News

The latest news from our groups…..

Members are invited to participate in our “virtual group”. Below are the photos chosen for May. Others may be found in the newsletter.
Please email me ONE snapshot you have taken on your phone, or digital camera, sometime before a general meeting. I will compile an informal slideshow of the results and show them at the next general meeting. There are no themes, no prizes, no meetings, just a monthly picture gallery.
Select wisely, remember only ONE snapshot.
No people snaps! Not every one wants to be plastered all over the village hall screen and I would feel uncomfortable with personal data. So please stick to – animal (not human), vegetable and mineral please. Snaps will be deleted after 1 month, ready for the next gallery.
Let’s give it a go. What could possibly go wrong?
My special email “snapshot gallery” address is:
snapgallery21@gmail.com
Ian Hibbert

Our last event of the current season saw a few of us being taken into the fantasy world of The Magic Flute from Mozart. The singing was brilliant as always and the Queen’s aria in the second act just amazing. It was full of woodland creatures very well exhibited including a huge snake at the beginning that reminded me of the Chinese dragon dance! The opera was part verbal and part spoken. All introduced by Jess Gilliam, a classical musician.
In the interval we were given an insight into how the production was filmed for the cinema. We didn’t realise quite what was involved! Cameras and microphones here there and everywhere!

We were given a very brief resume of the next season’s event which included some classics in both ballet and opera. Watch this space! The programme is usually out in the summer.

Pam Berry

This month we watched Calendar Girls.

After the death of her best friend Annie’s husband, Yorkshire housewife Chris (Helen Mirren) comes up with an idea to raise money for a memorial to him.

As they and their friends are all members of the local Women’s Institute, Chris has the idea of creating a calendar. But this is a calendar with a difference. It would use the WI members as nude models engaged in traditional WI activities.

Their husbands are rather stunned by the idea, but it goes ahead and is a success. This results in a trip to Hollywood for publicity, which does not turn out quite as well as expected!

However, on return to England, they find they have raised more than half a million pounds for the local hospital.

There were many recognisable faces, both male and female, in this quirky comedy, with Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, and Celia Imrie leading the way.

Diane Hibbert

Strollers

The new walk we undertook at the end of April turned out to be a success.
Having been away on holiday for a few days the previous week at Weston-Super-Mare we brought the lovely weather back with us. So on a beautiful sunny Monday morning with total blue skies we set off on the walk led by Jackie and Colin. Although the path goes through part of Tippings Wood it is known locally as the Yellow Brick Road. Nobody seems to know why it has this name, but we did pass a field with loads of dandelions growing in it!
We met a few people on the way with their four legged friends. Some of us saw a cheeky robin perched on a branch and a couple of orange tipped butterflies as well as bluebells and other wildflowers. The pond was nearly dried up, whereas five weeks previously it had contained a lot of water according to Jackie. We ended the walk down the road at the Archer Pub where we were given a very warm welcome. The refreshments were thoroughly enjoyed, especially our fish finger baguettes with crisps and salad. 

          Our next walk on Monday 25^th May, Spring Bank Holiday, will take place at Hardwick one of our favourite places. We will meet up in the car park at The Hardwick Inn, Derbyshire, off the A6175,to leave at the usual time 10.30 am.

              Andrew and Susan Goodison

Garden Visits

Helmsley Walled Garden is located near Thirsk in North Yorkshire, a beautiful part of the country.

All was well until we drove up Sutton Bank, not far from our destination. About 2/3 of the way up the (very steep) hill the bus started making strange noises. At the top of the hill, we pulled into a lay-by. Unfortunately, the driver couldn’t get the bus started and the AA was called. While we were waiting several phone calls were made to taxi firms to transport us to the gardens but all were expensive.

The lay-by was opposite a farm and we watched a farmer busy with her sheep. Our driver went across to speak to her and amazingly she had a friend who ran a local taxi firm. More phone calls and we were on our way to the gardens. A breakdown recovery vehicle collected the bus that couldn’t be repaired at the roadside. A replacement bus collected us from Helmsley.

In case you wondered, we did have an enjoyable day. It was a lovely day and we sat outside for our lunch.

Ann Mills

Visit to the Portland Gallery, Welbeck – to see the new exhibition The World’s Mine Oyster – Art, Nature and Collecting the Globe, which opened last month.
The Portland Collection has been built up over 400 years by the Cavendish family of Welbeck and their descendants. It is vast and varied, including portraits, furniture, jewellery, porcelain, silver and books from all over the world.
Portraits include women who helped shape the collection – Bess of Hardwick, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland and Winifred, 6th Duchess of Portland.
It was interesting to see items of ivory from pre-conservation times. Jewellery included Queen Mary’s pearl necklace and the pearl earring taken from the head of Charles 1.
Also on view for the first time in public was the huge 3-metre-wide painting A View of Antwerp. Clues were given that had us searching for certain items in the picture.
We were privileged to view the prize of the collection, the Michelangelo drawing of the Madonna of the Silence, protected from the light in a shaded part of the gallery.
This is an astonishingly varied and extremely well- presented world-class collection that tied in with our talk last month on Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle.
Diane Hibbert

Next month we will be visiting Byron’s church at Hucknall , plus a short history-based walk – Friday 22nd May

After a very interesting morning with speaker Bob Neil, a number of us went to the Sherwood for lunch. I was quite pleased that I could identify the items on our table, knife, fork, spoon which is all I needed to enjoy my lovely meal! As usual we were made very welcome and the food was up to its usual high standard. They are putting on quite a bit of entertainment in the week and at weekends and we understand they are trying to fit a quiz night in, which might be on a Wednesday.

Jackie Massey

Book Group

Book Group – The House across the Lake by Riley Sagar

A change of genre for us last month. This was a psychological thriller following Casey Fletcher, a widowed actress with an alcohol problem who escapes the publicity in New York by going to her families’ lakeside house in Vermont. Here, she spies her new neighbour, Katherine, in trouble whilst swimming in the lake and goes to her rescue. They briefly become friends until Katherine mysteriously disappears. What happened to her? Casey becomes suspicious and begins to seek the truth especially when she discovers that three other women have disappeared in the lake. There are many twists and turns along the way, some of them a bit far-fetched in my opinion!
Betty Foster

Next meeting Friday May 15^th, 10 – 12 at Blidworth library

Hobbies

This group covers several hobbies at present but we are always on the lookout for more!
Please come along if you want to have a go at any hobby or craft. We meet on the 3rd Monday, 2-4pm at the Rainworth Methodist Church Hall.

We knit squares that are made into blankets and donated overseas, this is our latest contribution, three beautiful blankets crocheted by Linda and  squares by other members.

Some of the beautiful cards being made in February’s Card Craft group.

Why not join us – all materials are provided to make the card.  We meet on the 3^rd Monday of the month at the Methodist Hall on Southwell Road, at 2.00pm.  Interested?  Contact Jill  07719165800

Would you enjoy tasting wine whilst sitting and chatting with friends – old and new?  Learning about different wines – learning from each other in a cosy and friendly place?  The wine appreciation group is a small group, and since its inception, has been full, but due to ill health, we now have a vacancy for new members.   None of us are experts, but we enjoy tasting new and different wines.  We taste from 4 bottles, – most of us are driving so we only taste a little of each – and the wines come from different countries and regions.  We taste blind and evaluate the wines according to a guide, and mark accordingly.    The bottles are usually bought from supermarkets e.g. Aldi, Majestic, Tesco & Sainsburys.   It is amazing how often the cheapest wine comes top in our evaluation.  This is a chance to taste wines you may never have had before and learn about the characteristics of different grapes and regions.  It gives us a chance to taste some unusual and expensive wines which we would never normally splash out on.  We meet on the third Wednesday of the month, at 7.00p.m. and have supper after tasting the wines.  Those who are not driving having second and third glasses to compliment the food.  We usually finish between 9.30 and 10.00p.m. and go home warm and happy after a lovely evening with plenty of laughs.   The costs are shared at £5 a head.

If you like wine, and would like to experiment and taste different wines, talk to Jill Pullan  07719165800

Ringtones

The Ringtones singing group is about having fun and performs at meetings and social events.
At our monthly rehearsals at the Methodist Church Hall in Rainworth, 10am-12pm, on the second Monday of each month, we plan for any future performances and enjoy a wide range of music. We have sung celebratory songs at our 10th anniversary celebrations, coffee mornings, Christmas parties, our AGM and  Garden Parties. New members are always welcome, no audition required!

THE RINGTONES- World Singing Day video project.

The Ringtones were one of the many choirs from across Newark and Sherwood to celebrate the joy of singing by sending in a short video clip of our recent Elvis coffee morning. This year, participants from 81 host locations in 18 countries took part from New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, South Africa, the UK, Germany, and North America each holding their own singing event in celebration of World Singing Day. It’s amazing to know that our voices became part of that worldwide harmony. World Singing Day is a reminder that we’re part of something much larger not just a local celebration, but a global community united through song. Well done Ringtones for helping to make that vision come alive so beautifully here in Newark and Sherwood. See if you can spot us on the Rainworth u3a Facebook page.

The Ringtones flew the flag for our u3a at the Rainworth Methodist’s annual Christmas cake, coffee and carols celebration.
They performed their Christmas hits, which they sang beautifully.  I added a bit of flute and clarinet, and we were joined by the Minister on piano and the resident violin player.  Truly a musical feast.
The Methodist congregation are a lovely group of local people. They joined in our songs with gusto and served up delicious cake and Xmas cheer.
The selected Christmas readings and poems, both humorous and thoughtful, along with well-loved carols, gave us an uplifting countdown to Christmas 2025.

The collection in aid of “Action for Children” made £163 on that morning and a total of £443.57 after their weekend services. Well done, a great
result.

Ian Hibbert

Thirty four members attended the Christmas lunch at the Hostess restaurant and enjoyed the usual high standard of food, entertainment and service.

Several took to the dance floor to burn off the calories.

Breakfast Group

This week 14 of our members enjoyed breakfast at the Bakery cafe in Mansfield

Gordon Brown

Fifteen members went to The Hostess for afternoon tea. The tea was delicious and plentiful, we were all well fed. The singer, a young lady called Lily was amazing covering musical theatre, opera and songs from popular radio shows hosted by such as Elaine Page. Her voice range was incredible and she kept us entertained for an hour. A really lovely outing.

Jackie Massey

Indoor Games

Not quite so many this month but still enjoyable. The Canasta group is growing, Diane Hibbert won more games of dominoes than the rest of us, Colin Massey won his second ever game, Kurling was closely contested with the ladies coming out the winners. Card craft made birthday cards and the knitting ladies carried on knitting!

Jackie Massey

Canasta

Our Canasta group has also started and takes place in the Methodist Hall at the same time as Card Craft, Hobbies and Indoor Games, come along and join beginners at this card game with expert instruction from Enid. Three “newbies” had  mastered the rules by the end of the 1st session, another “learning curve” for our u3a!

Enid Thomas

Our numbers were a bit depleted at the last quiz night. As usual we did our best but didn’t win! If we look cold in the photo we were, the pub’s heating had broken down on the Monday, but hopefully will be fixed by the time we go again!

Jackie Massey

The last outing of the year was to Lyme Park near Stockport, a large mansion house with formal gardens and a deer park dating from the 1300s.

In 1995 the exterior of the house and gardens were used as a location for “Pemberley” in the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The series was so successful that afterwards visitor numbers tripled. There are various quotes and references to Pride and Prejudice throughout the property including a dressing up room where Betty and Barbara had fun dressing up in Georgian costumes.

Ann Mills