A MAN with many interests and talents is our special guest speaker this month. Cyril Routley, who spent his life teaching in Nailsea, North Somerset, has a wide range of subjects on which he gives talks including sundials, gadgets of the early 20th century, street furniture and collecting certain types of china.

Today’s talk “A Life on the Ocean Waves” is based on the experiences of the early emigrants who sailed to Australia on the SS Great Britain during the period 1850-1875. This entailed reading a number of the journals of the travellers and selecting suitable images from the reconstructed ship to illustrate the talk.

Cyril’s involvement with the historic vessel arose through a friend who works for the Great Britain Trust. Because the ship is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its return to Bristol, the Trust was eager to increase awareness of the importance of the ship and he was asked to join a group of speakers to help.

Next month’s speakers will be a couple making their third visit to talk to us. Intrepid walkers Sue and Ivan Godfrey will be speaking about their trip to Kilimanjaro and going on a Tanzanian safari.

We need your support for the BBQ

FRIDAY, September 10. That is the date for our second fund-raising barbecue at Uplowman Village Hall – and we need YOU there giving your full support.   

The tickets only cost £8 each with food and entertainment included. This is the last meeting before the event at which tickets will be available, but anyone not at today’s meeting wishing to get them can contact Vicki Stuckey on 01884 251930.

It was such a success last year that we are hoping for another good turnout. The event starts at 6pm.     We also need help doing the various jobs on the evening. If anyone is able to assist the organisers please contact Vicki, Bernice Philbrick or Sue Dark.

Tea and chat time

WE hope some of you took the opportunity of the extra time at last month’s meeting to stay a little longer to meet friends, make new acquaintances and find out what’s going on with the group activities.

The extra talk-time was suggested by several members who felt that they were being “rushed away” after refreshments so the committee agreed to introduce it for a trial period of three months.

Please make use of it especially now that there is so much going on leading up to autumn with new activities being introduced and planned.

Thanks to all those who helped clear away the tables and chairs last month. Please stay and help again…but we’ll wait a little longer to allow the chatting to continue.

And if you have any views about this – or anything else – please use the suggestion box.

A seven-yearly opportunity…

SUE Dark is still looking for names of members who want to involved in the historic Tiverton event of the Perambulation of the Town Leat on Saturday, September 11. The event is held once every seven years. The total walk is six miles but apparently you

can walk as little or as much as the like. Talk to Sue about it…

Bring and buy next month

LOOKING for a way of getting rid of those unwanted items and yet being able to help your U3A at the same time? Then the answer could be the Bring and Buy stall being run at the September meeting.

And also a reminder that Jean Tennant will have her special cards on sale or to order at the October meeting.

Groups in the pipeline

THERE are plans for a number of new groups for this autumn. And our thanks to all those of you who have stepped forward to help run them.

The first one being planned is the Lunch Group with Brian and Liz West as leaders.

A Family History Group (genealogy) has already attracted a number of interested members and Vicki Stuckey would be pleased to hear from others interested in joining in.

For budding French speakers, a group called French Refreshment should start on October 21 providing there is sufficient interest. The co-leaders are Martine Downes and Ro Darlington. Watch out for information at today’s meeting.

And we are working at finding leaders for creative writing and digital photography.…

and one that’s rolling along: a NEW group – the Bus Riders with Bob Holdman as leader - has already started. Read what they and all the other groups have been up to recently on the next two pages.

And, finally, some snippets:

Chairman Peter has one ticket left for the special North Devon Link conference “Aspects of the Law” at Filleigh Village Hall on Monday, October 11: £4 a ticket and there might be more available. See him at today’s meeting.

There are just three of the 30 U3A diaries we ordered left at £2 each – but don’t worry, we can order more. And don’t forget the £5 U3A calendar. See secretary Annette Penwill about both after the speaker.

Group leaders will be having their occasional meeting at Sunningmead on Thursday, September 16 at 10am. Please make the effort to attend.