Newsletter 34, January 2015

News from Knole
Knole U3A can be found at—http://www.knoleu3a.org.uk
January
2015
No 34
Chairman's Notes
Amanda Birch
The Committee would like to send its best wishes
for 2015 to Knole U3A members.
There is a sombre note to start off this column
after the recent events in France. You will recall
that the U3A was started in Toulouse in 1973 by
Professor Pierre Vellas. He is now the President of
IAUTA (International Association of U3A) which
was holding its annual meeting in Paris the day of
those tragic events. Ian Funnel, our
representative from National Office, was present.
Upon his return to the UK he sent a message of
sympathy and solidarity to Professor Vellas. Our
Chairman, Barbara Lewis, is considering a further
response.
As usual, the year closed with our Christmas party
which is always well attended. Jean Paige has
written a letter of thanks to her team which we all
echo. I know Pam Button and her choir had
rehearsed hard, even during their own Christmas
lunch celebration. Heartfelt thanks to you all.
Richard Jolly has produced an excellent
photographic collage which will be posted on our
website.
I hope 2015 is going to be a year of new
initiatives. In June your Committee will have four
new members, as existing ones finish their terms
of office. We have already asked members to
succeed them and the response is very positive I
am delighted to say!
We have been liaising with Sevenoaks U3A to
further strengthen our ties and an agreement has
been written by our Groups Co-ordinators on
shared groups. Details are given in this
newsletter. Your Committee is going to be
meeting up with the Sevenoaks EC in the spring at
an informal event to share ideas and experiences.
Enclosed with this newsletter are details of the first
Kent U3A study day of the year. These days are
always very popular so book early. Also enclosed
is a flyer for a trip to magnificent Waddesdon
Manor and, come the March newsletter, I suspect
we will all be filling in our application forms for our
trip to Highclere.
I could write on. Indeed, by the time you get
this some of you may have celebrated Burns
night. I had hoped to include all 8 verses in
gaelic of Burns’ “Address to a Haggis”, but the
Editorial Team said “no”!
Shared Groups with
We recently reached a new agreement with
Sevenoaks U3A about how we should share
certain groups by opening them to members of
both U3As. The purpose of having such an
agreement is to enable the two U3As to work
together for the benefit of all members living in
Sevenoaks in a way which treats everyone
fairly and consistently and does not lead to
disputes or conflict.
Both U3As are agreed in principle on groups
being able to be advertised to members of the
other U3A as shared groups where numbers are
not a constraint, such as hall groups and sports
groups. This is already the case in respect of
Science, Industrial Heritage, Bridge,
Computers, Cycling, Golf, Circle Dancing and a
number of others.
In such cases having more members join the
group will not disadvantage members of the
parent U3A and can help in meeting the hire
cost of halls or other facilities, and in reducing
the cost per head to members.
For other smaller, and perhaps more specialist,
groups the principle should be that vacancies in
a group can be advertised or opened up in
other ways to members of the other U3A if the
Groups Co-ordinator of the parent U3A is
satisfied that every attempt has been made to
fill the vacancies from within the parent U3A
and that the group is healthy and potentially
viable. Both Groups Co-ordinators must agree
that such arrangements would be to the mutual
benefit of members of both U3As.
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Any loans or equipment paid for by one U3A
Executive Committee would remain the property
of the U3A that incurred the costs. Should the
Group Organiser/Contact and the majority of
members no longer come from the parent U3A, a
decision to list the group as belonging to that
other U3A should be reached by discussion
between the Group Organiser/Contact and the
Group Co-ordinators, bearing in mind this
financial condition.
Extramural Committee
and other visits or events
Visit to Waddesdon Manor Thursday 30 April.
This NT property in Buckinghamshire was built
between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de
Rothschild to display his outstanding collection of
art treasures. The highest quality 18th century
French decorative arts are displayed alongside
English portraits and Dutch Old Master paintings,
while outside is one of the finest Victorian
gardens in Britain. See flyer for more details.
No group can be opened up to members of the
other U3A without the express agreement of
both Groups Co-ordinators. If you would like to
accept members of Sevenoaks U3A into your
Group or advertise vacancies in the Sevenoaks
newsletter, then do please speak to me first.
These principles have been agreed by both U3A
Committees and we are confident that they will
lead to our two U3As collaborating together in a
way which will benefit all our members.
If you have any questions then do get in touch.
John Stambollouian Groups Co-ordinator,
Knole U3A
Visit to Highclere Castle, Newbury –
Wednesday 15 July. The flyer will be in the
March Newsletter.
We are hoping to arrange a visit to Kings
College and The Fitzwilliam, Cambridge in
September – details to follow.
Diary
The Christmas Lunch
I do hope you all enjoyed the Christmas
lunch. The food as ever was superb...courtesy
of members... and the wine was gratefully
received from the Extramural Group...thank you.
We were entertained after lunch by the choir and
this was appreciated
February 2015
Thursday 5
Thursday 12
Monday 23
March 2015
Thursday 5
Thursday 12
Monday 23
April 2015
Thursday 2
Thursday 9
Monday 27
I would like to say a very big THANK YOU to the
team --- and you know who you are --- without
whose help the day would not have been the
success that it was. I look forward to seeing the
Team at this year’s lunch on 7th December
We also had an extra treat this year in the form
of a raffle...Thank you Amanda for this.
Jean Paige
Science Group: Genome
programme
Coffee Morning
Monthly Meeting:
Illustrated manuscripts
Science Group: Dark matter
Coffee Morning
Monthly Meeting: The
intemperate piano
Science Group: Science of
weather
Coffee Morning
Monthly Meeting: Life of
Ernest Shackleton
Coffee Mornings are held on the 2nd Thursday
of the month at The Bullfinch in Riverhead, from
10.30am to 12noon. Next dates for your diary
are
February 12th, March 12th, April 9th
These are very sociable gatherings, open to all.
Jean Paige
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News from the Groups
John Stambollouian
members will take turns to organise the
lunches.
If anyone is interested please contact: Marian
O’Boyle
London Studies 2
The Group has been enjoying trips to the capital
since June 2011. In January we hold our
planning meeting for 2015 and visits to
Southwark Cathedral, the Jewish Museum and a
meander around Mile End and Stepney have
already been planned.
We meet on the 2nd Wednesday of the month
and normally travel to London Bridge or Charing
Cross and then by bus. We would welcome one
or two more members if anyone is interested.
Contact: Amanda Birch
London Studies 6
Due to popular demand for London Study groups,
we have formed Group No 6. At present we are
10 members, so it will be nice to have a small
group for our first trip on the 24th February, 2015
to the O2 Elvis Exhibition. Elvis may not be
everybody’s cup of tea, but nevertheless, it is a
one off and so far 7 enthusiastic
members are going to the O2 venue.
We do have the whole of 2015 booked
for our monthly visits, so a very interesting year
ahead. Should you wish to join a new group,
please get in touch.
Play Reading
A small but lively group run by Sevenoaks U3A
has space for 1 or 2 new members. We read a
wide selection of plays from Greek to modern
and discuss, where appropriate, social and
theatrical background. We also have tea and
cakes.
Contact: Ann Vaughan
Golf
The golf group will be starting again after the
Christmas break and is due to play, weather
permitting, on January 21st. Suggestions for
future venues will be canvassed after this
game whilst enjoying a social drink.
There are well over 30 members signed up to
the Golf Group but with a core of regular
attenders of about 14 there is still room should
any member wish to join us. The meetings are
the third Wednesday of the month and are
open to all levels of ability, and to both males
and females.
Contact: Trevor Coley
Contact: Alison Baldwin
Science for all
Spanish for Beginners
This new group is for those who are either
learning Spanish for the first time or who would
like the opportunity to brush up on their basic
Spanish. I am a frequent visitor to Spain with a
good grounding in the language and a teacher by
background, and I am happy to help a group of
members get started in Spanish. I envisage
sessions of 2 hours in a friendly and supportive
atmosphere. The frequency and dates of our
meetings to be agreed at an initial get together.
Do let me know if you are interested and I will
arrange a meeting.
Contact: Marion Hollands
Lunch Group 2
A few Knole members are interested in setting up
a second lunch group as the existing lunch group
already has enough members. Some of us met on
the 13th January to discuss details. The lunch day
will probably be 1st or 3rd Tuesday depending on
which is most popular and
The Science Group talks and visits are open
to every member of Knole U3A. The group
aims to raise awareness and discussion of a
broad range of science and technology issues
with talks from a mix of invited speakers and
our own members.
The talks are held from 2.30 – 4.30 p.m. in
Sevenoaks Weald Memorial Hall, Weald, TN14
6PT on the first Thursday of the month from
October- May. Entrance £3, which includes
refreshments.
5th February
Genome Programme –
Professor Mark Caulfield, Director
William Harvey Research Institute
5th March
Developments in
Astronomy, Dark Matter – Dr David Mannion
The full programme of talks to May 2015 is set
out in the Knole U3A Handbook and on the
Knole U3A website. A programme of technical
visits for Summer 2015 has also been
organised.
The Science Group committee is currently just
starting the planning for its 2015-16
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programme of talks and visits. If there are any
particular topics you would like a talk on for
future programmes please contact Alan Heyes
For information about the Science Group talks
and visits Contact:
Dr Alan Heyes
Computer Group
Rembrandt or Rubens?
For the next two exhibition visits Gallery
Group 1 will be comparing the works of two of
the greatest Northern European Baroque
painters – Rembrandt (1606-1669) and Rubens
(1577-1640). The works we will see will be
very different and will probably divide opinions.
The Rembrandt exhibition at the National
Gallery is entitled ‘Rembrandt: the Late Works’
The two next meetings of the Knole U3A
Computer Group are on January 22nd and
February 26th, 2.00pm at Holmesdale Bowls
Club.
In January we will be looking at how to put
together a PowerPoint presentation.
In February, Peter Munro will be giving a talk
on putting together and maintaining a website
such as the one he’s developed for Knole U3A.
For further information contact: Simon
McIntyre
Industrial Heritage Group –
understanding our past
The newly formed Knole U3A Industrial
Heritage Group has embarked on a portfolio of
talks and visits which aim to increase its
members understanding of the rich industrial
heritage of the Weald of Kent and Sussex.
The Group is discovering the region has a
fascinating industrial history stretching back
several thousand years from the Romans
development of the iron industry, through the
development of the Kent broadcloth industry in
medieval times to the 17th century, to the coal
industry of East Kent. The latter is the most
recent example of the rise and fall of an
industry many in Kent had high hopes would
provide a secure and long-lived source of
employment but lasted less than a century
before its demise in the 1980s.
Recent talks by members of the Group
themselves following private research, very
much in the spirit of the ethos of the U3A,
have included the Gunpowder industry, the
Broadcloth industry around Cranbrook,
Goudhurst and Tenterden, and the Kent Coal
Industry. Future talks are planned on Kent
windmills including a visit to Union mill in
Cranbrook, Brickmaking, the Cement industry
of Kent, and the Silk industry.
and includes examples of the artist’s brilliant
portraits and self-portraits in his often almost
monochromatic colours, exuding a still and
reflective atmosphere.
The Rubens exhibition, on the other hand, will
present a selection of the artist’s large
dramatic and theatrical religious and
mythological scenes, painted in the vivid reds
and blues that the artist loved. This exhibition
looks at these images with themes such as
power, lust, compassion and violence in mind.
It also examines Rubens legacy for the
generations of artists that followed.
We will hope to discover whether these two
apparently very different artists influenced
each other.
For further information on Gallery Group 1
Contact: Jean Heyes
What’s new on the website
(www.knoleu3a.org.uk)
**** Photos from the Christmas Party****
**** Updates on the Extramural Programme
****
**** Time to Learn in Knole – a guide for
Group Contacts ****
Knole March 2015 Newsletter:
copy should be sent (with email addresses
please) to:
Michael Willsher
and
Pamela Gilchriest
Knole members interested in attending future
talks please Contact Alan Heyes
Copy is required by Monday 16th March 2015
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The South East Forum Summer School
will be held at the University of Chichester from
Monday the 22 June to Thursday 25 June 2015.
Subjects to be covered:
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The Roman era in South East Britain
Knitting:•exploring•it’s•history,
geography, culture and practice
Roots of rock and popular music
Memory: how experiences are stored in
the brain
All•the•world’s•a•stage – an
experimental, active drama workshop
Drawing with pen, enhancing with
colourwash
12th century abbeys in the British Isles
The impact of war on artists, composers
and writers
Understanding everyday life – a
sociological approach
Some West Sussex bird reserves and
their secrets
Patterns and problems in mathematics
Play reading and discussion
Fifty years of changing Britain 1942 – 92
Further details are available from Arthur
Browne ( 01293 771794
7 a.browne693@btinternet.com
News from Westerham
Now well into our second year, we still consider
ourselves a new U3A with much to learn from
more established neighbours such as Knole and
Sevenoaks. We have much to celebrate with a
healthy membership of 240 and 38 study
groups. Our members come from as far afield
at Coulsdon, Godstone, East Grinstead and
Orpington.
Our monthly meetings have been well attended
with a wide variety of speakers on subjects
Our social side is gradually evolving. We hold
monthly Coffee Mornings and arranged a very
successful Christmas Party. We have formed a
Social Committee and have enjoyed visits to
the Houses of Parliament and the BBC studios.
We are very grateful to Knole for its continued
support and the opportunities for shared
events.
Lyn Snowden, Chairman, Westerham
Events advertised by Head Office
25 March 2015 - Early Flight and the first
World War in the air – Explore the GrahameWhite Watch Office and learn about the early
flying forces in the First World War in the Air
exhibition.
U3A groups are invited to tour the historic
buildings and learn more about pioneer aviator
Claude Grahame-White and the London
Aerodrome at the Royal Air Force Museum
near Mill Hill.
Further dates in 2015 are available. Please
telephone ( 020 8358 4896 or 7 e-mail
learning-london@rafmuseum.org.
Forthcoming monthly meetings
Monday 23rd February: Imogen Corrigan:
The Bright World of the Medieval Book
The talk is centred on illuminated manuscripts of
both pre and post-Conquest periods: how they
were made and the difficulties faced by the
scribes. There is a theme of how the books were
used, whether as sacred vessels for the Word or
as memory joggers for day-dreaming monks. A
number of replicas will be on display for perusal.
Imogen had an initial career in the army. She is
now a freelance lecturer working with NADFAS,
U3A’s•and•on•cruise•ships.
Monday 23rd March: Professor Philip Stott:
The Intemperate Piano, or why the modern
piano is never in tune.
Early Christian music left instruments with a fixed
tuning system which was less than perfect. This
talk will show how musicians have tried to
alleviate the problem. No knowledge of music is
required.
Professor Stott is Emeritus Professor in the
University of London where he concentrated on
environmental knowledge. He has a longstanding interest in the history of music and has
published a number of music books for children
Otford Village Hall
New parking charges had been introduced in the
Otford Village Hall car park. Although nobody
wants to pay for parking, the introduction of the
charges now means that it is a lot easier to park
there than it was previously. The charge for up to
3 hours is £1. The increased availability of spaces
in the car park makes many hirers of rooms in
the Village Hall feel that the £1.00 fee is
worthwhile.
The smallest room (The Hope Room) can
accommodate around 30 people sitting and costs
£17.50 to hire for a morning or afternoon.
Bookings Secretary: Robin Daly (01959 525181
7 ovmh.bookings@otford.net
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