Monthly newsletter – September

In this newsletter:

Dates for your diary
News
Hayling Island u3a AGM
Waterside patient participation group
Puzzles
What the butler saw
Useless fun facts

Dates for your diary

September 17^th at 14.00 – Hayling u3a AGM

More information here.

October 15^th – Ian Worley -Racing through the southern ocean

Ian was chosen to crew on Great Britain II in the 1977/78 Whitbread Round the World Race as a watch leader, taking over as the skipper in the Southern Ocean on a temporary basis. The race was completed after a number of setbacks such as being knocked on her side, several breakages and damage as well as ferocious storms and being struck by lightning. More.

November 19^th – Andrew Negus – Winchester, Bishops, buildings and bones

Andrew a retired history teacher is a recognised local historian and a blue badge holder as an official guide, among his hobbies he lists keeping chickens, bees and daughters. He will cover history from 1100 BC and the development of cities from iron age huts to cathedrals. More.

News

Pop Up Talks

Pop up talks are being organised for small audiences and the purpose is to inform rather than entertain.

They will be held in S^t Patrick's Roman Catholic church hall on the first Friday of the month starting in October.

The hall will be open for 10:00 am tea and coffee will be served first.

There is adequate free car parking in front of the church, plus toilets.

Admission is open to all members but there is a charge of £2 to cover hire of the hall and the tea and coffee.

October 2^nd - Robert Heard - Drive Safely for Longer

This engaging and informative one-hour presentation combines fascinating personal experiences with practical road safety advice.

Rob Heard MBE enjoyed a 30-year career in the police service, spending 27 years in Roads Policing. During that time, he rode with the Special Escort Group, escorting members of the Royal Family, Heads of State, visiting dignitaries, and major sporting events, including the Olympic Torch Relay and the London 2012 Olympics.

Drawing on these unique experiences, Rob explains how his policing career led to a lifelong passion for improving road safety. He will share how he went on to establish the Older Drivers Forum, now recognised nationally for its work in supporting mature and older drivers to remain safe, confident, and independent for as long as possible.
The talk explores the changing demographics of the UK's driving population, the challenges facing older drivers, and the importance of helping people stay mobile safely rather than simply encouraging them to stop driving. Rob also discusses the vital role that good eyesight plays in safe driving, explains the current legal vision standards, and shares why regular eye examinations are one of the simplest yet most effective ways of reducing road risk.

Packed with real-life stories, practical advice, humour, and thought-provoking insights, Driving Safely for Longer is suitable for drivers of all ages, their families, and anyone with an interest in road safety and healthy ageing.

November 6^th - Tax, care and Toy Boys

The Co-op's estate planning team try to help people access legal information and guidance, breaking down barriers presented by traditional law firms.

The law can be a scary subject but the team endeavour to provide insight into some important legal issues many have to face as we get older.

This is done in a light-hearted and jargon-free manner. An Estate Planning expert will deliver a 45-minute talk and will then conclude with Q&A...

Protecting Your Home and Savings: One of the primary concerns as individuals age is ensuring their hard-earned assets benefit their loved ones.
Inheritance Tax: As the saying goes, “Only two things in life are certain… death and taxes.”
‘Sideways Disinheritance’ and Blended Families: The complexities of remarriage and blended families can unintentionally lead to situations where certain family members inherit nothing.
Lasting Powers of Attorney: Contemplating a time when you may be unable to make decisions for yourself due to illness, accidents, or old age is never easy.

February 5^th - Paul Day - My Digital Legacy

My Digital Legacy is a thought-provoking exploration of how our online presence outlives us.

In an age where digital footprints are permanent, this talk delves into the emotional, ethical, and practical aspects of managing our virtual selves after death.

From social media accounts, emails, photos to digital assets, My Digital Legacy offers insights on preserving, protecting, and shaping the memories we leave behind in the digital world.

Whether you’re planning for your own legacy or handling a loved one’s digital remains, this talk is a guide to navigating the evolving landscape of our online afterlife.

Paul Day is a retired IT Specialist who is passionate about helping people take control of their digital lives—now and for the future. He is a member of Chandlers Ford u3a, and currently their Treasurer. He runs three groups:

Apple Users Groups (1 & 2)
Foods of the World Group.

His interests are photography, learning to play a musical instrument, travelling and enjoy being with his family.

13^th October Trip to Oxford – Havant U3A

Havant U3A are taking a coach trip for a day in Oxford on 13th October and have kindly offered us the chance to join them.

The coach will leave Market Parade in Havant (opposite Iceland) at 9 a.m. and get back at 6 p.m. which should give us 5 hours looking around Oxford.

Contact Val Worthington if you wish to join the visit, or contact Richard North.

Meals out

The meals out group is planning to go to the Moghul again for the buffet, meeting at 6pm on Wednesday 9^th September.

The other September meal out has not yet been finalised - there will be a separate email about that.

For more information please contact Richard or Angie.

Bletchley Park visit

We used Nigel Powell's coach to take us to Bletchley Park on 25th August 2026. This was Hayling U3A's first visit there since 2017.

It was fascinating to hear the story of how the German and Japanese wartime codes were broken and how this contributed significantly to Allied victory in World War Two.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect is that the 9000 or so who worked at Bletchley Park, having signed the Official Secrets Act, prevented their exploits becoming publicly known for a quarter of a century!

In a change to our usual way of doing things, we all parked at Langstone Quays Hotel and boarded the coach there. This significantly reduced the cost. It was a long day and some of us joined with members of the meals out group in a lasagne supper when we got back to the hotel.

Unfortunately, the visit was undersubscribed, with only 22 Hayling u3a members making the trip. Our link-up with Havant u3a meant that we were able to attract four of their members to join us on the visit.

Hayling Island u3a AGM

The 2026 AGM will take place on 17^th September starting at 2.00 pm at the Community Centre.

Apologies
Minutes of previous meeting
Matters arising
Chair report
Treasurer report
Appointment of officers
AOB
Date of next meeting

Minutes of the last meeting, papers to be presented, and committee member nomination details are here.

Following the meeting, the D’Ukes of Hayling will be playing a few popular tunes to sing along to.

Waterside patient participation group

The Waterside Medical Practice Patient Participation Group (PPG) aims are to promote and foster good relations between the Practice and patients, to act as advisors on communications between the practice and patients and to work to improve services from a patient point of view.

The PPG is affiliated to N.A.P.P. (National Association for Patient Participation), the umbrella organisation for patient-led groups in general practice in the UK.

Membership of the PPG is available to all registered patients of the practice. To maintain effective functioning, the committee will be limited to twelve members and will endeavour to meet four times per year.

The PPG’s activities will be determined by the needs of the practice, its patients and the wider community.

Aims:

The group will provide a communication channel between the patients and the practice.
With the help and assistance of the practice, the group will seek suggestions from patients for improvements to the service and highlight any areas that need attention.
The group will assist the practice in monitoring quality through patient participation.

Objectives:

Communication: The group will influence the development of policies in the practice by representing patient views. This will ensure patients make the best use of the facilities available.
Surveys: The group will conduct surveys with patients to inform the action plan.
The group will work with the practice to ensure changes are fed down to local community groups.
The group will be informed of the commissioning plans and policies of the ICB and engaged in consultations when required.
Information will be given to patients through poster displays and the practice newsletter (if practice has one).

Rules governing the group:

The group shall elect a chair to serve for a period of two years and will be elected at a PPG meeting. Meeting at the practice/virtually will be held quarterly. The group will also elect a secretary to minute meeting and share agendas accordingly.
The group will consist of at least a core group of 4 patients.

Join our Patient Participation Group

All registered patients are able to join our Patient Participation Group. People of all genders, ages, ethnicities, and those with health conditions and disabilities are encouraged to join.

Members should as far as possible, be representative of the surgery population.

Telephone for more information or to register: 023 9246 2719

Puzzles

1960's quiz

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as he rode in a motorcade through which American city?
Who is best known for the catchphrase "Boom! Boom!"?
Elvis Presley’s only documented visit to Britain was a brief stopover in which country?
The Beatles walked across a zebra crossing on which London Road at 11.35am on August 8^th 1969, Where?
On 1^st September 1969, Colonel Gaddafi took power in which country?
Which British fashion designer is credited with inventing the miniskirt?
Who had a number-one hit with "Anyone Who Had a Heart"?
Who on the 1969 Apollo 11 mission became the second person to walk on the Moon?
Which major scandal in British politics involved 19-year-old model Christine Keeler?
In 1962 an American spy plane photographed nuclear missile sites being built by the Soviet Union on which island country?

Reveal the answers

Countdown conundrum

Find the anagram of:

Reveal the answer

Countdown numbers game

Make 429 using these numbers:

Reveal an answer

What the butler saw

The Butler was called George although his given name was Frederick. The butlers were always called George by the family because that was easier for them to remember and they had read somewhere that was a tradition of the gentry. On this particular morning, George, or Fred as his mates called him, was ironing the morning newspapers for his Lordship. His Lordship wasn’t a real lord either, so the deceptions multiplied as the day went along. The next little bit of unreality was Her Ladyship, or Madam, which was actually more appropriate, given her occupational history. With a vocabulary more extensive than her dress sense, she drifted about issuing orders, in what she thought was a regal manner. George sometimes thought that the house could be called Regal Manor.

He was humming to himself as he ironed, trying not to burn the newsprint and casually reading the headlines, when his attention was caught by a report of a misdemeanour carried out locally. His eyes widened as he read. “Well well well.” He muttered. “If it’s not me old mate Fingers MaGill, then I’m a Dutchman”. George, or Fred, carried on reading about his old mate who had been recently nicked by Detectives after carrying out a daring daylight robbery. Fingers real name was Neville Spratt, but as he was an accomplished pickpocket, he had earned the nickname of Fingers, and George had once been a fully paid-up member of the gang, together with two other misfits who were now tucked away in a jail somewhere north of Watford. George was paying close attention to the details now, and discovered that the stolen items had yet to be recovered, and anyone with information was encouraged to tell the local police. George had no intention of telling the police anything, in case they remembered his not so squeaky clean past. His Lordship was aware of Georges history which was kept between them as George was also aware of his Lordships history as well.

It was a mutually beneficial arrangement which was slightly weighted as George felt he had got the short straw here. However, the alternative would have been much more uncomfortable, in the shape of a cell at His Majesty’s pleasure.

George then realised that he was in danger of burning the paper as he was so engrossed in reading the report. He quickly turned the iron off and folded the paper, carefully placing it on the breakfast tray with the article hidden from sight. His brain was working at speed now. Where would Fingers have hidden the loot from the robbery? There were plenty of places nearby that would be suitable. George tried to put himself in his old friends shoes. Shoes! Fingers was always very fond of expensive shoes, and had a shop in town who made shoes especially for him. George remembered a pair that had slightly higher heels, which were able to be unscrewed in order to hide things. If only he could get access to Fingers lodgings he could have a look. He was still pondering this as he took the breakfast tray up to the dining room where his Lordship sat waiting. At that moment, her Ladyship entered the room and announced that there was man at the door with a pair of shoes for himself, which he had presumably ordered. Madam instructed George to go and see what the man was talking about, and to send him away. George could not believe his luck. The man with the shoes must be from his old mate. George almost ran to the front door and grabbed the shoes from the man on the doorstep. He shut the door in the poor man’s face and raced downstairs. Then, with trembling hands, he twisted the heel, exposing the small gap with a piece of paper folded in it. The note was from Fingers MaGill. “The jooles are in the back of the car boot”, it read. Good luck. George tutted. Fingers never could spell! The only snag was, that Fingers didn’t own a car. He had never learned to drive and just collected a series of model cars instead. George put the shoes back together and tried to think where the model car collection was now.

It was a couple of days later when George saw an advertisement for a local auction which was going to be selling collectables, including a wonderful set of model cars. The auction was due to take place in the following week, and interested parties were invited to come. George looked at the date. It had to be Finger’s collection. He contacted the auction house and discovered that the cars had a reserve price of £500. This was beyond what George would consider bidding, but he didn’t have to buy the collection, just have access to it to examine the models and find one with a boot that opened. George was thinking hard when his Lordship announced that he would be going to the auction as he was interested in a classic car collection! This was the solution. George could go with him as his butler and while transporting the cars, he could examine them and find the loot. Perfect!

The day of the auction arrived and George and his Lordship took their places. There was a fair degree of excitement around the car collection and bidding was brisk. There was another man bidding also and the price was getting higher and higher till suddenly, the auctioneer said that a new bidder had arrived on line and the cars were sold! This caused a bit of a stir and the auctioneer was challenged as to the identity of the new bidder. After some fairly unpleasant exchanges it was discovered that the cars had been bought by a representative of the police, who were impounding it for investigation.

George and his boss returned home, back to their respective roles of master and his butler. George thought that it was a good job that he had casually examined the cars before the bidding started and managed to remove the diamond ring from the boot of one of them.

All in all, what the butler saw were opportunities at every turn.

Useless fun facts

The fear of long words is called Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.
A penguin can reach depths of 550 meters in one dive.
Lemons float, but limes sink.
All mammals get goosebumps.
The Philippines consists of 7,641 islands.
You can’t fold a piece of A4 paper more than eight times.
Flamingos aren’t born pink.
Giraffes hum to communicate with each other.
New car smell' is a mix of over 200 chemicals.
Pine trees can tell if it's about to rain.
Identical twins don’t have the same fingerprints.
Only a quarter of the Sahara Desert is sandy.
It takes a drop of water 90 days to travel the entire Mississippi River
Peanuts aren’t nuts; they are legumes.