West Wolds U3A

There’s been a fantastic response from everyone to this new group. Our group is now full! Our first session will be on Friday 14th October.

If you’re still keen to try Spanish why not join our waiting list for future Beginners sessions. If you already speak a little Spanish why not try our other group which meets every Tuesday, 2.30 – 4.30pm.

Get in touch with Sandra Dean, Spanish Convenor, 07734456213 or smobrien1@gmail.com

Click here to see the latest Newsletter from the Spanish Group Convenor, as we go into Autumn, why not come along and join them at their next meeting to get ready for your next break in the Spanish Region.

Please note that Dawn Stoppers Keep Fit Group will take a break for 5 weeks from  Thursday 27th October starting again on Thursday  1st December. Dawn would like to apologize to all of her Supple Seniors, and hope they won’t seize up within this period.

MAINS:

 TRADITIONAL ROAST TURKEY DINNER (GF AVAILABLE)

GAMMON STEAK WITH CIDER & GRAIN MUSTARD SAUCE (GF AVAILABLE)

 CREAMY FISH PIE WITH A HERBY SHORTCRUST PASRTY LID (GF AVAILABLE)

KALE ROULADE FILLED WITH SWEET POTATO AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO (GF & V)

 ALL SERVED WITH TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS VEGETABLES & POTATOES

 DESSERTS:

A SELECTION OF HOT & COLD FESTIVE DESSERTS FROM OUR TOWER OF TREATS

FOLLOWED BY FRESHLY BREWED COFFEE & MINCE PIE

£25.00 PER PERSON (3 COURSES) OR £22.00 PER PERSON (2 COURSES)

Life in the NHS – it only hurts when I laugh by Jeff Jacklin

For some reason, I was expecting this presentation to be given by a medical practitioner so I was quite surprised to hear that Jeff’s career of thirty years in the NHS was in I.T albeit at senior level but ‘in the office’ so to speak and not ‘on the shop floor’ at eight different hospitals.

He made a prediction that of those in the audience, a certain number would have had knee replacements or, had worked for the NHS and, needless to say, there was a show of hands for both. It was not surprising however, that there was a greater show of hands by those who worked in the NHS than those who had had knee replacements because the NHS is not only the country’s biggest employer, but it is the 5^th biggest employer in the world. Apparently, one in every twenty-three of the UK’s working population works in the NHS; this adds up to an astounding 1.38 million people and, of these, 77% are female and 30% are nurses (all pre pandemic figures).

After we had mentally digested these numbers, Jeff continued to give us a potted history of why the NHS was founded and a chronological framework of its main events. The early years of the twentieth century saw many badly wounded soldiers who returned from WWI receive an uneven patchwork of healthcare; this was exacerbated by even greater numbers of wounded who returned from WWII. Before the creation of the NHS, anyone needing a doctor was generally expected to pay for the privilege but it soon became obvious that this needed to change as it was pushing more and more families into debt, hence the founding of a universal health service.

Despite it seeming a really good idea, there was initially some resistance to it nevertheless, the NHS finally came into existence on July 5^th 1948 and it forever changed the way in which people could obtain and pay for their medical care. Spearheaded by Aneurin Bevan, the NHS improved accessibility and distributed what there was more fairly as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, opticians, dentists and hospitals all came together for the first time as one giant UK wide organisation. Funded from general taxation and free from the point of use, it offered cradle to the grave healthcare.

Needless to say, controversy was never far away as financial problems quickly followed; not only did these result in charges being made for dental care, prescriptions and glasses but also Bevan’s resignation. On the plus side though, it was a time when numerous major scientific breakthroughs and discoveries were revolutionising medical treatment to such an extent that diphtheria and polio were actually eradicated as vaccinations became a key part of NHS health prevention work. Over the years, much pioneering medical work was undertaken which included the first hip replacement in 1962; this was followed by the first heart transplant in 1968, the introduction of the organ donor register in 1994 and NHS Direct which was launched in 1998 to provide 24 hour advice over the phone.

Jeff interspersed his presentation of all the hard NHS facts with some serious and funny video clips and comedy sketches so there was a good mix of humour and emotion.

Here are the photos of the month for our August themes of ‘An Action Shot’ and ‘Signage’ plus the monthly favourites. We also added one from the Steampunk Festival

For further photos taken by our group through the months go to our challenge page https://westwoldsu3a.org/?page_id=8458

August

The September newsletter is here...

You can access the newsletter from this post or from the email the majority of our members will receive by the 6th September 2022

If you haven’t told us your email address or if it has changed… to avoid missing out send your updated email details to membership@westwoldsu3a.org.

If you would like to make comment on this newsletter or submit an article for the next issue then please send details to newsletter@westwoldsu3a.org by Friday 1st October 2022.

We would really like to hear from you now that u3a events are beginning to take off again

Lincoln University has been awarded some funding for two pieces of work from the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and there are some opportunities available as part of the ageing and physical activity project which may be of interest.

• Would you like to be part of a new network? We are looking for people who are interested in ageing and physical activity whether that be as a participant, a provider or aspiring provider, service manager, commissioner or policy-maker, just about anyone! We hope that this group will be more than just an email forum, and would like to meet (most likely online) and work together to support the project aim by helping to explore some of the obstacles, challenges and opportunities that are experienced by older people in accessing physical activity in Lincolnshire.
• Are you passionate about ageing and physical activity? We are looking for people who might like to be more involved in the project in an advisory capacity. An involvement rate is payable for any time undertaken in this role, and depending on numbers interested this may be between 5-8 hours in total over the next 5-6 months.

If any or all of these opportunities sound of interest to you please let Dr Jo Blackwell know at your earliest convenience.

Dr. Joanna Blackwell | Research Associate

School of Health & Social Care & Lincoln International Institute for Rural Health. University of Lincoln. Brayford Pool, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN6 7TS. email: JBlackwell@lincoln.ac.uk

Click here to see the latest Newsletter from the Spanish Group Convenor, now that the Spanish Holiday market has reopened, why not come along and join them at their next meeting to get ready for your next break.

The August newsletter is here...

You can access the newsletter from this post or from the email the majority of our members will receive by the 15th August 2022

If you haven’t told us your email address or if it has changed… to avoid missing out send your updated email details to membership@westwoldsu3a.org.

If you would like to make comment on this newsletter or submit an article for the next issue then please send details to newsletter@westwoldsu3a.org by Friday 2nd September 2022.

We would really like to hear from you now that u3a events are beginning to take off again

Trevor is a fruit growing consultant, a horticultural speaker, and a volunteer gardener at Gunby Hall so, his presentation was based on the knowledge he has gleaned over the years whilst living in Swaledale in North Yorkshire and now on the Gunby Hall estate.

It was whilst he was living in Swaledale that Trevor learned to fully appreciate the need to adapt his gardening methods to the northern climate. Although we would not normally refer to Market Rasen as being ‘in the North’, according to Trevor, our weather pattern is very similar to that which is traditionally known as ‘the North’. He then proceeded to inform us of the need to be more aware of a variety of conditions including temperature, hours of sunshine, rainfall and wind speed, all of which can severely affect how well our garden plants grow.

So, in order to be successful at growing plants in our area, we must be very mindful of our less than perfect climate and therefore make key adaptations. Trevor then proceeded to remind us of the minimum temperature plants require in order to successfully synthesise and why. As our ‘northern’ climate has less hours of sunshine than ‘the South’ so we have a shorter growing season. Apparently, it is accepted that Spring in ‘the South’ officially begins on March 1st whereas in ‘the North’, this is delayed until March 21st. This longer growing season enables the southern counties to have a 20% premium on growing period conditions compared to ours and, they also have less recorded wind and rainfall.

The effect that wind can have on our plants is greatly underestimated by most people as it can cause major dehydration; this is particularly applicable to fruit trees and bushes. When this is linked to the likelihood of there being stronger winds in ‘the North’, it is easy to understand how detrimental this weather condition can be on the growth of our plants in our particular area. As a consequence of this, Trevor suggested we make minor adaptations such as covering plants or placing them in a greenhouse (especially relevant for perennials) for additional protection from the elements.

In addition to these hints on how to improve our growing conditions, Trevor was keen to emphasise that we should not pick a plant ‘ just because we like it’ but seriously consider the plant’s suitability for our garden. The position of a plant in the garden should be a big consideration as should the need to water and feed it. He was keen to emphasise the fact that different plants require different nutrients so an ‘all purpose’ feed is not necessarily best for every plant. He used the example of gooseberries requiring potash and recommended that we do some research on which plants are more suited to our area before making a purchase. Trevor also suggested that we choose varieties not just because we recognise their name, and gave the example ofCox’s Orange Pippin as a fruit tree everyone has heard of yet, it will really only flourish successfully in the southern counties. He also said not to dismiss the lesser known and more modern varieties as these have been purposely bred to be more resistant to certain pests for example.

All in all, Trevor’s advice was logical yet thought provoking and certainly made me want to endeavour to develop smarter solutions and adaptations in my garden.

Know of a local event you would like us to advertise?

Let us know and we will add it to our dedicated area on the Website.

Here are the photos of the month for our July themes of ‘Reflections’ and ‘White on White’ plus the monthly favourite.

For further photos taken by our group through the months go to our challenge page https://westwoldsu3a.org/?page_id=8458

July

Would you like to learn a new language? Have you recently started Spanish, or are you looking for a refresher of the basics? If so, we’ve got an upcoming Start Spanish Group which could be for you. It’s 7 weeks long, and you’ll get a refresher of the basics in a comfortable, supportive atmosphere.

You’ll cover essential grammar, vocabulary, and phrases, with a focus on conversation and building your confidence in everyday situations.

There are 6 places available, and it kicks off on Friday October 14th and will run until the end of November. Weekly sessions will take place in Faldingworth allowing for a comfortable learning environment and adequate free parking. Each session will last for an hour from 2pm.

Just imagine, you could learn enough to make travel to a Spanish speaking country that little bit more fun.

You’ll need a copy of BBC Talk Spanish 1 which we’ll use as an introductory reader/course text. I can give you more details of suppliers when you join.

For more information contact Sandra Dean
Tel:- 07734456213
Smobrien1@gmail.com