Hello to all members,
In what seems like no time at all we have reached August. The school holidays are in full swing and for many of us it means spending time with and entertaining our grandchildren. Many of you will be experts on White Post Farm, Wheelgate, Rufford and other country parks, Crich Tramway Museum and many more places where youngsters can run free. Little wonder that by September we are ready for a holiday.

I recently read a book called ‘Tales of Old Nottinghamshire’. One of the chapters is about Sir Thomas Parkyns who lived in Bunny Hall. He was born in 1663, and educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He studied law at Gray’s Inn, was a lover of Latin, and had knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, and architecture. A fine athlete, he never had a day’s illness until he was 78, and even in middle life he was a good runner.

But his fame lay in his love of wrestling. He is remembered as the Wrestling Baronet; he called himself Sir Thomas Luctator. He established an annual wrestling match in the village for which the prize was a gold-laced hat, and the practice was kept up for nearly a hundred years after his death. The last competition took place in 1811 – and this is what caught my eye. A man named Butler from Hucknall Torkard was the last winner of the prize.

u3a Monthly Meetings
Many of you will be aware that we can no longer meet at the leisure centre. September 8th will be our first live meeting since March 2020 and it will be at the John Godber Centre (JGC). The committee are meeting there on Wednesday 1st September and one our objectives is to finalise the meeting arrangements. Full details will be in the September Newsletter. It will be an opportunity to mingle socially whilst maintaining some level of social distancing, ventilation and hand hygiene.

Maureen Newton has kindly agreed to do an interactive presentation with a local flavour where your questions and contributions will be most welcome.

Finally – there is no formal meeting in August but do zoom in to Melvyn’s arranged talk on Wednesday, 11th August ‘What’s the problem with sugar’.

David Rose

Have you or any of your friends and family had to use a walking frame? If so you may have some observations to share about their design and use. How to do that is explained in the following article.

One of the aspects of the Trust’s Push Back Ageism Campaign, working in partnership with the Design Age Institute, is to challenge the designers of products and services which will make life easier for older adults to design products which are appealing and attractive to use, rather than just being based on need.

One initiative within the Design Age Institute is ‘This Age Thing’, which was set up to bring together a community of designers, businesses, service-providers, researchers, policy makers and older adults to celebrate ageing and amplify positive stories about getting older, but also to challenge designers. They are currently gathering information about the design of walking frames and being able to quote from peoples lived experience and real-life situations adds strength to the challenge. Also, as part of that, the Helen Hamlyn Trust has issued a challenge to young designers at the Royal College of Art to design a walking frame that will look good, but also be fit for purpose. Apparently, 87% of falls in the USA are caused by people falling over with their walking frames, which are very similar in design to those, available in the UK.

Do you have a story to tell about walking frames, either their use or their design? Would you be happy for us to use your story? We will, of course, ensure that you remain anonymous; we will never reveal your name or any contact details.

If you have a story that you would be willing to share, please send it to me by 20th August: sandi.rickerby@u3a.org.uk
Thank you.

Sandi Rickerby
Trustee for the North East
Chair of the Push Back Ageism Working Group