Monthly General Meetings
At our next meeting on Wed, 18 May we’ll hear about John Hampden, Puritan and patriot.
John Hampden (1595 – 1643) is known as a patriot who fought valiantly against The Ship Money and for Parliament in the early part of the First English Civil War. He was born in Buckinghamshire and was undoubtedly familiar with various parts of the county that once included Slough. The talk looks at the man and his achievements, not as a saint, but as the real man he was. From his Great Hampden beginnings, education in Thame, Oxford University, legal training in London and on to his Parliamentary and Military roles at a time of great upheaval. A complete view of a complex character and a man who deserves to be remembered better than he is now.
We meet in St Andrew’s Church Hall in Merton Road, Slough SL1 1QW, starting at 2pm and lasting for about an hour. The meeting is open to both u3a members and non-members – guests and potential members are always welcome. Refreshments are served at the end of the meeting, and it’s an ideal opportunity to find out more about the u3a and our activities.
There is a small car park at the rear of the church which is available for those who have difficulties with mobility. Otherwise, please park in one of the pay-and-display car parks nearby, or in Upton Court Park (free) about 10 minutes’ walk away.
COVID-19 is still with us, so please be considerate – please stay at home if you are feeling unwell, or think you may recently have been in contact with someone with COVID.
Future meetings and talks: –
- Wed, 15 June John Edwards – The Great Escape
- Wed 20 July Andrew Viney – Berkshire Lowland Search & Rescue
Job Vacancy
This newsletter is shorter than usual because the editor has been on holiday. We’d love to have a deputy or assistant to help putting it together – the only skill required is the ability to use a word processing program. Please contact Bob chair@sloughu3a.com or 07903 021 711 if you’d like to help.
News
We’re pleased to welcome four new members this month: – Debra Cooke, Liz Grayshon, Helen Walters, and Peter Beesley
During April our Outings Team coordinated a trip to the Imperial War Museum. 29 members went, some by minibus and others using public transport. The Museum has several galleries and special exhibitions – especially notable are the newly refreshed Second World War Gallery and the Holocaust Gallery. A day trip is not enough to do it justice – several members said they will visit it again soon. The next outing is a coach trip to Bath, jointly organised with Windsor & District Ramblers.
U3A Activities Update
The German Group meet fortnightly on a Friday afternoon and enjoy the mental exercise that comes with learning a language. We use various easy German courses to help to maintain our interest as we advance, slowly. Revision is something we do quite often!! We may never get round to reading Goethe in the original, but that doesn’t worry us too much! So, if you learned some German in the past and would like to have another go at it, come and join us.
The French Group meets on the first Friday of most months. Everyone in the group already knew some French from their school days or from a love of holidays in France and have been enthusiastic in their pursuit of new vocabulary and greater conversational confidence. Recently, we began to read the beautiful story of ‘Jean de Florette’ by Marcel Pagnol. As the story unfolds, we are also enjoying the video, starring Gerard Depardieu and Yves Montand. It may have subtitles but, of course, we don’t look at those!
Badminton Group – Badminton is a good form of regular exercise and is actually enjoyable! We have about 10 or 12 regular players. Half had never played before the group was formed last year. It’s easy to learn, and we don’t take our games too seriously. We meet on a Thursday, 12pm-2pm, at the Slough Leisure Centre, Farnham Road. The Group really enjoy it; it’s as much social as physical. If you are interested in joining, come along and see for yourself. You will be more than welcome.
There is a complete list of U3A activity groups at the bottom of this newsletter. If you would like to find out more, or would like to join any of our groups, please email Beverley Edwards on groups@sloughU3A.com or phone 01753 971938.
Health and Support
Seated exercise has restarted at Slough Libraries. Here’s the weekly program: –
- Cippenham Library Monday 2-3pm
- Britwell Library Tuesday 2-3pm
- The Curve Thursday 10.30 – 11.30am
- Langley Library Thursday 11.30 – 12.30
What’s on around Slough?
Plant Sale in aid of Save the Children. A chance to get your bedding plants. veggies, perennials etc. ready for the Summer. Saturday 21st May 2-4pm. at 196 Langley Road SL3 7EE. Tea & Cakes in the garden. Contact Liz Jones 07930 310201 for details.
Windsor and Eton Choral Society cordially invite you to a Jubilee Year “Come and Sing” or “Come and Listen” in the wonderful setting of Eton College Chapel. Faure “Requiem”, Gounod “Messe Solonelle De Sainte Cécile”. An opportunity to sing two masterpieces in beautiful and historic surroundings. On Tuesday, 17th May 2022. Click here for entry form, or further details from Constance Messenger 01753 340763
Choral and Orchestral Concert 7.30 pm, Saturday 14th May 2022 with Beethoven, Haydn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Dyson – presented by Slough Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus with Marlow Community Choir. Buy tickets online CLICK HERE or box office 0300 365 7445
U3A Principles, Membership and Current Activities
Slough U3A is a co-operative of older people, generally who are fully or part retired. Our members enjoy and share educational, creative and leisure activities. We are proud to be a dynamic group; we have built up a range of activities and groups enabling our members to learn new things and enjoy active retired life.
We welcome new members – please come along and find out what we are doing! Here’s a list of our current activities in Slough.
| Art Appreciation | French (Intermediate) | Poetry in Action |
| Badminton | Gardening | Practical Philosophy |
| Book Club | German (Elementary) | Scrabble |
| Bridge for Fun | Local History | Table Tennis |
| Create and Craft | Lunch Club | Ukulele |
| Current Affairs | Outings | Walking |
| Drawing & Painting | Play Reading | Wine Appreciation |
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Find out more: www.sloughU3A.com
Slough U3A 