VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4 JANUARY 2016
Points of Interest:
Over 290 members to
date and still rising.
Proposed new interest
groups for 2016:
Ballroom Dancing
Painting Ceramics
Quiz
Short Tennis
Ukulele
Wine Appreciation –
Second Group
Inside This Issue:
TAT Full Membership Music at Christmas
1 1
Mixed Craft Group Christmas Wrapping Gardening Group
2 2 2
Singing for Fun Group Bridge Group Golf Group
3 3 3
Wine Appreciation Group Jazz Appreciation Group
4 4
Theatre Group Members Letters Guide to Interest Groups
5 5 5
Interest Group Contacts Dates for Your Diary
6 6
R O Y S T O N
Adrian Breacker, U3A East of England trustee, brought the certificate of member-ship along in November and recalled the launch meeting in Royston when only 30 chairs were put out. What an underestimate that proved to be!
He paid tribute to Margaret Wainwright as the inspira-tion for starting U3A in Royston. Presenting the
It’s official – Royston U3A is a full member of the Third Age Trust
certificate to Jackie Gellert, Chair, Royston U3A Steering Commit-tee, Margaret said:
Margaret Wainwright (left) with
Jackie Gellert, Chair, Royston
U3A Steering Committee and
Adrian Breacker, U3A East of
England trustee.
Members took their seats and set off for an express train ride of Christmas music at the November meeting.
Adrian Jacobs treated us to an entertaining mix of sing-ing, organ music and role playing as he embarked on a whistle-stop tour of the centuries.
Starting with one of the earliest pieces of Christmas music, a melody dating back to 400AD, he travelled
on to the Middle Ages and the seven great O Anti-phons of Advent – the prayers that are sung up until Christmas Eve.
The coming of the Reformation meant that, instead of Latin, English translations of the Bible were used and people could understand what was being sung. Over the years that led to popular songs catching on like While Shepherds Watched their
Flocks which has been sung to a variety of tunes including On Ilkley Moor Baht’at.
There’s a long tradition of using secular tunes for religious words and Silent Night, originally written for guitar and organ, exists in hundreds of versions.
At the end of his musical journey Adrian asked what makes music Christmassy? The answer it seems is a combination of atmosphere, a good story and an imaginative festive element.
http://u3asites.org.uk/royston
Adrian Jacobs
during his talk
on ‘Music at
Christmas’.
Happy New Year
All aboard the music express
Don’t forget the
next Monthly
Meeting is on
26th January
2:00pm at
Royston Parish
Church.
”
“ It’s my enormous pleasure to give you this certificate of membership of the Third Age Trust. Well done to you all.
Craft group wings its way to Christmas
ROYSTON U3A NEWS JANUARY 2016 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4
Glitter and glue were the
order of the day as
members of the Mixed
Craft group got into the
festive spirit making
Christmas angels.
Rosie Cowsley demon-
strated how pieces of
ribbon can be pleated and
transformed into show-
stopping Christmas
decorations. Under her
expert guidance a host of
angels took shape - and
members discovered that
glue guns played a key
role in their creation!
The group is proving
extremely popular and
Rosie, Sue Higginbotham
PAGE 2
and Maureen Strugnell
have lined up a variety of
arts and crafts ideas for
future sessions. They
range from crochet and silk
painting to making felted
brooches and trying
pyrography - burning
patterns into wood.
The group meets monthly
on Thursday afternoon in
Room 11 at Royston Town
Hall. New members are
welcome - for further
details email:
Members of the
Mixed Craft
group making
Christmas
angels.
Gardening group and ‘Capability’ Brown
Acclaimed as Britain’s greatest landscape vision-ary, he was criticised by some for sweeping away the past and destroying the work of generations of gardeners. His style was to create the impression of a romantic natural scene with carefully planned glimpses of interest. It was all contrived to give a sense of informality and natural beauty - but there was nothing natural about his landscapes.
To commemorate the 300th
anniversary of the birth of Capability Brown, Wim-pole’s Project Curator Lisa Voden-Decker will give a talk at our first meeting in 2016 on Thursday January 14.
Born in 1716, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown’s name came about because he was always speaking about a country estate as having ‘a great capability for improvement’.
The gardens of Burleigh House, Stowe, Belvoir Castle, Chatsworth and of course Wimpole are just a few places where his land-scapes can be seen. Lisa’s talk will start at 2.30pm at The Market Hill Rooms and we do hope you will join us.
The speaker for February 11 will be Nigel Start who will talk about getting to grips with pruning, ornamental and fruit. The meeting will again be at the Market Hill Rooms at 2:30pm.
‘Getting
into the
festive
spirit’
Christmas all wrapped up!
‘Acclaimed
as Britain’s
greatest
landscape
visionary’
The Beautiful Balloons Barn
on the Old North Road was
made very festive by Claire
and Debbie for Royston
U3A members. They offered
mulled wine before showing
the group the professional
way to wrap Christmas
presents.
Everyone then spent time
wrapping their own
Christmas presents to a
very high standard and
surprised themselves with
the excellent results. At the
end of the session all the
ladies took away their
beautifully wrapped gifts.
A big thank you to Claire
and Debbie of Beautiful
Balloons for a most
enjoyable and productive
afternoon. Members concentrating on
wrapping their Christmas gifts.
ROYSTON U3A NEWS JANUARY 2016 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4
PAGE 3 Golf group members after
playing an enjoyable nine
holes at Kingsway Golf Centre.
non-competitive golf, which
is very sociable and good
fun.
The Golf group welcomes
any Royston U3A member
who may not have played
for quite some time but
would like to play nine
holes with a bunch of
friendly people.
If that sounds like your sort
of golf and you wish to join
the group email:
The Golf group has been
up and running since
August with players getting
together every Thursday
afternoon at Kingsway
Golf Centre, Melbourn.
Currently there are 15
playing members with a
core of eight regular partic-
ipants. The ladies, apart
from one, appear to be fair
weather golfers but the
men seem a lot hardier
and have shown no sign of
stopping regardless of the
weather. The group plays
Tee time for golfers
Bridge group bids for success The group’s main aim is
to introduce beginners to
the game via quick, easy
to learn bidding systems
and playing techniques in
a light hearted, conversa-
tional way. Players are
then encouraged to join
the Improvers and enjoy
playing Duplicate Bridge
games.
Since starting in August
numbers have grown
steadily - to 17 members at
the November session -
along with growing
confidence and compe-
tence!
Group leader Mike Thrower
is considering starting a
third beginners class.
No prior knowledge or
experience is necessary.
Anyone interested in
learning should email:
The group meets at the
Melbourn Bridge Club in
Vicarage Close on Tuesday
afternoons. Sessions run
from 2pm to 5pm and cost
£3 to cover costs and light
refreshments.
Singers hit the right note The Singing for Fun group is pictured tuning up for Christmas with some festive songs and carols.
The informal group gets together to sing whatev-er members fancy - from show tunes to old pop songs. Organiser Susan John says anyone is welcome to come every
Bridge group members learning the
card game’s playing techniques.
month or just from time to time. Sessions are held in her home so there are no costs involved.
“We’re very casual and friendly and sing just because we enjoy it,” she said. “Everyone is welcome, regardless of singing ability so come and give it a try.”
For dates of meetings email: [email protected]
‘No prior
knowledge
or experience
is necessary’
Lovely Bubbly
ROYSTON U3A NEWS JANUARY 2016 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4
The last Royston U3A
wine appreciation group
for 2015 met on 25th
November at the Old Barn
for a pre-Christmas
special sparkling wine and
Champagne appreciation
session. The bubbly provided and
discussed by Gil Riggans
of Corney & Barrow came
from the UK, Argentina,
France and Italy. Group
members were very
discerning in their choices
but the majority seemed to
agree that Corney &
Barrow’s own label
sparkling wine was the
favourite.
PAGE 4
Towards the end of the
session, Gil produced two
additional wines, one red
and one white – these were
exceptional. The group
really ‘appreciated’ the
quality of the wines which
were enjoyed along with
some festive nibbles of
cheese and biscuits (to act
as blotting paper of course
after the copious amounts
of wines tasted) with the
added bonus of some
delicious home-made
mince pies kindly provided
by Angela Kennion.
Everyone commented on
how much pleasure they
had had from this and the
previous wine appreciation
sessions and thanked Gil
for sharing his wide-
ranging knowledge with
the group.
Twenty-two Royston U3A
members confirmed that
they were eagerly looking
forward to re-convening
for more wine appreciation
sessions in the New Year.
Jazz Appreciation The Jazz Appreciation
group transformed the
Conservative Club into a
jazz lounge for their
second meeting. Candle-lit
tables and low lights set
the scene for 15 members
who listened to music
provided by Ken Riches
from his vast collection of
CDs. Ken played tracks by
Stephane Grappelli and
Django Reinhart plus other
bands.
After a fish and chips take-
away members listened to
tracks from Nina Simone,
MJQ, Dave Brubeck and
the Count Basie Orches-
tra. A special treat was
provided by the Conserva-
tive Club’s Chris Goodwin
who played a DVD track
with cartoons of the
background music for the
Peanuts & Charlie Brown
TV cartoons.
For future sessions Ken
hopes to get requests from
members, such as more
music from Duke Ellington
and Count Basie as well as
traditional jazz groups like
Kenny Ball, Chris Barber
and Acker Bilk.
The Conservative Club
‘jazz lounge’ can easily
seat 40 people so there’s
plenty of room for more
Royston U3A members to
come and enjoy ’all that
jazz’!
For further details about
Jazz Appreciation group
get-togethers see our web-
site or email Reg Hounsell
The Wine Appreciation group
hard at it sampling Champagne
and sparkling wines.
‘The
majority
agreed that
C&B’s own
label sparkling
wine was the
favourite’
ROYSTON U3A NEWS JANUARY 2016 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4
Easy Guide to Active Interest Groups for 2016
PAGE 5
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
MORNING Fitness Book Club 3 Walking: Medium Book Club 2
Singing for Fun Walking: Strollers
AFTERNOON French Conversation Book Club 1 Wine Appreciation Gardening Pilates
Mixed Craft/Pottery Bridge for Beginners Golf
Tai Chi Mixed Craft
Theatre Trips
EVENING Jazz Appreciation
For frequency and contact details about all active interest groups please see the chart on the
next page or check out our website for more information http://u3asites.org.uk/royston
Members letters to the Chair
Just found your new web
page. Very impressed,
looking forward to reading
all about how you are
progressing.
Now that you have got a
number of groups going
there really is a great sense
of achievement. The whole
steering committee seems
to have really thrown
themselves into it.
Just going back a few
months ago, did you see
yourselves where you are
now?
I feel sure Royston U3A has
taken life and is here for the
long term. Jean D
Buntingford U3A
I want to say that I am so
impressed with how you and
the steering committee have
moved forward. May I wish
you every success in the
future. Well done! Elaine B
I would like to congratulate
you on an extremely
interesting and packed
newsletter - a joy to read.
Also the way that the
steering committee has got
this new U3A going is just
amazing. Monica G
Thank you for organising
the super wrapping
afternoon which was
fabulous. I am enjoying
being part of Royston U3A
very much. Karen H
Thanks for all your hard
work with U3A. We really
appreciate it. Angela &
Gerald K.
‘Sister Act’ gets group into theatre habit!
Watch out Whoopi Goldberg! That was the verdict of the Theatre group who enjoyed an afternoon of fun and top quality entertainment at ‘Sister Act’. The Cambridge Operatic Society put on a brilliant show of the smash hit musical comedy and the singing, sets and costumes were fabulous.
This outing followed the group’s first trip to the Cambridge Arts Theatre to see King Charles III starring Robert Powell. The play speculates on what
might happen when he ascends the throne and there were twists and turns to the story with humour and drama.
We all enjoyed our visits to Cambridge and hope to see many more good plays.
Come along to our next outing in the Spring - look out for information on future Theatre group visits on our website:
http://u3asites.org.uk/royston
Theatre group
members about
to enjoy an
afternoon of
top quality
entertainment.
The Editor reserves the right
to shorten correspondence
submitted for publication.
We’d like to hear
from you!
Royston U3A has now
been running since May.
We’d welcome your feed-
back on how we are doing.
Send your emails to
Pam Dajda at
Active Interest Groups
ROYSTON U3A NEWS JANUARY 2016
Get it in the News If you’re involved in a group why not publicise it in Royston U3A News? Send in a short report of your latest meeting or outing - photos welcomed too - to Pam Dajda at [email protected] or phone 01763 246234
Chair Jackie Gellert [email protected] Vice Chair & Groups Co-ordinator Reg Hounsell [email protected] Treasurer Kathy Hounsell [email protected] Secretary Deirdre Smith [email protected] Membership Secretary Marion Martin [email protected] Minutes Secretary Sylvia Fuller [email protected]
Publicity Pam Dajda [email protected]
Royston U3A News Ralph Gellert [email protected]
Committee Member George Karger Assistant Groups Co-ordinator Hilary Wallis
Royston U3A Steering Committee
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4
GROUP NAME DAY FREQUENCY GROUP LEADER CONTACT DETAILS
Book Club 1 Tues pm Monthly Deirdre Smith [email protected]
Book Club 2 Fri am Monthly Janet Burton [email protected]
Book Club 3 Wed am Monthly Elizabeth (Lee) Towers [email protected]
Bridge for Beginners & Improvers Tues pm Monthly Mike Thrower [email protected]
Fitness Tues am Weekly Reg Hounsell [email protected]
French Conversation Mon pm Fortnightly Elisabeth Goodman-Spain [email protected]
Gardening Thurs pm Monthly Val Fairbanks [email protected]
Golf Thurs pm Weekly Ralph Gellert [email protected]
Jazz Appreciation Wed eve Monthly Reg Hounsell [email protected]
Mixed Craft Thurs pm Monthly Maureen Strugnell [email protected]
Mixed Craft / Pottery Mon pm Fortnightly Rosie Cowsley [email protected]
Pilates Fri pm Weekly Kathy Hounsell [email protected]
Singing for Fun Wed am Monthly Susan John [email protected]
Tai Chi Mon pm Weekly Reg Hounsell [email protected]
Theatre Trips Thurs pm Occasional Deirdre Smith [email protected]
Walking: Medium Thurs am Fortnightly Chas Avis [email protected]
Walking: Strollers Thurs am Fortnightly Jeremy Burr / John Bishop [email protected]
Wine Appreciation Wed pm Monthly Jackie Gellert [email protected]
Don’t forget to check out our website for more information http://u3asites.org.uk/royston Royston U3A is always happy to consider requests for new groups. If you have an interest that you would like to share with
others let us know by contacting Reg Hounsell, Groups Co-ordinator at [email protected]
R O Y S T O N
Dates for Your Diary
January
Tuesday 26th 2:00pm
Royston Parish Church
Peter Jackson, Scotsdales,
will give a talk on
‘THE GARDEN IN
WINTER’
February
Tuesday 23rd 2:00pm
Royston Parish Church
David Wherrell
will give a talk on
‘A HISTORY OF
RECORDED MUSIC’
March
Tuesday 29th 2:00pm
Royston Parish Church
David Wass, former police
officer, will give a talk on
‘SHOPLIFTING - how it’s done and how to prevent it!’
April
Tuesday 26th 2:00pm
Royston Parish Church
Mike Levy
will give a talk on
‘THE GREAT
BROADWAY
LYRICISTS’
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