. All Sarum members are welcome, numbers are not restricted.
The group will run with a programme based on 4 ideas:
- A talk and demonstration on a specific subject, using our digital projector and laptop computer.
- Question and answer session on the chosen topic.
- General questions and help desk, with input from any group member.
- Choice of subject for next meeting.
To start with, we will work on some of the basics such as printing, setting up email, adding photos to email, Skype, computer virus protection and so forth, whatever members want. For the future, we could do some more advanced work such as using the internet, use of databases, mail merge and other subjects.
Members may wish to bring means of taking notes or even your own laptop!
More information will be provided nearer the time but meanwhile any ideas on what you would like to do would be very useful in shaping the programme.
Free Computer Tutorials
There is an excellent website offering free computer tutorials for beginners at www.homeandlearn.co.uk.
I would be interested to know how useful they are so, if anyone has a go, please let me know if you found them of value.
Neil Russell (email:
From the Groups Organiser
Vacancies in U3A Groups
Salisbury and our own Sarum’s vacancies are published with this Newsletter. Spire’s will appear next month.
At this time of year, all members may apply for vacancies in any of the three U3As. Please apply to the Group leader direct, not to me.
New members who have joined U3A since June – this is your best opportunity to get into groups. Don’t wait or the spaces will fill up!
Best wishes
Linda Farrow
Diaries for 2012
The diaries for next year have arrived so, if you ordered one, could you collect it from me please? (In the area of the Notice Board, which is near to the font in the church).
Gill Hinton
Sarum U3A Visits
Highgrove Visit – Tuesday 23 August:
Would the members who are booked on this Visit please do your best to attend my meeting that I will hold after the Speaker (and any other business) at our August Coffee Morning. If you are unable to attend, please telephone me on or before Saturday 20 August.
ALSO – If not already done so, please phone Chris to pre-order lunch.
Olympic Venues Visit – Thursday 15 September
and
Buckingham Palace Visit – Thursday 29 September:
Members should by now have received the Reservation Form and Itinerary for these Visits. Please complete and return the form(s), together with your cheque made payable to Sarum U3A Visits Account, either at the August Coffee Morning or, in the case of Buckingham Palace, no later than 20 August.
NB Please make out separate cheques for each visit and mark the name of the Visit on the back. Thank you.
Pre-ordering of Lunches:
Where menus have been attached to Itineraries, as is the usual case, we are required to pre-order. Would you please deal with your luncheon choices as soon as possible, letting me know either by telephone or email.
Spire and Salisbury U3As:
We have now opened the Olympic Venues, Buckingham Palace and Abbotsbury Visits to Spire and Salisbury U3As and, due to the tremendous interest in all three visits, we are taking a 49-seater coach on each day. If there are any Sarum members who at the last minute would like to be included on any of these visits, please act quickly!
Christmas Markets:
I am thinking about running a visit to a Christmas Market in the UK. Have any members had experience of any one in particular that they would recommend? If you do, then please either email or ring me. Thank you.
If you have any queries, comments or suggestions, please make contact with me on 01722 781224 between 10.00 am and 10.00 pm, when I’ll be pleased to hear from you.
Chris Perry, Sarum U3A Visits Organiser
1 Knighton Bridge Cottages, Broad Chalke, Salisbury SP5 5EA
Visit to Somerset Levels and Moors
In mid-July Sarum U3A members visited the historical Somerset Levels and Moors, taking in the Willows and Wetlands Centre, traditional willow growers and basket makers, and East Lambrook Manor Gardens, former home of plantswoman Margery Fish. All had a thoroughly enjoyable day.
The Somerset Levels and Moors is a sparsely populated coastal plain and wetland area of central Somerset, between the Quantock and Mendip Hills. They consist of marine clay “levels” along the coast, and inland (often peat-based) “moors”; agriculturally, about 70% is used as grassland and the rest is arable. Willow and teasel are grown commercially and peat is extracted. The Neolithic people exploited the reed swamps for their natural resources and started to construct wooden trackways, including the world’s oldest known timber trackway, the Sweet Track, dating from the 3800s BC. As a result of the wetland nature of the Moors and Levels, the area contains a rich biodiversity of national and international importance.
Salisbury U3A Outings
Full details are posted on the notice board at the monthly coffee mornings.
Wednesday 31 August 2011.
Visit Greys Court, Henley on Thames (NT) followed by river cruise to Marlow. Waiting List only.
Thursday 1 September STOP PRESS!
An opportunity to visit the Fred Olsen flagship BALMORAL in Southampton for a guided tour and buffet lunch followed by leisure time for shopping and visit to WEST QUAY SHOPPING CENTRE. BOOK NOW!
Thursday 22 September 2011
Visit Buckingham Palace, including Royal Faberge Exhibition.
Fully booked – waiting list only.
Thursday 13 October 2011
Half day visit to Longleat House. BOOK NOW!
Tuesday 29 November 2011
To Mayflower Theatre, Southampton for Mozart’s Don Giovanni. BOOK NOW!
Thursday 8 December 2011
Visit the American Museum near Bath in the morning followed by an afternoon in Bath for the Christmas Market.
Full details and booking in September.
Tuesday 27 March 2012
To Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, for Verdi’s La Traviata. BOOK NOW!
Cruising in 2012?
Book now for a Fred Olsen Western Mediterranean cruise leaving Southampton on 13 October 2012 on the flagship BALMORAL for 15 days visiting Gibraltar, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona and Lisbon. Full details available. Ask for a Cruise Pack today!
If you are interested in any outings/visits, please contact John Ewington, Flat 5 Arlington House, Bourne Avenue, Salisbury SP1 1LS. Tel: 01722 500699.
Contributions
Please send all contributions by mid-day on 2nd Tuesday in the month (14 September) to the Editor: Judith Copeland, Field End, Hackthorne Corner, Durrington SP4 8AS. Phone 01980 655665 or by email to enjay666@btinternet.com