Group report

Petanque 1

The Group continues to have a full complement of members with Sunday and Wednesday sessions at Seacourt Tennis Club's two rinks (or more correctly, pistes) each attracting an average of about 10 players. Earlier in the summer we were challenged by the newly formed Ems Valley U3A Pétanque Group to a friendly match which we managed to win by 3 games to 1. At the end of September we entered 4 teams in the annual National U3A Event at Mill Rythe which featured about 54 teams from across England and Wales. Three of our teams eventually went out in the knockout stages but one team made up for this by winning all of its games and ended up taking Gold! A truly magnificent achievement especially since many of the opposing teams were considerably more experienced. A photo of the winning team – comprising Sheila Partridge, Geoff Belding and Sue Humphrey - proudly displaying their medals is shown below.

Geoff Hollis

This is an article published in the Winter 2019 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter

Group report

Walking Netball

Eleven ladies travelled to Horndean to play our first match. We hadn't had an opportunity to play a full game before due to lack of numbers but because we have had lots of ball practice we didn't let ourselves down. At the end of 4 quarters the final score was 6-4 to Horndean and they have been playing for 3 years compared to our 4 months! Well done ladies!

Anne Hollis

This is an article published in the Winter 2019 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter

Group report

Wine appreciation 2

We had the inaugural meeting of Wine Appreciation Group 2 in July, and were lucky to be able to sit outside on one of those balmy evenings we enjoyed this summer. We had the help of Norma and Terry, who run Wine Appreciation Group 1, who came along to advise us all on how their group operates.

The theme of the evening was “A Wine for Summer” and we had 3 very different white wines and a rosé to taste. But to the surprise of us all, the winner was a red Cotes du Rhone bought from Lidl. Unusually for a red, the wine is required to be served chilled. Every wine came with interesting information about its provenance, and sometimes a story. In the case of the red, it came from the old-established firm of M. Chapoutier, and we were told that every child born to the family is given a name starting with the letter M in case they end up in charge of the family firm. Andy Henderson, who brought the wine, added that he first drank it at the end of a hot and exhausting day’s walking in the Alps – a recipe for making the evening’s refreshment memorable!

The group continues to meet every 2 months, with Australian Reds being the theme of our next tasting.

Richard North

This is an article published in the Winter 2019 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter

Group report

Creative writing

2019 has been a rather turbulent year for the Writers' Circle. One treasured member, Derek Knight, was bereaved when his wife, Audrey, passed away and was not in the best of health himself. Recently, we heard the sad news that Derek had died; he will be much missed by the community. He was a leading light of the Hayling Lions, the Hayling Choir and the bell ringers. He worked tirelessly for charity, after a successful career...his death an end to a memorable chapter.

On a happier note, we have acquired two new members who are extremely promising writers, although without a great deal of experience in the art.

I have also written some reviews for an online jazz magazine, which were published. This was due to the stimulus provided by being a member of a writing group.

It is vital for groups to renew and refresh themselves as much as possible and the U3A writers have continually realised their hopes and dreams through the medium of fiction.

We currently meet in different venues, all in members' homes, but without a permanent base. This situation may change in 2020.

To sum up this year, we have experienced loss and renewal but we continue to derive fellowship and inspiration from meeting each month and sharing our thoughts.

Maggi Bridgman

This is an article published in the Winter 2019 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter....

Group report

Improvers' Bridge

The slightly misnamed Improvers Bridge Group continues to meet, every Tuesday, at 10.00am, at the Royal British Legion, Mengham. We play until 12.00 noon.

This Group has now been meeting for over 11 years, many having learnt bridge with the U3A. It has become more of a friendly, social Bridge Group, playing ACOL bridge, enjoying a relaxed morning of bridge, with coffee and biscuit break included! All reasonable players, but not sure about improvers!

Periodically, we arrange a local lunch after the bridge games.

We normally have 4/5 tables, and will welcome new Members. Cost for the morning is £2.00 per person.

If you are interested in joining, please call in on a Tuesday morning.

John Moore

This is an article published in the Winter 2019 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter....

Group report

Painting & drawing 1, Painting & drawing 2, Painting & Drawing 3

We meet every fourth Friday of the month 10.00 to 12.00am, at The Radford Hall. We usually have between 10 and 12 attendees, and there is always room for more. It is always a very relaxed morning, we meet to have fun and experiment with different techniques and approaches. Since Christmas we have done portraits of someone you know, printing with potatoes and other things, and wild animals in any medium.

Lesley Vincent

This is an article published in the Summer 2019 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter

Group report

Music appreciation 1, Music appreciation 2

Our group continues to meet on the fourth Friday of each month at 2pm, usually at Maura’s home.

We normally choose a composer to discuss and one of us will give a presentation on his music. Often we choose a composer whose birthday falls on the day we are meeting and we have discovered some very interesting “unknown to us” composers in this way.

We discussed the music of Henry VIII on whose birthday we met. We were all surprised to learn how much music he composed and we listened to several pieces played on instruments which were used in his time. Apparently he would ask his musicians, of whom he had many, to play for him whilst he entertained his lady friends in his bedchamber!!

None of us were surprised to learn that he did not in fact write the music for Greensleeves, though there is some evidence that he might have written the words for Anne Boleyn! We enjoyed listening to the song anyway!!

Sue Humphrey/Maura Chapman

This is an article published in the Summer 2019 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter

Group report

History allsorts

The object of the U3A is to learn. In this group, we have found that a sure fire way of ensuring that you learn something is to be told that you are going to have to give a talk to your peers on your chosen historic subject.

Over the last year we have had talks on a wide variety of topics which have included:-

The Huguenots and their impact on British society; Constantine the Great from 324 BC; The Neolithic period of Prehistoric Britain; Royal Navy Press Gangs from 1664 onwards; The motion of the Earth round the Sun and its influence on how we measure time; Conflicts between the USA and Mexico, Cuba, Spain and the Philippines; What it means to be 'Celtic' in Britain from 1707 AD onwards; The contrasts between reality and the Hollywood versions of the lives of Wyatt Earp and other western 'gunslingers'; Admiral Fieldhouse 1st Sea Lord during the Falklands War; and The connection between the Meteorological Office and Pitcairn Island.

A very original and thought provoking talk was given by Richard North on what we mean by 'History', how it was taught when we were all pupils, and how it is taught now.

At present we are at maximum capacity but if we have any vacancies in the future it will appear on the U3A website.

William (Ben) Lyon,

This is an article published in the Summer 2019 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter

Group report

Ukes for U, Ukulele Thursday afternoon, Ukulele Thursday morning

We have had a number of gigs since the beginning of the year. Some have been for the groups themselves ie Memory Clubs and some we have received donations for playing enabling us to send £230 to Naomi House/Jack's Place.

We will be having quite a long summer break before rehearsing Carols for our Christmas gigs already booked.

Avril Keyes

Ukulele Thursday and Ukulele Friday

For those relatively new to the Ukulele or wish to gain confidence and enjoy playing in a small relaxed group for fun.

When? - from first week of September on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month from 10am and/or the 1st and 3rd Fridays from 4pm.

If you would like to know more please contact Peter Haskell.

This is an article published in the Summer 2019 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter

Group report

Card making & paper craft 1, Card making & paper craft 2, Card making & paper craft 3

Since my last update the 3 Card Making Groups have made lots of beautiful cards ranging from Easter cards, Thank you cards and Birthday cards for men and ladies using different layouts and designs. The groups have also learnt new techniques, an example being how to emboss 3 ways using embossing paste, embossing folders and embossing powders. Each month there is a different project and from September the groups will begin to make their Christmas cards and present tags. We always have fun and there is always lots of laughter as well as making our cards.

If you are interested in this type of activity please contact me

Anne Hollis

This is an article published in the Summer 2019 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter

Group report

Reading 1, Reading 2, Reading 3, Reading B

As members of a reading group we have varied interests and tastes: how, therefore, to choose books that satisfy us all?

We like biographies, so read two over the past year, but though interesting books, neither of the subjects appealed to us. “Sheila” by Robert Wainwright, chronicled the life of a beautiful Aussie socialite who married into the British aristocracy and was rumoured to have had an affair with the future King George V!. (There was a Hayling connection – one of her lovers was the ex-husband of the Russian princess buried in St Peters’ churchyard). In “Spilling the Beans” well-born Clarissa Dickson Wright (one of the two fat ladies of TV cooking fame) told of her abusive childhood and descent into drunkenness. We thought her at times too boastful and economical with the truth and found some of her views abhorrent.

Choosing books by authors we have previously (separately) read and admired does not always guarantee a popular read. Robert Harris’ “The Fear Index” (topically about Artificial Intelligence) and Eric Newby’s “Departures and Arrivals” (snippets from his extensive travels about the world) were agreed not to be their best works.

Reading classics has been an aim of our group, and Daphne du Maurier’s “The House on the Strand”, deemed an example of a modern classic, was thought to be a very good read. Far more sombre, “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin, published in the USA in 1899, and described as the first feminist novel, was rated rather dull and tame. (The author’s beautifully crafted prose went unappreciated!) Taking as its subject the growing sexual feelings of a married woman for another man, it was thought scandalous in its day, ending its author’s novelistic career.

Comedy novels were surprisingly unpopular. Chosen as lighter summer reading “Mapp and Lucia” by E F Benson (between-the-wars social rivalry) and “Hitman Anders and the Meaning of it All” by Jonas Jonasson (a Swedish satire from the author of ”The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared”) proved flops. Taste in comedy is very personal, and it may be best to steer clear in future!

So, does it matter that some books are not liked by some of the group? We feel that the challenge of trying books we would not otherwise have come across, thus widening our reading experience, is what a reading group is for.

Now it is time to choose again for 2020 ………..

Jen Cayley

This is an article published in the Summer 2019 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter