Designed to keep you in touch

Regretfully, the Purbeck U3A Drama Group Presentation of Oliver which was to have been performed on Tuesday 10 February 2009 at Furzebrook Village Hall has had to be postponed until near the end of March Apologies to all supporters. At 10.30 on Friday 13 February 2009 at Furzebrook Village Hall Representatives from Dorset Police will be talking about  Community Policing This meeting is open to members and non-members for a small donation. The hall will be open at 10.00 for refreshments.

From the CHAIR Well, it was really good to see so many of our members at the 10th Anniversary Celebrations of Purbeck U3A in December. Thank you to John and Gillian Almond for organising the event so well. Thank you also to Marion Morris, my Vice Chair. She organised the birthday cake, and spent many hours liaising with John and Gillian over the programme details. Thank you to the rest of the Committee for their help in many ways, and particularly to Nigel Tennant and his wife for organising the cold drinks and wine. Special thanks go to Shelagh Capon and her helpers for organising the ‘cuppas’ to go with the cake and for washing up afterwards. Thank you to group leaders and their members for the group displays; if you looked at them you will realise how much they enjoy what they do. Special thanks to those of you who did a ‘turn’ for the theme of The Seven Ages of Man! In fact, thank you to everyone who helped to make the celebrations such a success. The talk at our January social meeting, ‘Film Style’, was given by one of our group leaders- Woody Harding. It was much appreciated by those hardy members who drove through the beautiful countryside on a bright, frosty morning to attend. The short clips from important films such as the Maltese Falcon and Blade Runner illustrated Woody’s talk and gave us something extra to consider next time we see a film. Thank you to Woody for giving us a glimpse into the complex world of film making. Sadly, John and Gillian Almond have been unwell over Christmas and the New Year (they are very much better now) and the Drama Group production has had to be postponed until the end of March. However, Marion Morris has been able to find a replacement for our February meeting and I hope you will be able to come to Furzebrook on 13th for a talk on Community Policing by members of our local force. On the second Friday in March (13th), the talk will be by Hugh Elmes, a popular local speaker, and on the second Friday in May (8th) Peter Sills will talk about the history of Norden Mineral Railway. This will be the last of our social Gatherings for this academic year. I do hope that as many of you as possible will keep these dates free so that you are able to support the meetings. Best wishes to you all for 2009. Jean E PS Would the gentleman who kindly lent his camera for photographs to be taken of the celebrations,(and anyone else who has photos of the event) please contact Janet Jones or any other member of the committee as soon as possible (details on back page). Group Activities New Group – Play reading 3 (Swanage) This group has been formed and meets weekly on Tuesdays from 10 – 12noon. Space is limited but if you are interested in joining, ring Don Page (group co-ordinator) on 424878. Knitting Circle: The next meeting of this group is Wednesday 4 February at 2pm. Science & Technology The group meets at 10.00 on the second Wednesday of each month in the Parish Hall in Wareham. Come early - refreshments are available before the start of each meeting. New members welcome – just turn up! The programme for the rest of this academic year is as follows: 11 February ‘The Avro Vulcan Bomber’ – Cyril Carr. 11March: Above or Below Average? Assessing and Testing with REME 1987-2002. Ian Mackenzie, group member. 8 April: Agricultural Irrigation – A Technical Overview. Robin Humphries, group member. Scrabble for Fun Ruth This group now has a regular meeting place so we can welcome new members! We meet on 1st and 3rd Thursdays from 10.00 – 12.00. Ring. U3A K9s Bart   Lucky is away for a few weeks on his holiday in France. Bart would like any dogs (and their owners preferably) to join him for a country amble on the following:- Feb 10th 2 pm Meet outside the village stores in Studland (plenty of parking in roads nearby) for a stroll on Godlingston Heath. March 10th 2 pm Meet outside the N.T. Information centre in Corfe for a walk in the Corfe area. Wardles’ Walks (or Michael’s Meanders and Rita’s Rambles) We meet second Thursday of the month – meet 9.50, start 10.00. Walks normally last about 2 hours. Please wear stout shoes and bring rainwear: 12 February: Chapman’s Pool and Hill Bottom Meet in Kingston village just past Scott Arms. 12 March: Swyre Head. Meet in car park in plantation, ¼ mile West of Kingston village.   9 April: Knowle Hill and Purbeck Way. Meet in NT Information Centre car park below Corfe Castle. 14 May: Seacombe Bottom and Winspit. Meet in Worth Matravers car park, before the Square and Compass.   4 June: Dancing Ledge and Blacker’s Hole. Meet in car park ¾ mile west of Langton Matravers at junction of roads to Kingston and Worth Matravers. This is the last walk this year; please note the date. New Members ☺Welcome to Purbeck U3A: Judy Clegg and Susan Tomes of Swanage, Bill and Shirley Rogers of Wareham, Pamela Jeffries of East Stoke, Philippa Ward of Bere Regis and Jim Humberstone of Poole. Group Profile WOOL AND WAREHAM READING GROUP January 2009 and that means it is our first anniversary… The year has passed, and we are better off for reading at least 12 books. Or are we? We found a good mix of tales, and authors. We found some attuned to our preferences, and some definitely not! How did some novels even reach the publishers desk! If we submitted one of these as a first novel, we thought it would definitely be thrown into the waste paper basket!! We have held our meetings in our various homes, and I am pleased to say that this has worked out very well. We are all supportive of each other, and a very friendly group has emerged. We have found that we have a great liking for refreshment and visited a restaurant at the end of the summer. At the end of the month we will visit it again, to celebrate our anniversary and the New Year. Also, we held a small Christmas gathering   .November’s meeting was cancelled as we were all indisposed or holidaying! The Open day at Wareham was very enjoyable, and we recruited two new members. We now really need three or four new members. Is there a Man out there? WE would appreciate some views from the male perspective! Of course we will welcome anyone who would like to join. If you would like information, PLEASE telephone . We have a programme of books already ordered for the year, to fall in line with the Library requirements! Meetings are always on LAST Thursday of the month. NEXT MEETING: 26th FEB. from 10 – 12.                                                               Janet Mc. Notice Board Staying sharp 2009 Wisdom, Ageing and Cognitive Fitness The Royal Society, Carlton House Terrace,SW1 An event to be held in the Wellcome Trust lecture hall in the afternoon of 12 March 2009. Admission by ticket only (not for sale at the door) - £11.50 per person including refreshments. Apply to: The Third Age Trust (Dana), 19 East Street, Bromley BR1 1QE enclosing an s.a.e. Cheques are payable to The Third Age Trust.  Don’t forget Hugh Elmes’ talk on Friday 13 March at Furzebrook Village Hall. 10.00 for 10.30. This Year’s U3A National Summer Schools will be held at Harper Adams University College, Newport from Monday 20th July to Thursday 23rd July and The Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester from Monday 24th August to Thursday 27th August. Copies of the paperwork may be downloaded from U3A website (details see back page) or by post from Purbeck U3A Secretary. Cost of residential course £299.00; £114.00 for a non- resident. For more information about the Open University’s free educational resource ‘Open Learn’ go to www.open.ac.uk/openlearn   Thinking Ahead to the AGM – Thursday 14 May 2009 Christmas has moved on through January, leaving us now to handle the promise of that New Year. As one of the older members of Purbeck U3A, I ask YOU ALL to think carefully how you will build on that promise to make the most of what that future holds. Now is the time to think about making Purbeck U3A 2009 the best ever, by involving yourself in its future, by deciding you will do something positive to contribute to what has to be done. There is plenty you can do, plenty of contributions you can make – all exciting and rewarding. YOU ARE PURBECK U3A. ITS FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS. How do YOU feel about it?    Tony C   Committee Meeting Next Committee Meeting: Wednesday 4 March.. The next newsletter will go out during the week beginning 9 March 2009. The form for nominations for election to the Committee will be included. Copy in by Thursday 5 March, please. Contact Details Jean Edwards Chair Marion Morris Vice Chair Patrick Webb Treasurer Janet Clark Secretary / Newsletter Editor Nigel Tennant Membership Secretary Robin Humphries Group Co-ordinator / Development Officer Janet Jones Publicity Check out our Website at: www.purbeckU3A.org.uk .Third Age Trust: www.u3a.org.uk