National Trust

by WebmasterNational TrustPosted on Comments are Disabled

We have recruited a considerable number of new members for 2024 including some who are newly joined u3a members.

We have had to make some changes to the 2024 programme of visits and some members have asked if I could again list the venues that we are visiting.

The programme is :

Monday 15th of April – Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire.

Tuesday 23rd of April – Snowshill, Gloucestershire.

Wednesday 22nd  of May – Gunby Estate, Lincolnshire.

Thursday  20th of June – Tatton Park, Cheshire.

Monday  22nd of July – Belton House, Lincolnshire.

Monday 19th of August – Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire.

Wednesday 25th of September – Erdigg, near Wrexham.

Thursday  24th of October –   Nunnington Hall, Yorkshire.

The April visits are fully booked and we have added a smaller 22 seater coach to our usual coach for the visit to Snowshill.

Reports of the April visits will appear in the May Newsletter and on this website.                                                             

Barrie

Short Walks

by WebmasterShort WalksPosted on Comments are Disabled

Our walk on Thursday March 21st involved a tram ride to Nottingham Midland Station followed by an interesting 4 mile walk starting along the canal by the courthouses before reaching the River Trent opposite the City Ground.

En route we paid a visit to the Memorial Gardens with its fountains and imposing statue of Queen Victoria. Our progress was along the river and the Meadows area.

It was good to see some old and new faces on the walk and our thanks to Phil and Liz Attenborough for organising and leading the route.

The group posing in the Memorial Gardens

Our next walk is on Thursday, April 18th. Details to be confirmed.

David Rose

Science

by WebmasterScience GroupPosted on Comments are Disabled

At our March meeting, on Friday 15th, Terry Hill told the tale of seven not so famous scientists who unfortunately met untimely deaths caused by their inventions or discoveries.

One of the seven was Sabin Arnold von Sochocky (1883 to 1928).  He used the discovery of radium by Pierre and Marie Curie to invent radium luminescent paint in 1908.

 Radium paint was widely used for 40 years on the faces of watches, compasses, and aircraft instruments, so they could be read in the dark. Radium is a radiological hazard, emitting gamma rays that can penetrate a glass watch dial and into human tissue. 

He died at the age of 44 from radiation poisoning.

This was followed by an introduction to Rainforests and their importance to our ecosystem.

Friday April 19th is our visit to Oxford for the Science Museums.   No meeting at John Godber Centre.

David Rose

Medium Walks

by WebmasterMedium WalksPosted on Comments are Disabled

Our March walk proved to be considerably drier than our February excursion, and on much firmer ground, when we set off on our third Nottingham City walk.

Starting from the High School tram stop, we set off through the Arboretum, pausing to hear a bit about the history of Nottingham High School, which was founded as Nottingham Free School in 1513.

We then followed the route of the Inclosures of the 1840s, along Elm Avenue and Corporation Oaks, gaining height to the reservoir at St Ann’s Hill, where there are good views to the south and west of the City.

We were nearly derailed by the planned coffee stop at the Chase community centre being closed, but found a good café in the rejuvenated Sneinton Market area.

Continuing to Sneinton, we paused at Notintone Place, at the birthplace of William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. The house is tucked away out of sight, but we were spotted on CCTV by the site manager, who very helpfully opened up so that we were able to have a look round the museum.

Continuing via Green’s Mill, which is currently minus its sails, we carried on through Sneinton, then finally following the railway back to London Road and the Nottingham – Beeston canal, noting on the way the large amount of building work for new student accommodation.

Our City walks have opened up areas which were previously unknown to many of our members, and combined with good public transport, there are many possibilities for an interesting half-day.

Fun with Languages

by WebmasterFun with LanguagesPosted on Comments are Disabled

This month we continued in German with further vocabulary on hotel bookings, the uses of Bitte and numbers. We also welcomed a new member to the group.

May I remind everyone that we will not meet in April due to holidays, but instead we will have our soiree for group members and partners.

Our next language session will be on Thursday 9th May in John Godber Centre, Byron Suite, 10.30 am until 12 noon when we shall continue in German featuring food and drink. Anyone welcome to join in.                                                                  

Liz Attenborough and Ann Murray