News and Views - Penrith and North Lakes U3A

www.penrithandnorthlakesu3a.org.uk
February / March 2014
Newsletter 134
News and Views
2.15pm, Thursday 20th March
POWER FROM THE FELLS
An illustrated talk by Andrew Lowe
This illustrated talk looks at the range of industries in the Lake
District which depended on water power. In this area we
associate water with rivers and lakes, yet it is this renewable
source that powered industrial processes for the last thousand
years. Today, in times of high energy costs and environmental
issues, this talk also aims to stimulate interest in utilising the
continuing power of water.
Andrew Lowe is former Building Conservation Officer for the
Eskdale Mill, Boot, one of very few remaining
Lake District National Park Authority and an evening lecturer on two-wheel corn mills
Traditional Buildings and the Industrial Heritage
2.15pm, Thursday 17th April
PENRITH MOUNTAIN RESCUE
An illustrated talk by a member of the team
Find out about the team
and its work, including
background history, the
wide and varied areas that
it operates in
and specialist equipment
and skills required. You
will also have the
opportunity to have a look
around one of the team's
rapid response, all terrain,
Land Rovers.
Coaches for all Occasions
www.reays.co.uk
Penrith and North Lakes
U3A is a Registered Charity,
No.1073281
016973 49999
ONE-OFF AND SHORT-RUN PROGRAMMES
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
Our U3A’s two study mornings on the
French Revolution are recruiting as of
now. Please be in touch if you wish to
come to one or both of these (see final
paragraph).
On the first morning we will examine the
reasons why there was revolution in
France in 1789 and see how the king's
vain attempt to get help from Austria, in
Flight to Varennes, and his subsequent
trial and execution, unleashed the Reign
of Terror. Cultural aspects featured will
include artists Boucher (rococo
naughtiness) and Jacques Louis David
(sober), three striking women writers and
music by Haydn and Gluck as well as
rabble-rousing songs.
the
of
The execution of Marie Antoinette, artist
unknown but painted soon after the event
The second morning will explore the role
played by Maximilien Robespierre, a shy
young lawyer who became the embodiment of the Terror, and other Jacobin and Girondin key players.
With art becoming increasingly propagandist, a vulgar cartoon contest between David and Gillray will be
central; on the literary side you will grapple with a gruesome French poem (with translation!) and meet the
man-eating Mme de Stael but also ingenuous Helen Maria Williams; in music Gossec, Méhul and
celebratory revolution pieces will feature. Finally, we will try to assess the significance of a revolution
whose long-term effects are still reverberating today.
Contributors: Joan McMurtry (history), Robin Acland (literature), Angela Davies (music) and Mike Fossey
(art)
Dates/times: 10.00am to 1.00pm (includes extended coffee break), Tuesday 25th March and Saturday 5th
April
Venue: St Andrew's Parish Rooms, Penrith
Cost: Thanks to members’ support for previous ventures, the cost is just £1 each morning, collected at the
door.
If you plan to attend, please contact Robin on 017687 79672 or rtacland@googlemail.com. First come,
first served. If you want to attend just one day, please say which. We will contact you if days become
over-subscribed. So if phoning, please leave your number. No news is then good news: your place is
secure unless we contact you. Should you find you won’t be able to attend, please let Robin know.
FIRST AID FOR ALL
U3A groups meet almost every day of the week. How would YOU cope with an emergency within the
group? Whose responsibility would you assume it was? What would YOU do whilst waiting for the
ambulance to arrive, or whilst stuck on the hills with a walking group? If you are not certain, be sure to
reserve a place on the first U3A Heart Start First Aid Course to be held at the Fire Station in Penrith on
Monday morning 12th May from 10 a.m. - 12.00 noon.
Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. There will be no charge for this session. You
can only attend if you have reserved a place. You cannot just turn up. Contact Eve
Knafler preferably by email: eve.k@btinternet.com If you contact by telephone on 01768 840040
please leave a clear telephone number on the answer phone and I will reply asap.
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NOTICEBOARD
North West Summer School – 26/29th August 2014 Newton Rigg College near
Penrith
The courses are Archaeology, Art (Colour), Creative Writing, Geology, History of Ideas/
Literature ‘The times, they were a-changing’, A Musical Journey, Renaissance to Romanticism and Digital Photography – learning to know your aperture from your ISO. A full prospectus can be found on u3asites.org.uk/north-west or by contacting David Joseph on
01625 861327 email davidbjoseph@btopenworld.com. The cost is £300 for residential
and £150 for day attendance
Friends of Penrith and Eden Museum
Talk on ‘Mediaeval Deer Parks’ by Harry Hawkins on Tuesday 25th March at 2pm in the Quaker Meeting
House. All Welcome. If you have any queries please contact Janet Woodman on 01768 892929.
Penrith Music Club
Our final concert of the 2013-14 season sees the young and extremely talented Callino String Quartet visit
Penrith for the first time to play Haydn, Shostakovich and Smetana. See our website,
www.penrithmusicclub.com for more details or contact Jim Burns on 01768-896557 or email
mail@jasmburns.plus.com. Concerts are held in Penrith Methodist Church and start at 7.30pm. Individual
concert tickets are available from Penrith Tourist Information, Lakeland Music and Beckside Books, or on
the door.
Bolton Memorial Hall
Presents a musical evening with Camerata Ritmata on Saturday 5th April at 7.30pm. Camerata Ritmata is
a unique collaboration between classical guitar virtuoso, Simon Thacker and three leading jazz/world musicians. This acclaimed ensemble will present an exciting new programme of diverse music from across the
world fused with contemporary classical, jazz and Latin styles. There will be a licensed bar before and during the performance. Tickets: Adult £10, Child £5 from Cathy Smith on 017683 62862 or to
cathys55@hotmail.com or online at www.highlightsnorth.co.uk
Maulds Meaburn Village Institute
Tuesday 18th February 2014 at 7.30pm. A talk by Andrew Trehearne from the UK Biobank We all will die
but the question is ‘From what?’ One hundred years ago it would probably have been from an infectious
disease. Today it’s more likely to be from cancer, heart disease or a degenerative illness. UK Biobank, a
resource for medical researchers worldwide, is set to challenge some of the most life threatening and disabling illnesses of the 21st century by monitoring the health and lifestyles of half a million UK residents: the
largest study of its kind ever undertaken. Tickets: please contact Sheila and Ron Smith (01931 715 509)
£6 (£4 for under 18s).
Author Deborah Swift at Appleby Library
On 26th February 2014 at 2.00 pm Author, Deborah Swift , will be speaking about her latest
novel “A Divided Inheritance”. Copies of her
books will be available for purchase and signing.
Tickets cost £1, which includes light refreshments, and are available from the library.
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CHAIRPIECE
Much of my time recently seems to be spent on IT issues relating to U3A. Training sessions in getting the most out of the iPad have already been arranged. There are still places in March if you
have not heard about them yet. People also asked about other tablets and smartphones and I
have found that The Bridge at the bottom of Wordsworth St, Penrith - opposite the Methodist
Church - offers to help familiarise people with this technology on the second and fourth Wednesdays in every month between 10.00 and 12.00. Give it a try and if it does not meet what you are
after get back to me and I’ll try to arrange something else. It is free except for the cost of coffee or
tea if you want them.
Your committee is also looking at ways of getting information out to you in a timely way. For example, Deborah Swift, the writer, is giving a talk at Penrith Library on 20 February and in Appleby on
26 February, (see previous page) the first too late for this newsletter. We need other quicker ways
but accept that not everyone wants to give their email address. We will be discussing this, but
would be interested in hearing from anyone with ideas.
Several members who have served many years on the U3A committee have given notice they intend to stand down. Consequently we are interested in hearing from anyone who feels they could
help out here. If you are not sure if it is for you but think you’d like to find out more, we are happy
to co-opt people onto committee to give them a taste of it before they finally decide. We are hoping the cakes Sue Crothers provides for meetings may tip the balance.
Mike Head 07963 904925
Membership Renewal
It’s that time of year again.
Renewals for 2014-15 begin on 1st April. Renewal forms for all members who paid by cheque or
cash last year, including those who receive their Newsletter by email, will be available at the
monthly meeting on 20th March. You will also be able to renew in advance at this meeting.
There will also be the opportunity again to renew by Standing Order if you didn’t do it last year.
Our bank is now charging 28p per cheque when we pay in more than 600 cheques, which is why
we are encouraging members to pay this way.
If you can help in the distribution of the forms to friends and neighbours by collecting them at the
March meeting we would be very pleased as it will save us money on envelopes and postage. You
will also be able to renew your membership at the April and May meetings, or at any groups that I
attend, so bring along your completed forms and save yourself money on postage.
If you opted to pay your membership fees by Standing Order last year then you need to do
nothing. Your new Membership Card will be sent to you; but do tell us if your details have
changed. Many thanks to the 210 members who opted to renew this way last year.
Membership cost remains at £13.This rate includes a £3.50 capitation fee to our national organization. If Penrith and North Lakes is the second or subsequent U3A you have joined capitation can
be waived if you can supply proof of membership of another U3A.
Angela Davies. Renewal Officer
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EVENT REPORTS
EDEN SWING BAND
this sort of thing! There was also an impressive
alto saxophone solo from a former Leeds Music graduate who now teaches in the town.
Altogether there were four trumpets, three
trombones, two keyboards, four saxophones,
two guitars and a drum set, so they made quite
a noise. The whole performance was slick,
professional, fun and totally exhilarating.
Glenn Miller’s ‘American Patrol’ got the
Christmas meeting off to a foot-tapping
start, and continued with Ellington’s ‘It don’t
mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing’, followed by pieces from Gershwin and Hart
and much more. Eden Swing Band also
encouraged audience participation as we
finger clicked through the vocal soloist’s pulsating version of Peggy Lee’s ‘Fever’.
Eden Swing Band
The group performs a few times a year, as reIt was a joyous and lively occasion, and
quested, and their fee is used to buy music,
more than a few members of the audience
fund transport and keep instruments in good
wished they could have done some dancorder; none of them is paid, professional staning, but there aren’t suitable aisles at the
dard though the members are. We are trying to
Players! The band finished their 50 minute
find out when and where future performances
performance with ‘Skyfall’ from the latest
are, and will let you know through the NewsletJames Bond movie.
ter.
Information about the pieces and the players was wittily presented by their leader Ian
Butterworth, who also directs Penrith Town
Band. He started the Swing Band as a challenge from his wife who wished to continue
playing the saxophone whilst raising small
children - ‘create a band for me to play in’and so he did. The aim was also to provide
young people with a chance to play swing
music in a big band as a different experience from small, orchestral or pop groups.
The only disappointment was the size of the
U3A audience. The performance deserved a
better turnout than 80, considering that we
have a membership in excess of 550. The
committee in the last two years has allocated
more money for the programme secretary to
spend on quality performers such as these. A
pity therefore that so relatively few came. The
committee would like to know what more it can
do to encourage a better attendance at the
monthly meetings.
There were sixteen players ranging in age
from 13 to 70+, plus the female vocalist.
Four of the younger players are at QEGS,
and performed alongside their assistant
headteacher (guitar) and deputy head
(female-trumpet). My teachers never did
Please let us know, it is a matter of some urgency as we plan for the future.
Angela Davies
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ACROSS EUROPE TO CHINA
At our January meeting, David Alison gave a
very good, well illustrated talk on his rail travels
across Europe all the way to China. David has
been a railway enthusiast since the age of two,
prompted by his father. He lives in an old railway cottage next to the West Coast Main Line
and has been active in promoting the SettleCarlisle railway since its threat of closure in the
1980s.
for the local economy as these events are very
popular and many people flock to see them.
From France he entered Germany which has
had no steam trains since the 1970s but still
uses steam in industry. West Germany has a
fleet of well-preserved vintage steam engines,
some looking very streamlined and futuristic.
David remarked that sometimes this type of
train comes through Penrith. When events featuring vintage steam trains take place, it is good
From here, David went to Poland. He showed a
slide of the track leading from Germany across
the Polish border. The German track was neat,
clean and well maintained, but the Polish track
was unloved and overgrown with weeds. There
are still locomotive works in Poland and it still
has working steam trains in the North of the
country. From Poland, David entered Romania,
East Germany ran steam trains for much longer
than other European countries. They ran from
the Baltic to the Mediterranean. When David
stayed in East Germany, before the wall came
down, communism was still in control and he
had to book his accommodation there from London and was escorted to his hotel in East GerThis whistle stop tour started in London with the many. However, once he got there, he was allowed to roam freely and take many photoEurostar train.
graphs.
Buses
David and his
were
very
quaint
wife have spent
and were built in
many holidays in
Hungary. Railway
France.
The
items that had
French
were
disappeared
in
pioneers of high
the
West
reapspeed
trains
peared here in
with most of
the East and
them reaching
were still being
125mph at cruisused, for examing speed and
ple
telegraph
up to 300mph at
poles
and lines
their
fastest.
and
signal
boxes.
From his main
In rural areas
destination
he
there were narcontinued
his
row gauge lines
journey to ClerThe
French
Train
à
Grande
Vitesse
(
TGV)
which used a
mont-Ferrand by
“piggyback” syssmall electric
tem
to
allow
the
wider
gauge
railcars to be
train and then on to Nîmes by steam train. This
loaded
on
to
special
bogies
for
further
transporwas the first steam train to run on the line since
the 1960s so it attracted lots of attention from tation. In Eastern bloc countries there was still a
the villages through which it ran on the way to lot of freight car movement. Once the Berlin Wall
Nîmes. The carriages had the old type of drop came down trains were quickly modernised and
down windows on a leather strap which you the steam trains were put to one side.
could lean out of. David took advantage of this
and took many photographs. He said that he From East Germany, Davidthtravelled to Czechoalso got very sooty in the process. Some of us slovakia. At Brno the 150 Anniversary of the
will remember that experience well! The train Czech Railway was being celebrated, some of
climbed a steep incline, which was steeper than the steam trains on display had enormous
wheels which made people seem very small.
that on the Carlisle-Settle railway.
6
where the further east you go, the more primitive conditions are. Horse and carts are still widely
used and there is an extensive forestry operation which uses a specially designed railway.
Romania led into Ukraine where steam trains are still the norm and from here he went to Russia.
We saw some lovely slides of the capital, Moscow and looked at some great steam locomotives.
Finally, we were entering China where there had been an enormous, devastating earthquake,
which had wrecked many locomotive sheds and works but had not been reported at all to the
Western World. David had taken some photos of the rail workers who, he said, were all cheerful,
smiling and very curious about him and his friends.
What a lovely and interesting trip this was, all seen from the comfort of our armchairs (well, the
Player’s theatre chairs).
Sue Crothers
Do you have a favourite walk?
Why not come and share it with one of the walking groups? We are three small groups that
would welcome more members who enjoy walking in the fells and the surrounding area.
The strenuous group mostly tackle the Lakeland
Fells. They meet at Rheged at 9.30 and car share
to the start of the walk, taking a packed lunch.
You would need walking boots and suitable clothing.
The less strenuous group attempt walks of 5/7
miles within a 30 to 45 min journey of Rheged.
The Strenuous Group on the Fells
Members meet at Rheged at 9.30 to car share
or at the start of the walk. We take a packed lunch and at the end of the walk retire for a cup tea if
there is a convenient venue. Boots and waterproof clothing are also required.
The above walks are led by various members of the groups and are held on the 1st and 3rd
Wednesdays for the first group and 2nd and 4th Wednesdays for the second group.
The short walks group will meet at the Rugby Club car park at 9.45 with effect from March and are
half day walks of 3/4 miles taken at a gentle pace. They will be on 3rd Tuesday of the month with
effect from April. (Please see What’s On section for dates and details)
Should you like any further details please check in the newsletter, the Penrith and North
Lakes U3A website or contact any of the three walks co-ordinators. Their phone numbers
are on the Groups page of every newsletter.
We hope to meet some of you on our walks in the future.
Anne Weston
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Copy deadline for the next issue is Monday 7th April
If you would like to receive any part of the Newsletter
in LARGE PRINT, please contact the Editors.
Contents
Monthly meetings 1
One off and Short 2
Run Programmes
Noticeboard
Editorial Team
Groups sheet, also the Monthly Meeting and Short-run/One-off ProChairpiece,
grammes: Robin Acland, Chapelside, Mungrisdale, Penrith CA11 0XR, Renewals
017687 79672 rtacland@googlemail.com
3
4
Remainder of News and Views: Chris Wilkinson, 10 Hall Grange, Bolton, Eden Swing Band 5
Appleby CA16 6WA 01768361819. NOTE NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS
Across Europe to 6
newseditor@penrithandnorthlakesu3a.org.uk
China
8
Do you have a
favourite Walk?
7
Contents
8