In February we had two themes, ‘A story in five photos’ and taking ‘Multiple Exposures’ Here are the one we though were the best, the first theme by Suzanne Barker is shown as a video of her five photos

Due to increasing costs particularly for the hire of the Festival Hall for our monthly meetings, it has been necessary for the committee to consider how best to meet a potential shortfall in our funds. It has therefore been decided to increase our door fee to £1 from our 11^th April meeting onwards.

We hope that you will continue to support the monthly meetings where you can find out ‘what’s on’, have a cuppa and a chat and hear a different subject speaker each month.

A reminder that tickets at £21.50 per person for a 3 course 40^th celebratory meal at Market Rasen Golf Club on Thursday 14th April, will be on sale at the General meeting on Thursday 10^th March 2022.  

Arrival at Golf Club 1230 – Lunch at 1300. Payment by cheque to West Wolds U3A

Tickets will be on sale and menu options available until 31^st March 2022 direct from Shirley Fuller 07810845178.

Despite some initial technical difficulties, we were given a most informative talk by glass artist Vicky Wilkinson who is based in Lincolnshire. She gave us a brief history of her ‘roots’ beginning as a mature student studying contemporary decorative crafts at university before following a career path as a member of an art ‘collective’, then as a glass teacher at Grantham College and now specialising in kiln fused glass which she ‘makes’ in her own studio where she not only produces lovely items to sell, but also holds workshops.

She went on to explain the different characteristics of glass and noted that she initially combines layers of hand rolled glass which she then heats it up in a furnace to 1200 degrees; this then becomes ‘hot glass’ or liquid which she mixes with colours and then forms into a variety of amazing items that capture intersections of colours with subtle highlights and shadows between the layers.

Once the technical difficulties had been solved (by the super capable U3A IT boys), Vicky’s slideshow ably visually presented not only her products but also the varying processes that she uses in the manufacture of her glass jewellery, light sculptures, platters and more. Included in her presentation was an extremely interesting video made by Bullseye, a glass manufacturing company based in Oregon, USA which in 1981 cracked the code of how to produce a spectrum of glasses that could be fused together. This fusible glass better known now as kiln glass opened the door for a completely new kind of glass craft and is one which Vicky has embraced very successfully.

Vicky was very keen to admit that she is greatly inspired by the different landscapes and vibrant and subtle colours and textures of nature she sees around her on a daily basis, as well as those from further afield and, it is these which stimulate her crafting juicing into producing the variety of artefacts she makes every day. Fortunately for our audience today, she had brought along a great selection of her products for sale or to just wonder at. As she said, every day is different, and she is obviously thriving on it, so we wish her every success in her new work base in Caythorpe.

A review by Nadia Dawson

Would you like to learn how to play Golf Croquet and participate in Woodhall Spa U3a’s proposed 40th Anniversary Celebration Golf Croquet tournament in September 2022?  Neighbouring U3as are being invited to send teams of players both experienced or non experienced. 

Qualified coaches will give introduction training  prior to the tournament and teams will be mixed ability to make the competition fair.  Depending on numbers the tournament will be a one day/two day event at the weekend.

All equipment will be provided with players wearing smart casual clothes and flat shoes.  There may be a small cost of £8 per person per session. 

If you are interested in taking part please contact Shirley Fuller 07810845178

Good News the National U3a organisation is celebrating its 40^th Anniversary throughout 2022. As part of the celebrations West Wolds U3a will be holding a 40 Year Anniversary, 3 course lunch at the Market Rasen Golf Club on Thursday 14^th April 2022 for members, following the General Meeting from 12.15 p.m. to 3.15 p.m. 

Tickets are £21.50 per person on sale from Shirley Fuller, at both the February and March General Meetings. (Payment by cheque please, payable to West Wolds U3A)

For further details contact Shirley on 07810845178

Menu TBA.

AGE UK Lindsey Befriending Service is specifically aimed at people over sixty who are at an increased risk of loneliness and social isolation. This could be due to reduced mobility, bereavement or lack of access to social activities. We aim to make later life a more enjoyable experience by addressing these issues, of which we have seen a huge increase in recent times. 

Having a Befriender can have a very positive impact on someone’s life and the support of our current team of volunteers is much appreciated by our clients and by us.  

Over the past months due to the Pandemic, we have received more referrals for our service than we have volunteers. While we as a Befriending Team try to fill in the gaps it is not always possible due to the numbers and as a result some older people can be on our list for some considerable time waiting for a match with a suitable volunteer. 

To become a volunteer, all we ask is for one to two hours per week of your time to contact someone who needs company. During Covid we had to revert to Telephone Befriending, however, slowly over the Autumn period some volunteers returned to face to face visiting. What volunteers decide to do is down to their own personal situation and of course the client’s needs. We are happy with telephone, face to face befriending or a mixture of the two. It’s still very important support and communication for those older peole. 

Our volunteers are not expected to do anything other than go along for a chat, have a cup of tea and maybe play some games. When the weather gets better and restrictions allow then going out for a coffee or accompanying your befriendee to an activity is possible. Again, this something to be decided between the volunteer and client at the time. 

If this is something you think you would like to do or require further information, please do contact Lin Wood, Befriending Co-Ordinator who would be more than happy to chat through the process of getting started and answer any questions. 

Linda.wood@ageuklindsey.co.uk   07818 818748 

This morning Judy Anderson from The Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) Charity gave a very informative talk on what the Charity does to support the hospital. A lot of detail was imparted so apologies for a lengthy write up.

The hospital was founded by Dr Charles West on 14 February 1852. It was his ambition to be able to offer free treatment for families of sick children who could never afford a doctor, and he opened his hospital on Great Ormond Street known as the Hospital for Sick Children. From its opening, all of its funding came from donations until 1948 when the NHS was founded and took it over.

The GOSH charity was set up to fund all the things that go above and beyond what the NHS can afford to provide as many are outside of their medical responsibilities, and this has enabled the hospital to become world-class. Most of these services have a real impact of the sick child’s well being as was demonstrated during the talk.

There are 4 areas the charity funds:

Rebuilding & Refurbishment of Buildings

They fund buildings, wards & operating theatres. The charity raised £95M to build a new research centre called the Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Diseases in Children which is the first in the world. In 2021 a new Sight & Sound Centre was opened to specialise in treatments for children with sight and sound illnesses, and research also takes place here. Many existing  buildings and wards are refurbished with charity money.

State of the Art Equipment

It funds specialised equipment that the NHS may not be able to afford. For example,  £13M was raised for an intra-operative MRI scanner which is located next door to the operating theatre so that during brain surgery for example, the anaesthetised child can be wheeled next door and into the scanner to ensure he operation is completed and avoids future surgery.

Patient & Family Support

They provide over 100 rooms and flats for families to stay in during the sometimes lengthy stays in hospital their child needs. This avoids families being split up, having to make long expensive journeys to visit, and having the family close by aids recovery and reduces stress on the parents.

A Play Team was set up, the largest in Europe to help relieve the stress and boredom for patients, with age appropriate entertainment and fun,  and distraction techniques from their treatment. Toy hospital equipment is used to help children understand the treatment they will undergo, which means they are less frightened. Music, art and games are used and teenagers are catered for with x-box gaming and other appropriate content. It gives the families respite for a short time also.

Research into new cures and treatment

The Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Diseases for Sick Children as mentioned above has 500 scientists researching into genomics, gene therapy and regenerative medicine. Additionally they can manufacture clinical grade cell and gene therapies to treat the patients, which a commercial pharmaceutical company would not take on. As these labs are one of the most advanced in the UK they played a crucial role in developing live samples of the COVID 19 virus which were used for early testing of vaccines.

 The Pandemic

 Some of the initiatives introduced following the pandemic: as  GOSH took children from other hospitals to allow more COVID beds to be made available the workload increased so the charity arranged meals for staff who had no time to shop, provided funds for 24 hour counselling for those who were struggling with their mental health and set up a barista coffee bar for staff which seemed to be a boost to morale.

The Play Team set up an online resource called The Power of Play (gosh.org/play)  suitable for any child to help with their happiness, to build emotional resilience to cope with life’s challenges, tips on dealing with loneliness, making friends, coping with illness and loss and fear of the unknown as well as fun things to do. Additionally they funded a clinical simulation centre with realistic child models which can be programmed with different symptoms to support training for covid-related crises.

Everything the GOSH Charity does is supported by donations, volunteers and gifts in Wills. The hospital is facing a surge in referrals and a drop in funds, so donations are needed more than ever.

The above summary is a tiny example of what the charity does and more information can be found at gosh.org and click ‘Our Charity Site’ tab.

Free Home Energy Checks

Does your home feel cold? Are you worried about paying your energy bills? As part of the Warm Homes programme, you could receive a free home energy check from Age UK Lindsey. If you are over 65, live in a cold home or have a long-term health condition, you may be eligible. Our trained Home Energy Adviser will discuss your home energy needs over the telephone and then arrange to come to your home and install free energy efficient equipment, such as light bulbs and reflective radiator panels to help make your heating more efficient. Call 01507 524242 to find out how we can help you.Other support may be available to help you with your heating costs.

I have spoken to the lady who deals with this (Mrs Hobdell) who is very friendly and can offer a phone chat to assess how she can help. Sharon-Secretary