April 22

pu3a pulsePeterborough University of the Third Age April 2022 Issue 1 Contact: [email protected] Welcome to issue one of our Inside this issue MONTHLY e-newsletter! One Giant Leap ...........................2 Now that our digital newsletter is no longer limited by the significant paper-based costs of The Brain Game ..........................3 printing and postage, you’ll receive the latest news popping into your email inbox each Theatre Trips...............................3 month. There’ll still be a paper version three times a year, but from now on keep your Spotlight on Groups ....................4 finger on the pulse to ensure you know what’s happening in PU3A. More on Groups ……………………..5,6 Each month we’ll throw down a challenge to Day Trips Diary............................7 get your grey cells buzzing, and there’s a £10 Members’ Meetings....................7 M&S voucher for the winning entry. No hints Thirty Years On: What now?........8 though as to what future months will hold for Your PU3A in numbers this puzzle. Suffice to say, for April, its rhyming • Pre-covid, we had 2700 Ian Gray members, now its 2196 but time. that’s a much smaller decrease than many U3As Want more info? Just click anywhere you see the blue HERE and you’ll be directed to the PU3A • And you can participate in website or elsewhere. 136 different groups • Some 50% of new members joined due to word-of-mouth from an existing member • TELL A FRIEND ABOUT US! In our prime after 30 years Did you know PU3A was born in 1992, making us thirty this year? John Knight and John Gribble of Bretton Woods School (now demolished) initiated the idea, and in July that year, Paul Parker became the first Chairman, and John Knight was elected President. The first groups, commencing a couple of months later, included French Conversation, Country Walks, Family History, Social History and Creative Writing. By the end of the first year, PU3A had 123 members. A far cry from today’s 2000+ members, eh? See page 8 for more news of our anniversary. Were you a member in 1992? Why not share your memories in a future Pulse? 1

One giant leap for Manik PU3A member Manik Biswas tells how he leapt out of a plane….and why. Well done Manik! “I may be 87-years old but it was important to me to fulfil my late wife’s wish for me to do a sponsored parachute jump for charity. As I had never done one before, it was an exciting prospect but also slightly nerve-racking. However, on the day the staff at the parachute centre were brilliant and clearly explained what to do and what to expect. I was anxious when I boarded the plane to fly up to more than two miles up, but when the door opened for everyone to jump out, it was thrilling and exhilarating. Jumping out was an amazing feeling, seeing the clouds below you and freefalling through the air. And once the parachute opened, it was just so quiet and I could see for miles; it really was incredible. Approaching the ground also wasn’t scary at all; the parachute instructor I had jumped with took complete control and we landed smoothly without any issues at all. Overall it was a brilliant experience and one I’ll never forget. And the fact that I managed to raise more than £2,500 for Alzheimer’s Society in my wife’s memory made it particularly special to me.” Have you a story to tell? A secret to share? What have you done that’s out of the ordinary? Email:[email protected] A Big Thank You …… To those members who have been buying through Amazon Smile and selecting Peterborough u3a for their donations. We have received £6.56 for purchases made between October and December 2021. Not a fortune but, as a well known supermarket chain contends, every little helps. Mary McCarthy (Treasurer) 2

Each month Pulse will contain a challenging puzzle. Fancy yourself as a poet? As our 30th birthday approaches, your test this month is to complete the last missing line of the limerick below. Email your efforts, by 18 April to [email protected]. The lucky winner (announced in the next issue of Pulse) will win a £10 Twas way back three decades ago M&S Voucher. Get rhyming!! When some oldies decided to show PU3A Committee Members and Partners not eligible to enter. They hadn't lost all their youth Nor being too long in the tooth Win £10! ——enter your missing line here—— The Show Must Go On! And so it does, with the PU3A Theatre Group 2022 show dates…. • April 20: the feel-good musical Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre, London • May 19:the Agatha Christie play Witness For The Prosecution, which is staged in the old Council Chamber of County Hall in London and resembles an actual courtroom • June 22: Kilworth House, Leicestershire to see Carousel in the open air theatre, which is covered by a canopy to protect the audience and actors from inclement weather Details of these shows and how to book tickets for them can be found on the PU3A website HERE. If the shows are sold out it is always worth putting your name on the standby list as tickets often become available nearer the time. Tickets for new shows are released for sale via email to all Theatre Group members on a Tuesday at 4.00pm. New members of the Theatre Group are welcome, and there is no charge to join. You can apply via the website and you will be sent emails about future shows. Some members have recently reported that they are not receiving emails via the PU3A system, particularly Hotmail users. Sometimes these emails have gone into junk or spam folders, and it is suggested that these folders are regularly checked so that members don’t miss out. 3

Contact Hilary 01733 265769 or email The next Engineering Group [email protected] if HERE meeting is 7th April you fancy….. 7.30pm at St Andrews Church,  Joining a new Ledbury Rd. The speaker is Sanjay Rajni, Senior Emissions Book Reading Engineer at Perkins Engines, group, as all cur- talking about current and future rent similar emissions standards. groups are full, so Brian Keegan 07079694305 there’s space for more….. The Classic & Kit Cars HERE are out of winter hibernation with  Linking up with a new an April 27th run from Eye Retail Lunch Group. The recent Park, with a ‘longest and pandemic has led to sev- shortest trip to the lunch eral of our lunch groups destination’ challenge. dwindling. Maybe now is Malcolm Abbs 07759 982993 the time to start new ones, maybe a Saturday or Sunday. Our Monday Card Making Group has space for you! Mondays 10am-noon at the Indoor Bowls Club, Burton St. Camaraderie, a cuppa, biccies and an absorbing hobby. Call Anne Harris 01733 321666 HERE 4

cALLIGRAPHY HERE Out of Peterborough u3A’s 2000+ members we are wondering and hoping that there may be one who has some degree of proficiency in the art of Calligraphy. We have had a very successful Calligraphy group running for several years but, sadly, the experienced calligrapher helping the group is relinquishing the role in July. If any member wants to have a chat about what would be involved then Hilary would love to hear from you. Give her a ring /email Tel 01733 265769 [email protected] New Bowls Group We already have two successful summer Bowls groups and a new group for Beginners/intermediates is planned to start at the end of April in Yaxley. Contact Vivienne Hempsell Tel 01733 234089 Rummikub is based on the card game Rummy but we play with tiles. When I look at the faces of my Rummikub Group members when they are playing and chatting to each other, they are smiling and I can see how much they are enjoying themselves. At the end of her first game sitting beside me, a new member told me that we were exactly as she had heard - so welcoming. I was chuffed. We welcome new members, whether new to the game or already in the know. Why not give us a try? We meet on Friday afternoons in a spacious room in the Copeland Community Centre in Bretton. If you want to see how exactly Rummikub is played, just click HERE. Give me a ring if you might be interested. My contact details are on the PU3A website HERE. Lyn Foto Friends HERE met by using Zoom throughout lockdown and for the last few months have enjoyed their return to St. Andrews. We have room for new members so if you have an interest in photography then whatever your skill level why not try out Foto Friends. As our name suggests we are a friendly non-competitive group that focuses on trying to get it right in the camera. At each meeting we set ourselves a photo challenge to be shown at the next months meeting. 14 April—an intro to video on your camera, with Nigel Fawthrop. Photo Challenge : Stack of Spring Flowers Please bring your camera to all sessions. Second Thursday each month 10am-12. St Andrews Church Hall, Netherton PE3 9RF Contact : Malcom Turner 01733 705265 [email protected] 5

Well, who knew? A long long time ago before life had started, the Earth collided with a lump of rock nearly as big as Mars. A pretty big lump of rock. The result of this collision was that we gained our Moon and a tilt. This tilt is why we in Peterborough experience seasons. In the depth of Winter, the Winter equinox, the sun only rises a small bit above the horizon and days are short and nights are long and cold. By mid March, the Spring equinox, the Sun is higher in the sky and everywhere on Earth day is as long as night. By mid Summer, the Summer equinox, the sun will get as high as it’s going to. The reality is that the Sun goes from being aligned directly over the southern Tropic, Capricorn, 23.5 degrees South of the Equator, at our mid winter, is directly above the equator at our Spring equinox and will be over 23.5 degrees North, the Tropic of Cancer, at our Summer equinox in mid June. Had we not been hit we would have no tilt and no seasons. Just one of many things we learn about in the Earth Science Group, for details from Stuart Osborne, click HERE Plane Daft (Aviation) at the May meeting, Ken Cothliffe speaks about ‘Canadian Aviation Treasures’ HERE WORLDWIDE DINING Join us as we visit the area’s international restaurants, for the perfect recipe of great food, good company and lively chat! Two (evening) date options each month, deposit required. In April we visit one of Peterborough’s newest restaurants , 1498 A Spice Affair, to Turkish at Tavan sample a Goan menu In May, it’s off for some ooh-la-la ‘francais-style’ at Cote Brasserie In June…. Well, you’ll have to join us to find out! Contact [email protected] or click HERE 6

DAY TRIPS As the PU3A day trips get booked up pretty darn DIARY quick, just get your diary out and start planning ahead…… HERE Wed 18 May Blickling Hall, Norfolk (National Trust) HERE £12.50 NT members £25.50 non-NT Travel generally by Fowlers Coaches, full safety and COVID protocols in place. Pick-ups at Werrington (Crab & Winkle), Bretton Centre, Thorpe Meadows. Enquiries and bookings to Gina Bates 01733 579317, quoting membership number, mobile phone number, pick-up point and any special requests. Antiques, Bygones and Collectibles (ABC) Our newly formed group meets on the third Tuesday of every month at the Copeland Community centre. So far the ‘show and tell’ sessions have encouraged members to bring along in excess of 60 ABC items. We have covered objects from the Aesthetic, Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods including a surprising number of international items, perhaps reflecting how our U3A member age profile has travelled in their lifetime. Items have included: Terracotta Army miniature and jade and dragon jewellery (China), Murano glass (Italy), military sabre (Spain), tribal objects (Africa) and Belleek pottery (Ireland). British objects unsurprisingly have been in the majority ranging from ceramics, Dinky cars, sewing tools, treen, silver, unpublished Peterborough material (policeman’s notebook), novelty items (lighters), glass ( Carnival) and more. Going forward we plan visits to an auction room, antique centre, Peterborough Festival of Antiques and participate in a museum trip. We also hope to develop further contact with our counterpart groups in Oundle and Stamford with whose group leaders we share our popular photo quiz . Brian Hoare (group leader) and Sue Coaker (web buddy) Click HERE 7

30 From June onwards, we hope to mark the 30th anniversary of PU3A with a some special diary dates. We’ll be one of many community groups joining in with Nene Park Trust and Peterborough City Council 13-15 May at Ferry Meadows for the Peterborough Celebrates Festival and some of our singing and poetry groups have already registered their interest in performing. Can your group join in? Are you available to help us on the day? There’s a concert of our own on Wednesday 29th July 6-8 pm in St Andrews Church, Ledbury Road, a joint effort between Sing Something Simple, Poetry Writing and the Rhythmaires. And a special “30 years of Questions” quiz night planned for Friday 18 Nov. MEMBERS (SPEAKER) MEETINGS HERE Now held at the John Clare Theatre, Central Library, Peterborough, bi- monthly on the last Tuesday. No need to book, talks will commence at 2pm, but please arrive between 10 to 30 minutes in advance. • 31 May: The Dark Ages? Terry McCarthy will outline the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons from the 4th century AD when they seem to have served the Roman Army as mercenaries, until their defeat by Duke William of Normandy, from 1066, imposed his rule on the Anglo-Saxon people. Their origins are disputed and was initially little recorded. Later, by the 9th century they were building permanent settlements, fortifications, religious and political systems. Despite being attacked by the Viking, which were defeated, they established a system of organisations which forms the basis of our present system. Furthermore, developed many of the rural and urban landscapes seen today. Their language, despite the Norman invasion, prevailed, becoming English • 26 July: Up the Cut! Derek Harris provides an amusing and informative history of the canals of England and Wales. “Up the Cut” is a whistle stop tour, starting at the beginning of the modern canal age with James Brindley and the Bridgwater Canal, through the growth of commercial transport, to its decline and neglect. Added to this he performs some canal songs with audience participation in places! 8