Hi everyone,
I hope you are enjoying this wonderful weather. What a treat to be able to get out into the garden again.
I must bring to your attention a matter which is causing concern to the Bourne Hall staff, and Tony has passed this on to keep you all in the loop. Bourne Hall parking issues. There is an untrue rumour that car parking spaces “had been sold by Bourne Hall to the health centre”. It is a public, council-owned car park. Spaces are frequently at a premium. Our website lists details of the other car parks in the village. The prices are the same as Bourne Hall. I sincerely hope that if any of you come across this matter, you can now challenge the person passing on incorrect information.
It has also come to my attention that a lady who was mobility impaired said that she wished the committee would not take the front row of seats at the monthly meeting. The only committee members sitting in the front row are four committee members who have to get onto the stage. All the Really Useful Group members sit at the back, and so do most of the committee members. I personally put out reserved signs for those members who are mobility impaired. I had to leave the last meeting early, and I did not see this lady. If she or anyone else is mobility impaired, come and see me or send me an email reserving a seat. Please give your name and membership number; I will make sure a place is reserved for you.
I wish you all a happy Easter with lots of chocolate eggs. Be sure to take out a mortgage for the price of them, but most of all, enjoy.
Take good care of yourselves,
Best wishes,
Sybi – Chair, Epsom and Ewell U3A
Due to the Easter Holiday our monthly speaker for this month is on Monday April 13th
On Monday May 11th join us for our Annual Open House showcase from 10.00 - 12.00 at Bourne Hall
Garden Visiting Group
This month the group took a trip to RHS Wisley to see the camellias, magnolias and flowering cherry trees.
Unfortunately, the garden refused us access to Battlestone Hill which was full of flowering trees, because of high winds, but we managed to find many beautiful displays of interesting plants and flowers.
We were amazed to see tulips coming into flower early in March.
Next month we will be going to Emmett's garden & Pashley Manor for bluebells & tulips.
Coffee club dates:
Wed Apr 22nd, Wed May 20th, Tues Jun 23rd, Wed July 22nd
(Don't forget coffee club breaks for August)
Jazz Group meets on Monday April 13th featuring:
Trevor Whiting Swingtet
U3A Exploring Architecture
The architectural group chose to visit the central section of the Elizabeth line this month, taking in the design similarities and architectural differences and the artworks between each of the stations between Paddington and Liverpool Street.
We looked at the generous proportions of the tunnels, trains and ticket halls and considered if Crossrail 1 had met its brief, despite difficulties caused by conflicting specifications, political interference, Covid and constructors productivity issues.
We also managed to travel via the diagonal lifts before one broke down and trapped all of us a few inches from our destination.
It was a lovely sunny day to be heading underground so we walked between the station entrances seeing just how far apart they were, whilst still providing access to the same platforms.
The Dancing for Fitness and Fun will be meeting in April on Wednesday April 8th and Wednesday April 22nd.
Gertie's Gardeners were busy tidying this month. The crocus have finished and the tulips are now starting to flower. We planted some Acanthus kindly donated by a member.
In March the Theatre goers enjoyed two very different show.
Firstly Mel Brooks The Producers
When the original film was released in the mid 1960's it was very controversial and got very mixed reviews. The current stage production is risque but very funny and our members gave some very positive feedback on the show.
Our second show was Les Miserables. Not a true story but thought to be heavily inspired by real events, people and social issues in 19th century France around the time of the 1832 June rebellion.
The latest Ticket only Theatre offer is for a new show opening on 9th June for a short run until Sept 12th.
We have reserved tickets on two dates in order to give members a choice. The show is proving popular but we still have a few seats available.
Current availability:
July 15th 3 tickets
July 22nd 7 tickets
If you would like to book for either showing please use the booking form on the relevant date via the links.
Exploring London 8 - For March it was Tony's turn to lead and we started at London Bridge with the history of the Old Operating Theatre and the resurrectionists (body-snatchers) before stopping off at the Science Gallery - Guys cafe for coffee and cake. Then on through the back streets of London to learn about coaching inns and of course Dickens and the Marshalsea Prison.
We also visited Mint Street Park which was the site of a 16th century renaissance palace called Suffolk Place and also once housed a branch of the Royal Mint.
We finished for lunch at The George in Southwark which dates back to 1676 and is a galleried coaching inn.
The figure in the bottom left picture is called The Scary Statue installed in 2019 and is positioned at the top of a wall looking down on Kepple Row.
The March Science group meeting was about AI and proved to be extremely popular with 191 members from three u3a's in attendance.
As the topic is so current the website team have added some information on how AI works and how to use it safely. Members were all notified of the information on the mid-month update. We have received feedback from a couple of members asking some interesting questions regarding the environmental impact of AI and another askingabout the mistakes that AI can make so we have added another couple of reports explaining those topics.
All the reports can be found via the link below:
The next Science group meeting is on Wednesday May 6th.
" Singing for Pleasure "certainly felt like the Young Ones when they sang along with The Vintage Band during their March session, we featured artists such as John Denver, Shaking Stevens, Dusty Springfield, Bobby Darin, The Carpenters, Cliff Richards, and Petula Clark, members also learnt some interesting facts about each song , presentations were made to the Band, everyone had a good time, we are looking forward to a return visit of Sue Overy and her Ukulele group in May, for another fun filled session, culminating with our Concert to the Sunnybank Trust at St Barnabas Church , Epsom, in June.
Jenny Sparrow - Group Leader
