1 Crawley U3A LEARN LAUGH LIVE SPRING 2020
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Crawley U3A
LEARN LAUGH LIVE
SPRING 2020
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Dear members,
Welcome to the early Spring edition of the Crawley U3A magazine.
Christmas will seem a long time ago but I hope those of you who came to
the Christmas Social had a good afternoon and enjoyed the ukuleles.
You will have seen that we have a new Crawley U3A Committee (see page
5). Please contact a member of the committee if you have any questions
or suggestions.
We have still not recruited a Groups Coordinator and this is having an
impact on the efficient working of our U3A as other Committee members
have had to take on additional duties. Please consider taking on at least
part of this role. Please contact a Committee member for more
information.
Please be aware that any group queries should no longer be addressed to
[email protected]. Please contact a member of
the Committee.
June 3rd is the first ever national U3A day. Look out for details of how we
plan to celebrate and promote our great U3A.
Happy reading!
Jan Morris Editor [email protected]
Letter from The Chair
George Redgrave was elected as Chair at the AGM following a year as Vice
Chairman. Here is his write up of February’s Monthly Meeting.
We had a fine speaker for our regular monthly meeting at The Friary Hall
on Friday 14 February. Peter Hardy is a volunteer with the National
Memorial Arboretum near Lichfield in Staffordshire. The Arboretum is to
honour the fallen, recognise service and sacrifice, and foster pride in the
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British Armed Forces and civilian community. Peter showed us
photographs of the layout and of some of the many individual memorials
there - it’s not just trees.
The Arboretum was the idea of David Childs who wanted to establish a
national centre for remembrance. The site was donated by a firm that was
extracting gravel nearby and money was raised to plant trees from the
National Lottery and many private donations. The Royal British Legion
accepted the gift of the site as the focus for the Nation's year-round
Remembrance. A two minute silence is observed there at eleven o’clock
every day.
As well as being a very interesting and entertaining speaker, Peter is an
accomplished photographer which meant that we had a very good insight
into the way the many memorials to individual military and naval units
have been set up. The first of these was
a polar bear, dedicated in 1998, to the
49th Infantry West Riding Division
which was stationed in Iceland. Most
of the campaign saw them snowed in
under 20 feet of snow and they
adopted the name 'Polar Bears'. The
Polar Bear on a block of ice was used
for their mascot and shoulder flash.
After his talk, while we had tea &
biscuits, many people chatted to him and said how they would like to visit
the Arboretum.
Membership Secretary’s Report
As at the 10th February our membership stood at 610, which comprises
378 individual members, 205 joint members and 27 associate/other
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members. The ratio of female to male members never seems to change
and is still 74% / 26% male. Our membership fluctuates as members join
and leave but we think it remains close to an all-time high. However, there
was a small drop in the autumn when some members did not renew their
annual membership. We would really like to increase our membership to
over 700 and your committee is doing all it can to achieve this, but the
best recruiters are you! So come on, get up, and get chatting to your
friends and neighbours, and let’s see if we can reach our target by the end
of this membership year at the end of August!
On 7th January we took over from David King as your U3A Membership
Secretary, and we will try to meet his high level of expertise in this
responsible position. We would like to place on record our sincere thanks
for the support and guidance he has given to us in the hand-over period.
Since the 18th September 2019, when the previous edition of this
magazine went to print, we have welcomed the following new members
who we hope are enjoying discovering lots of groups and activities:
Betty Atkins June Foster Kimberley Owen Doreen Ballard Shirley Gibson Ingrid Payne Margaret Barton Frances Harris Marion Piper Barbara Bogacz Martin Harwood Lynn Roberts Sharon Caley Linda Hawkins Terry Shouler Roger Combes Marion Hellmuth Sue Shropshire Christine Combes Simon Hurdman Sheila Stone Julie Darlington Denis Knight June Sutton Christine Foran Valerie Knight Beryl Trussell
To these new members we hope you all enjoy your membership and make
new friends. To all members, U3A gives you the opportunity to widen your
horizons but you need to seize the moment!
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Please continue to keep us informed of any changes to your contact
details or next of kin. Thank you.
Ann & Stewart Sole Membership Secretary
Group Leaders
At the AGM in November, our outgoing Chairman, Maureen Wicks,
thanked all our many Group Leaders and had a special word of praise for
the very longstanding leaders, some of whom have been in post for over
10 years. You know who you are. Well done, and thanks very much.
Meet The 2020 Crawley U3a Committee
Chair George
Redgrave 01293 411718 [email protected]
Vice chair Jim McGough
01293 459213 [email protected]
Secretary Alan Pay 07482 800118 [email protected]
Treasurer Phil Light 01293 458480
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Groups Vacant 07770 661388 c/o [email protected]
Events Jean Elmer
01293 409061 [email protected]
Membership Ann and
Stewart Sole
07555 021879 [email protected]
Communications Janet Morris
01293 415382 [email protected]
Our U3A
Our U3A is a volunteer run organisation; smooth running and enjoyment
don’t just happen, they require coordinated efforts of various people,
teams and individuals, all supporting each other.
The roles include:
• Committee members. The Committee is elected annually and
meets 10 times a year to oversee activities and contribute to the
day to day running of the U3A. We desperately need a Groups
Coordinator (or two!) to book rooms and liaise with the Group
Leaders.
• Minutes Secretary.
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• Webmaster. Stuart keeps the web site up to date and deals with
issues with our emails.
• Database administrator. Anne looks after Beacon, our
membership database and trains new Group Leaders and
Committee Members in its running.
• Welfare Support. Mavis and Elsa support our members in time of
need (see the article on page 11)
• RUGs The Really Useful Group are brilliant at staffing the monthly
meetings, welcoming members, signing them in and providing
refreshments. The more RUGs we have the merrier!
• Group Leaders We couldn’t function without you! And not an
onerous task. If you’d like to start a new group please contact Alan
Pay, our Secretary.
• Seasonal Outings Team who arrange the Outings each term.
• Sun representatives SUN is the Sussex U3A Network and organises
the regular Study Days and Annual Summer School.
• Social media presence Any contributions to the Facebook page will
be most appreciated.
• Magazine and distribution. Help is always welcome for stuffing
envelopes!
• Photographs. All members are invited to submit photographs of
their group’s activities for use in publicity material, web site, social
media and the magazine. Please use the newsletter email address.
• Publicity. Distributing leaflets and posters around the Crawley
area.
We are always on the look out for help in many areas of running our great
organisation. Can you help any of the above? All our role volunteers are
given support and all the help they need!
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Forthcoming events
Please note there are no monthly meetings in April and May.
13th March • Monthly meeting Friary Hall 2.30pm
• Bill Avenal ‘What’s in a view’
April • No monthly meeting – Good Friday
• 17th April Coffee Morning 10-12 Friary Hall
May • No monthly meeting – Bank Holiday
June • 3rd June: National U3A Day • 12th June: Monthly meeting Friary Hall 2.30pm Debbie Brady “A female in Fleet Street”
July • 10th July: Monthly meeting Friary Hall
2.30pm Speaker tbc
• 24th July – Coffee morning 10-12 Friary Hall
August • No monthly meeting
September • 11th September Open Afternoon
October • 9th October AGM
• 23rd October Coffee morning 10-12 Friary
November • 13th November Monthly meeting. Speaker tbc
December • 11th December Christmas Social
March Meeting
Friday 13th March, Friary Hall
‘Red sky at night’. ‘If the Oak before the Ash’.Why was the shepherd
delighted? We have all grown up listening to weather lore handed down
over generations but is there any real truth in any of it and where has it all
come from?
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Bill Avenell is a retired Geography Teacher who has always been interested
in the mixture of science and superstition behind all those well known
sayings and in this talk he will try to separate the two. And of course where
possible it will have a local Sussex slant.
Christmas Social
It was Friday 13th, the day after the general election, and the weather was
cold and grey. Fear not! Here comes the U3A galloping over the horizon
with our annual Christmas social, to restore good cheer to all.
I had been asked to be one of
three bouncers on the door at the
Friary Hall, ready to evict all gate-
crashers, since this year, for the
first time, the event was open to
ticket holders only and we were
not sure how this would work. In
the event our strong-arm tactics
were not needed, as everybody
dutifully presented their tickets
on arrival, and we enjoyed greeting
friends old and new before joining the merry throng in the hall.
The team who had prepared the hall must be congratulated; it all looked
so festive and welcoming, with decorations and crackers on the tables.
As I frequently remind my husband, the Christmas elves do not do
domestic chores, so there was no magic wand to make the transformation;
just planning and hard work. What a treat to sit down and have someone
pour me a cup of tea while I scoffed chocolate biscuits and cake (which
have no calories if consumed out of your home, you understand).
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I had spotted someone I know from one of my U3A
groups, so I joined her table. I did not know the
others there when I sat down, but within five
minutes we were all friends, bonding over the
crackers and Christmas quiz, and that’s what the
U3A is all about, isn’t it? We came about halfway
up the league table in the quiz, by the way, so we
did not walk away with the star prize, but we have
got over it now. Almost.
The raffle prizes were excellent, and really worth winning, so once again
we have to thank everyone who organised those.
The afternoon finished with entertainment from the ukulele group, who
were excellent as always, and had us tapping toes and singing and clapping
along with them. One chap got up
and danced, for which he was given
loud and deserved applause. But
the biggest applause must go to the
committee who, once again,
worked so hard to ensure we all
enjoyed a lovely afternoon.
Jean Austin
Fees
We are pleased to confirm that the membership fees for the year
2020/21 will be reduced by £5 per person, making a single membership
£10 and joint £15. The membership fee will be kept under annual review.
Any members who have elected to pay by Standing Order will need to
alter their mandate.
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Welfare Support
We are the Welfare Support team for our U3A, sending cards on your
behalf to those who have been seriously ill or had an operation or an
accident or are going through a difficult time, and sympathy cards to those
who have been bereaved. We then follow this up with a phone call to see
how people are progressing, make sure that they have someone to look
after them and advise them on contacts or organisations who can help
them if needed and often keep in touch for a little while.
So please help us to help you by telling your Group Leader if you know of
any member who is ill or having a difficult time and who you think would
appreciate receiving a card. Until recently Group Leaders told the Group
Co-ordinator and she told us, usually by e-mail. We do both need to know
as we take it in turns to be “on duty” and cover for each other for times
like holidays, etc. Until a new Group Co-ordinator is appointed we would
please ask that Group Leaders themselves send e-mails to us.
We also attend meetings of the Crawley Older Persons Forum and have
learned quite a lot of useful information, especially about the services
available to older people in the town. These
meetings have been in abeyance recently
but it is hoped they will start again shortly.
A big thank you to the Painting and Drawing
Group who last year designed some
beautiful cards for us of birds and lions and
tigers and which were duly printed. These
have been much appreciated and we have
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had many compliments from those who have received them.
Mavis Liddell and Elsa Tancock
Events Coordinator
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I didn’t know he came from Crawley
Shortly after our sons left Hazelwick, a new Head
of Sixth form was appointed. Romesh
Ranganathan was a big hit among the students but
an even bigger hit on the comedy circuit.
Combining the two careers for a while, including
leaving Hazelwick, working at another school then
returning to Hazelwick, he eventually took the
decision to concentrate on the comedy and he
became a professional comedian in 2012. During
this period he was also a freestyle rapper under the
rap name "Ranga". After being nominated for Best Newcomer at the
2013 Edinburgh Comedy Awards he combined stand up shows with
appearances on radio shows and TV panel shows including Would I lie to
You, Mock the Week and The Last Leg.
He has more recently presented TV shows including Judge Romesh, The
Ranganation and the Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan where he
travels to unlikely holiday destinations such as Albania, Colombia and
Bosnia.
He still lives in Crawley with his wife and 3 sons.
SUN and other U3A events
14 Mar Rustington Country houses of the South Downs
18 Apr Horsham A mathematical melody 9 May Mayfield Crusades and Knights Templar
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All Study days cost £8 for SUN U3A members. You will need a packed
lunch. For more information see u3asites.org.uk/sussexu3anetwork.
Or contact: Maggie Berrill 01293 515271 [email protected].
Summer School
Summer School takes place this year in Chichester from 15th-18th June.
Please note that Walking, Ukulele and Natural History courses are already
full. Thank you
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Sun Study Day
Landscapes of South East England
We attended this SUN Study Day in Pulborough not knowing quite what
the subject would cover. The tutor – Geoff Meads - was excellent and
obviously a favourite as seen by the numbers attending .
From the vast area of Kent,
Surrey and West and East
Sussex he covered geography,
geology, history, agriculture,
horticulture plus humour. An
added bonus for us personally,
was that he touched on places
that we have recently visited –
The Hooe Peninsula, Thorney
Island and Dungeness. Geoff
also talked briefly about Firle Place where he is a volunteer
We had a great day, learnt a great deal and all for £8. What value!
Heather Allen & Isabel Baker
Access to St Paul’s
I am sure I am not the only person to have the occasional disagreement
with the door entry system at St Paul’s.
On arrival please check your room number on the list on the right hand
window panel. Following their instructions, enter the room number and
press the buzzer. The door will not be automatically opened! You need to
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wait for your buzz to be acknowledged from inside the room (hopefully
by a verbal response) before the door is released. Good luck!
Please arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before the start time of your
group.
Needles Group
Our talented Needles Group has been busy!
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For more information, please contact Pat Roberts, 01293 526805.
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HMRC fraudulent emails
HMRC has issued advice on spotting a fraudulent email.
As well as spelling mistakes and poor grammar, there are a number of
things you can look out for to help you recognise a phishing or bogus email.
Look out for a sender’s email address that is similar to, but not the same
as, HMRC’s email addresses. Fraudsters often have email accounts with
HMRC or revenue names in them (such as ‘[email protected]’). These
email addresses are used to mislead you. However be aware, fraudsters
can falsify (spoof) the ‘from’ address to look like a legitimate HMRC
address. If you are not 100% sure that the message is genuine, do not open
it. If you do open the email and you are in doubt, do not click on any links
or downloads.
Emails from HMRC will never:
• notify you of a tax rebate
• offer you a repayment
• ask you to disclose personal information such as your full address,
postcode, Unique Taxpayer Reference or details of your bank account
• give a non HMRC personal email address to send a response to
• ask for financial information such as specific figures or tax
computations, unless you’ve given prior consent and you’ve formally
accepted the risks
• have attachments, unless you’ve given prior consent and you’ve
formally accepted the risks
Fraudsters ask for immediate action. Be wary of emails containing phrases
like ‘you only have 3 days to reply’ or ‘urgent action required’.
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Fraudsters often include links to webpages that look like the homepage of
the HMRC website. This is to trick you into disclosing personal or
confidential information. Just because the page may look genuine, does
not mean it is.
Bogus webpages often contain links to banks or building societies, or
display fields and boxes requesting your personal information such as
passwords, credit card or bank account details.
You should be aware that fraudsters sometimes include genuine links to
HMRC webpages in their emails, this is to try and make their emails appear
genuine.
Fraudsters often send high volumes of phishing emails in one go, so even
though they may have your email address, they seldom have your name.
Emails from HMRC will:
• usually use the preferred name you’ve provided
• always include information on how to report phishing emails to HMRC
Remember, if you are in doubt, contact HMRC yourself.
Happy thoughts
I recently went on a walk with four friends from Vauxhall to Battersea
Power Station. We didn’t have a plan but just found our way somewhat
haphazardly.
In this country we are sometimes said to be aloof or unfriendly. Well I beg
to differ. Our experiences of all those we met was delightful. From the staff
and customers in the Portuguese cafe (such tasty Portuguese tarts!), the
passengers on the trains, the Sainsbury’s delivery driver, the postman, the
shuttle bus drivers and the numerous site workers on the building sites
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was wonderful. All were only too pleased to help, accompanied with big
smiles and “enjoy your day” comments.
I had such a lovely day enhanced by the human touch of genuine
friendliness. Isabel Baker 🇬🇧
U3A Worldwide
Last year I made contact with a U3A in Melbourne Australia. This year we
visited them! (Don’t worry Phil the Treasurer we haven’t put in an
expense claim).
The Stonnington U3A are very
fortunate to have their own
building, gifted to them by
their local council. It has been
completely refurbished and
now provides a modern
spacious (and air conditioned)
area for their groups to meet.
The reception area doubles as a
social area with tea and coffee
always on tap. There is a separate
office, open every day, manned
by volunteers (aren’t we all!) on a
rota basis. There is a large
meeting room that can take 80
people which doubles as a Tai Chi
studio. Completing the
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accommodation is a large room (which can be divided in two) and a
smaller room. They have an extensive library available for all members to
borrow books. What a luxury to have their own space.
Their U3A is run very differently
to ours with a list of courses,
talks, walks and outings sent out
at the beginning of each term (of
which there are 2). Members then
choose their activities for that
term.
There are weekly, fortnightly, monthly
courses and one off talks throughout the
semester. We were amused to see that one
of the talks was about Gardens in Southern
England including Borde Hill and Nymans!
Annual membership fees are
approximately £30 per person and £55 per
couple.
KNEPP WILDLAND
The 70 or so members who braved the cold rain for our October monthly
talk were really rewarded; Penny Green, ecologist from Knepp, was an
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expert and entertaining speaker who covered a lot in a relatively short
time, with some wonderful pictures.
I am sure most of you will have seen and heard about the Knepp rewilding
project, so I will not bore you with too much detail, but a little background
information will perhaps help to put it into context.
The remains of Knepp Castle
stand at the junction of the
A272 and A24, near Dial
Post. The castle was built in
the 12th century, and
passed in 1787 to the Burrell
family, who are still the
owners. The land was
turned over to farming in
the 1940s, and remained so
until the current owner, Charlie Burrell, having struggled to reverse the
farm’s declining fortunes, decided to take a radical new path. Farm
machinery and dairy herds were sold off in 2000, the restoration of the
park area, laid out in the style of Humphrey Repton, began in 2001, and in
2002 Charlie sent a letter to DEFRA outlining “intent to establish a
biodiverse wilderness area in the Low Weald of Sussex”. Thus began one
of the landmark ecological projects of our time.
What I found most interesting was the way in which the rewilding was
carried out. It is definitely not a question of sitting back with a glass or two
and waiting for nature to take over. With advice and support from a Dutch
ecologist who has been responsible for a scheme in the Netherlands the
Knepp team began by introducing large herbivores: Old English long-horn
cattle, Tamworth pigs, Red deer and fallow deer, and Exmoor ponies. The
aim is to mimic as far as possible the original herbivores who would have
roamed freely over our countryside, so the pigs are substitutes for wild
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boars (not a good idea to have these terrorising the good folk of Dial Post)
and the Exmoor ponies are the closest to the original Tarpans, now extinct.
By allowing these animals natural rein; they are not fed, so have to forage
for themselves; the soil is recovering its natural life, and birds, beetles and
insects are returning; “emergent properties” to use the technical jargon. I
loved the story Penny told us that when one of the ponds was being
drained the pigs discovered a liking for the tasty mussels in the mud at the
bottom. So much so that when the pond was refilled the pigs learnt to dive
to continue to forage in the mud for the mussels. Pigs may not fly, but
apparently they do swim when they want to. Oh, and yes, some animals
do end up as meat, for sale, but I feel even the most dedicated vegan could
not be too cross when hearing about the lives the animals lead (and I bet
they taste good).
The figures Penny gave for the numbers of birds, butterflies and other
species counted since the project started were very much in the “wow”
category. From the media you have probably learnt of their success in re-
introducing cuckoos, nightingales, turtle doves and storks, all in serious
decline.
Times are so depressing at the moment, and there is so much concern
about the future of our fragile planet that it’s easy to despair, but I
certainly came away from the talk feeling a lot more cheerful and with a
sense that there must be some hope when lovely things like this are
happening, with such dedicated people doing their best to restore the
balance. I also took home a copy of “Wilding” by Isabella Tree (married to
Charlie Burrell), who I see is down to speak to us in 2020, so that’s
definitely one not to miss. Jean Austin
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Scrabble
The Scrabble group
meet on the second
and fourth Tuesdays at
10.00am at ST Paul’s.
new members are
always welcome.
Contact Anne Finlay
01293 981227.
Painting and Drawing Group
We meet every week and on Tuesday 19th November, we had an Art
Teacher come to demonstrate and help us learn about Water Colours.
Everyone enjoyed
the lesson and we
produced some
amazing art work,
including the
painting on the
front cover of this
magazine.
Brenda Ashenden
Group Leader
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Crawley U3A Ping Pong (sorry – Table Tennis) Group
This group has been running for a few months and meets
every Thursday at St Pauls Church in Northgate from
12.00 to 14.00.
The group started with the idea of using the Youth Club’s
table. Support from the Committee (and especially Isabel)
enabled us to purchase another (second hand) table, bats and nets. A
further two second hand tables have been acquired and we have a regular
following. Like myself, most started playing half a century ago when they
attended youth clubs. For some that was the last time they played.
With a little bit of coaching from myself for those that want it, the
competitive, but friendly atmosphere is noticeable. Laughter fills the Hall
and good fun is had by all. Everyone gets some good exercise (possibly
particularly welcome after Christmas!) Refreshments halfway through
keep everyone going to the end.
We have a few spare places, so why don’t you come along and try your
hand. You will be more than welcome. If you are interested and would like
more information I can be contacted on 07870 113560 or e mail Kathy
Rawlings at [email protected]. Trevor Duffy, Group Leader
What’s in a name
Whilst wandering round Osborne House on an out and about trip,
member Dave Rawlings wondered what an appropriate collective noun
would be for U3A members. At the time, "babble" came to mind. Do
members have any other suggestions? Please let us know on the
newsletter email.
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5 ingredient banana bread
Serves: 10
Ingredients
• 3 medium ripe bananas
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 9x5-inch loaf pan with non-stick
cooking spray and set aside.
2. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and well
combined. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. (Garnish the top of the
batter with thinly sliced banana, if desired) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until
a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
3. Let loaf cool completely in loaf pan. Store bread in an airtight
container in the refrigerator.
Quiz
This is a quiz with a difference as I don’t expect anyone to know the
answers! We play this in pairs or teams and the nearest to the correct
answer gets a point. Answers are on page 29.
1. How deep is Loch Ness in feet at its deepest point?
2. How many individual toilets (including urinals) are there in Wembley
Stadium?
3. How long is the river Nile?
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4. The first non stop Heathrow to Sydney flight took place in November.
How many minutes did it take?
5. How many dishes did Prue Leith taste in the latest series of GBBO?
6. How many times is the word Roxanne sung in the song by the Police?
7. What according the Guinness Book of World Records is the
measurement of the longest cucumber?
8. How many potholes were reported to local councils in the UK in 2018?
9. How much did a racing pigeon sell for in 2019?
10.How many hours in one day on Venus?
Canine Partners
Our January talk, by Jim Cook, was a lovely way to start the new year.
Chatting before the talk was along the lines of “Well, I know about guide
dogs, is it that, do you think?” or “I think they also help deaf people, don’t
they?” Well, yes to both, and they do work with Guide dogs and Hearing
dogs, as well as Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion, but Canine
Partners is an organisation which helps disabled, wheelchair users, in
astonishing ways which left most of the audience with open mouths and
definitely NOT because we were asleep.
With around 1.2 million wheelchair users in this country it is not surprising
that Canine Partners had over 700 enquiries in 2019 and as a result, sadly,
have currently had to close their waiting list. We began to understand why
when Jim explained the lengthy and detailed training programme, for both
volunteers, partners, and, of course, the dogs. Basic things such as; making
sure the dog does not need to poo when you are halfway round
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Sainsbury’s, and more sophisticated training using the dog’s natural
instincts to tug and retrieve. (Yes, the most often used dog is the retriever).
Dogs are “recruited” as puppies, either from Canine Partners’ own
breeding dogs, or from known donations. Unfortunately rescue puppies
can not be used, as it is
essential that the dogs’
genetic history is known.
There were lots of
“oohs” and “aahs” at
Jim’s photographs of
puppies, and dogs
performing the most
astonishing feats;
operating a cashpoint,
paying for goods at the
supermarket check-out.
Well, yes, they do need a
human partner. At present you don’t send the dog off with your shopping
list and credit card, but they are there to do those small but essential things
that the partner can’t, such as reaching up to the slot in the cashpoint,
retrieving a purse from a bag, or taking items from top shelves. Jim had
several heart-warming stories of ways in which the dogs really help to
enrich the lives of their partners and help them to maintain independence.
The dogs are retired when they are too old to continue the partnership,
but are sent to good homes, often with a member of the partner’s family.
We learnt that it costs about £20 thousand for each dog’s working lifetime,
and it was lovely, but not surprising, to see the bowl on the table
overflowing with coins and notes at the end of the talk, from the generous
people in the audience who know that it will be going to a very well-
deserved cause. Jean Austin
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Tennis
The Tennis group are keen to recruit
more members to join in their relaxed
games of tennis which take place from
April to October.
Ideally thy would like at least a couple
more people to make a doubles four at
any time. Don’t be put off!! It’s fun.
Contact Heather Allen if any interest
07966514155
QUIZ ANSWERS
1. How deep is Loch Ness in feet at its deepest point 754 feet
2. How many individual toilets (including urinals) are there in Wembley
Stadium 2618
3. How long is the river Nile 4160miles
4. The first non stop Heathrow to Sydney flight took place in November.
How many minutes did it take. 1159
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264
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512000
30
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Crawley U3A Spring Outing 2020
Essex Winter Warmer
Wednesday 8th April and Wednesday 15th April
Departs 8.00 from Hawth car park, 8.05am from Crawley bus
station. Approximate time of return: 7.30pm
We visit Thaxted with its famous Guildhall, restored Windmill and Mediaeval
houses for morning refreshments. The coach, with our Blue Badge Guide on
board, takes us on a journey through beautiful Essex country villages and
countryside, arriving at Saffron Walden where the mediaeval street plan has
been retained. Here there is a good choice of cafes and pubs for lunch.
In the afternoon we are off to see the Chocolate Lady in her farmhouse
workshop where we have a talk and a demonstration of chocolate making and a
cream tea will be served.
Price £43 to include coach travel, drivers tip, commentary and a tour through Essex with a blue badge guide and the visit to the Chocolate
Lady’s Farmhouse with a cream tea.
Please complete the booking and ticket forms below and return them with your
cheque, payable to Crawley U3A to:
Mrs J Boniface, 3 Wright Close, Crawley, RH10 7NQ by 8th March at the latest.
31
Please also include a stamped self-addressed envelope for the return of your
ticket.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOOKING FORM
Name:
Membership No:
Address:
Postcode:
Your Landline No:
Your Mobile No:
Emergency contact No:
Pick up location (please tick): Hawth Car Park (8.00am) Crawley Bus Station (8.05am)
Date of Trip: Wednesday 8th April or Wednesday 15th April
TICKET FORM
Name:
Membership No:
Your Landline No:
Your Mobile No:
Emergency contact No:
Pick up location (please tick): Hawth Car Park (8.00am) Crawley Bus Station (8.05am)
The coach leader for your trip is: 8th April: Liz McCormack – 07961 927786 15th April: Brenda Penny – 07851 735875
(OFFICE USE ONLY): Date of trip: Wednesday 8th April Wednesday 15th April
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