Attention must now turn to our exciting programme of events in the coming months. I look forward to meeting up with as many of you as possible at our innovative Summer Social to be held in and around the Syston Bowling Club in Central Park onWednesday 9th Augustbetween10.30a.m. and noon.
We expect that there will be a variety of stalls and attractions, demonstrations from some of our active Groups and also, for anyone interested, the opportunity to try their hand at the gentle sport of lawn bowling. (Bring flat shoes.)
Refreshments will be on sale from the clubhouse, which has kindly been made available to us by the Bowling Club, and which
can be used should the weather prove to be unkind. We do have permission from the Town Council to erect a gazebo, which will offer further protection should the need arise.
Please encourage your non-member family, friends and neighbours to join with us in what we trust will be a truly enjoyable event.
In September, we revert to our normal Malthouse Suite venue for our monthly get-together when Felicity Austin will present another in her series of entertaining and nostalgic re-visits to days gone by as she recalls how things have changed in "Seaside Holidays".
Meanwhile, our ever-increasing range of Groups continues to flourish and, as we move into the
Autumn season, begin to regenerate a full head of steam to keep us all actively engaged and challenged throughout the rest of the year.
As Members of the U3A, we certainly have a great deal to look forward to - with no excuse for feeling lonely or bored. Join in and enjoy life!
Elvis in Memphis
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Members Meeting Report
CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW: behind the scenes
We enjoyed a revealing insight into behind the scenes at the Chelsea Flower Show at our July meeting, with guest speaker Geoffrey Smith. Geoffrey (“We hate grass”) is clearly a man who knows, and entertained over 150 members with an illustrated talk about the world famous show, for example did you know:
Teams of designers, builders, tilers, plumbers and electricians as well as gardeners transform 14 acres of parkland into award winning gardens over 4 weeks. Out go the tennis courts, cricket pitches and children’s play areas, replaced by 14 acres of award winning garden displays.
5 days later it’s all over, and a week later the park returns to normal. Down comes the 4 acre main tent, out go the 10 feet high Delphiniums, the 30 feet high palm trees - flown back to their home in the private garden of a Dubai sheikh. Out go the Cornish Tin Mine display and volcano from the South Sea Island Garden. And the Railway Garden, complete with platform and weeds that took a gardener a day and a half to plant.
And at what cost? The B&Q Garden was a snip at £400,000 compared to the Australian Garden at £1,500,000. It’s thirsty work for the public so over the course of the show they consume 1,700 glasses of champagne and 10,000 cups of tea and coffee; and then there are the 10,000 portions of fish and chips! Something more exotic? Lobster and champagne at £73 a head might be to your liking.
Many of the plants are sold off to the public in a mad scramble for the biggest and best, taken off in bags, prams, trolleys, wedged into carrier bags hung on broom handles, squeezed into car boots, taxis, dragged on to trains, bundled onto buses – their drivers “not knowing whether they were driving a bus or a greenhouse” said Geoffrey.
A good time was had by all at the Chelsea Flower Show, and at the U3A meeting. Thanks Geoffrey.
Brian King
Reports from the groups
A WALK ROUND BARKBY: Local History Group:
On the hottest June day since 1976 the group set off for the Malt Shovel, Barkby’s 700 year old pub on a circular, picturesque and informative walk led by Angelia Pick and Mary Toms.
We heard of the remarkable goose who faithfully followed his master around the village and of Hobb Baulk (pronounced Bork) an ancient footpath leading from the village to “top” road (between Thurmaston and Barkby).
The pinfold was a pen for stray animals where owners could retrieve their livestock on payment of a fine. A notorious drunk found his way home from the pub by virtue of the different coping stones around Barkby Hall.
Crossing to the prettier Brookside we heard Barkby once supported three laundries. Girls walked to Leicester, collected laundry, washed, dried, ironed and returned it to the city. Hard work on fine days, extremely arduous on wet or wintry ones. Oh those chapped and sore hands!
Methodism once supported an Primitive and Weslyan Chapel but they have been converted into private dwellings.
The Pochin family are the local landowners and resided at Barkby Hall for many generations. Family members have benefitted the village through the years.
Two works of art adorn the village. The Barkby Ploughman made from scrap metal for the Queens Jubilee and a mosaic placed in 2010 celebrating Oak Apple Day (25th May) portray scenes from Barkby’s history.
We finished by looking round the beautiful parish church of St Mary which still has its quaint box pews. All learning done a happy band returned to the Malt Shovel where history was set aside in favour of quenching our thirst, many of us staying to lunch.
Susan Warnes
'The next outing of the Local History Group is on August 16th to Bradgate to see the recent archaeological work. There are a few places left, cost about £2. Anyone interested email Jennifer Sandys at
THE GREAT BUTTERFLY TRIP : Wildlife Groups in Fermyn Woods
Peacock Butterfly
If Countryfile can do it so can the U3A wildlife groups! And we did!
A good representative mix of enthusiastic souls from both U3A wildlife groups set off at 10.00 a.m for the much admired and famed Fermyn Woods, Corby Northants on Friday, July 7th arriving there just as the sun’s warmth was enticing the butterflies out of their dormitories for a good morning’s feed and fly.
As we left the small car park we were greeted immediately by a gorgeous White Admiral flitting skittishly past us before settling down on some leaves where it was observed by most of us and photographed. This was the prelude to a morning’s outstanding success.
For many people the butterfly names of Silver-washed Fritillary,
Black Hairstreak, Purple Hairstreak and the dominating Purple Emperor are at very best only names that may come up occasionally in quizzes or wildlife programmes. In the next 2 ½ hours these butterflies and 12 other butterfly species were to dance up and down as though performing a butterfly ballet.
The group gradually became familiarised not just with their names but their behaviour, their plant feeding preferences as some butterflies headed towards brambles, some to nettle flowers and other flowers.
Butterflies that sometimes feed in gardens such as Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and Commas were revealing that Fermyn is a more regular and typical feeding and breeding site.
On our visit we saw three Purple Emperor butterfli es one of which descended to the mineral salt rich path to feed disregarding the two dozen people surrounding and photoing it. As it turned the sun caught the lovely purple blue colours on the wings much to everyone’s joy.
In the warm sunshine other butterflies soon showed up and varying numbers of Gatekeepers, Small and Large Whites and one solitary Green-veined White made their presence known.
The most common butterfly, and the easiest to see, was the abundant Ringlet with its small circles showing on the darkish forewings. We had at least 20 of them and they seemed to be the sentinels of the butterfly woodland flitting everywhere to check all was in order.
We all agreed was a memorable visit to a special place.
Robin Perry
U3A wildlife guide
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SUPPER GROUP
The Supper Group had a most enjoyable evening on 26th July. We did not meet at a restaurant but in Val and Brian D'Arcy'sgarden. After planning a tasty menu enjoyed by all we sat and socialised, areal friendly evening. Pam Green, the joint leader, helped with it all and seemed be able to be in several places at the same time when people arrived. Mary Toms, in spite of her impaired vision was also there for the setting up, very last minute because of the uncertain weather.The ladies did all the considerableclearing up so when everyone left we could at last sit down. Many thanks to our group.
The next meeting is at Rothley Court,23rd Augustay the usual time of7pm.
Val D'Arcy
CONTRACT BRIDGE COURSE
Having had 4 Sessions on basic bidding in Contract Bridge, starting with 3 students, there are now 5. A small group has proved to be ideal,in that all students get to bid, and play, the preset hands.
Each session begins with a review of the previous week’s subject(s), before starting the new topic.
We are still discussing the basic bids and we will, in due course, be discussing disruptive bidding, competitive bridge auctions, defensive play and various bridge strategies.
We meet at Syston Community Centre everyFridayafternoon, at2.15pm. If you are interested in joining the course, please contact me on Leicester 269 2543, as we would welcome a few more students.
Hopefully we will have, in due course, sufficient players, together with existingexperienced bridge players, to start a viable U3A bridge group.
Brian Austin
Wanted – Gentlemen
PLAYREADERS
I organise the Play Reading Group. We meet on the first Tuesday of each month in The Hub. We have not been going too long, but we have a regular attendance of 10, and it takes us 2 meetings to read a play. So far, we have readThe Bed Before Yesterdayby Ben Travers, and Timeof your Life by Alan Ayckbourne.. We are half way through 'Noises Off'' by Michael Frayne.One of our members works at the Little Theatre, and we have arranged to borrow scripts from them, which she is able to bring along as required.
I have a macula degeneration, so read any necessary stage directions, leaving it to the other male member to take all the other male parts - some have to be taken by ladies, which is sometimes quite amusing.So we put out our regular appeal for any male(s) to join us. I can be contacted .
Phil Snelders
Wanted - Organiser for our Gentle Ambling group which has been very popular in the past.
Meanwhile check out walking for health run by Charnwood Borough Council.
https://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/walkfinder
Now Booking
UKELELE WORKSHOP
A ukulele workshop has been arranged forOctober 12that the church hall of the Catholic Church in Broad Street ,Syston from7 pmuntil9 pm.
Ukuleles will be provided and because of this numbers will have to be monitored for the workshop to be a success.
The cost is £5.Please let me know if you wish to attend. I already have the names of those
who have already expressed an interest.
Janet Downes
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DAYS OF INTEREST GROUP – A FEW PLACES LEFT
Ann Winters writes:
A TRADITIONAL SEASIDE TRIP
Do you fancy an end of Summer visit to Hunstanton?
September 1st is the date and hopefully the sun will shine and we can sit and watch the world go by, walk along the prom or even take a dip in the sea!!
Plenty to do and we can indulge in fish and chips and ice cream. More sophisticated delights, I am sure, are also available if you so desire.
The day will cost just the price of the return coach trip - £16.50 - so please come and put down your name. Final payment will be 14th August
Anyone interested in joining in, please contact Ann Winter
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ITS NEXT WEEK, COME ALONG
SUMMER SOCIAL
ON: Wednesday, 9TH August 10.30 a.m. to 12 noon
AT: Syston Bowls Club in Central Park, Syston
Current and prospective members are all welcome.
· Talk to group leaders about their activities
· Visit stands with useful and interesting local information, e.g. Age UK
· Try a bowls taster session with a member of the club (weather permitting) BRING FLAT SHOES
· Enjoy a cuppa and cake
· Raffle, prizes donated by local businesses, including Aldi, Co-operative and White Horse, Birstall
Why not encourage a friend to come along?
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The next monthly meeting is on 11th September
the Malthouse Suite, Syston Conservative Club
10.30 TILL 11.45
SEASIDE HOLIDAYS, HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED
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