Clubs and Societies

Bartonsham Retirement Club THE club has enjoyed a very successful year. It is fully subscribed and meetings are well supported. We have been fortunate to have some interesting speakers. Recently Mark Hubbard told of plans of The Friends of the Castle Green. In December, members had a Christmas dinner together. Later a tea party with entertainment by The Monday Ringers. Ivy Sanders, Joan Fishbourne and Liz Meugh have resigned from the committee but will still be club members. We thank them for the work they have done.

Christmas fair BARCLAYS employees Yvonne Anderson and Angie Edwards recently ran a bottle stall at Weobley High School's Christmas fair raising the sum of £132, which was matched pound for pound as part of the Barclays community investment programme.

Rob Bennet, manager of Barclays in Hereford, said: "At Barclays we strive to strengthen local communities in which we live and work by supporting a range of causes from local schools to centres for older people.

"This is a fantastic example of Barclays staff fundraising with the local community to achieve something which we hope will make a real and lasting difference."

Cradley Singers CRADLEY Singers ended their successful year with a Christmas Concert at Holly Mount United Reformed Church on Saturday, December 15. The concert included traditional carols as well as new arrangements of old favourites, together with readings and audience carols.

During the evening a cheque for £1,000 was presented to Hope for Tomorrow, a local charity raising funds for mobile chemotherapy units in the three counties. It was the culmination of a very successful year, which started with an Elgar Anniversary Concert in Malvern Priory. The choir is going from strength to strength and looking forward to an exciting programme in 2008.

Earlier in the month some members of the choir performed the Christmas part of Handel's Messiah in Bransford Chapel. It was a magical setting for this concert conducted by David Kemp with David Harrison at the keyboard.

A capacity audience of 70 sat in the candle-lit chapel and afterwards went to Bransford Manor for wine and canapés. It was a delightful evening in every respect and it raised £1,000 for the appeal for St Edberga's Church Leigh, Heritage Fund.

The spring term starts on Wednesday, January 9, when rehearsals resume at Cradley School. The choir is working towards a concert in Worcester Cathedral on April 12, in aid of The Worcester Cathedral Appeal for Music and Light. The programme is a joint concert with Bromyard Wind Band and will include music by Vaughan Williams, Holst, Elgar, Arnold, Howells, Finzi, Parry and Ireland. This year sees the 50th anniversary of the death of Vaughan Williams.

Further information can be found at www.cradleysingers.org.uk Hay U3A THE first U3A Hay lecture of 2008, at 10.30am on January 15, at Summerhill Golf Club, is called Different Engines: How Science Drives Fiction and Fiction Drives Science. Co-authors of their new book of that title, Professor Mark Brake and Reverend Neil Hook, will present historical and current science fiction not as fantasy but as complementary to scientific and technological progress.

Since its emergence in the seventeenth century, science fiction has been a sustained, coherent and subversive check on the promises and pitfalls of science. In their turn, invention and discovery have forced fiction writers to confront the nature and limits of reality.

Mark Brake, Professor of Science Communication and Principal Lecturer at the University of Glamorgan and member of NASA Astrobiology Institute, is currently working on a number of documentaries for the BBC and a series of international lectures.

Neil Hook, Associate Lecturer in Science Fiction at the University of Glamorgan and an Anglican priest in Trellong in the Brecon Beacons, is also a regular contributor to the BBC and most recently to BBC Two's My Science Fiction Life.

Apart from organising 10 lectures a year, the main activity of U3A is facilitating the small groups of people who meet in an informal way to follow an interest, whether educational or recreational. There are 18 such groups at the moment and there are still places in most of them. For more information, please email bettymchay@hotmail.com or phone 01497 820814.

Hereford Deaf Children Society THE Herefordshire Deaf Children Society is a local group organising activities for deaf children/young people in Herefordshire.

The HDCS has recently held a Christmas residential weekend at Dinedor. The weekend was attended by 22 deaf children/young people living in Herefordshire. The participants took part in various workshops e.g. craft, cookery, signalong, pottery, large games. The participants made a collage during the weekend which is now being displayed at the Hereford Audiology Department at the The County Hospital. We were joined by 10 additional deaf children for a Christmas party during the weekend where they all met Santa.

The HDCS would like to thank the Local Network Fund for funding this weekend and enabling deaf children/young people to meet peers with a similar hearing loss in a communication friendly environment. We would also like to thank all the other funders who have supported our group.

If you would like further information or attend our activities a s a participant or volunteer please contact the hereforddeafchildrensociety@yahoo.co.uk. The HDCS is run entirely by volunteers and funded by donations and grants.

Kington U3A THE December meeting of the Kington branch of the U3A took the form of a festive celebration at Titley Village Hall, which was much enjoyed by all, with Christmas songs provided by the Sing-along Group, readings and poems, a music quiz and community carol singing.

The Sing-along Group also made a return visit to the Hay-on-Wye Luncheon Club to entertain the members with Christmas songs and carols after their Christmas lunch. The singers were made very welcome, with much appreciated tea, coffee and mince pies. Other interest groups have had a short Christmas break and will resume regular meetings in the new year. For details of all activities, keep an eye on the tourist office window in Kington, where you will be able to find out what the U3A is all about.

The first monthly meeting of 2008 will take place at 2pm on Thursday, January 10, at the Masonic Hall in Headbrook, Kington, when retired local vet, Ian Waugh, will share memories of his working life in this area. (Members £1, non-members £2 - to include refreshments.) For further information contact the secretary on 01544 231401 or go to www.sitekreator.com/Kington-U3A Leominster Civic Society ALTHOUGH it does seem a long time since the November meeting of the Leominster Civic Society, the presentation by Leominster Fire Service was memorable.

We were sorry that David Taylor was unable to attend but his colleagues filled the breach admirably. We were able to handle many items of equipment both historic and current. Some of the historic items appeared to be more of a liability than protection, leather helmets needing the neck of a horse to support them and prototype modern replacements which melted when hot.

We are deeply indebted to these local men and women who serve us, Best wishes to them all for the coming year.

Our meetings take place on the second Monday of each month is held in the Talbot Hotel at 7.30pm. We look forward to seeing you all for the first of these meetings on Monday, January 14, when Richard Collins, director for Renewable Energy, from John Amos Ltd, will be talking about Biofuels - fuels for the future?

Marches Ringcraft Congratulation to members Anthony and Vicky Watt on the birth of their son Harry. Also to Mike Turner on making his mini long dachshund Flck up to champion at only 14-months-old. We wish all our members a Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you all on January 10, when we recommence classes.

Ross and District U3A At the last general monthly meeting of 2007 the Ross and District U3A were all treated to a talk by Dr Anthony Evans about Gardens for Public Enjoyment. We were all familiar with the Yellow Book, which advertises privately owned gardens open to the public for a day or two a year, raising money for charity, but we did not know the history behind it.

Dr Evans concluded his talk with an impassioned description of his own garden and his favourite plant - the peony.

After the talk the group celebrated its 25th anniversary (the U3A started in the UK in 1982) with a slice of celebration cake, made by one of our members, Mrs Hillary Stringer.

The celebration moved a member of the creative writing group to compose this poem: U3A Silver Jubilee, by Barbara Burden.

A quarter of a century. Well I never!

A quarter of a century since they got together To turn the Stone-age/ Iron-age Oldies Into dynamic, alert, vibrant Goldies Willing to teach. Willing to learn And share with each other, and so turn Vegetable life - with no outgoing To one of wonderment, one of knowing.

Meeting each other - taking part in study Meeting each other to look, learn and see.

Perhaps to stimulate a dormant nerve.

Perhaps to trigger some inner verve.

Whatever our interests - what part we take, We never expected a birthday cake To celebrate a quarter of a century Of U3A. Thanks, Hillary.

While enjoying the cake we also had a bring and buy sale which kept all the members busy, rummaging through craft items, christmas decorations, cosmetics, plants, jams, jellies and nearly new items.

Soon after we had an afternoon of skittles, which, following a tie-break was won by Mary Woozencroft, finally beating John Stringer to the bottle of wine.

Lastly we enjoyed a Christmas dinner at the Hope and Anchor with entertainment led by the singing group.

Our next meeting is on Monday, January 21 at the Larruperz Centre at 2.30pm.

If you would like any further information about the U3A call 01989 567789 or 562842.