In this update:
- Notices/announcements
- News from the groups
- A short story
Notices/Announcements
We are sad to announce the death of Alan Stuart, a well-known and much-loved ex-teacher at Havant Grammar School.
Membership – As of the 17 November 2024, we have 578 Members.
Our next monthly meeting is on 16th January 2025 – Steve Herra will be sharing with the audience stories of Sweeney Todd and his accomplice ‘a shocking tale of Romance, Riches and Retribution’ (Don’t miss it!). More details here.
New members coffee morning – We will be holding a coffee morning for all new members in February 2025. The meeting is designed for you to meet other new members and some of the committee. Watch out for your invite!
Group leaders meeting – We will be holding a coffee morning for all group leaders in March 2025. Details will be circulated shortly. The meeting will give group leaders the opportunity to discuss problems/issues and best practice.
The Christmas newsletter will be available during December.
News from the groups
Hayling Huggers ukulele band top £3,000 in donations
The Hayling Huggers Band, which started off life as a u3a group for beginners, has been performing since about 2011. Supporting small events at first, they chose to raise money for Naomi House, and Jack’s Place, a children’s hospice that Avril Keyes, and with whom the leader and originator of the group had connections.
We were delighted when earlier in the year the hospice wrote to us and sent a colourful receipt, which can be seen in the photo, thanking us for raising an incredible £2,977.81. We recently played at the Rowans Christmas Fayre, a gig which we have supported for the past several years. We had our usual collection bucket which was taken round the halls a few times and thanks to the generosity of the people supporting the Fayre, collected £57.05. Making a tremendous total of £3,034.82.
Alan Bartlett
Local History 2 / British History
Local History has undergone a metamorphosis into British History!
This group continues to meet on the 2nd Monday at 2 pm as usual but it has expanded its research into Local and British History.
Norma Downs
Current Affairs
It was a year ago that Alan Price suggested that HIU3A create a new Current Affairs group, and the inaugural meeting was held in April.
The group meets monthly in the conservatory which is kindly lent to us by Wimborne Care Home.
We always have a lively discussion on one main topic and one or more secondary topics. These have included Rwanda, the UK and US elections, and the recent Budget. We have also found ourselves diverted by “Events”- our plan to discuss Ukraine “next time” was delayed twice We now recognise the truth of the adage (attributed to Harold Wilson) that “a week is a long time in politics”!
Richard North
History 2
The group was started soon after the formation of Hayling u3a by Len Smith. He handed leadership of the group over to Ben Lyon, who ran it for a dozen years with regular monthly meetings at his home.
Unfortunately, Ben was very ill in Autumn 2023 and handed the reins over to Richard North. There were only 3 of us at each of the first 3 meetings of 2024 and the group was at risk of breaking up. But we have had 3 new members arrive, and Ben and Peter Jessup (who also missed several meetings for family reasons) both re-joined the group this summer. So, our membership is now the highest it has been this decade.
We have had presentations by our members on a wide range of topics this year, including Queen Victoria, the Portsmouth Forts, Dick Whittington, the Battle of Trafalgar, and the Irish Famine.
Richard North
Walking Group
The walking group is permanently open to new members and currently has 88 members which is the largest group in Hayling u3a. We have 10 walk leaders.
In the last 12 months, we have had 240 members on our walks, and our cumulative mileage this year has been well over 1000 miles.
Every month, we offer a 3 to 5 mile walk, normally held on the 4th Monday of the month, and a walk of 6 miles or more, normally on the 1st Friday.
During 2024, we offered an extra walk in some months, and some of our walks started with us using the bus to get off Hayling, then the 700 Coast-liner to get to the walk start. We plan to offer more of these walks in 2025.
We travelled for up to an hour to some of the longer walks, with destinations like Puttenham Common (near Godalming) and Cissbury and Chanctonbury Rings or Trails with their amazing views over Worthing. Closer to home, we walked the Billy Trail and Hayling along the beach from Emsworth. We have also visited Bosham, West Wittering, Southsea and Bracklesham to enjoy costal walks.
If you are not in the walking group and would like to join, simply contact Richard North. And come and join us on our traditional Christmas walk on Monday 30th December. We start at 10 a.m. with a coffee at Pebble Beach then walk as far as the Inn on the Beach before returning for Fish and Chips at The Coastguard at 12 noon.
If you can offer to lead walks for us, we would like to hear from you, and can give you help with any aspect of walk leading, such as loaning walk books and joining the new leader on a “recce”. Come along to the annual walk planning meeting, which will be on Monday 13th January from 10.30 till 12 at the Barley Mow, please come along if you would like to lead a group, have any suggestions for where we might walk or any new ideas for the walking group.
Richard North
The Bookies
Our November meeting marked the 10 year anniversary of the formation of our book group aptly named The Bookies. So lovely that after all this time 6 of the original cast of misfits – myself/Sylvia Bridget, Margaret, Pam, Jane and Janet (who unfortunately couldn’t attend this month’s meeting). Along with our two newbies Joanne and Pauline make for a lively monthly meeting of 8 voices. We have become firm friends and not only share our thoughts on books but every other subject under the sun. As designated Leader of the Pack I sometimes have to bring them back to order! We support each other through good times and the bad times along with numerous cups of tea – ah tea who would have thought there were so many variations on how to make tea! Naturally along with the tea there must be sweet treats and amongst us we have some fine bakers.
My lovely Bookies presented me with a thankyou card and presents for organising our meeting and books. Such a surprise and left me quite emotional. Thank you gang you know how special you are.
Looking forward to our Christmas Special where we meet at the Hayling Island Golf Club for lunch and review and chat.
Sylvia Clamp
Pickle Ball
We play on Monday 4 – 5.30 at HICCA.
It is a fun sport that contains elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis, played on a badminton court. The u3a committee has recently purchased 2 pickleball stands and nets for our use and for which we are most grateful.
We all enjoy the game and have improved, so at times it can be quite competitive. Some of our members have left to join other clubs so they are able to play competitively in a league. This has enabled us to take on 3 new players from our waiting list to fill these spaces.
Chris Robotham
New groups
Chair Yoga and Mindfulness - When: Wednesday, 10 - 11 am
Where: Room 2, Hayling Community Centre. There will be a Free Taster Class on 15th January. After that, it’s £10 per class for drop-ins or 6 classes for the price of 5 if you book a block
Creative writing – a second group has been set up.
Philosophy – a second group has been set up
4th Thursday Dining Club – this group has been set up for ‘singles’ to have lunch together on the 4th Thursday of the month. The group will not start until February 25.
Please express an interest to these groups via the website.
A Short Story
Have I got news for you!
By Fiona Bartlett
The reporter stood at the end of the hospital bed, his notebook held up ready and his pencil poised. He surveyed the figure lying in the bed, swathed in bandages.
“Now sir, can you tell me what happened to you. Your own words will have so much more impact on our readers you understand?”
The figure nodded and took a breath.
“Well,” he began. “I was just minding my own business, sitting on the wall when suddenly a figure ran past me at top speed with a pig under his arm. He’d obviously stolen it.”
The reporter nodded and wrote down, ‘figure carrying a stolen pig’.
“Do you have any idea who the figure was?” He asked.
“Well, I think it might have been Tom the Pipers son, but I wouldn’t swear to it. Anyway, in the rush and surprise, I fell off the wall and this is the result.”
Did anyone come to your aid sir?”
The reporter was scribbling hard.
“Well, that was a fiasco if ever I saw one.” Replied the figure. “Firstly, the Duke of York tried to muster all the King’s horses and all the King’s men. You’ve never seen such a pantomime. He marches them up the hill and then down again as he couldn’t see me up there. I was down on the floor in pieces, wasn’t I? They were up on horseback so of course they couldn’t see me. Then to make matters worse, while I was lying there, these sheep started sniffing round me”
The reporter paused in his writing. “Did you say sheep?”
“Yes, sheep. I think they had escaped from that dozy shepherdess, you know the one I mean? That’s right Bo Peep. Well with a name like that she must be dozy. I’d have changed it if it was mine, wouldn’t you?”
The reporter mumbled something unintelligible and wrote busily on his pad.
“Anyway,” continued the figure “These two youngsters come stumbling past, a boy and a girl. The boy was holding a piece of brown paper to his head which smelt strongly of vinegar. They said that they had fallen over when they went to fetch a pail of water and were now on their way to the hospital, so I asked them to send someone sane to pick me up and bring me here to the hospital. Which they kindly did, and now you see me. Will that do for your paper?”
The reporter paused and read his copy back to the figure in the bed. He looked at the bandages and he didn’t really think that they were going to be much help putting a larger-than-life egg back together again, but he didn’t want to depress the patient so he just smiled and said
“Thank you very much Mr Dumpty. I hope that they catch the boy who stole the pig.”