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Southport Newsletter

March 2018

Foreword from the Chair

Since being elected as Chair in November, I have found the role both challenging and rewarding in equal measure and been inspired by the generous welcome and support shown by all members, particularly Group Leaders and both incoming and outgoing Trustees.

I am currently trying to visit as many groups and events as possible. However with nearly 1,200 members and over 80 groups this is not an easy task but I am determined to get there eventually.

The one thing I have learned about our U3A is that it is alive and vibrant with Group Leaders constantly striving to create new opportunities for our members to develop both as groups and individuals.

I have found that the previous committee has left us in good health and the incoming committee, with much appreciated support from former Trustees, is proactive, very capable and always willing to engage with members at all levels.

I have no doubt that, with the present level of commitment of our members, we will continue to move forward as an active and progressive organisation.

Neil McMillan

Isle of Man September Mini Break

28 U3A members braved the Irish Sea to spend four days in the Isle of Man to visit the Food and Drink Festival in Douglas, a showcase for local produce. In the days before we sailed the ferry from Liverpool had been CANCELLED as the sea had been so rough with Force 8 gales, so we were all drugged up with Sea Legs or some such sea sickness pills only to find the Irish Sea was as calm as Hesketh Park Lake when we came to travel...........................so several of the party, led by Robin and Brian, hit the on-board restaurant for a full Manx breakfast and managed to hold on to it for the whole journey!

Beautiful island blessed with sunshine

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We were met in Douglas by our hired coach which took us to the south of the island and the beautiful Calf of Man, where we were able to watch the seals splashing about whilst enjoying an afternoon tea (the tea was for us, not the seals!!!). We were all careful to say ‘hello’ to the Little People when crossing the Fairy Bridge on the journey south: seasoned visitors to the island know better than to chance their luck!

We ate a splendid Manx themed meal together in the hotel on the Promenade that evening and the next day we had entry to the Food and Drink Festival in the Villa Marina on the seafront and a free afternoon to take the Horse Tram along the Prom or, as several members did, take the Victorian steam train to Castletown. [Editor: that part of the trip didn’t work out quite as planned. Due to a steam breakdown we had to take the bumpy bus into Castletown but did manage the return journey by steam].

Doug trying out a venue with a view to suggesting it to the Lunch Fine Dining Group (or maybe not?).

Sunday our coach collected us after breakfast (Manx kippers for several of us) and took us for a full “Round the Island” tour stopping at Castletown where we visited the old castle and parliament building, followed by Port Erin, a picture postcard holiday resort and then following the famous motor cycle racing course of the Manx TT with the coach driver explaining every twist and turn, at times seeming to forget he was driving a charabanc (coach, if you are under 60) and not a 1000cc Kawasaki! An exhilarating coach-ride! By the end of the trip we knew every road position and gear we’d need in order to navigate the circuit at speed on a motorbike (the driver had been a keen cyclist in his youth and had completed the course a number of times). We finished off the tour at Peel, home of the Manx Kipper [Editor: undoubtedly the finest in the world, and that isn’t just because my wife is Manx!].

That evening we ate together in a lovely fish restaurant on the Old Quay enjoying lobster or steak and taking over the whole restaurant which was a highlight for many of the party.

Monday we had a free morning and several of us took the Victorian Electric Tramway to Laxey to visit the world famous Lady Isabella waterwheel, the largest such wheel in the world, and we can report that several of our party climbed to the very top and were rewarded with a badge to prove their fitness!!! Pictured to the left, wearing their badges with pride, are the ladies who made it to the top of the Laxey Wheel (and survived!).

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We took the afternoon ferry sailing back to Liverpool Pier Head and once again the weather was kind to us, the sea calm and the only rain we saw all weekend was when waiting for minibuses at Pier Head to take us back to Southport!

The gang on the Prom. Note how sunny it was!

This mini-break followed on from the Cotswolds and Scottish trips that had previously been based around food and drink so we were able to sample some good foodstuffs/Okells Fine Ales and Real Manx Dairy Ice Cream during what turned out to be a lovely long weekend ‘abroad’.

Doug and Irene Bridson

Ukulele 1

At the end of October 2017, Uke3A (Ukulele 1) was asked to present a ‘Lancashire Night’ for the residents of Brunlees Court, Cambridge Road. We had to draw on all our resources to find enough ‘Lancashire’ content. Then a new member, Fran, offered to lend all the ladies a traditional costume from her collection, so we threw ourselves into it with gusto, added Dottie reading dialect poems, Martine and Joy doing a brief bit of clog dancing, John singing a George Formby solo song – everything we could think of. It all seemed to go down very well and the residents were happily singing along. Their happy smiles and lovely comments made it all worth the effort and practice.

Sue Corcoran

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Egyptology

Are you interested in Ancient Egypt, would like to know more? Have days out to museums, handle 4000-year-old objects. My group will inform you of the history of Ancient Egypt from its very

beginnings to the death of Queen Cleopatra. Learn all about King Tutankhamun and his fabulous treasures which were found by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon.

You will also find out about new things that have been found in Egypt in recent times and learn to write your name in hieroglyphs.

For further details, email me at egyptsojourn@gmail.com .

Vivianne Rowan

Beer Appreciation

Twelve members of the Beer Group attended a festival at St George's Hall recently. They were able to sample several of the 200 cask beers on display and some members enjoyed a glass or two of Prosecco.

If you want to join the group contact Alex Myles on 07833 711801 or come to one of our monthly meetings at the Grasshopper Micro Pub, Hillside. We meet the second Monday of every month.

Phil Watling

Local History

We are often asked whether or not we will run out of places to visit in our pursuit of “local history” and so far we have been able to find plenty of places to visit in the local area. In addition, where a tour has been full or members have not been able to attend on a particular day, we are sometimes able to repeat a trip. We have produced a list of all the places we have visited since 2015 when the current leaders took over the running of the group and we will be canvassing our members in early 2018 in order to see if there is a need to repeat a particular venue. So far we have plans for tours of new venues in 2018 up to and including May and details of

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these will be placed on our web page and advertised at our desk at the U3A monthly meeting as they become due.

In November, we visited Hoylake Lifeboat Station. This station was founded by Liverpool Docks Trustees in 1803 and is one on the oldest on the coasts of the UK and Ireland, covering the approaches to Liverpool, the Dee Estuary and the Irish Sea. The station was taken over by the RNLI in 1894 and we had an opportunity to hear about the history of the station and to see the latest Shannon Class Lifeboat! This particular tour was the idea of the late Helen Whitehill who gave much to the RNLI and who often came on our tours. We were able to offer our members’ donation to the Station in her memory.

In December, we were entertained by Julie during our tour of Southport Masonic Hall and we started our 2018 programme with a talk given by Ken Pye who revealed some of the unknown origins of our Christmas traditions including the reason why we put crosses in our sprouts before cooking them and the history of the mince pie!

Whilst writing, we should also like to mention the late Dennis Brough. Dennis attended our trips on a regular basis – it was rare for him to miss a trip. We would like to extend our best wishes and condolences to the family of Helen and Dennis.

Barbara, Helen and Jean look forward to many pleasant days out with our group during 2018. PS Sprouts were considered to be the Devil’s food because of the “effect” it has on the digestive system,

hence the use of the cross to try to prevent this!!! [Editor: doesn’t seem to work, for me anyway!]

Jean Berry

Walking 4

September started with a walk around Alderley Edge. After a tour of the National Trust area, including the site of the beacon used during the Spanish Armada, we had lunch at the Edge with views over the Pennines and the Stockport area. Our return route was through the NT property of Hare Hill.

Plan B was put into operation for the second walk. The Ullswater walk was postponed due to the adverse weather and replaced by the three reservoirs walk. Starting at the Jumbles country park car park, we visited the Jumbles, Wayoh and Entwistle reservoirs before returning to the cars via the grounds of Turton Towers.

Walk number 3, started at the attractive village of Brinscall. We followed the old railway track to Abbey village before going north to the old world village of Withnell Fold. The village retains its cobbled street and the

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stone cottages, built in 1843 to accommodate workers from the paper mill. The mill had its own wharf on the canal that brought in rags and coal and shipped out the paper. After lunch we went through the Withnell Fold nature reserve before walking the canal path to the top lock at Whittle le Woods, completing the almost 9 mile trek by returning along the path beside the River Goyt to Brinscall and refreshments.

The venue for the Saturday walk was Lyme Park. Starting at the Nelson Pit car park near Poynton, we walked into the grounds of Lyme Park and visited the Paddock before exiting the park to climb up to the Gritstone Trail, which we followed to the Bow stones before descending back to Lyme Park to view the house and visit the folly known as the ‘Cage’. The ‘Cage’ and the ‘Paddock’ were built about 1580 and served as hunting lodges and then as prisons for poachers on the estate. There were excellent views of the countryside from both sites. Lyme Hall was the setting for Mr Darcy’s home, Pemberley in the BBC’s production of Jane Austin’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’. A 30-minute walk took us back to the cars and ten walkers returned to the leader’s daughter’s house for a hot pot supper. We would like to thank Carolyn for her kind hospitality. We parked in Scorton for the final September walk. The walk took us across ankle deep muddy, wet fields and paths before climbing up to the Barnacre reservoirs. The return route was down Grisedale and over Nicky Nook. Many thanks to Steve for his very kind contribution at the end of the walk.

October started with 20 members enjoying a 3-day minibreak to the Chevin Country Park Hotel, Otley. On Day 1 we met in Ilkley and walked along the river Wharfe to the suspension bridge before climbing up through Middleton woods to the open fell where we had a good view of Ilkley and the Moor above the town. Our return to the town was partly along the Dales Way and the riverside path. Tea or coffee was had before driving to Otley. Two walks were scheduled for Day 2. Early morning we visited the Chevin view point where we had excellent views of the town and the surrounding countryside before walking along the ridge and back through the extensive hotel grounds. We then drove to the village of Harewood, and walked round the Harewood estate with good views of Harewood House, the setting for the TV programme ‘Brideshead revisited’. After breakfast on Day 3, we drove to Grassington village to walk through the quaint old village on to the Dales Way.

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We then left this footpath to go through Grass wood and returned along the river Wharf, past the ‘strid’ and onto Litton village with the falls and the old mill. Finally, we returned to Southport after refreshments in Grassington.

The first local walk in October started at the Rivington Great Barn. The walk went to the Pigeon Tower via the reservoir and Liverpool Castle. The return to the car park and refreshments was through the terraced gardens, the Dean Wood ravine and the Yarrow reservoir. Thanks to John for leading this walk. Witton Country Park was the starting point for a walk that first took us along the Liverpool – Leeds canal behind Pleasington. We then walked by the River Darwen and through the delightful Haughton Gorge to the hamlet of Haughton Bottoms. After lunch we ascended to Billinge wood through rather thick oozy mud with the rain pouring down and then went back down to the café in the country park, to be met by ‘oh gosh, have you been walking in this!!’. Thanks to Steve for leading this walk. With storm Brian forecast, we postponed our planned walk to the Goyt valley, but a party of seven did go out for a 3 to 4 mile walk on the Saturday morning through the Birkdale sand dunes before returning to the group leader’s place for coffee. Our final walk in October was quite challenging, as once again, we found ourselves walking for about two hours ankle deep in mud and water. Starting at the Pendle Heritage Centre in Barrowford, we walked along the canal towpath before ascending to Blacko Hill along a narrow path with a stream flowing against us. Worse was to come underfoot as we skirted Blacko Hill with some very difficult stiles to climb. After lunch we descended to the river for what should have been a pleasant riverside stroll, only to find more very boggy terrain. After trying to clean our boots at the meeting of Blacko and Pendle waters, we finally returned to the Heritage Centre on a fairly decent track.

A walk with the absence of any mud was the order for our first walk in November. After leaving the train at Waterloo station, we walked towards the new dock at Seaforth and then along the beach, passing the iron men to Crosby and Hall Rd. Continuing along the Sefton coastal path, we passed the area full of bricks and rubble where much of the debris of the bombing of Liverpool was deposited before going inland through the dunes to Hightown. We started the second walk of the month along the canal from Parbold before ascending to Ashurst Beacon. After lunch the route took us to Appley Bridge, the Fairy Glen and Parbold Hill, before the final descent to the car park. After a circuit of Worthington Lakes on our third walk, we passed through Arley woods to the

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canal which we followed to Adlington Park for lunch. The return route was along the old railway line as far as Red Rock and then past Arley Hall (now the clubhouse for Wigan golf club), originally built in the 13th century; the Hall being surrounded by a moat with black swans. The golf course was crossed before reaching the lakes and car park. Our final walk in October was the 100th walk for Walking Group 4. Starting from the road bridge at Angelsarke, we climbed up to the track towards the Yarrow reservoir. After a circuit of lead mines clough, we had a further climb which took us above Angelsarke reservoir before descending through woods to the track leading to White Coppice for lunch at the cricket ground. The walk was completed along the side of the Angelsarke reservoir via the woodland trail. Coffee and cake were then taken at the Rivington Bowling Club.

We had four walks in December. The first included the grounds of Haigh Hall and the Liverpool – Leeds canal. Starting at Ainsdale station, our second walk took us towards Freshfield before branching off through the dunes to the beach. Lunch was had at the Ainsdale Lido and the return route to the leader’s place was between the Royal Birkdale and Hillside golf clubs. The Lydiate Loop was walked just before Christmas and the final walk, between Christmas and the New Year was in the snow across the Darwen Moor to Darwen Tower.

David Miley / Coral Astley

Bellydance

On 28th October we went to an ‘Evening of Middle Eastern’ dance at the Stanley Club in Burscough. It is a very nice venue and there was an optional buffet with a choice of various Middle Eastern dishes.

As it was a Halloween party we became ‘The Hula Girls’ group for the night and some of us performed a

short Hula dance which went down well with the audience. A very good time was had by all, including a couple of our husbands.

Barbara Murray

Science and Technology

The long-promised Science and Technology Group has actually got off the ground. The first two topics were:

January – 'Back to Basics'; a rapid refresher from Iain McNair on what GCSE covered. Yes, we covered something like four years schoolwork in two hours – very broad-brush and little depth!

February – 'The Short Drop / Testing Ropes' by Dr Bob Mehew the ropes officer for the British Caving Association. Who knew that a rope used in caving very quickly became less strong than an identical rope used

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in climbing? The technology and micro timing involved in testing knots was mind bending and about as incredible as some of the mathematics needed to make sense of it all.

March – we aren't having a meeting as I am away. Next meeting is scheduled for 10th April with Bob Anscombe on 'Bouncing Around', otherwise Rubber.

30th April Iain and possibly some others will be attending a Science Groups’ Day run by Deeside & Wirral U3A Network.

Iain McNair

Coach Trips

Since the start of this year we have taken over as group leaders for the organisation and running of coach trips. We aim to continue the excellent work previously undertaken by Ruth and Pauline – the previous leaders. A hard act to follow but we will give it our best shot and will follow a similar pattern in the organisation of trips. We intend to do some old favourites and hopefully travel to some new destinations. Our first trip is to York on 17th March (this is fully booked but a waiting list is inoperation).

Further outings are planned as listed below: 5th May – Tweedmill & Llandudno [Victorian theme event in Llandudno] (booking in April) 2nd June – Lake District [location be confirmed] (booking in May) 7th July (to be confirmed) 8th September (to be confirmed) In December there will be a 'Christmas themed' trip

We welcome everyone to come and join us on these very popular outings. See us at our table at the U3A monthly meeting.

Derek and Anne Kershaw

Baby Boomers Again

In November the Baby Boomers had their penultimate session of the year. This time eleven brave souls went on a day trip to Dublin. Leaving at 6am to get to Liverpool Airport, they had a full day in Dublin visiting the Book of Kells at Trinity College and Dublinia Exhibition. In between, of course, there was time for coffees and cakes, a walk along the River Liffey, a pint of Guinness and a splendid Irish dinner before heading back to Dublin Airport. A very weary group arrived back at Southport via the train at about midnight, but all agreed they had had a great day out.

Good bye Dublin

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Our final outing of the year was to Liverpool. Our intrepid leader, Brenda, was determined to introduce us

to the delights of the city. We met our very knowledgeable city guide who introduced us to the secrets behind many well and lesser known buildings. After a walk around the city we finished up with a tour of The Three Graces, including a glass of Prosecco with Santa! After lunch, on to the open top bus (yes, we were on the top deck!) and off at The Philharmonic for a well-earned glass of wine before making our way to the Panoramic Lounge. Up here on the 20th floor, we had fantastic views across Liverpool as the sun set. The day ended with dinner at The Shankly Hotel and another very late-night home on the train.

Cocktails at the Panoramic

So ended a fantastic year to celebrate our 70th Birthdays. We certainly enjoyed ourselves. Anyone wanting to start a new Baby Boomers group of 70-year-olds will get lots of advice from us.

Jim Hay

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Jazz

[Editor: This group continues to be extremely popular, mainly thanks to Geoff’s enthusiasm and ability to pull in first class (even world class) musicians.] Below is the listing for future events for April/June/July at Boulevard West and May at The Royal Clifton

BOULEVARD WEST events start at 8 pm sharp: Monday, 2nd April – vocalist Joanna Rimmer with Tom Sykes (keyboard) & Anthony Ormesher

(guitar). Expect sophisticated renderings of classic jazz tunes. May – no Boulevard West gig this month Monday, 4th June – music in the Fats Waller mode with a contemporary twist from Rob Stringer

(keyboard and vocals) with John McCormick (double bass) Monday, 2nd July – trumpeter Neil Yates (a top UK jazz trumpeter, band leader, composer and

Artistic Director of the Llandudno Jazz Festival) will include Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan music when he appears with his trio.

On Sunday, 20th May at THE ROYAL CLIFTON HOTEL The Darren Lloyd Band will play the music of Louis Armstrong at a matinee performance (2:00 – 4:30) in the Balmoral Suite.

And following on from all that, Southport U3A's very own jazz group is now taking shape. If there are any other musicians who are interested please contact Peter Sinclair on 01704 808493.

Geoff Matthews

Drama

The U3A Drama Group performed their fifth annual Pantomime, ‘Sleeping Beauty, Adventures in Pantoland’ at the Temperance Institute in January. There were the usual capers which seemed to be enjoyed by all, especially the unscripted mistakes, and we would like to thank members who come to support us each year.

It takes a great amount of effort on everyone’s part to put on any kind of performance and our group give above and beyond what is seen on stage. Thanks are due to everyone in the group!

We are currently considering our next moves. Information will be given at future U3A meetings. Watch this space …

Angela Pitchers

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Floral Art

A successful little group which meets every second Wednesday of the month at Lakeside from 1:30pm to 3:00pm. £3 a class, beginners welcome.

Here is a sample of some of their recent work.

Betty Barnes

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Afternoon Tea

The Afternoon Tea Group is very popular and has visited a number of different venues. Patisserie Valerie, is going down a storm. It is an excellent venue and such good value at the bargain price of £10 per person.

At Patisserie Valerie

The Group’s most recent visit was to the Mad Hatter’s Tea Pot in Ainsdale. All produce is freshly baked and they have a good range of gluten-free items as well … again at the bargain price of £10 per person.

At The Mad Hatter’s Tea Pot

Once visited you are sure to want to book your place at both these venues for the next month. See Lin at her table at the monthly U3A meeting, or give her a call on 07809 230442.

[Your editor joined the group at their last visit to Patisserie Valerie and can confirm it is outstanding value for money and is a definite to return to.]

Lin Blezard

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Book 3

We meet over coffee on the third Wednesday of every month at the Ramada Hotel from 10:30am. We enjoy fun and lively discussions about the book and the book’s author that we have been reading that month. As well as socialising !

We use Southport Library’s Reading Group list, from which we choose the books to read and each member chooses a title. As there are currently ten members in our group we forward our ten choices to the library, The library than organises the order in which we read them.

Our choices for the next eight months of 2018 are:

Ocean at the End of The Lane Neil Gaiman Prague Cemetry Umberto Eco When God was a Rabbit Sarah Winman A God in Ruins Kate Atkinson Tinker Taylor John Le Carrie Still Alice Lisa Genova Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Roddy Doyle Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter Tom Franklin

Some of our members at the Ramada this week

At present the group is full, but we have a member who will be moving to another area soon. Anyone interested in our group please contact Lin Mayor at mayor4750@btinternet.com .

Lin Mayor

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Short Walks 2

This group had its first walk in September and since then we have been on two walks each month – first and third Fridays. The walks have been varied mostly about 3 to 4 miles and generally easily accessible by public transport. In the winter months we have tended to stay in and around Southport, but it's been amazing how many hidden gems we have found in the area – previously unknown to many of us. Our walks usually end at a pub or cafe where we have got to know each other better while having refreshments.

New members are always welcome. For more information please contact catherine.c.mcnair@gmail.com or 01704 564463.

Catherine McNair

Modern Movies

The MMG (Modern Movies Group) is now up and running and have already seen 2 movies. In January they visited the VUE cinema to see the BAFTA nominated film DARKEST HOUR, a story of Winston Churchill's battle with his own government at the start of WWII. While in February we saw THE POST, starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. It tells the story of the Washington Post's battle with President Richard Nixon over printing the truth about Vietnam. Both visits were followed by a trip to Riley's Restaurant next door to the VUE for food and refreshments. On

the second occasion we were treated to a Hot Pot Supper, specially prepared for the U3A members.

The next outing should be early March to see THE SHAPE OF WATER and future visits will include FINDING YOUR FEET and THE LEISURE SEEKER.

We have negotiated a group rate of £3.90/ticket for all movies and they will always be an afternoon show. Tickets must be purchased in advance and no refunds can be given. Anyone wanting to join this popular group should contact

Linda Watling on 07703 781 788 or at lindawatling2001@yahoo.co.uk.

Linda Watling

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An Enquiry from the Antipodes

On 18th December last the leader of the Social Bridge Group received an interesting enquiry from afar. Turned out the enquirer was from Southport Australia. Our fame seems to have spread far and wide. Sadly the enquirer had to be redirected to a more convenient venue to learn Bridge.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our Southport was quite as conspicuously warm and sunny!

Editor

Forthcoming Events

Friday, 9th March New members’ coffee morning (10:00am – noon) at Sacred Heart Hall, Ainsdale [All new members who have joined since October 2017 are welcome

Thursday, 5th April Monthly meeting (Speaker: Andrew Zsigmond – “The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and my subsequent escape”)

Thursday, 12th April Group Leaders’ meeting (10:00am – 3:00pm) at Clouds Restaurant, Southport College [As lunch must be ordered in advance, please confirm attendance to Viv Pulman at vivipulman@gmail.com]

Thursday, 3rd May Monthly meeting (Speaker: Ashby Hall – “Southport Movie Makers”)

Thursday, 7th June Monthly meeting (Speaker: Foolsgold Acoustic – “Stories with strings”)

Thursday, 5th July Monthly meeting (Speaker: Philip Caine – “From Barrow to Baghdad and back”)

Thursday, 2nd August Monthly meeting (Speaker: Paul Isherwood – “Recovery is addictive – 30 years GA abstinence”)

Thursday, 6th September Monthly meeting (Speaker: Brian Cullen – “Radio Caroline”)

Thursday, 4th October Monthly meeting (Speaker: TBC – “Tax, Care and Toy Boys”)

Thursday, 1st November Monthly meeting (Annual General Meeting)

Thursday, 6th December Monthly meeting (Christmas party)

Friday, 14th December Christmas Lunch at Ramada Plaza Hotel

The next edition of the Newsletter will be published on Thursday, 5th July. Please send your contributions to the editor, Steve Hardwick,

at u3a@schardwick.co.uk by Thursday, 14th June.