West Wolds U3A

We have come across this offer from AgeUk and the SaltedOrange company offering

21 meals for £20 ( plus a delivery charge). i.e a whole weeks meals of 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 7 dinners, for all people over 65 and living in Lincolnshire.

Orders can be placed by phone on 03455 564144 or online at their website

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/lincolnsouthlincolnshire/our-services/food-through-adversity/

The offer was originally restricted to areas south of the A631, but as they have been getting interest from the Grimsby area they are looking to extend it further north but may require an additional delivery charge of £10 to cover the cost of the distance involved. If anyone is interested try placing an order and let us know how you get on. The staff member I spoke to at AgeUK say they have had good feedback on the food involved.

Heather Barrett has been compiling a book since January 2016 by collecting 1940 evacuee stories and she is looking for two more to round it up to eighty. If anyone has direct experience, a relative or know of an evacuee willing to have their memories in print for others to read then please contact Heather. In return they will receive a copy of the book.
This is not a money making scheme as she is publishing and purchasing books for those who contribute towards it out of her own pocket.

For further information or to express an interest in getting involved please contact Heather. Email: bruin10@spitfire24.plus.com

Good day, cooks!

At this time of battening down the hatches and helping each other, I thought you might like to have some tips on healthy eating from Prue Roux, the Domestic Goddess.  Rather than open another box of digestive biscuits, why not try your hand at something exciting in the kitchen?  Whether alone at this strange time or with your partner behind you (careful of any touching!), anyone can knock up something special with only a little effort.  Here we go with something I made earlier:

From the fridge, I took three medium carrots, a left-over half of red onion, a large red sweet pepper, a small red chillie pepper, two small potatoes, the remains of a clove of garlic, a bunch of coriander leaf, some vine tomatoes getting towards the end of their life and some spring onions.  All these were scraped and chopped as necessary, and bunged into a casserole dish.  Then I added thyme and dried Italian herbs, a small tin of chopped tomatoes for liquid and colour, and a tin of (light) coconut milk to supplement the water also added.  Finally, it all went into a pre-heated oven at about mark 5 to take a slow cook for about a couple of hours.  It made two good portions, to be served with some nice nutty brown rice.  Yum, yum.  Michel said it was very tasty.

To make best efficient use of your oven whilst on, why not also make a succulent dessert of some kind?  I knocked up (being a Domestic Goddess), an apple crumble, with two ageing apples and cinnamon, cloves etc.  Now it has browned nicely, it is ready for consumption, so I will away to enjoy it, after which a small doze in the sunshine of today might well be the finishing touch …  and not a drop of alcohol in sight!

Watch out for more expert recipes and a helping hand from your own U3A Domestic Goddess, always ready and willing to give advice and encouragement to You, the Friends of Prue!  But also please feel free to send in your own special recipes for the benefit of one and all.

DO YOU HAVE THE CLANGERS?

No, it’s not another virus, but a process of how you look at Life, and how you might wish to take some steps to organise and enhance yours. For example:

Connect – talk to friends, and also to those you pass in the street, with a cheery “hello” email or better still, ‘phone your friends for a chat. 

Learn – again U3A is here for that purpose but at this time of lockdown search YouTube for new learning experiences. Discuss with friends what is happening in the news. Take up a new hobby – it’s never too late

Active – keep fit, walk more and briskly, ditch the car. Try to do more crosswords or games or puzzles.

Notice – look at your garden in more detail; look at the top of buildings when you pass; them by; 

Give back – look out for other people who might need some support; listen more to others who need to talk to you; make a difference in the lives of those around you

Eat well – a very good suggestion! Enjoy! Throw away the chocolates and biscuits, get out the carrots; reduce red meat, and increase the amount of vegetables; 

Relax – music, a good book, time to think; walk in the country or at the seaside; even try to meditate a while – we have the time now we are retired

Sleep – not just after lunch, but go to bed early and at a regular time; ditch the bedroom tv, mobile ‘phone or tablet.

This was adapted from work by Dr Phil Hammond – see below:

CLANGERS FOR ALL, EVERY DAY

Due to a lack of numbers turning up for the last meeting and also the Coronavirus problem, Brian Siddown has suspended the Table Tennis group for the time being and will try again later in the year. He will be letting people know and will be at the venue today in case one or two turn up.  Any money collected has been given to the church for the hire of the hall and the equipment.

Philip took us on an amazingly zealous whistle-stop tour of his diverse career which started when he left school in 1966 aged 16. Men who lived in Barrow in Furness at that time were almost duty bound to work in the shipyards, so Philip’s dad was a bit taken aback when he announced that he wanted to be a chef instead. Fortunately for him, his obvious passion overcame any family opposition and, after qualifying, he moved on to gain experience in the Lake District, then Harrogate, then Cheshire, then the Ritz, then Paris. He eventually returned to Barrow to work as head chef in a local hotel and it was here that he met his wife.

After several years of working very unsocial hours for seven days a week, his canny wife suggested he move into hotel management so, he successfully gained a position in Aberdeen however, after three years, he was back in Barrow as a general manager. By now it was the late ‘70s and life was good but Philip was becoming bored so, his canny wife suggested he apply to be a chef on a North Sea oil rig. After only a year of being based in Aberdeen, he was promoted to chef manager, then facilities manager then he joined the BP management team where he stayed for 17 years. By now, Philip was financially stable, his kids had flown the nest and, encouraged by his canny wife, he looked for a new mission in the oil and gas industry; it came in the form of a job offer as a project manager in the Algerian desert. The fact that it was also tax free might have spurred him into accepting although not surprisingly, he did such a good job, he was asked to split his time between there and carrying out a similar role in the Nigerian jungle.

By now it was the early ‘90s and his reputation for getting the job done successfully went before him so, he was headhunted to take on a lucrative assignment in Kazakhstan in the hydrocarbon industry. Kazakhstan was the last of the Soviet Republics to declare independence during the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Philip’s role as Operations Director brought him into ‘dodgy’ (his words not mine) contact with the KGB and the Moscow mafia, both of whom he worked closely with.

On the back of his ongoing success in Kazakhstan and Russia, Philip resigned his role, combined with a colleague and went into the hotel industry again however, sadly his success was short lived as the business failed and left him somewhat financially embarrassed however, his phone rang. On the other end was a friend offering him a job in post war Baghdad overseeing the building of US military accommodation for 31,000 marines. During the seven years he spent working for the American coalition managing this project, he recouped his finances then stepped down.

He went on to spend the next four years successfully running oil services companies in Dubai and Iraq but by now it was 2014 and his canny wife decided it was time for him to retire. To put it bluntly, he did not take to it like a duck to water so, he decided to fill his time writing about his work experiences disguised as thriller novels and, also undertaking public speaking and, aren’t we glad he did. Forty-five minutes whizzed by as he laid bare his thirty-five years’ experience of operating projects across three continents in remote and hazardous locations. From Barrow to Baghdad is not a travelogue as you might expect from the title, but a frank and passionate account of Philip’s career told in a very down to earth manner.

On Saturday April 4th there is a unique visit to Denby Transport at Doddington where their training officer will teach West Wolds U3A members to drive their Fork Lift fleet and take part in a skills competition for fun.

Denby have never granted permission for this type of event before so it is a true ‘one off’ experience.

There are only 3 places left so if you would like to take part please email Sharon or visit the Unique Events table at next weeks meeting, the last date to sign up.

As this is a commercial company and staff have to come in on a Saturday to run the event, we have to cover their overheads hence the fee of £31.

sharonrupp@hotmail.com

What’s the risk of catching coronavirus in the UK?

The NHS and Public Health England are well prepared for outbreaks of new infectious diseases. The NHS has put in place measures to ensure the safety of all patients and NHS staff while also ensuring services are available to the public as normal.

The UK Chief Medical Officers have raised the risk to the public from low to moderate. But the risk to individuals remains low. If you have arrived back to the UK from mainland China and other specified areas, follow the advice for returning travellers.

Read here for Latest Advice in full from Healthwatch

Just to remind all you keep fitters that Dawn’s class resumes this Thursday 20th. Kwik-Fit fitters are also welcome to join in!

See you there.

As chaplain for the Hull and Immingham ports, Jake delivered an in-depth presentation on the history and work of the Mission to Seafarers, an organisation for whom he has worked for several years.

This little known welfare charity serving merchant crews has its roots in the work of John Ashley, an Anglican priest, who in 1835, recognised that the loneliness and spiritual needs of seafarers were not being catered for. His offer to help to meet the practical and mental health issues of the seafarers was based on Christian principles and so inspired others, that eventually The Missions to Seamen (as it was known then) was established.  With the rapidly expanding British maritime industry, The Mission recognised that when ships docked at quaysides, the facilities were very limited so, over the years, it has opened land-based centres where seafarers can access light refreshments, cheap accommodation in which they can rest and relax and a chapel.

In 2000, the charity changed its name to The Mission to Seafarers and now operates over 250 centres in the world caring for over 1.5 million seafarers of all ranks, nationalities, gender and beliefs. Not only has it moved with the times and is open day and night for 365 days a year, but it has also grown to become one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world where seafarers can receive counselling, mediation, communications  and transport services.

It is now recognised that those who work at sea can be affected by a number of problems including money worries, mental health issues and loneliness to name but a few, and this is where Jake, in his capacity as a chaplain can make such a difference. When a ship docks at a port, it is subject to numerous visits by ‘officials’ however, when Jake boards a ship it is as an unofficial visitor. It is easy to forget that the crew have often been at sea for many months with little or no contact with the outside world or their loved ones so, once on board, Jake is someone the crew can chat to in complete confidence; he can lend an ear or a helping hand as well as give the pastoral, spiritual and emotional support they may require.

Throughout its long and distinguished history, the role of The Mission to Seafarers has adapted and changed. Nowadays they are able to give free advice regarding employment issues or personal problems, connect the seafarers to other organisations or, speak on their behalf as well as offer help in maritime emergencies. Sadly today though, there is also an ever-increasing modern-day threat to the shipping industry of piracy, shipwreck and abandonment however, The Mission is now able to step in to get food, power etc on board and even help negotiate a solution.

The Mission to Seafarers was set up to cater for the welfare and pastoral care of merchant crews however, its continued success is very dependent not only on the work undertaken by its chaplains, but also by its many dedicated volunteers. None of this would be possible though without financial donations and fundraising events which sustain and pay for the practical support The Mission offers. The need for a welfare safety net for those who work at sea has never been greater as 80% of seafarers now come from the developing world; this has encouraged exploitation and abuses ranging from non-payment of wages to dangerous working conditions so the need for chaplains and volunteers to do the unsung work of maritime welfare has never been more necessary.

PS …The supply of knitted hats, gloves and scarves for seafarers around the world is a long held tradition with MtS so any donations are always gratefully received. They are taken on board by chaplains when ship-visiting and the seafarers are always very grateful.

The Government and NHS have issued advice for members of the public following the confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.
Typical symptoms of coronavirus include fever and a cough that may progress to a severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

The UK Chief Medical Officers are advising anyone who has travelled to the UK from mainland China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau in the last 14 days and is experiencing cough or fever or shortness of breath to stay indoors and call NHS 111, even if symptoms are mild.
More information about the virus, as well as symptoms and advice is available to view at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronaviris-information-for-the-public
Or on the NHS England website at:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/2020/02/statement-from-nhs-england-and-nhs-improvement-on-coronavirus/