U3A in London Update – 4 July 2022

This information was published on: July 04, 2022

Timetable for the week of 4 July

The full Timetable, the revised version of the Town Hall Room Timetable and the ‘Handbook’ can be seen on our website and copies of these, the Zoom timetable and the list of Monday talks are available in the Office.

The Monday Talk this week will be ‘Gloriana : Elizabeth 1 and the Art of Queenship’ and will be given by Siobhan Clarke who is a Historian and writer.   (Note: there will be no recording of this week’s talk by request of the speaker).

From Wally Howard

The films being shown in Room 1.22 during the week starting 4 July are:

Monday 4 July – Paula Rego, Secrets and Stories – is a unique insight into the life and work of the celebrated painter, directed by her son, Nick Willing. Combining a huge archive of home movies and family photographs with interviews spanning 60 years, what emerges is a powerful personal portrait of an artist who during her lifetime battled fascism, misogyny and depression.

Wednesday 6 July – Incendies – is based on a play by Wajdi Mouawad. Following the death of their mother, twins (Jeanne and Simon) are called to the office of her employer where they are each given a letter: Jeanne’s to be delivered to the father she never knew and Simon’s to be given to a brother they didn’t know they had. Whilst Jeanne travels to the Middle East to carry out her mother’s wishes, Smon initially remains in Canada. What follows is something of an odyssey as they unravel their mother’s past.

Thursday 7 July – The Savages – follows brother and sister, Wendy and Philip Savage (Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman) as they jointly decide how to care for their elderly father who is suffering from early-onset dementia. Wendy and Philip are not particularly close but are soon thrown together “more intimately than a married couple” (Peter Bradshaw,The Guardian) in this very human and involving drama.

Renewing your membership for 2022-23

It’s that time of year when we ask you for your subscription for the next academic year, 2022/3. (Next term begins on 19 September).

You may have heard that we have decided to make a gesture to mark our 40-year Anniversary as a founder member of the U3A movement and therefore our standard membership fee for next year will be changed from £75 to £40. For those on a reduced rate the fee will be £5 instead of £15.

To renew your membership, please pay £40 (full membership), £5 (reduced) or £25 (coordinator), whichever applies to you.

If you would like to add a gift payment to your subscription we would be very grateful.

You can pay:

  • In person at The Old Town Hall U3A office, weekdays 10 – 4pm
  • Or by post by sending a cheque payable to U3A in London to U3A Office, Old Town Hall, 213 Haverstock Hill, London NW3 4QP.  Please print your name and membership number on the back.
  • Or by direct payment into our bank account, giving as reference your membership number and name.

Many thanks,
U3A Office

Summer Programme

So that you won’t experience withdrawal symptoms while we are taking a Summer break, Sue Kwok has prepared a Summer programme. 

From Nigel Hathway

LONDON VISITS is returning with a number of events during the summer, and then regularly once a month on Fridays thereafter.  The first 3 visits for the Summer programme are ‘SOLD OUT’ ! There are still vacancies for trips to the Heath Robinson Museum, Supreme Court, Bank of England, London School of Mosaic and London Transport Depot. Details of these 5 trips, organized as part of the Summer Programme, are shown below.  

If you are interested in going on any of these trips, please contact Nigel Hathway nhathway@blueyonder.co.uk

Mon, 18 July

Lincoln’s Inn, Holborn

p.m.

£ 15   BOOKED UP

 

 

Mon, 25 July

Willesden Cemetery, Willesden             

p.m.

FREE   BOOKED UP

 

 

Tues, 2 Aug

History Walk, Belsize Park

p.m.

 FREE    BOOKED UP

 

 

Mon, 15 Aug

Heath Robinson Museum, Pinner

p.m.

£ 10

 

We have the Museum to ourselves. Celebrate the artist’s 150th Birthday with a Curator’s Tour of the Museum and the special exhibition on ‘The Humour of  William Heath Robinson’.

Wed 24 Aug

Supreme Court, Parliament Square

p.m.

£ 8

 

We have a guided tour of this new, created 2009, major institution.

Thur, 1 Sept

Bank of England  

p.m.

FREE

 

Talk on ‘Bank of England, Past and Present’, followed by a tour of the Museum including, fresh this year, an exhibition on ‘Slavery & the Bank’.

Fri, 2 Sept

London School of Mosaic, NW3

a.m.

£ 20

 

Unique opportunity to learn about mosaics and to practise our skills ! The workshop will start with an introductory talk on mosaics – Roman, Byzantine and modern mosaic. We will then be encouraged and supported to make our own Roman pattern mosaic. 

Tues, 6 Sept

London Transport Depot, Acton

p.m.

£ 10

 

Learn about the history of London Transport as we take a guided tour round the Depot to see historic vehicles, signs and maps, as well as some unusual and unexpected items.

From Elana Gal-Edd

Our next walk will take place on Thursday, July 7. We’ll be walking from Teddington Lock to Hampton Court, approximately 4.5 miles, estimated 2 hours walking. Meeting Richmond Station at 10:20 to catch the 10:30 bus to Teddington Lock.

If you’d like to join us, please contact on WhatsApp. If you’d like to be added to our walkers’ WhatsApp group, please include your mobile number in your mail.

Correction from Shirley Levy

There will no Art appreciation class on 4 July.

Correction from David Castle

Please note that the next meeting of the Chess club is on Friday, 8th July.
Thanks. David Castle

From Michael Goodman

Cercle Français The next hybrid zoom version will be on 5th July in Room 1.24

From Peter Hayden

I am offering an Ancient Greek course next year and would like to find out what level of support there might be for a beginner’s course or whether people want something more advanced. I am giving early notice so that if people are really beginners they can start to learn the alphabet before next term.

From Amalia

History of Astronomy. I’m getting a very poor attendance for this course. Maybe you don’t like the subject; maybe you don’t like me! In any case, I’m cancelling it for the rest of this term and therefore there will be no talk on Tuesday 5th or 12th July. I’m willing to start again at the beginning of next term – or try something else. Let me know what you would like me to do.

From Judy Dodds

There will be no further classes until September – so no classes on 5th and 12th July.

From Hazelanne Lewis

About 25 years ago, with great trepidation, I went to Kentwell Hall in Long Melford, to try my hand at ‘re-enacting skills’. I was placed in the Stillroom, where we made Tudor remedies, using herbs grown on the manor. My interest, knowledge and skills developed to where I was offered ‘gigs’ at other places such as Eltham Palace, The Royal College of Physicians, Newmarket Racing Museum, and others. To support my hobby I planted relevant herbs in my garden.

The local organiser for the national Garden Scheme asked me to open my garden for the charity as a Tudor herbalist’s garden.. Prior to Covid I did this – stipulating that the money (£5 entrance fee plus sale of tea and cakes) should go the Marie Curie Hospice. I am opening my garden again, from 1.30 – 5 pm on 3 July 2022. Do come and visit. The address is 37 Christchurch Hill NW3 1LA  However be warned here are many steps in my house and garden.

Hope to see you.  Hazelanne

From Ken Baldry

On Wednesday 6th July at 11:40 in Room 2.21. This week, the more-or-less self-contained Stewart Scotland from 1371 to 1603, except for problems it had with England – with 93 slides

From Elisabeth Fantino

Spanish Conversation: this new class started on Friday 17th June. It is weekly at 10.00 on Fridays – now in Room 1.30. If you are interested, please contact me.

Tribute to Barry Rae on Thursday, 21st July at 4 pm

We are very keen to hear from anyone who was ever in Barry’s poetry or drama groups, for help and advice with arranging this event. Please could you contact either Moragh Gee or  Sue Kwok.

Our 40th Anniversary – yet another reminder

We have had a few contributions for our Anniversary booklet!   Come on, you writing groups!  If you have any recollections of how you felt when you first joined us – or any other anecdote, poem or story – LET US KNOW.

From Shirley Lake

USED POSTAGE STAMPS

A reminder to all members who have collected used or old postage stamps, to deposit them IN THE U3A Office, for Shirley to collect. The stamps can be of any age, denomination or country. All will be welcome.   Sale of these stamps goes to help support The Children’s Orphanage in Addis Ababa.

If you have a large quantity, let Shirley know and she can come and collect them. She will spend useful time sorting them over the U3A Summer break.

From Andrea Alexander re: the Childs Hill Library

The library is entirely staffed by volunteers. I am looking for more volunteers to help in our beautiful garden and/or in the library itself and wondered if any U3A members who live locally might be interested. We are looking for keen gardeners to help maintain our beautiful outdoor space. The gardens are an excellent source of sensory stimulus for the people we support with the sights, sounds and smells offering life enriching experiences.

The garden is based at Childs Hill Library, 320 Cricklewood Lane, NW2 2QE

This is a longer-term volunteering role to keep the gardens maintained. If you wish to, there will be opportunity to guide the people we support and help them learn about gardening.
You will have the opportunity to:
– utilise your existing gardening skills and learn new ones
– get to know the people we support and help them develop new skills
– get to know members of and feel part of the local community
– make new friends and discover a shared purpose

We will provide all tools and materials required and will be happy to listen to your ideas for enhancing our outdoor spaces. A DBS certificate will be required (the cost of which will be met by us).

If you have a passion for gardening and would like to make a positive impact in the lives of the wonderful people that we support, please get in touch. We would be more than happy for you to visit our outdoor spaces and have an informal chat about what the role entails. For further details please contact Andrea Alexander, Volunteer Coordinator.

To make you smile

George Phillips, an elderly man, was going to bed, when his wife told him that he’d left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom window. George opened the back door to go turn off the light but saw that there were people in the shed stealing his things.
He phoned the police, who asked “Is someone in your house?”
He said “No,” but some people are breaking into my garden shed and stealing things .”
The police officer said “All our patrols are busy, you should lock your doors and an officer will be along when one is available”
George said, “Okay.” He hung up the phone and counted to 30. Then he phoned the police again.
“Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people stealing things from my shed. Well, you don’t have to worry about them now because I just shot and killed them both”. And he hung up.
Within five minutes, six Police Cars, a Helicopter, a Paramedic and an Ambulance showed up at the Phillips’ residence and caught the burglars red-handed.
One of the policemen said to George, “I thought you said that you’d shot them!”
George said, “I thought you said there was nobody available!”

 

 

Best Wishes from Gilli and Amalia