Autumn 2013 Avanti Magazine

THE MAGAZINE FOR MEMBERS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE RETIREMENT FELLOWSHIP AUTUMN 2013 www.csrf.org.uk

MAGAZINE

GOLDEN JUBILEE UPDATE

ART FOR ART’S SAKE

Art, media and propaganda

Fundraising update

on the R ISE

Exploring the ever-growing popularity of home baking Underground Britain Hidden attractions below ground

Britain’s Extinct Animals Reintroducing endangered wildlife

TO HELL AND BACK Understanding eternal torment

PLUS: FRACKING • 2013 PHOTOGRAPHY WINNERS • BOOK CLUB • THEATRE • GROUP NEWS

Editor’s Letter The Civil Service Retirement Fellowship Suite 2, 80A Blackheath Road, London SE10 8DA t: 020 8691 7411 e: info@csrf.org.uk w: www.csrf.org.uk A charity registered in England and Wales No 255465 and in Scotland No SC039049 and a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales No 6297479

One of the great pleasures of my job as your editor is having a chance to meet you!

Since the first issue of the magazine I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to visit CSRF’s groups and see the tremendous dedication and commitment put in by the local volunteers in running their activities and the enjoyment of those who go along.

David at the 2013 AGM with (from l to r) Vida Pritchard, Lynn Willan, Doreen Beck and Marcia Harper

Last month I was privileged to be present at the inaugural meeting of the new Bognor Regis & Chichester group which has recently opened its doors to beneficiaries living in the Bognor Regis, Bosham, Selsey and Chichester area. I’d like to wish them all the best. On a personal note I’d also like to say thanks to Heather, Coral, Lois, Sylvia and the Committee for putting on a super first meeting!

The new opening is the second this year (Whitstable & Herne Bay opened in January) and is part of Fellowship Office’s plan to open up new groups in areas of the country that the CSRF no longer has a presence. If your area doesn’t have a CSRF group and you’d be interested in helping establish one, then give Fellowship Office a call to find out more.

I hope you enjoy this issue, we’re back in November but as usual, keep your letters, emails and calls coming!

is published by Square7 Media Ltd, 3 More London Riverside, London SE1 2RE t: 020 3283 4055 e: enquiries@square7media.co.uk www.square7media.co.uk

Contents 4 Front Desk

Publisher: Gaynor Garton e: gaynor@square7media.co.uk Advertising: t: 020 3283 4055 e: adsales@square7media.co.uk Editor: David Tickner

30 What the Frack?

Golden Jubilee Appeal update, news from Fellowship Office and the Chief Executive’s report.

10 Annual General Meeting 2013 Report on proceedings at this year’s AGM held at the Civil Service Club in London.

Contributors: Gareth Southwell, Mark Pilkington, Gareth Evans, Cathy Haughey, Janet Tester

14 The Rise (and rise) of Baking

Contact the Editor By mail: Use the CSRF address above Email: avanti@square7media.co.uk Tel: 020 8691 7411

18 Art for Art’s Sake

Designer: Charlotte Morgan

22 Underground Britain

©2013. avanti Magazine is published by Square7 Media Ltd on behalf of the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship (CSRF).

All rights reserved. The CSRF and the publishers declare that any publication of any advertisement does not carry their endorsement or sponsorship of the advertiser or their products unless so indicated. Contributions are invited and, whether or not accepted, submissions will be returned only is accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope. No responsibility can be taken for drawings, photographs or literary contributions during transmission or while in the publisher’s hands. Proof of receipt is no guarantee of appearance. In the absence of an agreement, the copyright of all contributions, literary, photographic or artistic belongs to The CSRF. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format (including, but not limited to, any online service, database or part of the internet), or in any other format in any media whatsoever, without the prior written permission of Square7 Media Ltd. The CSRF and Square7 Media accept no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any other opinions expressed herein. The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the official views of The CSRF.

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Cathy Haughey traces the evolution (and growing popularity) of home baking.

Gareth Southwell looks at the link between art, media and propaganda.

Exploring the tourist attractions that are beneath Britain.

26 To Hell and Back Exploring literature’s eternal fascination with hell.

Gareth Evans outlines the facts about ‘fracking’

32 Britain’s Extinct Animals Mark Pilkington looks at the various wildlife schemes working to reintroduce endangered species.

36 Leisure Life The latest book, theatre, film and culture reviews.

40 Postbag Your letters and views.

45 Coffee Time Fun titbits, word search, Sudoku and prize crossword.

50 Group Focus Group reports and news from around the country.

54 Autumn Planner Find out what your local group is up to.

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62 My Favourite Things

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Dancer and choreographer Adam Cooper.

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front desk

The latest news from Fellowship Office

from the chief executive Words by Jean Cooper

Dear Friends, It’s been a busy quarter for the team at Fellowship Office with the donations from the first Golden Jubilee Appeal still coming in, a huge thank you to everyone who sent in a donation, your generosity has been fantastic.

Since the last issue I’m pleased to welcome a new National Honorary Treasurer to the Board of Directors.

Jenny Rowe CB is the Chief Executive of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and brings with her a wealth of experience as a charity trustee. I am very much looking forward to working with her as we strengthen our financial plans in readiness for when the grant-in-aid finishes next year.

Jenny joined the team (Belinda, Gonul and Yvonne from Fellowship Office, our Editor David and Tony Hazeldine) to help on our stand at this year’s Civil Service Live which provides us with an essential opportunity to engage with departments and keep the Fellowship message at the forefront of the minds of those approaching retirement. Over two days we met over 1,000 delegates and have already been invited to participate in a number of departmental staff days around the country. Our champion and recently appointed Vice President, Sir Paul Jenkins, also kindly volunteered on the stand and we even had a visit from our President, Sir Bob Kerslake.

With our Golden Jubilee appeal having raised just over £100,000 so far you can still make a contribution to help us hit our target of £250,000. Why not request one of our free piggy donation boxes which are a great way of collecting your change and helping our fundraising efforts. We

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(from l to r): Vice Chairman Russell Brown, Jean, new Honorary National Treasurer Jenny Rowe CB and Chairman John Barker CB at the UK Supreme Court

also have a new range of new flower cards that feature paintings from CSRF member Jenny Grundy that are being sold to raise money. To order your cards see page 6.

The need for groups to become more actively engaged in raising funds to support the CSRF is very important and I hope that if you are a regular attendee at your local group you will encourage your group to hold a fundraising event to help raise funds for the national appeal. I hope that our ‘Friends of the Fellowship’ donate to the Appeal to enable groups to continue to operate and for them to enjoy the benefits of their local CSRF group activities. Don’t forget that as a national charity we can accept donations from anyone and if they are received centrally we can increase their value by 25% in the form of gift aid.

It was our Annual General Meeting last month and it was lovely to see so many company members and observers on what was a sweltering day in central London!

There was quite a bit of business discussed and you can see an outline of proceedings on pages 10-11. I am delighted to

welcome a new face to the Board of Directors. John Cook from our East Berkshire branch joins the team and I’m looking forward to working with him. We also said goodbye to two Board Directors, Ann Rhodes and Ray Flanigan (The Charity for Civil Servants representative) and I’d like to extend my thanks to both Ann and Ray for their long-standing service to the Fellowship. I wish them both well for the future.

Many congratulations to the Civil Service Insurance Society for their recent ‘most trusted’ award. The more policies they are able to sell, the more funds their charitable arm, the CSIS Charity Fund, can make available for worthwhile charitable causes of which the CSRF has benefitted over the years.

Finally I’d like to send the Fellowship’s best wishes and congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their first son, George Alexander Louis.

I hope you enjoy this issue and please, do get in touch with any feedback, ideas or questions you’d like to share.

With all good wishes,

FUNDRAISING

Please Support OUR Golden Appeal

£250,000

Your response to our appeal has been fantastic.

We have already raised over £100,000 (including gift aid) but still have a long way to go. Every penny counts towards helping us to maintain and extend the services and levels of support we are able to provide, so if you’ve not yet made a donation, you still can.

How to make a donation You can donate by cheque, direct debit or by making a credit/debit card payment online.

Send your cheque (made payable to ‘The CSRF’) to Golden Appeal, The CSRF, FREEPOST SE4414, London SE10 8BP. Alternatively you can donate online at www.csrf.org.uk or

by signing up to a direct debit or deduction from your Civil Service Pension.

If you wish to set up a regular donation you can download a direct debit form online at www.csrf.org.uk or call Fellowship Office on 020 8691 7411 to request a copy.

RAISED SO FAR

£100,000

DON’T FORGET: If you are a UK tax payer we can claim gift aid on your donation which makes it worth an extra 25%.

SMALL CHANGE, BIG DIFFERENCE Easy to assemble and perfect for any spare change, our new piggy boxes are an ideal way to help towards our fundraising appeal. Fill up the box with your silver or gold coins and then once the box is full you can either send us a cheque for the sum you have collected or make the payment online at www.csrf.org.uk using a credit/debit card. Alternatively you can complete the donation form on the back of your box and send it in with a cheque for the amount you’ve raised.

Call 020 8691 7411 or email fundraising@csrf.org.uk and we’ll send you one free of charge

How do I LEAVE a Legacy?

It’s a lot more straightforward than you might think so long as you have a Will in place.

There are two important ways you can leave a gift to a charity: A pecuniary gift - when you leave a specific amount of money, A residuary gift - when you leave a percentage of your estate, Residuary gifts are often more helpful because they tend to be inflation-proof, being a percentage rather than a specific sum.

Our legal partners W W & J McClure, a highly respected national law firm can help you with both wills and legacies and their expert advisers will be able to guide you through the process. They can even visit you in your home so you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your settee.

For more information on wills and legacies call the Later Life Helpline on 0845 1800 939 or email: csrf@mcclure-solicitors.co.uk

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FUNDRAISING E: fundraising@csrf.org.uk

T: 020 8469 9190

Flowers for funds We are pleased to announce the release of a set of five flower cards that are on sale to help raise funds for the Golden Appeal. The cards feature five paintings by CSRF member, Jenny Grundy (pictured right) who is an experienced painter and Fellow of the Linnean Society. Jenny, who wrote to avanti about her paintings, was delighted to donate her paintings to help our fundraising activities. The cards are left blank for any message and come

Orchid

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Iris Germanica

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individually wrapped with an envelope.

Cards are priced at £4 for a set of five and price includes p&p to any UK address (minimum order – 1 set). They are available to order via the online payment form on the CSRF website or by sending a cheque (made payable to ‘The CSRF’) for your order to Fellowship Office with your name, address and telephone number

Camellia

Blue Himalayan Poppy

Poinsettia

VOLUNTEERING Contact: Gonul Irfan

E: volunteering@csrf.org.uk

T: 020 8469 9195

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The Visitors Network brings friendship home!

The initiative has been launched thanks to the generous support of the Civil Service Insurance Society’s Charity Fund and is designed to provide friendship and companionship to any beneficiary (retired civil servant, partner or dependant) by way of a home friendship visit. The visits are made by volunteer visitors who each attend a one day training course provided by The Samaritans before they arrive at your door.

If you have ever experienced feelings of loneliness, you’ll know how important it is

to ensure that we all have some human interaction during the course of a week. By registering for a visit you are taking the first step to putting a smile on your face and helping replace loneliness with friendship, company and conversation.

Develop and learn new skills If you are a good communicator and listener, have some time spare and would like to help us to help others then why not sign up to be trained as a volunteer visitor. The National Visitors Network offers you the chance to develop your personal skills and make the world of difference to someone who wants a friendship visit. All volunteer visitors participate in a one-day training course run by the Samaritans. The course costs nothing and the cost of your travel to the course would be reimbursed. Once you have completed a course, you receive a visitor pack containing useful guidance and advice and a photo I.D. card before embarking on your first visit.

Once you begin your visits we reimburse all out of pocket expenses.

To register If you are interested in registering to participate in the National Visitors Network then the first step is to contact us (in confidence) by telephone (Call Gonul Irfan on 020 8469 9195), post, email (to: visiting@csrf.org.uk) or using the registration form online at the CSRF website.

T A BU D D Y

B E A U D DY B

Telephone Buddy scheme Our buddy scheme goes from strength to strength with many more of you taking advantage of our friendship call service. We’d love to sign up more of you to enjoy all the benefits provided by the scheme, so if you are interested do get in touch and you can start enjoying a friendly chat on the phone. Whether you’d like a call once a week or a month the registration process is easy and our matching process will pair you up with a Buddy with similar interests. The cost of calls made by our telephone buddies is reimbursed and we will do our best to match you up with someone with similar interests or hobbies.

Three easy ways to register

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Call 020 8691 7411 (in confidence)

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Email: phonebuddy@csrf.org.uk

3

Register online at www.csrf.org.uk

For an informal & confidential chat about all our volunteer opportunities call 020 8691 7411, email volunteering@csrf.org.uk or fill out the volunteer registration form online at www.csrf.org.uk

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MEMBER SERVICES Don’t forget that as a member you are able to take advantage of a range of member helplines and discount clubs that are set up for your benefit

£442 PER PERSON

Legal Advice Helpline Operated by McClures, this service offers advice on setting up a Legacy, Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Care Costs, Probate Costs or Funeral Plans. If they are not able to deal with your enquiry directly they will refer you to one of their partner firms.

Telephone: 08451 800 939 (only operates between 9am-5pm weekdays) Email: csrf@mcclure-solicitors.co.uk Don’t forget: If your group would like to request a FREE visit by McClures, call the helpline to make the booking

NEW

The CSRF Travel Club We’re delighted to announce the launch of a brand new Holiday club for members operated by our new travel partners, The UK Holiday Group. Offering exclusive member savings (some worth up to 50% off) there are some great holiday offers now available for your consideration.

Highlights for the next first few months include Jersey by Air (5 days from only £299 person), a Christmas Shopping cruise with a taste of Belgium and Holland (3 nights from £179 per person) or a Majestic Springtime Fjordland Cruise in 2014 (7 nights from only £442 per person). Call the

dedicated hotline below or email to request the full list of great holiday offers available.

£179

PER PERSON

£299 PER PERSON

Telephone: 0844 264 2423 Email: csrftravelclub@theukholidaygroup.com Post: The CSRF Travel Club, c/o The UK Holiday Group, The Old Bakery, Queens Road, Norwich, NR1 3PL ATOL Protected 5024 ABTA No.V6237

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IT & Technology Helpline Operated by BC Technologies, this service is proving to be a great hit with our members. It provides you with help or support on any I.T. or technology problem you may encounter with your computer, email or internet. It’s completely FREE (except for the cost of your phone call) and easily accessible via email or by telephone.

Telephone: 01369 706656 (only operates between 9am-5pm weekdays) Email: csrf@bc-group.co.uk

Theatre Club Enjoy regularly updated deals and discounts on shows, hotels and restaurants. To access the theatre club log in to the Members’ area of the CSRF website and you will see it listed on the member home page. Click on the relevant link and view all the latest offers and discounts.

If you experience any difficulties logging into the website then call 020 8691 7411 for assistance

SPECIAL INTEREST Book Club: bookclub@csrf.org.uk Golf Tour: golftour@csrf.org.uk Photography: photography@csrf.org.uk The CSRF and NHSRF are grateful to the support received from The Civil Service Insurance Society (www.csis.co.uk) towards all the special interest activities

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Photography winners This year’s competition attracted 186 entries on the theme of ‘The Joy of Retirement’ presenting the judges with a tough decision to select the winners. The judges for

this year’s competition were David Tickner, Editor of avanti, Audrey Harris, Vice Chairman of the NHSRF and Ian Bell from ICL Media.

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Don’t forget you can still sign up to play this year’s Seniors Golf Tour. Taking place on September 17 at the St Pierre Golf and Country Club in Chepstow, it costs just £50 for members to enter. Special room rates maybe available. For more information call 020 8691 7411 or email golftour@csrf.org.uk

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If you enjoy reading then why not register for the book club? It’s free to join as a member.

For more information call 020 8691 7411 or email: bookclub@csrf.org.uk

The 2013 CSRF Winners 1. Overall winner: Lynne Wilkinson ‘Time on my hands’ (CSRF) 2. NHSRF winner: Doreen Brown ‘Time to reflect’ 3. CSRF winner: Malcolm Gibbon ‘Gone Fishin’ 4. NHSRF Branch winner: ‘Having the time to stand and stare’ (Bromley & District) 5. CSRF Group winner: ‘Bathtime with Grandad’ (Blandford)

animal magic!

Entries for the next competition are now open. Our new theme is ‘Wildlife and Pets’ and the competition closes on 30 November 2013. Any CSRF member is eligible to enter, and you could win a first prize of £200 worth of gift vouchers. So whatever your photographic ability why not give it a go and send a snap of your pet or a wildlife shot from a forthcoming holiday or walk in the woods!

To register contact Fellowship Office on 020 8691 7411 or email: photography@csrf.org.uk

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AGM 2013 The sixth Annual General Meeting was held from 1pm on Wednesday 17 July at the Civil Service Club, Great Scotland Yard, London SW1A 2HJ Chairman’s opening remarks

The Chairman welcomed all company members, observers, Vice President Peter Jones, national auditor Elliot Harris from Chantrey Vellacott DFK and Kevin Holliday, Chief Executive of the Civil Service Insurance Society. 34 eligible voting members were present.

He thanked the CSIS Charity Fund for their support of the National Visitors Network and the Civil Service Insurance Society for their contributions towards the joint leisure activities with the NHS Retirement Fellowship. He went on to highlight the large amount of work being carried out by Fellowship Office on a national level in the previous year for fundraising, volunteering, group support and communications. He then thanked the Board of Directors for their support and then thanked staff at Fellowship Office for their commitment and dedication before confirming that the Golden Jubilee fundraising appeal had with gift aid raised over £100k so far.

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Accounts

The company’s accounts for the year ending 31 December 2012, together with the Chairman’s Statement, the Report of the Board of Directors and the Report of the Auditors, were presented by the new Honorary Treasurer Jenny Rowe CB and were accepted without question.

Auditors

It was resolved that Chantrey Vellacott be re-appointed auditors of the company and that the Board of Directors be authorised to fix their remuneration.

Special Resolutions

1. That the relevant Articles be amended to reflect the references to the National Whitley Council be replaced by “the Cabinet Office” or “the National Trade Union Committee” or “The Cabinet Office and the National Trade Union Committee” as appropriate.

Carried

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1: Volunteer Manager Gonul Irfan, Finance Manager Richard Hornsby, Membership Secretary Yvonne Scott and Vice Chairman Russell Brown; 2: Peter Harris MBE (Northumberland & Tyneside), Chief Executive Jean Cooper and Board Director Michael Wailes; 3: Margaret Carter (Torbay & South Devon) and Vice Chairman Russell Brown; 4: Len Wright (South East Kent) and Board Director Martin Claridge; 5: Joan Cowan (West Shropshire & Welshpool); 6: Board Director Tony Hazeldine and Pat Pearce (South East London)

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2. That Article 1.1.5 be amended as follows: Insert after Charity “even if the branch has closed but one or more active groups remain within the branch boundary” Carried 3. That Article 1.1.12 insert “Company” before “Members” Carried

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11 7: Anne Guess (Bedfordshire) and Pat Braby (West & Central Middlesex); 8: Vida Pritchard (North Lancashire & Cumbria), Lynn Willan (North Lancashire & Cumbria) and Doreen Beck (Dumfries & Kirkcudbright); 9: Betty Frowen (West Glamorgan), Board Director Sylvia Edgell and Mildred Price (West Glamorgan); 10: Board Director Tony Hazeldine, Mavis and John Cook (East Berkshire); 11: Vice President Peter Jones and Fellowship Office’s Belinda Stalker; 12: Honorary Treasurer Jenny Rowe, Vice Chairman Russell Brown and Chairman John Barker

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4. That the relevant Articles referring to “Subscriber” be amended to “Full Member” Carried 5. That Article 19.5 be amended as follows: Line 3 insert after “Subscriber.” the following: “Where there remain active groups within an inactive branch those groups may also submit a nominee.”

Carried 6. To introduce an Associate member category with effect from January 2014 by adding the following Article and any consequential amendments to the Rules: Article 1 Definitions and interpretation Add a new 1.1.16 with the subsequent re-numbering of all following definitions under Article 1: Article 1.1.16 Associate Member Means anyone not eligible to be a beneficiary defined in Article 5 of the Articles and who by paying an appropriate subscription to the Fellowship may participate fully in the Fellowships activities as set out in the Rules Lost

Ordinary Resolutions

1 That Life Membership of the CSRF should be re-introduced, with the Life Membership rate set at a multiple of the annual subscription rate, and reviewed regularly.

Carried

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2. That Sir Paul Jenkins KCB, QC be appointed a Vice-President of the Fellowship in recognition of his appointment as Champion for the Fellowship.

Carried

Directors

The following were elected as Directors for the year 2013-2014: John Cook, Evelyn George and John Lloyd CB.

Closure

After thanking the outgoing Directors Ann Rhodes and Ray Flanigan for their service to the Fellowship, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 2.15pm.

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NEWS

Caring for the Carers The Charity for Civil Servants puts support for carers high on their list of services One in seven of us is currently caring for someone who is ill, frail or has a disability and as anyone who has caring responsibilities will know, all too often, carers can be so preoccupied with the health and wellbeing of the person they’re caring for that their own needs take a back seat.

However, paying more attention to yourself can be very positive for you and the person you care for.

The Charity for Civil Servants recently published its Top Tips for Carers and advises that as well as registering with your GP to inform him or her of your caring role, you’re legally entitled to an assessment of your needs by your local council.

Planning for an emergency can also help alleviate a lot of

anxiety carers feel because knowing that replacement care will be available should something happen to you provides an enormous amount of peace of mind.

The Charity also recognises that being a carer can be isolating and all-consuming but you’re not alone. Your local Carers Centre is an independent charity that provides a wide range of resources, advice and activities as well opportunities for you to meet other carers.

For further information on any of the services the Charity has to offer, please see the Charity’s website www.foryoubyyou.org.uk or call its Freephone number on 0800 056 2424.

Age UK’s ITea and Biscuits Week This campaign is now in its sixth year and offers people in later life the chance to learn about all kinds of technology and find out about important benefits they could be missing out on. Taking place from 16-22 September, the Week will provide hundreds of local ‘taster’ sessions across the country to provide a basic knowledge of technology including computers, the internet and smartphones. Currently 50% of people aged over 65 admit they have never used the internet at all on any device, so the week offers a great opportunity to change that.

For more information call 0800 169 65 65 or visit www.ageuk.org.uk/itea-and-biscuits DON’T FORGET: For any IT/Technology troubles, you can call the CSRF IT Helpline on 01369 706656

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STOP PRESS : STOP PRESS STOP PRESS : STOP PRESS

Well done to the CSIS Congratulations to the Civil Service Insurance Society for winning the 2013 Moneywise Award for Most Trusted Car Provider in June. For full details on the range of insurance cover provided by CSIS visit their website, www.csis.co.uk or call 0845 6077444

Look after the Pennies This new Learn my Way online course has been developed especially with older people in mind. It lasts just 30 minutes and covers everything from basic budgeting to benefit entitlements, savings and investments to spending safely online. You can go at your own pace and there are no tests to pass. To take the test visit http://bit.ly/17BPHZC

Involving Older Age report

A new report from the Royal Voluntary Service shows that traditional services for older people, whilst addressing important practical needs, can also encourage passivity and dependence. Many of these services do things “for” older people rather than working alongside them.

For more information call 0845 608 0122 or visit the RVS website, www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk

Feature

the rise and rise of

Home Baking

With home baking enjoying a revival of late thanks to shows such as the Great British Bake Off Cathy Haughey looks at how baking techniques have evolved over the past 50 years.

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here’s nothing quite like the aroma and taste of home baking, the apprehension of watching a Victoria Sponge rise to great heights and the contentment associated with enjoying a delicious home-baked slice of cake with strawberries and freshly whipped cream after an afternoon of domestic bliss in the kitchen! But where did our nation’s newfound interest in baking originate?

Reflect back to the 1950’s when baking rose to fame with post-war lifestyle changes and women becoming focused on fulfilling the role of the perfect housewife and mother in the home. This was aided by magazines of the time including ‘House Wife’, ‘Women’s Day’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ which focused on honing cooking and baking skills, making fabulous meals, cakes and savoury snacks using the freshest of ingredients from local shops. There was also a significant increase in Cookery Books and almost every housewife possessed a copy of Mary Berry’s ‘Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook’ packed with healthy recipes for everyday cooking and baking including all

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time favourites such as egg-less chocolate cake, pineapple upside down cake, friendship fruitcake, boiled cake, chocolate cup cakes, home baked wbreads and much more!

The increase in home baking and cooking was furthermore enhanced during the 1960’s with the trend of dinner parties.

Inviting friends around for dinner and drinks was a popular social activity and also provided an opportunity for women to showcase their cooking and baking skills!

Indeed, surprisingly today we see the revival of retro classic dinner party dishes readily available in leading supermarkets including chicken Kiev, duck a l’orange, beef stroganoff and black forest gateaux.

For those of us who grew up during the 1950’s and savoured the taste of home baking, it wasn’t long before the growth of supermarket superstores posed a threat to the abandonment of home baking. The introduction of mass produced goods such as breads, cakes and biscuits during the late 1960’s resulted in changing lifestyle and baking habits with households veering towards convenience foods which required less effort and time to prepare.

This was coupled with Women’s Liberation and the movement of women into the workplace fighting for equality. Women were no longer restricted solely to the role of housewife or mother within the

home, which meant that domestic chores, cooking and baking took a back seat.

Inevitably these social changes resulted in a significant decrease in the time and effort which was spent home baking.

Radical changes within society also brought with it the influence of other cultures. We saw the mass introduction of new foods such as pizza and pasta into our lives. This provided us with a greater choice of foods, expanded taste buds and placed us in a new situation where family foods could be provided without endless hours of baking and cooking in the kitchen. Furthermore, cooking and baking skills took the greatest knocking during the 1980’s with the development of the microwave, the new toy in the kitchen!

It was a must have item, dramatically speeding up cooking time and providing the nation with ready meals available with the click of a button and it wasn’t long before every household possessed one.

By the late 1980’s supermarket giants were found in almost every town across the UK. This, combined with a drastic lifestyle change brought about a new way of shopping, cooking and baking. By the late 1990’s large supermarket chains introduced 24 hour opening with extended product ranges inclusive of fresh produce and bakeries with additional incentives including loyalty schemes and price wars.

Thelma Hiorns ‘Hot Muffins and scones with clotted cream’

Jean Turner ‘A freshly cooked fruit cake straight from the oven’

Myra Hair ‘Strawberry Pavlova and cream or meringues with cream’

There appeared to be no need to spend endless hours preparing home made meals as processed, fast food was available around the clock.

Times, lifestyles, shopping habits and cooking styles have changed drastically from the 1950’s. While the economic turndown of the 21st Century has resulted in the demise of small businesses, large powerful supermarkets now provide a one stop shop offering consumers a diverse range of shopping under one roof including food, clothing, electrical and household items. However, despite the gloomy economic climate, there appears to be a glimmer of light as far as home baking is concerned. The rise in home baking has suddenly started to become ‘cool and trendy’. Has the credit crunch of our economy brought with it a baking renaissance or is it just another fad of our fast-living lifestyle? According to statistics an amazing 43% of us spend at least an hour every day in the kitchen making meals or entertaining friends, activities that were in abundance in earlier times!

In addition to this many of us are resorting back to cookery books or reviving old family recipes. The question is why has this sudden surge in baking happened? Let’s reflect back on the 1990’s….remember Delia Smith’s TV series ‘How To Cook’… let’s face it, she was acknowledging that

Everyone likes a special treat. Baking offers up plenty of temptations in this field and on a recent visit to the Coventry group we asked the ladies there to name their ‘cheeky baked indulgence’….

Betty Petch ‘Chocolate cake or a nice sized bowl of Eton Mess’

Jean Mills ‘Lemon cheesecake and cream with a trickle of strawberry sauce’

June Parsons ‘Lemon meringue pie or a freshly baked Madeira cake’

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Feature a majority of our nation didn’t know how to boil an egg! Shocking as it was, was she incorrect to assume this? No, apparently not as this was a best selling series along with her books. Delia brought us back to basics teaching us what our mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers knew best, the skill of cooking and baking.

Moving swiftly into the millennium years, media undoubtedly influenced the rise of baking. Widely popular programmes include BBC’s ‘Masterchef’, fashionable TV chefs Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson simplifying baking as well as the TV program ‘Come Dine With Me’ featuring dinner parties across the nation. Suddenly baking has become hip in the 21st Century! Famed baker Mary Berry regularly appears on our televisions screens as part of the ‘Great British Bake Off’ with BBC2, a programme averaging 4 million viewers a week!

As passionate amateur bakers participate in baking battles, we cannot fail to mention the famous ‘Cupcake’, which has taken the nation by storm. The cupcake trend was started by US character Carrie Bradshaw after she emerged from the Magnolia Bakery in New York during an episode of the much watched ‘Sex in the City’. Today every bakery, cake shop and café produce their own version of the delicate cupcake adorned with toppings in every colour and lavishly decorated until they look almost too good to eat!

It’s fair to say that the cupcake revolution has taken Britain by storm, providing an eclectic mix of colour, texture and style compared with the simple bun elegantly displayed on vintage cake stands. The 21st Century cupcake has been taken to new heights with the introduction of Cupcake Towers, Cupcake Wedding Cakes, Giant Cupcakes and many more entrepreneurial approaches to the sale of the cupcake bun!

Young children help mothers bake them for school cake sales and events, instilling in the young the techniques of greasing tins, folding ingredients and learning about measurements and timings.

While the traditional skills of baking are currently being reinstated we see how the digital age is having a significant impact on the evolution of baking in the 21st Century. Recipes are available at the click of a mouse, social media sites dedicated to baking are plentiful and blogs are jam packed with aspiring bakers worldwide.

We no longer need to wait for the natural integration of other cultures into our baking and cooking styles. We are living in a very small world where information, recipes, advice and communication channels are constantly evolving. We can post pictures of our delightful cakes as they are taken from the oven and await messages, tweets and digital sharing of our culinary success stories.

Whilst there is no doubt that modern day living has much to offer in terms of instant accessibility to recipes and baking tips, it is enlightening to see old school classic baking basics making a comeback.

Baking no doubt requires time, patience and effort (and its usually more expensive than buying readymade), however indulging in baking has many benefits.

If you are a sharer, consider gathering friends and family around to reap the rewards of your sweet treats. Otherwise, indulge by yourself if your cakes are too good to share and toast the fabulous baking habits of bygone generations!

Technology and habits will continue to change, but what is certain is that baking is here to stay.

The BBC’s Great British Bake Off returns to television screens later this month

fundraising

COOKBOOK As part of our plans to support the Golden Jubilee fundraising appeal we would like to produce a special CSRF cookbook to sell to help raise funds. The cookbook would include a whole range of recipes from you and would be sold via our groups and available direct from headquarters.

So if you’d like to submit a recipe for consideration for a main course, starter, dessert or cake/baked goods then please send to the Fellowship Office address at the front of the magazine or email: avanti@square7media.co.uk Your recipe must include all ingredients, measurements and cooking/preparation instructions and should be typed out (or written out clearly if handwritten).

Further Reading Cake: A Global History by Nicola Humble (Reaktion Books) Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation: Finding Ourselves in the Kitchen by Michael Pollan (Allen Lane) A Passion for Baking by Jo Wheatley (Constable)

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Feature

Gareth Southwell investigates the relationship between art, media and propaganda.

I

n 2012 a house clearance turned up an unexpected art treasure, an exquisitely painted miniature about the size of a postcard that depicts Elizabeth I in an allegorical scene. The queen, standing alongside the Greek goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, holds a golden apple. Anyone with knowledge of classical mythology will immediately recognise the allusion: it is the Judgement of Paris.

Asked to present a golden apple to the most beautiful of the three goddesses, the Trojan Prince Paris chooses Aphrodite, the goddess of love, for which he is rewarded with the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta. Since Helen is already married to the Spartan King Menelaus, their elopement is not without consequences, ultimately resulting in the Trojan War. The Judgement of Paris is a common theme in Renaissance art and literature, where it often symbolises the choice we face as to the best course in life: Hera, queen of the gods, symbolises power; Athena, the patron goddess of Athens, represents wisdom; and Aphrodite, the Greek equivalent of the Roman Venus, stands for pleasure. The conundrum,

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then, is not only which goal is best, but also how we might pursue one without causing conflict with the others. However, in the painting, the queen neatly sidesteps this dilemma by retaining the apple for herself, thus avoiding any discord, and also implying that in herself all three divine qualities are equally embodied.

The painting, thought to be by renowned Elizabethan miniaturist Isaac Oliver, will form part of the National Portrait Gallery’s forthcoming exhibition ‘Elizabeth and Her People’, where it will sit alongside other depictions of the Virgin Queen and her court.

Early in her reign Elizabeth’s unmarried status was cause for much concern and speculation, for any alliance would have significant political consequences and risk upsetting the delicate religious truce between her Protestant and Catholic subjects. Accordingly, whilst for a time she entertained various suitors from France, Spain and Austria, Elizabeth’s ‘virginity’ eventually came to symbolise England’s religious and political independence; that, as she later put it, her ‘husbands’ were the subjects themselves, to whom she was ‘married’ (much as a nun is chastely

‘betrothed’ to Christ). The figure of the Virgin Queen, common to Elizabethan art and poetry, is thus a reminder that art and propaganda have often gone hand in hand.

We might like to think that art is a noble pursuit of truth or beauty and that artists are independent creators and commentators, but the reality is somewhat less idealistic. Historically, great art has almost always been subsidised by wealthy patrons, aristocrats, popes and rulers, who have seldom been tolerant or liberal enough to fund creative enterprises that didn’t reflect them in a positive light. The Roman Emperor Augustus spent much of his personal wealth on ‘good works’, new constructions and renovations intended to augment and beautify the art and architecture of Rome, but this was less philanthropy than an attempt to secure his political position by currying favour with the Roman populace. The Sistine Chapel, arguably one of the artistic wonders of the world, isn’t just an expression of the creative genius of Michelangelo, Botticelli, and the other artists whose frescoes decorate it, but also reflects the wealth and power of the Catholic Church and, of course, the personal vanity of the

LEFT: Queen Elizabeth I (‘Elizabeth I and the Three Graces’), attrib. Isaac Oliver, c. 1590 BELOW: Fresco from the Sistine Chapel

individual popes who commissioned the works, hoping to leave their mark upon posterity.

The idea then of ‘art for art’s sake’ is relatively new. Great artists such as da Vinci and Michelangelo were seen by contemporaries more as highly skilled craftsmen for hire than independent spirits pursuing their own creative vision.

But even in modern times artists aren’t guaranteed free expression. In countries where free speech is limited, artists may face censorship or even imprisonment for expressing views, which don’t toe the party line, the most high profile of recent

cases being China’s Ai Weiwei.

However, even in liberal Western countries artists must abide by legal restrictions such as libel, blasphemy, obscenity, hate speech or be subject to more subtle censorship, such as the individual taste of publishers, or theatre and gallery directors, who worry about upsetting the public, the media, or corporate sponsors.

As Sir Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate Galleries, recently argued, such considerations increasingly lead artists to self -censor: faced with a choice between loss of livelihood or conformity, they steer away from controversial subjects. Of course, such restrictions don’t imply that any art produced under such circumstances has no value as artists must eat, and genuine art needn’t always be controversial. However, lack of creative freedom and the promotion of ‘acceptable’ values are features that rather belong to propaganda than art.

Propaganda implies the state sponsored use of art, literature and media for the specific promotion of certain attitudes

and opinions. Artists traditionally aim at self-expression, realism or truth, but propaganda is more concerned with the promotion of an ‘official’ ideal or message, which often glosses over or ignores inconvenient facts. The art of post-revolutionary China, depicting united, healthy and happy workers, belied the hardship and oppression that was a central feature of everyday life. The same is true of Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany. But whilst we may blame such political regimes for reducing art to a means of social influence and control, not all propagandists have been unwilling. Painter Jacques-Louis David did much to promote the republican ideals that fuelled the French Revolution.

His Death of Marat (1793), depicting the assassination of French revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat, ticks many of the boxes for propaganda, presenting the event in terms sympathetic to the state by depicting Marat as a republican martyr.

For instance, Marat’s posture deliberately echoes the classical statues of the Roman republic, ignoring the less flattering realities of Marat’s not so athletic physique and the chronic skin condition, which he is bathing to relieve. And yet, David also reveals great technical skill and mastery of composition, consciously expressing his own personal ideals (which he shared with the regime). So, art or propaganda?

As wonderful or beautiful as an artwork may be, isn’t there more to art than technique and aesthetic appeal? We may look askance at an artwork that supports a suspect morality, or presents a prejudiced view of the world (such as David’s rosetinted view of the revolution), no matter what other merits it possesses. Leni Riefenstahl’s film, The Triumph of the Will (1934), was a landmark in cinematography, a masterpiece which can be appreciated technically and stylistically, but in as much as it helped to promote Hitler’s racist ideology through perpetuation of racial slurs and falsehoods, we may question its artistic integrity and deplore its values.

Must we then share the values of the artist in order to appreciate his work or consider it ‘art’? The German composer Richard Wagner was a notorious anti Semite, but can we separate the artist or the

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Feature

Enjoy the Art You can see the Marat painting at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels. The Museum’s collections trace the history of the visual arts - including works by Paul Rubens, Auguste Rodin and Paul Gauguin.

For more information visit the website, www.fine-arts-museum.be

Jacques-Louis David, Marat assassiné, 1793 © Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels / photo : Photo d’art Speltdoorn & Fils, Brussels

artwork from such objectionable personal views? It’s a complicated issue.

Art is also often distinguished from the use of images in design and advertising.

In commercial propaganda, as with the political variety, it’s the attempt to influence and persuade which seems ‘unartistic’. The advertiser wants to sell his product, which is depicted in ideal, unrealistic terms. But commerce and art are not so distinct either. ‘Design classics’ can be beautiful or aesthetically impressive, transcending their everyday function, whilst traditional art can express materialistic avarice. In his classic critique of Western art, Ways of Seeing (1972), John Berger drew parallels between works from the Western tradition and images from modern media. On the face of it, there’s little common ground between a family portrait by Gainsborough and adverts for holidays or indoor furnishings, but closer inspection reveals a similar message: Gainsborough’s depiction of wealth and privilege says, ‘Look at what I have’, whilst the ads say, ‘Look at what you could have’. In a fascinating photo essay, Berger

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reinforces this parallel, revealing in image after image how ‘art’ has often been more motivated by love of wealth and earthly desire than high-flown ideals.

Oscar Wilde famously claimed that ‘All art is utterly useless’; that it should serve no ethical, political or social purpose, but concern itself solely with the depiction of beauty. As we’ve seen it is difficult to divorce art from ethics, or style from substance, nor can we always distinguish from propaganda, or social and commercial purposes. Maybe then there’s no such thing as ‘pure’ art, for all art serves some non-artistic purpose. Even highly conceptual or abstract artworks may serve as financial investments, and it’s a snobbish assumption that commercially successful works cannot be considered artistic. Yet there may still be something that raises certain artworks above these other concerns. The greatest art may move, shock or enrapture us, or cause us to reflect on the deep questions of life. Art may not always be for its own sake, but its greatest examples do more than serve some neatly defined purpose.

Things to Check Out The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich (Phaidon).

Ways of Seeing by John Berger (Penguin Modern Classics).

The exhibition Elizabeth and her People is due to run at the National Portrait Gallery, London, from October 10th to January 5th, 2014

Feature

underground

BRITAIN With the opening of the Shard in central London last summer, the UK is now home to the tallest building in Western Europe.

But the nation’s engineering triumphs are not restricted to man’s ever increasing reach towards the sky, and coughing up a pretty penny to visit the dizzying heights of London’s latest sky scraper won’t give you the full picture of some of the finest attractions in the land, even from its eagle eyed perspective. avanti scratches under the surface of Great Britain and discovers some fascinating hidden attractions that lie beneath waiting for you to discover...

D

uring the spectacular opening ceremony of last year’s Olympic Games, master of ceremonies Danny Boyle paid tribute to the industrial revolution of the 1800s that saw the British Isles secure its position on the international economic stage as a key player. Rich in resources, man has been tapping the treasures buried beneath Britain for centuries. The “north” of the country deservedly earned itself the reputation as the nation’s industrial heartland; home to numerous coal mines it was fundamental to the nation’s expansion during the Victorian era.

Wales, too, became integral in supplying the nation’s insatiable appetite for coal.

Big Pit, the National Coal Museum near Blaenafon, Torfaen in South Wales, gives visitors some idea of the importance of the fossil fuel, as well as a taste of life down the pits. Descending 300 feet down the Big Pit mineshaft, appropriately dressed in a miner’s helmet and lamp, a former mine worker leads visitors on a 50 minute walk around part of the network of the former mine, taking in the coal faces, engine houses and the stables. Above ground, a multimedia museum tells the story of the pit, and offers a virtual tour of the

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underground network for those not wishing to descend.

The south west of England also has its fair share of manmade excavations, with Devon and Cornwall being particularly rich in tin and copper. A fine example of a former working copper mine can be found at the historic port of Morwellham Quay on the banks of the River Tamar. During its heyday it was known as ‘The Greatest Copper Port in Queen Victoria’s Empire’, and spawned its very own canal to assist with the transportation inland of excavated materials, while copper destined for use in the construction of warships, in particular the lining of the hull, was transported down river to Plymouth. The George and Charlotte Mine is now open to the public, with a narrow gauge railway leading into its depths where visitors can witness the cramped, and often incredibly dangerous, working conditions faced by the miners.

No Explosives Necessary

A little further east on the other side of Dartmoor lies another underground world, but this sub surface network of caves was not formed by explosives, or even a pick axe. Kents Cavern in Torquay was created by years of water erosion, and utilised

over thousands of years for shelter from extreme weather, the shaping of stone tools and a base from which they could go hunting. The footprints of their existence can still be viewed here, making the caves the perfect starting point for visitors to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) English Riviera Global Geopark, which uncovers a geological story dating back 400 million years.

Across the Irish Sea lies the Marble Arch Global Geo Park, located under the hills of the counties of Fermanagh and Cavan in Northern Ireland. The caves reveal a natural underworld of rivers, waterfalls, winding passages and lofty chambers for visitors to explore. While the caves retain their natural state, an unobtrusive network of walkways

allow easy access for visitors of all ages to appreciate the beauty of the caves, as well as a boat trip along one of the caves many subterranean rivers to round off the tour.

A popular underground day out that will also keep the grandchildren entertained is Wookey Hole in the Mendip Hills near Wells. The caves themselves were formed by erosion of the limestone hills by the River Axe, and it is believed that they were the site of the first cave dive in Britain. Today, the waters are illuminated spectacularly, making for an impressive viewing of their vast area, and impressive stalactites.

Above ground there are plenty of attractions to keep the children occupied, including a life size dinosaur valley, a fairy

garden, pirate nights and the opportunity to meet the Witch of Wookey Hole.

The West Wycombe Caves are a somewhat misleadingly named underground attraction in the Chilterns.

Not a natural phenomenon, but rather a manmade excavation deep into the chalk and flint of Buckinghamshire, the so-called Hellfire Caves carry a sordid reputation.

The network of caverns and chambers were excavated from 1748 under the instruction of Francis Dashwood, 15th Baron le Despencer and co-founder of the notorious Hellfire Club, whose meetings were held in the caves upon completion. Rumours of satanic rituals, black magic and even orgies were rife, meaning that once opened to the public in 1951 a more than steady stream of visitors ensued.

TOP: Wookey Hole; BELOW: Brighton’s sewers.

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Further Information Big Pit Blaenafon, NP4 9XP. Tel 02920573650 www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/bigpit

LEFT: Hellfire Caves; ABOVE: Mary King’s Close

Self Preservation

The outbreak of the Second World War saw the nation’s heritage of digging underground put into action for the preservation of human life and the continuation of the country’s vital services. The government had anticipated the likelihood of potential bombings should war break out in Europe once again. So in 1938 they began construction of an underground command centre beneath the Treasury in Whitehall, to ensure Britain’s strategic war plans were not affected by the bombs raining down overhead. They were used for the duration of the Second World War, and only abandoned following the surrender of Japan in August 1945. The rooms were preserved following their abandonment, although access to view them was strictly limited until the mid-1980s. Following a major overhaul, the rooms reopened in 2005 under the new name of The Churchill War Rooms.

Underground excavations during the war were not limited to the capital, with civilian air raid shelters being dug into the ground across the country in the run up to the declaration of war. The Stockport Air Raid Shelters are a fine example of an en-masse civilian shelter, which at its peak could accommodate up to 6,500 people during a black out. The shelter was reopened to the public in 1996 by Stockport Council, and now regular tours take place, as well as exhibitions and children’s activities, all created to replicate the tension of a 1940s raid.

Another underground site used as a deep air shelter during World War II are the Chislehurst Caves in Kent. This labyrinth of manmade tunnels form a maze covering over six hectares thirty metres below ground. They were originally dug for chalk used in lime burning and brickmaking for the building of London. It has fulfilled a number of uses including mushroom growing in the 1920’s and 30’s and most famously, as an underground town as one of the largest deep air-raid shelters in the country,

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protecting over 15,000 people at the height of the Blitz in London.

Most Haunted

Edinburgh’s Royal Mile has its own ghostly secret, as hidden beneath the façade of its grandeur lies the mysterious Mary King’s Close. This underground warren of streets has been shrouded in mystery ever since it was partially demolished and the Royal Exchange built atop it, cutting it off from the rest of the city. The Close is believed to have been named after a prominent 17th century business woman, an interesting anomaly in itself. Rumours of murders within the warren of streets as well as the belief that plague victims were walled in during the construction work overhead only added to the sinister air surrounding the network of former streets, making them a regular feature for television’s Most Haunted. The Real Mary King’s Close was reopened to the public in 2003 and with the help of costumed guides; they now depict an accurate image of life in Edinburgh during the 16th to 19th centuries.

Lasting Legacy

Brighton is full of Victorian heritage, including its pier and electric seafront railway. But one of the biggest draws to the city sees visitors slip underneath a man-hole cover and down into the murky depths of the 18th century sewer network.

Unlike a number of underground attractions, the Victorian sewers are still very much in use by the city. The network was built entirely by hand, and eagle eyed visitors looking at the sewer walls may even spot a shell within the cement, as workers utilised what sand there was on Brighton’s seafront to mix their cement. The construction was a pioneering effort, after the council decided that cesspools to the rear of properties were not practical or hygienic, proving that some things are just much better off underground.

Morwellham Quay nr Tavistock, PL19 8JL. Tel 01822 832766 www.morwellham-quay.co.uk Kents Cavern Torquay, TQ1 2JF Tel 01803 215136 www.kents-cavern.co.uk Marble Arch Geopark Legnabrocky, Northern Ireland, BT92 1EW Tel 02866 348855 www.marblearchcavesgeopark.com Wookey Hole The Mill Wells BA5 1BB Tel 01749 672243 www.wookey.co.uk Hellfire Caves West Wycombe HP14 3AH Tel 01494 533739 www.hellfirecaves.co.uk Churchill War Rooms King Charles Street, London, SW1A 2AG Tel 0207 930 6961 www.iwm.org.uk/ churchill-war-rooms Stockport Air Raid Shelters 61 Chestergate, Stockport, SK1 1NE Tel 01614 741940 www.stockport.gov.uk/ airraidshelters Chislehurst Caves Chislehurst Close, Old Hill, Chislehurst, Kent BR7 5NL Tel: 020 8467 3264 www.chislehurst-caves.co.uk Mary King’s Close High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1PG Tel 08450706244 www.realmarykingsclose.com Brighton Sewers Book online at sewertours.southernwater.co.uk

to and back What’s So Damned Fascinating About Eternal Torment?

Gareth Southwell takes a look

W

hat happens to us when we die? Not a cheery question, I know, but an important one.

Understandably, then, throughout human history much effort has been expended in seeking an answer, but also, creatures of imagination that we are, in visualising our possible destination. If it exists, what might the afterlife be like? Fear is often a more powerful influence than hope when it comes to picturing the future, so whilst most traditions have some concept of a heavenly realm where good souls are rewarded

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for virtue, it is the attempt to envisage hell, a place of punishment for earthly misdeed, that has often provided the more memorable and colourful images.

Yet, whilst the concept is common, hell is not a single place, but one with an ancient and varied history, differing according to culture, religion and mythology, and changing over time. In Europe and America, influenced by Christian theology, hell is commonly conceived of as a fiery place of eternal torment, presided over by sadistic demons meting out punishments for earthly misdemeanours. But other traditions differ on one or more of these points. Helheim, the Viking netherworld, was a land of extreme cold, whilst the Tibetan Buddhists divided their hell into eight hot and eight cold regions. The ancient Greeks and Romans saw the underworld largely in neutral terms as a land of the dead, of which only the realm of Tartarus, reserved for the particularly wicked, involved eternal punishment

(it is here that Sisyphus, who murdered his own guests in violation of the laws of hospitality, was condemned forever to push a boulder up a hill, only to see it roll back down before it reached the top). Furthermore, certain non-Christian traditions of both East and West saw afterlife punishment as a temporary means of reform. For instance, in his Republic, the Greek philosopher Plato recounts the vision of the Er, a soldier who has a near death vision of the Greek afterlife, and describes how each soul is judged and allotted rewards or punishments before eventually being allowed to progress to the next stage of existence: reincarnation into a new physical body. Some traditions even saw diabolical torment as something selfinflicted: for instance, in Buddhism, or the visions of Swedish mystic Emanuel Swedenborg, our attachment to certain illusions and desires creates our own personal hell.

Feature FAR LEFT: Sisyphus; mural of Hell from a Temple in eastern Thailand.

For Westerners, one of the most influential visions of hell has undoubtedly been that of the Italian medieval poet Dante Alighieri (c.1265-1321). In La Divina Commedia, a three part epic poem consisting of over fourteen thousand lines, Dante symbolised the passage of the individual soul from sin to salvation in personal terms, an allegorical vision of his own journey through the three realms of the afterlife: hell, purgatory, and paradise.

Of these, hell (Inferno) has retained by far the most popular interest, due not least to its unflinching descriptions of the ingenious and excruciating torments suffered by the damned. Dante was not the first to describe this symbolic journey - one tradition depicts Christ himself as ‘harrowing’ hell of certain worthy inhabitants, taking them with him as he ascended to heaven following the crucifixion, and pagan antiquity contains many examples of underworld descents in pursuit of some goal: Heracles (the Greek Hercules) went there and back as part of his twelfth ‘labour’; Orpheus, in search of his lost love Eurydice; and Aeneas, the mythological founder of Rome, to converse with his ancestors and the shade of his father. In fact, Dante draws on these and other traditions to produce a blend of pagan mythology and medieval Christianity. Virgil (70-19 BC), the great Roman poet who had chronicled Aeneas’ fabled journey in his long poem the Aeneid, is himself Dante’s guide, who, having rescued him from the ‘dark wood’ of error and confusion, will lead him through hell, up Mount Purgatory (where penitent believers purge themselves of their earthly sins), to the very borders of paradise. There, Virgil must hand over to Beatrice, an idealised portrait of a young lady from Dante’s past, whose beauty and purity have come to embody for him the divine virtues.

Why doesn’t Virgil guide Dante all the way? This interesting question leads us deeper into the true nature of Inferno.

As a virtuous non-Christian, Virgil neither deserves the punishments of the damned nor the rewards of the faithful. As such, he joins others (goodly pagan philosophers and just rulers, innocent infants with the misfortune to die unbaptized) in Limbo, which is technically the first circle of

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Feature

Further READING Inferno, by Dan Brown, is available in hardback (Doubleday).

A good, readable translation of Dante’s The Divine Comedy, complete with notes, is the version

by C.H. Sisson (Oxford University Press).

An image of a devil and sinners on an external facade of the Cathedral, Orvieto, Italy

hell. Allegorically, then, the pagan Virgil is an apt guide to the realms of human reason, but not to the heavenly kingdom of Christian faith.

As we proceed down the different levels of hell, the sins become more serious, and their punishments accordingly more severe. In the second circle, those tempted into adultery and other forms of romantic misdeed are driven about by ceaseless winds. In the third circle, the gluttonous, who could not control their appetites, are made to wallow and gorge themselves in a foul mud. And so on, worsening by degree, through the complete catalogue of possible sins that include avarice, wrath, heresy, violence, fraud, and finally treachery. The order of these sins is influenced, like the poem itself, by a mixture of scripture and pagan philosophy. Gluttony is a lesser sin than heresy, for instance, because it merely involves a weakness of will, or akrasia, as Aristotle termed it: we know what we should and shouldn’t do, but simply lack the willpower to accomplish it. Heresy, however, involves the more grievous sins of pride and self-reliance, which allow reason to lead us astray. But heresy, in turn, is less serious than treachery, for the former merely involves a form of intellectual error, whereas the latter springs from a deliberate and conscious pursuit of an evil, selfish end.

As for the torments themselves, Dante determines these by a principle of contrapasso, ‘to suffer the opposite’.

Thus, in an act of poetic justice, the punishment fits the crime: the lovers driven by desire for tactile pleasure are deprived of the ability to touch, kept apart

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by undying winds representative of their own insatiable passions; the heretics, who split the Christian faith into warring sects, themselves have their bodies perpetually riven by sword-wielding demons; the traitors, ashamed to reveal their true names to Dante, have their identities gleefully betrayed by their fellow sinners.

These are just a few examples of the application of this principle, which Dante applies in wide and ingenious variation throughout Inferno, but also in the later section on Mount Purgatory, where it determines the penances the faithful must perform in order to be purged of their sins. In fact, we may see hell itself as the most general example of contrapasso, as its structure and nature are themselves a perverse reflection and diabolical parody of heaven.

However, perhaps the most intriguing feature of Dante’s vision is its personal nature. Virgil was Dante’s favourite poet and he had known Beatrice since childhood. On his journey he meets friends and enemies, and other figures directly related to the history of his native city of Florence and Italy in general. Boniface VIII, reserved a place in the 8th circle with the simoniacs (those who sold Church appointments and privileges for their own profit) is the pope whose treacherous dealings with Florence ultimately led to Dante’s exile. It is this personal quality, the expression of Dante’s own sorrows and regrets, his own desire for revenge, which therefore brings the poem to life, and suggests that what is most intriguing about the concept of hell and one reason why

A scholarly but accessible guide to Dante and his major work is Dante: The Poet, the Political Thinker, the Man, by Barbara Reynolds (Shoemaker & Hoard).

it continues to fascinate us, is that it tells us most of all about ourselves, acting as a mirror of our values, our hopes and fears.

It is in this sense that ‘hell’ lives on in art, literature, and film, as an embodiment of that which we could not endure, or which at all costs we would seek to avoid.

In his latest novel, Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, pits Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon against a Dante-loving geneticist, bent on releasing a global virus. Here, as well as providing literary and historical enrichment for Langdon’s frantic puzzle-quest around Dante’s Florence (among other places), hell also provides a thematic backdrop for our own modern concerns - our moral doubts, questions of judgement and retribution, suffering and compassion. In his play Huis Clos, French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre puts three characters together in ‘hell’. But rather than a series of Dante-esque medieval tortures, they gradually realise they are to be each other’s tormentors: ‘Hell’, as one character puts it, ‘is other people.’ And of course, hell and its denizens continue to be a staple of modern horror films, even sometimes making an appearance in science fiction - such as the 1997 film Event Horizon.

And so, it seems, the fascination continues. However we conceive of it, whether we believe in it literally or merely as metaphor, hell would seem to be here to stay.

Feature

WHAT THE

FRACK? Gareth Evans looks at the increasingly controversial process of induced hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as ‘fracking’

B

ritain faces a growing energy problem. Declining production from the North Sea has meant that since 2004, we have been a net importer of gas, relying on supplies from overseas, and the brutal truth is, the tabloids are right; one day the lights could go out. Just how soon remains to be seen, but a growing number of experts agree that the UK often already sails increasingly close to the wind when it comes to our winter gas supply.

Could the controversial “induced hydraulic fracturing” of shale gas, or fracking, as it is more commonly known hold the answer to guaranteeing our future energy security? Yes, say advocates, pointing to the game changing effect it has wrought on energy markets in America, where it has already slashed around 50% off the cost of domestic gas, and promises to help US power companies reduce their massive dependence on coal. No, say its opponents, citing a range of environmental concerns including its potential to set off earth tremors and pollute ground water.

For a process, which so readily polarises opinion, the principle behind fracking is surprisingly simple. Drill a well down into the shale layer, inject a mixture of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure, and wait while it forces its way into the rocks, fractures them open, and allows the gas trapped inside to bubble out through the minute cracks that have been opened up. That gas is then brought back above ground, collected and piped off for use.

Putting this into practice, however, is obviously rather more complicated, not least because the shale layer is often only

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tens of metres thick. Once reached, the drill then needs to be turned horizontally to continue its passage along the seam, perhaps for several hundreds of metres, to maximise gas recovery.

Britain has sizeable reserves, the Bowland shale in the North West of England alone holding perhaps as much as 500 trillion cubic feet of gas, according to some estimates, leaving many wondering if this geological legacy really could be the key to keeping the lights on today.

The Government certainly appears to think so, removing the moratorium on fracking in December 2012, and ushering in a raft of new tax breaks to encourage

Widespread fracking could, some suggest, rather than lowering global carbon emissions, actually end up pushing them higher shale exploration in the 2013 Budget. As Chancellor George Osborne put it, “shale gas is part of the future, and we will make it happen.”

However, energy expert Cerys Watkins says doing that may not be quite so simple.

“The reserves are certainly there, but that’s not the same as actually getting all the gas. Frack wells run for thirty years, but production can tail-off dramatically after just two. It’s tempting to see this as the route to cheap gas and self-sufficiency, but shale-gas exploration is still in its infancy

SHALE

in the UK. It’s very hard to make solid predictions.”

Environmental worries?

To the opponents of fracking it is the potential harm to the environment that causes most worry. Earthquakes, water pollution, sludge disposal and methane migration have all been cited as ‘sideeffects’ caused by the process. Whilst the level of danger it causes is hotly debated by both sides (some residents in the USA close to fracking sites claim that methane is in their drinking water and they can set light to water from their taps) it does nonetheless have a significant impact on the way fracking is perceived by the general public.

Beyond questions of safety, environmental impact or practicality, there is another issue with fracking – less wellknown, but one which may, nevertheless, ultimately prove its biggest hurdle to public acceptance. Fans of the process have argued that burning methane to generate electricity results in less carbon dioxide being produced per kWh than coal, something that has a clear attraction for countries such as the USA, which rely heavily on coal-fired power stations. The logic seems compelling, but it may be incomplete; widespread fracking could, some suggest, rather than lowering global carbon emissions, actually end up pushing them higher. It seems it all could come down to the economic effect of abundant cheap gas.

Throughout the last decade, environmental and economic drivers have

Further Information

HYDROFRACK ZONE

aligned to bring about a gradual reduction in the cost of wind and solar power, while fossil fuel prices have broadly risen over the same period. If fracking takes off, and the massive resulting cuts to gas prices seen in the US were to be repeated in Britain, it could have an impact on the economic viability of renewable energy, possibly to a point which left little or no financial incentive for investment.

So will green alternatives suffer?

Independent UK energy company Cuadrilla thinks not; according to company sources, “natural gas is an ideal transition fuel, cleaner than other carbon fuels, that can bridge the energy gap as we move toward efficient renewable energy sources.”

They also point out that, as a commercial company, they receive no public money, which means government funding for renewables remains unaffected.

The Chancellor’s new tax proposals are clearly designed to make shale gas exploration more attractive, and it will be interesting to see how some of the global oil giants react. Despite being present in European shale exploration over the past three years, Chevron, Eni, Royal Dutch Shell and Total have yet to enter the British market.

If these measures really do make the UK more like the US, then fracking probably will be a part of Britain’s energy future, as George Osborne suggests. Historically, whenever the opportunity to exploit fossil fuels presents itself, we tend to take full advantage of it but that may only offer temporary respite. It will remain important to ensure that we look further

ahead too, to achieve long-term and sustainable security of supply.

Either that or start stockpiling candles!

Are there alternatives?

Despite the various claims that fracking could supply Britain’s gas for the next 15, 25 or even 60 years, it remains a short term solution. There are alternatives including wind, solar, marine power and nuclear, though these too are not without their problems.

Wind turbines struggle to compete without subsidy and that often translates into higher bills and with the largest turbine currently available only capable of supplying around 500 homes, the scale of farms required to meet even part of our needs would be staggering. Sea power also offers much promise, but it remains in its infancy. Less than a year after Scotland launched its first marine energy park, German power giant E.ON announced that it was pulling out of a wave energy research project in Orkney, citing delays in the development of the technology.

That leaves nuclear, the French option of choice and the solution that many people, however reluctantly, see as inevitable for our long-term energy security, if for no better reason than there is no alternative.

Ironically, back in 2011, France became the first nation to ban fracking; it seems the whole shale gas question is destined to force us to examine very carefully what we really think about sustainability and the environment, and how much we want to keep the lights on and preserve the planet.

Cuadrilla Resources – an Introduction (available free on YouTube): a quick and comprehensive snapshot of fracking, from onsite drilling, to a ‘test tube’ demonstration of how the process works.

Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) of Shale in the UK: The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) outline the potential environmental impacts of fracking, and examine its suitability for the UK. Downloadable from CIWEM’s website, www.ciwem.org

FROM TOP: Solar Power; Nuclear Power: Wind Power

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Britain’s

Extinct Animals Mark Pilkington discovers the wild animals that once roamed these shores, and the efforts that are being made to reintroduce them.

B

ritain’s green and pleasant land used to be a lot wilder than you may at first think, with many of the lands native species driven away by mankind encroaching upon their territory, or just simply hunting them to extinction.

It is staggering to think that hundreds of

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native animals have gone missing over the centuries, the vast majority slaughtered or banished to other territories. Could they ever return? Many think so, and there are conservation schemes underway to restore these animals to their natural habitat.

They argue not only is it ecologically fair to

re-establish animals after they have been driven away by hunting and destruction of their natural habitat, but the country’s landscape as a whole would be improved.

For example, deer can be a damaging problem in many rural areas, and the reintroduction of predators such as wolves

Feature

could help keep numbers down.

Of course, this will in turn create many problems in itself as understandably many do not wish for packs of wolves to freely roam the countryside. However, organisations such as the Wilderness Foundation have asked the government to consider their proposal for special parks - places where wild animals could live in remote areas where they would pose no danger to the rest of the population.

Scotland is the prime location which most feel is particularly suited to these reintroductions, although other parts of the UK are also under consideration.

Whilst there are many hurdles to overcome before this can happen, and it will be a long time yet before we see any of these plans come into fruition, already smaller, limited introductions have already been made.

Here we look at eight of the most prominent missing animals and the efforts that are being made to re-establish them in the land they once called home...

Elk

The last Elk in Britain died out in around 2,500BC. Although once widespread across Europe, now they can only be found in large numbers in Scandinavia, Poland and Russia. Overhunting is blamed for their decline, where their hides were highly sought after by trappers.

Will we ever see the elk return in great numbers in the UK? Possibly. The most successful attempt so far has been a pair of Elk imported in 2007 from Sweden to live in the nature reserve of Alladale, in the Scottish Highlands. Since then they have given birth to two calves and it is hoped this will lead on to a larger colony becoming established.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: the European Brown Bear; an Elk; Beaver; the grey wolf; Eurasian Lynx

Beaver

Beavers were hunted to extinction in the 16th century. But since those early times there has been plenty of demand to see their return, with their incredible dam-building construction skills being the biggest draw for environmentalists, although less so for farmers who typically view them as a destructive nuisance. Since 2009 the Scottish Wildlife Trust released four family groups of the toothy mammals in Argyll, Scotland. Wildwood Trust, a nature reserve in Kent, also contains a colony of beavers, some of which will be used to reintroduce the species to a Welsh river system in the coming months.

Lynx

Not many people realise the European Lynx once called Britain home

thousands of years ago. The big cat was hunted to extinction by humans, with advanced carbon dating techniques on Lynx skulls being traced to medieval times. As to date, no reintroductions have been made, but Lynx UK Trust, a charitable organisation dedicated to reintroducing the Eurasian Lynx to the UK, has submitted an application to Scottish Natural Heritage asking for permission to bring two pairs of the wild feline into the country. As this is a species that would arguably be easiest to live alongside compared to bears and wolves, it is likely to be only a matter of time before we see the Lynx back on these shores once again.

Grey Wolf

Wolves were once prosperous throughout the United Kingdom, and feature heavily in British folklore. They were eventually driven away by a combination of deforestation and hunting, with a wolves’ scalp being of particular value to bounty hunters and with local farmers eager to rid the land of this canine predator. The last reported wolf sighting in England was during the reign of Henry VII in the 16th century, although in Scotland they were rumoured to still be in existence right up until the late 1800s.

There have been various calls for the reintroduction of wolves throughout the years, with the location of the Scottish Highlands gaining momentum since the 1960s. This is not likely to happen anytime soon, though, as any proposal would have to be first approved by Scottish Natural Heritage, an organisation which has stated they have no plans to bring the wolf back anytime in the foreseeable future.

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Feature

Further Information

Reindeer

You don’t commonly associate reindeer with being native to Britain, but believe it or not they were once a thriving species. It will come as no surprise to find they were hunted to extinction, with the last known sightings occurring in Scotland in the 13th century. Reintroduction is a slow process, with reindeer being imported back into the country to live in protected parks.

Reindeer released outside of captivity are slow to breed, and so far the only reindeer are to be found in north east Scotland where they have lived since the 1950s.

White-Tailed Eagle

Brown Bear

Baiting and hunting were the two primary reasons the brown bear was driven into extinction. Their meat and fur was highly prized, and hunters were ruthless in making the bear the first major British animal to be completely wiped before Norman times around 1000AD. Many conservationists would like to see the brown bear reintroduced to the UK, with Scotland being earmarked as the most appropriate location for a natural habitat.

However whilst they thrive in Russia and Scandinavia, small and scattered colonies in places such as the Pyrenees in Western Europe have proved troublesome for farmers who suffer livestock casualties, meaning it may be many years before we see these magnificent beasts roaming the land once again.

This large bird of prey was a common sight in the coastal skies, but was hunted to near-extinction in the 1800s. Often found nesting high up in trees or along cliffs, the White-Tailed Eagle was driven out and killed by farmers and landowners Wild Boar who wrongly saw them as a threat to The focus of many hunts, Britain’s wild their livestock. Granted, they boars used to have a tough time of it, would occasionally attack a being entirely wiped out in medieval land-dwelling animal such as times. In recent years there have been a sheep, but their primary many attempts to bring wild boars diet was of fish found in the back, many of which involve tactics by sea waters. There have been guerilla groups who purposely successful reintroduction vandalize pens to release them into the schemes carried out in both wild. The escapees by all accounts England and Scotland since have started to settle in nicely, where the 1970s, and whilst the thriving colony’s can be found in largest population is still to be parts of Dorset and the Kent / found in Norway, numbers in Sussex border. Numbers the UK are slowly starting to are said to be doubling improve. Illegal egg thefts are every year, which had not helping the eagle’s cause, even led to calls for a but experts predict cull in the Forest of breeding stock will rise Dean, but it looks FROM TOP LEFT: significantly over the next like the boar is Reindeer; Wild Boar; few decades. here to stay. white-tailed eagle

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Scottish Beavers The website for the beaver trials in Scotland, a joint venture between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and the Scottish Wildlife Trust. They welcome volunteers to assist in local events to promote the organization and to work as field staff to track the beaver colonies. You can even adopt a beaver for a donation fee of £18. They can be contacted via the website, www.scottishbeavers.org.uk Wildwood Trust The Wildwood Park in Kent allows visitors to experience firsthand a large selection of British wildlife, including wolves, bears, lynx and wild boars. There are over 200 animals that live in the 40 acres of woodland. Opening hours: 10am6pm. Entry prices: adults £9.95 (£8.95 concs), children £7.95.

For more information visit www.wildwoodtrust.org Wilderness Foundation An organization dedicated to preserving Britain’s natural environment, it has long campaigned for the reestablishment of the countryside’s extinct species.

They accept volunteers for a wide variety of tasks, including fundraising and creating habitats where wild animals can live.

For more information visit www.wildernessfoundation.org.uk or call 01245 443073.

Itunes Download If you are computer savvy then you can download this free podcast focusing on extinct animals, including many British species by typing in: https://itunes.apple. com/gb/itunes-u/extinctspecies/id499297232

entertainment

Our regular mix of books, culture and entertainment

A Sting in the Tale

By Dave Goulson (Jonathan Cape)

Sidney Chambers and the Perils of the Night

By James Runcie (Bloomsbury)

Dave Goulson studied biology at Oxford University and is now Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Sussex. He has published more than 190 scientific articles on bees, butterflies and other insects and has founded the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

Bumblebees are in trouble. Over the last eighty years our bumblebee populations have crashed. Two species have become nationally extinct and several others have declined dramatically.

Our ecology depends to a great extent on this humble creature and intensive farming methods are having a devastating effect on the bumblebee population.

Dave Goulson has been passionate about nature since childhood and this very endearing book charts his lifetime study into these unassuming little bees. Packed full of fascinating facts and figures and generously laced with self-deprecating humour, this book is resonant of the tales from Gerald Durrell or Bill Bryson and a very good read!

books

New releases reviewed

by Janet Tester

In this second in the Grantchester Mysteries series Canon Sidney Chambers, Anglican clergyman and part time detective, has six interlocking mysteries to unravel. Accompanied by his faithful Labrador, Dickens, and his great friend Inspector Geordie Keating, the bachelor priest solves the riddle of a Cambridge don falling from the roof of King’s College chapel, a case of arson, and the poisoning of Grantchester’s finest spin bowler.

His private life is complicated. Amanda Kendall, glamorous socialite and Hildegard Staunton, musical German widow both have calls on his affections and when he travels abroad trying to sort himself out, he becomes trapped in a web of international espionage just as the Berlin Wall is going up.

The Grantchester Mysteries are a series of six detective novels beginning with Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death published in 2012 and set in 1953 at the time of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth, with the final book ending in 1981 with the wedding of Charles and Diana.

James Runcie is the son of a former Archbishop of Canterbury and the ecclesiastical detail is spot on as would be expected.

Each story is beautifully crafted and Canon Chambers is a most endearing character. The first two volumes of the six to be written are very fine and Sidney Chambers is set to become a worthy successor to G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown.

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The Tradescant’s Orchard: The Mystery of a Seventeenth Century Painted Fruit Book

Published by Bodleian Library Publishing

A study of a mysterious manuscript in the Bodleian Library has uncovered what may have been the first ever plant catalogue to be produced in this country. Buried in the library for more than three hundred years, the manuscript has been traditionally associated with the renowned plantsman John Tradescant and his son. Tradescant was Head Gardner at Hatfield House and in 1630 became Keeper of His Majesty’s Gardens, Vines and Silkworms at Oatlands in Surrey. The mystery remains about who painted these beautiful illustrations, why only one apple is represented, whose handwriting appears on the manuscript and why the artist added drawings of frogs, birds and butterflies on so many of the paintings.

At £30 this is not a cheap book but has been exquisitely produced to delight today’s horticultural historians.

film

The Ways of the World

By Robert Goddard (Bantam Press)

Set in Paris in 1919 in the aftermath of the Great War, a secret affair ends with the death of a senior British diplomat.

Local authorities try to pass the death off as a bizarre accident and his two sons travel to Paris to bring their father’s body home to England. The older son is intent on covering up the fact that his late father seemed to be having an extra marital affair and fell to his death from a high building by accident. The younger son, freshly returned from his own traumatic war as a member of the Royal Flying Corps, decides to look for the truth, however unsavoury it might be.

Robert Goddard is a compelling storyteller and the complex plot never misses a beat. It’s a gripping tale.

White House Down

Sony Pictures (Released on September 6) Stars: Channing Tatum, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders.

Blue Jasmine

Warner Brothers (Released on September 20) Stars: Cate Blanchett, Peter Sarsgaard, Alec Baldwin A life crisis causes a woman to head to San Francisco, where she reconnects with her sister. This film is written and directed by Woody Allen and rumoured to be a popular choice for the 2013/2014 awards season.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

Healing Foods: Eat Your Way to a Healthier Life Published by Dorling Kindersley Limited

Written by experts at Neal’s Yard Remedies, a leading authority in holistic, healthy living, this lovely book features more than 175 ‘healing foods’ from common fruits and vegetables to the more exotic spices and less well-known pulses and grains. Beautiful illustrations with an in-depth description of each entry are accompanied by mouth-watering recipes and helpful advice for menus that will leave you healthy, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed or at least with an increased feeling of wellbeing!

Fans of healthy eating will find much to their taste and the book is a handsome volume to grace any coffee table.

Sony Pictures (Released October 25)

Stars: (the voices of) Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Benjamin Bratt Flint Lockwood now works at The Live Corp Company for his idol Chester V. But he’s forced to leave his post when he learns that his most infamous machine is still operational and is churning out menacing food/animal hybrids.

Thor 2: The Dark World

Walt Disney Studios (Released October 30)

Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins When Jane Foster is targeted by the denizens of the dark world of Svartalfheim, Thor sets out on a quest to protect her at all costs. Chris Hemsworth reprises his role as Marvel’s Hammer wielding hero.

Many of the national cinema chains offer special discounts for afternoon screenings for older people. Check your local press for further information www.csrf.org.uk AUTUMN 2013

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theatre King Lear

Minerva Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester, West Sussex Starring: Frank Langella Three time Tony Award-winning, Oscar nominated Broadway and film star Frank Langella will play the title role in a new production of William Shakespeare’s King Lear opening this autumn, prior to transferring to the Harvey Theater at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) in New York.

From 31 October – 30 November

Chagall: Modern Master

culture

Tate Liverpool, Albert Dock, Liverpool. Until 6 October Marc Chagall (1887–1985) is one of the great artists of the last century. Bringing together more than sixty paintings and a selection of works on paper from across the world, Chagall: Modern Master takes a fresh look at this compelling artist who created some of the most poetic and enduring images of the twentieth century.

This exhibition is the first major presentation of the Russian painter’s work in the UK for more than fifteen years.

Tickets priced £11 (£8.25 concs), for more information call 0151 702 7400 or visit www.tate.org.uk

The Ladykillers

Vaudeville Theatre, The Strand, London Starring: Angela Thorne, Ralf Little, Simon Day Posing as amateur musicians, Professor Marcus and his gang rent rooms in the lopsided house of sweet but strict Mrs Wilberforce. The villains plot to involve her unwittingly in Marcus’ brilliantly conceived heist job. The police are left stumped but Mrs Wilberforce becomes wise to their ruse…

Booking until 25 October

Barking in Essex

Wyndhams Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London Starring: Lee Evans, Sheila Hancock, Keeley Hawes Previews from 6 September, opening night 16 September Meet the Packers who are just your perfectly average, totally dysfunctional, ‘well-dodgy’ Essex crime family with a BIG problem. Are they going to be able to cover their tracks before Algie arrives home? Maybe it’s time to go on the run…

Booking until 4 October

Henry V

Noel Coward Theatre, St Martins Lane, London Starring: Jude Law Previews from 23 November, opening night 3 December Can the King of England hold his nerve to embrace his duty, command his men and lead his country to victory in France?

Shakespeare’s great play of nationhood investigates the bloody horrors of war and the turbulence of a land in crisis.

Booking until 15 February 2014 For some great deals on theatre tickets, why not try the avanti theatre club. Call 020 7492 1566 or log into the members’ area of the CSRF website

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Masterpieces: Art and East Anglia

Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich. 14 September 2013 to 24 February 2014

A major exhibition of works of art celebrating the rich and distinctive culture of East Anglia from antiquity to the present day will mark the unveiling of the newly refurbished galleries by Norman Foster at the Sainsbury Centre. It will present 250 objects that the region has inspired, produced and collected which have been loaned by public and private collections from across the country.

Tickets priced £8 (£6 concs), for more information call 01603 593199 or visit www.scva.ac.uk ABOVE: Olive Edis (1876-1955), Gilbert “Leather” Rook, 1905, Platinotype; 150 x 100 mm, Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service, Cromer Museum

BELOW: Reading a Blue Print © IWM (Art.IWM ART LD 1440); RIGHT: Echo of the Bombardment, © The Artist’s Estate

Architecture of War

IWM London, part of Imperial War Museums, Kennington Rd, London. Until 5 May 2014 Bringing together highlights from IWM’s art collection, Architecture of War presents artists’ responses to the impact of warfare on our surrounding landscapes and environments. Spanning almost a century of British art, from the First World War to the present day, IWM London’s new exhibition Architecture of War, explores the different ways artists have captured the impact of conflict on the places people inhabit and the machines people build. Divided into four themes, construction, destruction, city life and interiors, the exhibition displays work by independent artists and those who were officially commissioned by the Ministry of Information, the War Artists’ Advisory Committee (WAAC) and Imperial War Museums.

Admission free, for more information call 020 7416 5000 or visit www.iwm.org.uk

Michael Landy: Saints Alive

The Sunley Room, National Gallery, London. Until November 24 Saints are more often associated with traditional sacred art than with contemporary work, but Michael Landy, current Rootstein Hopkins Associate Artist in residence at the National Gallery, has been inspired to revisit the subject for this exhibition. He has scoured car boot sales and flea markets accumulating old machinery, cogs and wheels to construct the works. Visitors can crank the works into life with a foot pedal mechanism. Towering over you, the seven sculptures swivel and turn, in movements that evoke the drama of each saint’s life.

Admission free, for more information call 020 7747 2885 or visit www.nationalgallery.org.uk

ABOVE: Michael Landy, Multi-Saint, 2013, Mixed media, 458 x 165 x 157 cm, © Michael Landy, courtesy of the Thomas Dane Gallery, London / Photo: The National Gallery, London; LEFT: Michael Landy, Spin the Saint Catherine Wheel and Win the Crown of Martyrdom, 2013, Mixed media, 371 x 440 x 84 cm; © Michael Landy, courtesy of the Thomas Dane Gallery, London / Photo: The National Gallery, London

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postbag

POSTbag ENTENTE CORDIALE Dear Postbag, In reply to your recent article the Battle Twinning Association, being a small town, is only twinned with one other town. However it is an independent association of importance because it is twinned with St Valery Sur Somme in France. This is the town based on the Baie de Somme from where William sailed to England before the Battle of Hastings in 1066, an important date in history, and therefore has a very important connection. Both the English and French associations have approx. 40 members each and visit one another each year.

Both Associations are very proud of their historical connections and celebrate their exchanges. This maybe one of the few twinnings that is based on historical links rather than for any other reason and is perhaps why Battle has not sought twinning with any other town.

Michael Betts, Battle (by email) Dear Postbag, Reading last issue’s Entente Cordiale feature I wondered if Hastings & St Leonards was one of the first towns to have guests from Europe. I had my first guests from Dordrecht in the Netherlands in the 1950s. It started as a sport’s exchange and is still going strong.

I have hosted many visitors including a couple who I first met when they were engaged (they’re now grandparents).

We still exchange letters after 60 years of friendship. When the twinning of towns in Europe began I thought Dordrecht

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would be the first to be named but it was in fact the third. Hastings is now twinned with Schwerte (Germany), Dordrecht (the Netherlands), Béthune (France) and Oudenaarde (Belgium). Can any other towns beat this?

Olive Peddlesden, Hastings & St Leonards group

Ed’s Note: Olive’s thrown down the gauntlet now! Can Hastings be beaten in the twinning stakes? Is your town twinned with more than four other towns in Europe? Write in and let us know

HOSTEL LIFE Dear Postbag, I was interested in reading the letter regarding ‘early Civil Service Experiences’ and your invitation to share early

Your letters and STORIES

experiences of life in a Civil Service Hostel, and I wish to share a few of my memories.

At the age of 18 I was appointed as a Third Class Clerk (modern day equivalent Administrative Officer) in the Official Solicitors Department, Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand, London.

Accommodation had been arranged for me by the Welfare Department and I was to be lodging at Bowden Court, Ladbroke Road, Notting Hill Gate.

I arrived in this new world (completely alien to me from the comparative calm of a Cornish seaside resort) in August 1960 and was deposited at the steps of Bowden Court by a taxi. From the front the multistoreyed red/grey brick building had the façade of a hospital in the shape of a letter ‘L’ with their single windowed rooms.

I was directed to the Hostel Warden’s Office where I introduced myself. I signed the form for admission, paid for my first week’s board and lodging 5/- (25p) and a deposit for a key to front door to hostel. I was to share a room with two lads of my own age, both in the Ministry of Transport at Bank in London.

Accommodation provided for full board at weekends (tea-time you did your own washing up), weekdays breakfast and three course evening meal. Board and lodging in rooms, which included washbasin, and hot/cold water; toilet facilities and bathrooms, two in each corridor. Dormitory accommodation which comprised of 20 army beds and a personal lockable metal cupboard was £2.

The food was good. You brought down your own china cup/mug to draw off the tea/coffee from a very heavy urn carried

Audio avanti is free

DID YOU KNOW Readers of last issue’s ‘Did you know’ column might like to know that ‘facetious’ (or ‘facetiously’) has all the vowels in alphabetical order. Are there other English words with this property?

Harold Yardley, Newcastle-under-Lyme

Ed’s Note: Good question Harold – I’m sure that if there are our readers will write in and tell me

by two male volunteers. The courses were laid out on plates in the kitchen and you were only allowed to help yourself to one.

You wouldn’t have dared try taking more as the meal supervisor and kitchen staff were very vigilant!

I stayed at this hostel until 1961 when I then moved to the privately owned Moullin Memorial Hostel at Ealing Broadway.

Michael Parrott, East Yorkshire (by email) Dear Postbag A letter in your Spring magazine reminds me that I too was posted to London (in 1955) and was accommodated in a London Hostels Association hostel, this one being in Belsize Park Gardens, Hampstead. The hostel had just moved from Lowndes Square, Knightsbridge and existing residents were not happy to have been sent from Central London, where they saw many famous people, to the distant suburbs. In fact we enjoyed many weekend rambles over Hampstead Heath and trying the many local coffee bars then springing up.

I was in a room with five others to start with, then upgraded to a room for three (with our own bathroom!). The ‘girls’ were in one house and the ‘boys’ in another house just along the road, where we had all our meals and social events. I also recall that the tube fare from Belsize Park to Tottenham Court Road was sixpence (2 and a half new pence).

I think my main legacy from that time lies in the fact that I am still in touch with seven friends whom I first met in that hostel.

Rubina Curtis, Walton-on-Thames (by email) Dear Postbag, I joined the Civil Service in 1959 and my first posting was to MTCA at London Airport (now Heathrow). For a few months I

stayed in the LHA hostel in Onslow Gardens, South Kensington.

Apart from a school trip to London for the Festival of Britain in 1951, this was my first time away from County Durham. Life in the Capital was a culture shock, but in addition I had a very abrupt introduction to regional diversity and accents. I shared a six bed dormitory with a wee Belfast boy, a gangling raw-boned farm boy from near Cork, a ‘swede-basher’ (his description) from Norfolk, and another lad who always introduced himself as being from ‘Leigh, Lancs’. My final roommate was a Londoner called Wink Wyman, who claimed he was in a hostel because ‘his parents had left home’.

It was an interesting time, and we boys got on well together. But I have to say that as a Mother’s boy leaving home for the first time, I remember the hostel as being very bleak and austere: perishing cold in February’s London fogs, and with never enough to eat.

Ian Forsyth, Durham (by email)

MILITARY TRAVELS Dear Postbag, The letter from Gordon Robertson in the last issue revived memories, as I seem to have been on the train but in a reverse direction.

Aged 17 I volunteered for the Royal Navy from grammar school in 1941 and during 1942 found myself with two other teenage ratings and a commander on a destroyer going to an unknown destination. We arrived at Gibraltar to find we were to create the Mediterranean Fleet Met Office for the Commander in Chief. In November 1942 we sailed to Algiers where we eventually became part of AFHQ and then flew to Naples in 1943 for the invasion of Italy.

At the end of the war in

If you are finding it difficult to read the magazine, then sign up to receive our FREE audio version which includes all the main features, news and information that are contained in the printed version. It comes on a CD (produced by Kent Association for the Blind) and is posted out to you just after publication of the print version.

September 1945 I found myself on a ship from Naples to Toulon in order to return home. Outside Toulon station I joined many more sailors, together with soldiers and airmen where, to the great interest of many French spectators, we had to strip totally naked for a cursory medical examination in full view in the open air. It was a very jolly train as we trudged off towards Marseilles and then west along the coast. The journey through France took two slow days and I remember seeing Carcassone at sunrise.

Like Gordon Robertson we went round Paris at Pontoise and then crossed back to England from Dieppe to Newhaven.

I was demobbed in 1946 and later saw an advertisement in the Daily Telegraph for an assistant at the Victoria and Albert Museum (then a department of the Board of Education) in South Kensington. I applied and was lucky. I retired from there as a Keeper and Deputy Director in 1983. I am certain that several of the museum’s clerical staff had in those early days been accommodated in civil service hostels nearby.

John Physick CBE, Meopham, Kent

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IN DEFENCE OF ELOCUTION Dear Postbag, I have much sympathy with Evelyn George and those who wrote, in the last issue, to support her lament about pronunciation and grammar, but I fear that we may all be trying to hold back the inevitable.

Pronunciation and grammar in the English language has constantly if gradually changed since its origins more than a thousand years ago, to say nothing of the enormous expansion of its vocabulary since those days. Just listen to anyone reading aloud from Chaucer or Shakespeare as close to the original pronunciation as we can manage or even the recorded voices of the 1930s and 1940s. We have no Académie Francaise equivalent to decree correct pronunciation, grammar or acceptable words and all are ultimately governed in English not by any rules but by usage – when the great majority adopt a particular pronunciation, grammatical structure or coined word it becomes correct, for a time at least. Classic examples are the silent ‘e’ at the end and ‘k’ at the start of many words that were once pronounced and the split infinitive, which was always considered incorrect in

our schooldays, but is now accepted as right when to avoid it would make an awkward construction – Star Trek’s ‘to boldly go’ is more striking and rolls off the tongue more easily than either ‘boldly to go’ or ‘to go boldly’. Only time will tell whether the glottal stop will prevail and people will find our version of received pronunciation old fashioned and hard to understand.

Spelling is a different matter and dictionaries now prescribe what is correct (though even they are not totally immune from the effects of usage). Before Samuel Johnson’s first English dictionary in the 18th Century there were no rules and many different spellings of the same word existed, sometimes even within the same document. Many of the differences between UK and USA spelling are attributable to the fact that while Johnson adopted one form of the varieties of spelling that existed in his day, Chambers,

who produced the first American dictionary, adopted another.

The essential requirement for any writing or speaking is that the meaning should be crystal clear and that the words should flow easily and, if possible, harmoniously. English is a wonderfully rich, adaptable and expressive language as the hundreds of our great writers, dramatists and orators show.

Peter Jones CB, Vice-President, Aldershot, Hants ( by email)

If you have a story or picture to share, write or send it to the Editor using the contact information at the front of the magazine.

The Editor regrets it is not possible to enter into correspondence with individual readers.

All submissions unless otherwise indicated will be considered for publication. It’s lovely to hear from you and read all of the letters you take the time to write. But unfortunately due to space constraints we are often unable to print the full version of some of them.

In these cases, letters will be edited to fit within the allotted space we give to Postbag.

COMPERS Dear Postbag, I don’t consider myself a comper but have been lucky with a number of competitions over the years.

My best win was a trip to New York on the QM 2 during her maiden year after launch. The competition was run by the Daily Telegraph, Discovery Channel and Cunard. We were picked up from our home and taken to Southampton in a green Rolls Royce driven by a liveried chauffeur and taken to the front of the reception where we were escorted on board by a ships officer.

All meals and snacks were free and dinner every evening was superb, with cordon bleu cooking and service that we had not experienced before. We spent 4 days in New York (not long enough) before

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flying back to Heathrow to be met by another chauffeur, (no not a Roller just a large Mercedes) who took us back to Staines.

What an amazing experience!

In the 90’s I won another holiday to Carcassonne in France in a radio competition. Over the years I have won lots of prizes including £1,000 in the first week of December, a toasty sandwich maker, a portable radio, a television set and 12 bottles of wine. We (my wife and I) are lucky people. One year I had enough small wins on the National Lottery to enter the draw for a whole year spending the winnings. We always buy raffles tickets, particularly ones supporting charities. I also only enter comp’s that take my fancy but not on a regular basis.

I am writing to you to encourage others to enter competitions as if you don’t enter or buy raffle tickets you can’t win!

Robert (by email – name on file)

Ed’s Note: Well done Robert! An inspiring account which I’m sure will encourage some to pay more attention to competitions! Has anyone done better than Robert? If so do write in and let us know

HOMAGE TO ‘KNOCK-KNOCK’

coffee break

The origins of this simple joke date back to 1936 when it was included in an end of year broadcast by American radio broadcaster Fred Allen. But here a five mildly amusing versions of it for you to enjoy…

Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Cash.

Cash who?

No thanks, but I would like a peanut instead!

Trivia and titbits to keep your mind in gear!

Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Doris.

Doris who?

Doris locked, that’s why I’m knocking!

have a CHUCKLE Wrong email address A couple were going on holiday but his wife was on a business trip so he went to the destination first and his wife would meet him the next day.

When he reached his hotel, he decided to send his wife a quick email.

Unfortunately, when typing her address, he mistyped a letter and his note was directed instead to an elderly vicar’s wife whose husband had passed away only the day before.

When the grieving widow checked her email, she took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing scream, and fell to the floor in a dead faint.

At the sound, her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen: Dearest Wife, Just got checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow.

P.S. Sure is hot down here.

Panda Grammar A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air. “Why?” asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder. “I’m a panda,” he says at the door. “Look it up.” The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation. “Panda.

Large black and white bear like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Interrupting cow.

Interrup-MOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Honey bee.

Honey bee who?

Honey bee a dear and get me a soda!

Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Cows go.

Cows go who?

No, cows go moo!

A man and a giraffe

A man and his pet giraffe walk into a bar and start having a few quiet drinks.

As the night goes on, they get pretty drunk. The giraffe finally passes out near the pool tables and the man decides to go home.

As the man is leaving, he’s approached by the barman who says, “Hey, you’re not gonna leave that lyin’ here, are ya?”

“Hmph,” says the man, “that’s not a lion, it’s a giraffe.”

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CODED WORD PUZZLE Each number appearing in the squares below relates to a letter. As you fill each word into the grid you will unlock more letters and be able to fill in more of the grid. Starter clue: Number 13 is the letter ‘U’ 22

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Water is the only substance on earth that is lighter as a solid than a liquid.

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During a solar eclipse, the shadows of leaves make the same crescent shape of the eclipsing sun. The image is made by light passing through tiny holes in the leaves.

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Almost two-thirds of the earth’s surface is covered by water. If the earth were flat, water would cover everything in a layer two miles deep!

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You may have heard someone say, “It’s raining cats and dogs.” There have been actual documented cases from all over the world of fish, frogs, dead birds, snakes, snails, beetles, worms and jellyfish raining down from the sky in great numbers, but no reports of showers of cats or dogs.

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Some quirky trivia and facts about the weather and nature

The biggest canyons in the world are under water. Beneath the Bering Sea off Alaska there are seven giant canyons: Bering Canyon, 240 miles long; Navarin Canyon, 60 miles wide; Zhemchung Canyon, 9000 feet deep. In comparison, the Grand Canyon in Arizona is only 10 miles wide, one mile deep and 250 miles long.

The Sahara, one of the world’s largest and driest

adulterates agency amoral chat room cleavage climber Czech Republic Diwali Egyptian embarked erratum galaxy images italic jailer lacerate lead time maharaja Monarch oriole quixotic scalpel scampi tragic unicycle weakfish

deserts with sand up to thirty feet deep was once a land with flowing rivers, humid swamps and lush fields. Cave paintings, 9,000 years old, found in the heart of the Sahara, show men herding cattle and hunting lions and hippos.

About 2,000 years ago the cave painters, herders and animals left because the area was rapidly becoming the desert we know today.

Monster waves of over 100 feet tall can suddenly appear at sea when there is no storm to cause them. They are actually accidental meetings of several waves that can combine to form one huge one that can easily sink a freighter.

WORD SEARCH PUZZLE Find the names of famous writers hidden in the word search grid from the list below

SUDOKU EASY

MEDIUM

Aesop Buchan Bunyan Burns Byron Camus Cocteau Dante Dodie Smith Dr Seuss Goethe Grimm

Hardy Hervey Herzog HG Wells Homer Horace Kafka Karl Sagan Keats Kipling Macauley

Malory Marlow Milton Phaedrus Plato Proust Rousseau Seneca Shelley Swift Waugh

HARD

WINNERS’ CIRCLE Congratulations to Mrs J Austin, Mrs J Clark, Mr C Taylor, Mr W Bland and Mrs J Upton who each won a copy of the Economist’s Pocket Book of Figures 2013.

Congratulations to Mrs C Mound, Mrs A Bone, Mr R Aubrey, Mrs C Mount and Mrs P Stone who each won a copy of Virginia Ironside’s No I Don’t Need Reading Glasses!

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Prize Crossword

Congratulations to Mrs Fletcher from Swindon who was the lucky winner last issue.

To celebrate the launch of the new CSRF Travel Club (see page 8) you can win a free weekend at a Grand UK Hotel of your choice including dinner, bed & breakfast.

Across

7 Green, aromatic liqueur made with wormwood and herbs (8) 9 Devastated (6) 10 “___ of Eden” (4) 11 Lack of qualification or strength (10) 12 Dweller on the Red Sea (6) 14 Burn slowly without flame (8) 15 Nervous, tense (2,4) 16 A small metal projectile (6) 19 State of being dull, lethargy (8) 21 Foolishness, stupidity (6) 23 Linear shaped lowland between mountains (4,6) 24 Place to play (4) 25 Fear, anxiety (6) 26 Cowboy’s home? (4,4)

Down

1 Wear down, erode (6) 2 To charge in a joust (4) 3 Attractive, impressive (8) 4 Too much, excessive (Italian word) (6) 5 Type of relish (10) 6 On board security measure (4,4) 8 Leftover (6) 13 First principles, simple (10) 15 Single garment (8) 17 Balancing tool used by performers (8) 18 Companion, associate (6) 20 Landlocked East African country (6) 22 Shade of red (6) 24 Long, dismal cry (4)

Solution to Summer Prize Crossword

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TO ENTER: Please send the completed crossword, along with your name, address and postcode to: PRIZE CROSSWORD, CSRF, Suite 2, 80A Blackheath Road, London SE10 8DA. The judges’ decision is final. Winners will be notified by post.

Closing date: 30 October 2013 NAME: ADDRESS:

POSTCODE:

EMAIL:

TELEPHONE NUMBER: Please tick if you do not wish to receive our e-newsletter

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group news

GROUPFOCUS News from across the group network, with main reporting by David Tickner (DT)

1 Sent to Coventry!

20 June

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New Group OPENING

Bognor Regis & Chichester

28 June

It was a full house for the first meeting of the new Bognor Regis & Chichester group which celebrated its opening with a buffet lunch and refreshments at the Jeneses Community Arts Centre in the centre of Bognor Regis.

Beneficiaries came from Selsey, Barnham, Chichester and Bognor Regis to support their new group and they were off to a very good start with twelve members volunteering to take on a range of roles within the group to help run it.

Belinda Stalker, CSRF Branch & Group Support Officer co-hosted the event which was a successful culmination of 6 month’s work to generate interest and support for a new group for the area.

Local volunteers Sylvia Stockbridge and Ted and Eve Irons joined Belinda to help the first meeting run smoothly.

After an introduction by me about the

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current range of CSRF member benefits and national befriending programmes there was a special presentation made to Norman Gubbey from the old Chichester group for his work on behalf of the Fellowship. (DT)

Cakes were the main topic of the afternoon during my visit to our Coventry group earlier this week. Or more specifically the baking likes (and dislikes) of group members, who very gamely took part in a ‘Talking Heads’ session to accompany our baking feature this issue. Coventry group meets monthly in the Gilbert Richard Centre in Earlsdon (close to the city centre and main railway station). The centre, a former school, is a multi-purpose community space and has plenty of car parking available. It also benefits from being convenient to a number of bus routes. To re-engage with local beneficiaries and attract some new members the group is planning a special event later in the year. (DT)

The new Bognor Regis & Chichester group now meets on the last Thursday of the month from 2-4pm at the Jeneses Community Arts Centre in Bognor. For more information about group activities contact Heather Olive on 01903 778543 1: (from l to r) Ted and Eve Irons, Sylvia Stockbridge with Fellowship Office’s Belinda Stalker 2: Norman Gubbey receives his Certificate of Appreciation from Fellowship Office’s Belinda Stalker 3: ‘Smile for the Camera!’ – members showing their fun side

Coventry group organisers (l to r), Jean Mills, June Parsons, Betty Petch, Myra Hair, Thelma Hiorns and Group Chairman Jean Turner

in pictures 2

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1. TAMAR/TAVY: Princetown and Tamar/Tavy groups celebrated St Georges Day with a Lunch at the Dartmoor Inn at Merrivale, Dartmoor, Devon.

2. SLEAFORD & ANCASTER: The group visited the East Kirby Aviation Centre and are pictured in front of ‘Just Jane’, a Lancaster Bomber.

3. PRINCETOWN: The group enjoyed lunch at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Princetown in June with an unusual lunch served in the medieval trencher style (in a cottage loaf) which was washed down with ample quantities of ale and wine!

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4. LEICESTERSHIRE, RUTLAND & SOUTH LINCOLNSHIRE: Branch secretary Terry Watson (pictured 3rd from right) and his wife Audrey (pictured 3rd from left) celebrated their Diamond Wedding anniversary at the branch AGM in April.

5. SALISBURY PLAIN: Members of Salisbury Plain group at their summer raffle and tea on June 18 6. SUTTON: Members of the group enjoyed an outing to the Docklands Museum in Canary Wharf.

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7. Neath Port Talbot: Group members enjoyed a cruise on the Black Prince from the National Waterfront Museum along the River Tawe.

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8. Bognor Regis & Chichester: McClures Solicitors, the CSRF’s national Legal Partners, presented a useful talk on legal topics for members at their July meeting.

9. LONDON EDMONTON: Brenda Tebbutt and Betty Pepper (pictured) were presented with Certificates of Merit by Sheila Lamonte earlier this year to recognise their valuable contribution to the group.

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10. Belfast: Group members enjoyed a four day trip to Ballybofey in Donegal last month.

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1

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3 4 Summer Social CATFORD & LEWISHAM

11 june

It was a case of ‘all things sweet’ at Catford & Lewisham’s annual summer social as members enjoyed a splendid fare of cake, strawberries and cream and nibbles. The group used this popular annual event to run a recruitment drive to push up membership and attract some new regular attendees. Fellowship Office supported the event by helping with

the mailshot (aided by both Jane Duffy and Bernard Whitaker from the group) and the result bore fruit with a lot of new faces coming along.

Congratulations should go to the Catford & Lewisham group committee for putting on a very well organised event. (DT)

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1, 2 and 3: Members enjoying their strawberries and cream; 4: Group chair Jane Duffy; 5: Group committee members Bernard Whitaker and Doreen Hughes

New Forest

9 July

The beautiful town of New Milton, billed as the ‘Gateway to the New Forest National Park’, provides a suitably relaxed and scenic location for the activities of our New Forest group which is run by the lovely Sandy Whittaker. The purpose of my visit was to surprise her with a special presentation of a Certificate of Merit to acknowledge the wonderful work she does on behalf of the CSRF. So it was with a hint of the ‘cloak and dagger’ that I slipped into the meeting. Only a select handful were aware of the surprise and after an introduction by group stalwart Jim Vickers I was able to make the presentation and muster group members into the obligatory ensemble shot before letting them get back to their meeting. (DT) Members of the New Forest group with Group Chair Sandy Whittaker (seated on right with her Certificate of Merit)

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BOARD DIRECTOR GROUP VISITS

Building Local Communities

Reports from Ray Flanigan (RF) and Tony Hazeldine (TH)

Milton Keynes

13 May

I received a very warm welcome here after a somewhat challenging car journey round the central road grid in Milton Keynes. In addition to David Worley’s fiendishly tricky quiz we enjoyed an excellent presentation by Natalie Murphy from CSRF legal partners McClures Solicitors. The group meeting was concluded with an excellent cup of tea and the highly popular raffle. (RF)

Glasgow

Derry

Stubbington

28 May

I attended one of the group’s regular coffee mornings with a speaker and found them to be very friendly. After a short presentation on the future of the Fellowship and our focus on membership and fundraising I had time to spend chatting with members during refreshments. (TH)

Basingstoke

29 May

I was a guest at the group’s annual Open Day, organised to provide an opportunity for those unable to attend monthly meetings with a chance to get together and socialise with other CSRF groups in the area. This year’s event had a Summer Garden Party theme to it and included a splendid cream tea, plant stall, raffle and quiz. (TH)

WAKEFIELD BLACKPOOL & LYTHAM ST. ANNES

Sevenoaks & Tunbridge Wells DOVER & FOLKESTONE We’re currently looking at areas that are not served by active groups with a view to establishing new ones. So if you live in any of the following areas and have some time to lend a hand to help us open a new group, we’d love to hear from you: Wakefield, Sevenoaks & Tunbridge Wells, Blackpool & Lytham St Annes, Folkestone & Dover or Glasgow.

Contact Belinda Stalker on 020 8691 7411 or email: belinda.stalker@csrf.org.uk

Pop along and say hello

Tony Hazeldine with members of the Basingstoke group

If you’ve not been to your local group for a while then why not go along and show your support. The group network is run by a dedicated army of volunteers whose commitment provides beneficiaries with a wide range of activities to choose from. So check out the full group listings in the Planner section and plan your visit today. Don’t forget you can visit any group throughout the UK, just get in touch the contact listed, pop along and enjoy the experience.

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group info SCOTLAND Dumfries & Kirkcudbright John Walker CHAIRMAN 01387 261889 j.walker215@btinternet.com We do not hold regular meetings but if you would like further details about coach outings and to book, please contact Doreen Beck on 01387 268824.

04/09/13 Coach Trip to Glasgow Transport Museum 02/10/13 Coach Trip to Penrith

Dundee Charles Paterson SECRETARY 01382 858862 The Queen’s Hotel, 160 Nethergate, Dundee Second Tuesday of each month at 10.40am

Edinburgh (Central) Liz Beedie SECRETARY 0131 229 7422 Edinburgh Quaker Meeting House, First Floor, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh. Buses to George IV Bridge, there is a lift.

Third Tuesday of the month (October-April) at 2.00 pm. We run walks throughout the year, meet at Lakeland, corner of George Street/Hanover Street at 1.30pm on the first Friday of each month.

Organiser: Trudy Thomas 03/09/13 Summer Lunch at Zucca 12.30pm.

Cost £6 (subsidised by Branch). Zucca is next to the Usher Hall in Grindlay Street. Numbers limited to 30 - ring Liz Beedie to secure your place.

15/10/13 Monthly Meeting. Life Before and After Retirement - Bruce McKenzie 19/11/13 Monthly Meeting. Journalism and Politics

AUTUMN PLANNER Our group network operates across the country and provides a mix of leisure, social and welfare activities for your benefit and enjoyment. So why not show your support by popping along and making some new friends?

First Wednesday of each month at 2pm & coffee morning on third Wednesday of each month at 11am. Lunch Club on selected Fridays throughout the summer.

Rosneath William Lauchlan SECRETARY 01436 842723 The Howie Pavillion, Rosneath First Monday of the month at 1.30pm 02/09/13 Wildlife of Loch Lomond - talk by Sgt John Simpson 07/10/13 Peru - talk by Brian Marshall 04/11/13 Monthly Meeting

NORTHERN IRELAND & NORTH WEST ENGLAND Antrim Brian Shields CHAIRPERSON 028 9443 2615 Crown Buildings, 20 Castle Street, Antrim Second Wednesday of each month at 2.30pm

Banbridge Adrian Howlett SECRETARY 028 4062 7979 3rd Floor, Old Tech Building, Downshire Road First Wednesday of each month at 2pm

Edinburgh (Corstorphine)

Bangor

Mr V Burchell SECRETARY 0131 334 5781 Martin Shields Hall, St. Ninian’s Church, Corstorphine, Edinburgh.

Third Thursday of each month October-April at 10.30-11.45am. We run walks throughout the year, meet at Lakeland, corner of George Street/Hanover Street at 1.30pm on the first Friday of each month.

Organiser: Trudy Thomas 03/09/13 Summer Lunch at Zucca 12.30pm.

Cost £6 (subsidised by Branch). Zucca is next to the Usher Hall in Grindlay Street. Numbers limited to 30 - ring Liz Beedie to secure your place.

Isabel McKnight SECRETARY 028 9186 3410 IR3410@yahoo.co.uk Hamilton House, Hamilton Road, Bangor Second Wednesday of the month at 2.30pm

Edinburgh (Craiglockhart) Liz Beedie SECRETARY 0131 229 7422 Craiglockhart Parish Church Hall, Craiglockhart Drive North, Edinburgh.

Second Wednesday of each month October-April at 2pm. We run walks throughout the year, meet at Lakeland, corner of George Street/Hanover Street at 1.30pm on the first Friday of each month.

Organiser: Trudy Thomas 03/09/13 Summer Lunch at Zucca 12.30pm.

Cost £6 (subsidised by Branch). Zucca is next to the Usher Hall in Grindlay Street. Numbers limited to 30 - ring Liz Beedie to secure your place.

09/10/13 Monthly Meeting. Dental Health for the over Sixties 13/11/13 Monthly Meeting. Life Before and After Retirement - Bruce McKenzie

Highland (Scotland) Mrs Pam Barnet LOCAL CONTACT 01463 790265 MacDougall Clansman Hotel, 103 Church Street, Inverness

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Belfast George Glenholmes SECRETARY 028 9048 0339 McElhinney Room, The Pavillion, Stormont Estate, Upper Newtownards Road First Monday of each month at 2.30pm

Birkenhead/Wirral Cynthia Morgan SECRETARY 0151 678 6266 Victory Hall, 61 Salacre Lane, Upton, Wirral First Tuesday of the month at 2.00pm

Bury Gerald Beadling CHAIRMAN 01706 633674 The Mosses Community Centre, Cecil Street Each Wednesday at 2.15pm

Chester Mrs C F Hanratty CHAIR 01244 520929 Christian Aid Centre, Queen Street, Chester Third Tuesday of each month at 2.15pm 16/09/13 Tea/Coffee, Biscuits, Chat and Holiday Reports 15/10/13 Talk by Hazel Edwards 19/11/13 Talk by Ray Buss

Craigavon George McConnell SECRETARY 028 8676 4395 joannearcher1@hotmail.co.uk Portadown Library, 24-26 Church Street, Portadown, Craigavon First Tuesday of the month at 2.30pm

Crewe Miss Grace Harding CHAIRMAN 01270 250677 Wells Green Methodist Church Hall, Brooklands Avenue, Wistaston, Crewe First Tuesday of each month at 2pm (unless otherwise stated)

Lancaster & Morecambe Mrs V Pritchard CHAIRMAN 01524 32733 Torrisholme Methodist Church, Longton Drive, Torrisholme, Morecambe Second Tuesday of the month at 2.15pm 10/09/13 Children of Chernobyl - talk by Chris Edgar 08/10/13 Hot Pot Lunch at 1pm followed by Later Life Issues - talk by Stuart Pelling 12/11/13 Autumn Fair with Refreshments and Quiz

Lisburn Helen Fletcher SECRETARY 028 9261 1604 Bridge Community Centre, 50 Railway Street, Lisburn Second Monday of each month at 2.30pm

Penrith Richard Roscoe CHAIRMAN 01697 472383 Different local hostelries each quarter First Tuesday of the quarter (March, June, September, December) at 12.30pm for lunch

Runcorn Mr A Stobbie CHAIRMAN 0151 424 0340 Department of Education & Skills, Castle View House First and Third Thursday of each month at 1pm

Southport Mrs E Milne CHAIRPERSON 01704 560850 Conservative Club, Bath Street, Southport Third Thursday of each month at 2pm onwards 19/09/13 Monthly Get Together 17/10/13 Monthly Get Together 21/11/13 Monthly Get Together

Stockport/Grove Park Joan Broadbent SOCIAL SECRETARY 01625 873740 Brookdale Club, Bridge Lane, Bramhall First Thursday of each month at 2.15pm

Waterloo (Merseyside) Mrs Joyce Nicholls SECRETARY 0151 931 5265 nichollsjoyce@yahoo.com Mersey Road Methodist Church, Mersey Road, Crosby, Liverpool Second Tuesday of each month at 10.30am

NORTH EAST ENGLAND Blaydon Elizabeth Pearson SECRETARY 0191 488 0840 Ridley Room, Blaydon Library, Wesley District Precinct, Blaydon Second Tuesday of each month at 10.30am

Boston Spa/Wetherby Mrs Janet Walker RECORDS SECRETARY 01937 842216 Deepdale Community Centre, Deepdale Lane, Boston Spa, Wetherby Second Tuesday of the month at 2.00pm 10/09/13 Rupert Brooke - The Life and Work of a Poet 08/10/13 Buffet Lunch (pre-booking essential) 12/11/13 Security - talk by Local Police

Bradford Mr N Griffiths SECRETARY 01274 586410 Conference Room, Centenary Court, St Blaise Way Third Tuesday of each month at 2pm 17/09/13 A Life of Musical Accidents - talk by David Miller 15/10/13 Why Go Abroad? - talk by John Holroyd 19/11/13 A Handful of Songs - talk by Robert Bashforth

Chester-Le-Street Brian Dawson SECRETARY 0191 388 8608 St Mary & St Cuthbert Parish Centre, Church Chare, Chester-Le-Street First Monday of each month at 2-4pm 02/09/13 Talk by Dorothy Rand 07/10/13 Hitler - talk by John Derry 04/11/13 Northumbrian Quiz with Geoff Hughes

Durham Richard Wood SECRETARY 0191 384 2628 Please contact Richard Wood for details Last Thursday of each month at 2.15pm

Gateshead Mrs J Scott SOCIAL SECRETARY 0191 268 7935 Gateshead Legion Club, 142 Coatsworth Road, Gateshead (please note new venue) First Thursday of the month from 10am - 12 noon 05/09/13 Bring & Buy 03/10/13 Adventures in the Sahara - talk by Sue Nuttall 07/11/13 Xmas Stall

Harrogate & Ripon Margaret Terry SECRETARY 01423 885297 Wesley Chapel (Lower Hall), Oxford Street Third Thursday of each month at 2.15pm 19/09/13 The Yorkshire Dales (Part 2) - Slides by Alex Eckford 17/10/13 Talk or Slides 21/11/13 Talk or Slides

Horsforth, Rawdon & District Mrs M J Taylor 0113 267 8110 Venue varies. We meet in local hostelries for lunch.

Please contact Mrs Taylor for more details.

Last Tuesday of each month at 12.30pm

Hull Colin Bielby SECRETARY 01482 782930 Age UK Healthy Living Centre, Porter Street, Hull Third Tuesday of the month at 2.15pm 17/09/13 Open Day 15/10/13 Scotland’s Nostalgia - talk by Terry Richards 19/11/13 Hull’s Blue Plaques - talk by Paul Schofield

Killingworth (North Tyneside) Catherine Hankin CHAIRMAN 0191 268 1992 Sedgefield Court, West Mount, Killingworth NE12 6GF First Monday of month (except Bank Holidays) at 10.30am.

02/09/13 Yoga - talk and demonstration by Mrs Thornley 07/10/13 Life of a Beekeeper - talk by Mr S Nuttall 04/11/13 Financial Matters - talk by Mr S Pelling

Middlesbrough Lilian Lloyd SECRETARY 01642 315439 St. Marys Centre, 82-90 Corporation Road, Middlesbrough Last Tuesday of the month at 2pm 24/09/13 Speaker: David Tickner, Editor of avanti 29/10/13 My Holiday in the Arctic - Shiela Scott Anderson

Newcastle West Mrs E Jackson CHAIRMAN 0191 267 4728 Bentinck Social Club, Bentinck Road, Newcastle upon Tyne Second Wednesday of each month at 10am - 12 Noon 11/09/13 Northumbria Audio Visual Society 09/10/13 Cake Stall and Quiz 13/11/13 Speaker: Margaret Hill - Holiday Slides

Scarborough Mrs P Mawson SECRETARY 01723 512778 Small Room, 1st Floor, Scarborough Library, Vernon Road, Scarborough First Tuesday of the month at 10.15am

Sunderland & Washington Ivan Bell SECRETARY 0191 549 4130 Age UK, Bradbury House, Stockton Road, Sunderland (1st Floor Room) First Monday of each month 2.00-3.30pm

Whitley Bay Peter Harris MBE CHAIRMAN 0191 447 4066 Age UK Centre, Park Avenue, Whitley Bay Second Thursday of the month 10.30am - 12 noon 18/10/13 Autumn Social

WALES & WELSH BORDERS Caerphilly Mr Gwion Lewis TREASURER 029 2086 8643 robertgwion@talktalk.net Windsor Road Church Hall, Windsor Street, Caerphilly Second Tuesday of the month at 10.30am 10/09/13 Wiltshire Farm Foods - talk and demonstration by Rachael Wallace 08/10/13 Bring and Buy Sale 12/11/13 Desert Island Discs - Members play their favourite music

Church Stretton John Brewer SECRETARY 01694 722965 johnbrewer1@talktalk.net Mayfair Community Centre, Easthope Road, Church Stretton First Friday of the month at 2.30pm 06/09/13 Trip to Bridges for Lunch (12.30 - please book with Charles Simmonds 01694 724117, candp.simmonds@gmail.com) 04/10/13 Pub Lunch at The Green Dragon, Little Stretton (12.30 - please book with John Brewer) 01/11/13 Afternoon Tea and Quiz

Llandudno Mrs B A Rennie ASSISTANT SECRETARY 01492 876238 Queen’s Hotel, The Promenade, Llandudno First Tuesday of each month at 10.30am

Llanishen (Cardiff) Bernard Pearce CHAIRPERSON 029 2075 1493 Park End Presbyterian Church Hall, Rhyd-y-Penau Road, Cardiff CF14 0NZ First Tuesday of each month at 10.00am

Ludlow Peter Waite LIAISON 01584 872639 peter.waite@dsl.pipex.com Local Public Houses, various venues, in and around Ludlow Third Tuesday of each month at 12.30pm

Neath/Port Talbot Mrs E Northcott CHAIRMAN 01639 887851 Moose Hall, Castle Street, Neath Last Wednesday of each month at 2pm 25/09/13 How safe is your personal data? - talk by Stuart Martinson 28/09/13 Visit to Taliesin Theatre to see Gilbert & Sullivan’s Ruddigore 30/10/13 Neath Foodbank - speaker TBA

Oswestry Ruth Haile CHAIRMAN 01691 650993 The Wynnstay Hotel, Church Street, Oswestry First Tuesday of each month at 10.30am 03/09/13 Chairman’s Quiz 01/10/13 Surprise Topic - return visit by Sara Evans 05/11/13 Running a Bed & Breakfast - talk by Mary Hillary

Swansea Mrs Sylvia Edgell CHAIRMAN/SECRETARY 01792 851125 sylviaedgell@hotmail.co.uk The Vestry Hall, St Mary’s Church, Swansea Last Friday of each month at 2pm 27/09/13 U3A Ukulele Group 25/10/13 The Potato Famine - talk by Dr Padley

Whitchurch (Cardiff) Mrs Mary Minty SECRETARY 029 2061 4445 Ararat Baptist Church, Plas Treoda, Whitchurch, Cardiff Second Wednesday of the month at 10am 11/09/13 Chairman’s Contribution 09/10/13 TBA 13/11/13 Cycling Tours - talk by Mr & Mrs Benton

Ynys Mon (Anglesey) Mr Eric Maynard CHAIRMAN 01407 720146 Please contact the Chairman for venue details.

Second Tuesday of each month at 12.30pm for lunch

MIDDLE ENGLAND Amersham Lavinia Syson SECRETARY 01763 884992 michelsyson267@btinternet.com The Community Centre, Chiltern Avenue, Amersham First Wednesday of the month at 2.30pm. Walks take place every third Wednesday of the month please contact Jim Campbell on 01494 713249 for details.

Banbury Anne Garton SECRETARY 01295 750151 agarton@btinternet.com Hanwell Fields Community Centre, Rotary Way, Banbury Second Tuesday of each month at 2.15 - 4.15pm 10/09/13 Smuggers (Part 2) - talk by Martin Nelson. Raffle.

08/10/13 Pigeon Pie or Pease Pudding (Dovecots) - talk by Maggie Chaplin 12/11/13 Tudor Times at Christmas - Mr Martin Sirot-Smith from Sulgrave Manor will appear in costume to give his talk. Raffle. www.csrf.org.uk AUTUMN 2013

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Bedford Patricia Waters SECRETARY 01234 347443 Bunyan Meeting, Mill Street, Bedford First Tuesday of each month at 10am 03/09/13 “Things I find in the attic” - talk by an ex-plumber 01/10/13 Harvest Songs and Sales Table 05/11/13 The Royal British Legion - talk. Sales Table.

Birmingham June Oakley CHAIRMAN 01952 604922 The Briar Rose, 25 Bennett’s Hill, Birmingham (please note our October meeting will take place at Five Ways House, Islington Road, Five Ways, Edgbaston) Third Wednesday of each month at 11.00am

Bromsgrove Mrs Catherine Kealy LOCAL CONTACT 01527 876166 Bromsgrove Golf Club, Stratford Road, Bromsgrove First Wednesday of each month at 11.30am for coffee. Bar snacks and lunches also available.

Coalville & Ashby Terry Watson CHAIRMAN 01530 835373 Thringstone Community Centre, The Green, Thringstone Third Wednesday each month 2.00-4.00pm

Coventry Mrs J Turner CHAIRMAN 024 76 465382 Room 2, Gilbert Richard Centre, Broadway, Earlsdon Third Tuesday of each month at 2pm (except Nov)

Donnington Betty Pugh CHAIRMAN 01952 811355 Turreff Hall, Turreff Avenue, Donnington Every Monday at 1pm (except Bank Holidays)

Dunstable & Leighton Buzzard Mrs Janet Bliss SECRETARY 01582 661795 j.bliss35@btinternet.com Scout HQ, Grovebury Road, Leighton Buzzard First Wednesday of the month at 2pm 04/09/13 The History of the Barron Knights - talk

by Pete Langford. Raffle and Book Table.

02/10/13 Friends of Stoke Mandeville Hospital - talk by Roy Collins. Raffle and Book Table 06/11/13 The Performing Arts, Poetry and Comedy - presentation by Sue Lacey.

Bring & Buy, Raffle and Book Table.

Evesham Eric Marsh GROUP LIAISON 01386 421460 ericbrenda@btinternet.com Foyer of the Methodist Chapel, Bridge Street, Evesham Second Tuesday of each month at 10.30am. We hold tea/coffee mornings on these dates and occasionally have lunch afterwards.

Grantham Mr Maurice Whincup CHAIRMAN 01476 572425 mewhincup@gmailc.om Church of the Ascension Hall, Edinburgh Road, Grantham First Wednesday every month at 10.00am - noon

Hucclecote Mrs B Arnold SECRETARY 01452 618069 Evangelical Church, Colwell Avenue, Hucclecote, Gloucester First Thursday of the month at 2.00pm

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05/09/13 A Visit to the Galapagos Islands illustrated talk by Arthur Ball 03/10/13 By Bus across the Andes - illustrated talk by Nicholas Clark 07/11/13 A Musical Programme: A Victorian Musical Christmas - Mike & Pat Ledbury

Kidderminster Pam Hussey LIAISON OFFICER 01562 755632 Various venues Third Wednesday of each month at 11am (except when lunching out) 11/09/13 Lunch at The Island Pool, Wolverhampton Road 16/10/13 Coffee Morning 20/11/13 Coffee Morning

11/09/13 Monksthorpe Chapel on the Gunby Hall Estate (National Trust) - talk by Brian Keyworth 18/09/13 Outing to Crich Tramway Museum 09/10/13 Brazil’s Secret Wilderness - illustrated talk by Angela Plumb 13/11/13 Once upon a Pantomime - talk by Trevor Lee

Nuneaton Rachel Homer SECRETARY 02476 385845 rachel.homer@tesco.net The Sycamore Tree, 2 Chapel Street, Nuneaton (next to the Ropewalk) First Tuesday of each month at 11.00am for coffee mornings.

Lincoln City

Royal Forest

Jannette Hook SECRETARY 01522 803412 Mothers Union Centre, St. Benedicts Church, St. Benedicts Square, Lincoln First Wednesday of the month at 10.30am

Val Collett CHAIRMAN 01594 562442 Baptist School Rooms, Parkend, Lydney Second Wednesday of the month at 2.00pm

Louth Mrs Margaret Bradley SECRETARY 01472 388928 Elizabeth Court, Church Street, Louth First and third Thursday of the month at 10.30am

Luton John Barrett SECRETARY 01582 519886 barrettjb@ntlworld.com The Chaul End Centre, 515 Dunstable Road, Luton First Monday of every month at 2.00pm (except Bank Holidays) 02/09/13 Midshires Search & Rescue - talk by Elaine 07/10/13 Recycling in a Miniature Way - talk by Enid Orchard 04/11/13 Hand Spinning - talk by Martina Waters.

Bring & Buy.

Lutterworth Mrs J Law CHAIRWOMAN 01455 552141 Cricket Pavillion, Coventry Road, Lutterworth Third Monday of each month at 10.00am

Melton Mowbray Mr M Johnson CHAIRMAN 01664 566821 School Room, United Reform Church, Chapel Street, Melton Mowbray First Tuesday of each month at 1.45pm

Milton Keynes Pamela White SECRETARY 01908 677289 Centrecom, 602 North Row, Secklow Gate West First Monday of each month at 1.30pm (second Monday if first is a Bank Holiday) 02/09/13 Quiz followed by Pictures in the Parlour - talk by Kevin Varly 07/10/13 Quiz followed by Ethiopia - talk by Ray Rowlson 04/11/13 Quiz followed by St. Dunstans and the Cenotaph - talk by Kevin Varly

Northampton Mrs Betna Bradley SECRETARY 01604 454501 Holy Sepulchre Church Rooms, Church Lane, Northampton Alternate Thursday mornings at 10.00am 05/11/13 Outing to Moreton-in-Marsh in the Cotswolds. Market Day and then onto Stratford upon Avon

Nottingham Pam Bradley CHAIR 0115 938 4676 pamthedragon@hotmail.co.uk The Nottingham Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham Second Wednesday of each month at 10.15am - 12 noon

Rutland Mrs Peggy Brown CHAIRMAN 01780 480314 Various locations for pub lunches Third Wednesday of each month

Shefford Eileen Devereux CHAIRMAN 01462 814765 Community Hall, Ampthill Road, Shefford Third Tuesday of the month at 10am - 12 noon 17/09/13 An Introduction to Beekeeping 15/10/13 The Royal British Legion 19/11/13 Grand Draw

Skegness Ray Morris SECRETARY 01754 762060 ray@bermond.co.uk Phillip Grove Community Rooms, Church Road South, Skegness First Thursday of each month from 10am - 12 noon

Sleaford & Ancaster Mike Smith CHAIRMAN 01526 833273 mjs_consultation@hotmail.com Sleaford: Bristol Bowls Club, Boston Road, Sleaford.

Ancaster: Angel Court, Ancaster Sleaford: First Thursday of the month 10.15am Noon. Ancaster: Second Wednesday of the month 10.15am - Noon 17/09/13 Day Trip to Hemswell Antique Centre Brigg Garden Centre (Lunch) 15/10/13 Day Trip to Spalding - options Springfields Retail Outlet, Ayscoughfee Hall, Spalding. Lunch at the Hungry Horse Restaurant

Solihull Margaret Smith SECRETARY 0121 744 6150 me.smith@talktalk.net Solihull Assembly Rooms, Poplar Road, Solihull Second Monday of each month at 10am

Stamford Mrs B Smith CHAIRMAN/SECRETARY 01780 755437 Tenter Court, Wharf Road, Stamford Last Thursday of the month at 2.15pm

Wellington Emrys Jones CHAIRMAN 01952 254252 emjones7wizard@yahoo.co.uk Belmont Community Hall, New Street, Wellington, Telford First Thursday of the month from 10am - 12 noon

Wigston Mrs J Collins VICE CHAIRMAN 0116 288 7802 The Royal British Legion, Launceston Road, Wigston Second and fourth Mondays of each month from 1.30 - 4.00pm (Bank Holidays permitting)

02/09/13 Meal at The Fairfield 09/09/13 Beautiful Britain Summer & Autumn talk by Phillip Shreave 23/09/13 School Holiday Fiasco 2 - talk by Mike Leonard 14/10/13 Bring and Buy 28/10/13 Carnival Glass - talk by Miss Pat Jessop 11/11/13 The Elephant Man - talk by Peter Cousins

Worcester Leigh Watkins SECRETARY 01905 774034 Perdiswell Young Peoples Leisure Centre, (A38) Droitwich Road (opp. Checketts Lane) Second Wednesday of each month at 1.00pm 11/09/13 Bring & Buy, Cake Sale 08/10/13 Costumes - talk by Helen Lee 13/11/13 Crocodile Country - talk by Veronica Collette

EASTERN ENGLAND & EAST ANGLIA Attleborough Mrs D Parker SECRETARY 01953 456958 Methodist Church Hall, London Road, Attleborough Third Thursday of the month from 10am - 12 noon 19/09/13 Nostalgia Discussion of Wartime Memories 17/10/13 Cheese & Wine Morning 21/11/13 TBA

Aylsham & District Pam Bailey SOCIAL SECRETARY 01263 731421 Friends Meeting House, Peggs Yard, Red Lion Street, Aylsham Second Monday of each month at 10am (unless it’s a Bank Holiday)

Billericay Mr J R Smith LOCAL CONTACT 01277 622156 Various venues for lunches at 12.30pm

Bury St Edmunds Mrs Doreen Ginn CHAIRMAN 01284 755256 West End Home Guard Club, Abbot Road, Bury St. Edmunds Second Wednesday of each month at 10am 11/09/13 A Turkish Shirley Valentine - talk by Jenny Gibbs 09/10/13 The Mercy Ships - talk by Sandy Burnett 13/11/13 Arctic Circle Express - talk by Chris Parfitt

Colchester Joan Gomer SECRETARY 01206 794656 Straight Road Community Centre, 329 Straight Road, Colchester (PLEASE NOTE NEW VENUE) Third Monday each month at 2pm (PLEASE NOTE NEW DAY) 16/09/13 Fred Pearce Entertains and Bring & Buy 21/10/13 Army Life - talk by Rachel Shaw 18/11/13 The Horrible Hanoverians - talk by David Ablewhite

Croxley Green & Rickmansworth Frank Brown 01923 779070 fctbrown@btinternet.com Red Cross Centre, 1 Community Way (off Barton Way), Croxley Green Second Thursday of alternate months (ie Jan, Mar, May etc) at 10.15am and on first Monday of intervening months for pub lunch from 12 noon.

Harlow

Mildenhall

Mrs Edna McNaughton SECRETARY 01279 865102 edian.mcnaughton@tesco.net Toby Carvery, Harlow First Friday of the month at 12 noon Sept 2013 Trip to London for a meal and/or Boat Trip (tbc)

Mr Tony Thomson GROUP REPRESENTATIVE 01582 713250

Alan Benton CHAIRMAN 01638 715492 Mildenhall Social Club, Recreation Way First Tuesday of every month Nov-Feb at 1.30pm and Mar-Oct at 2.00pm 03/09/13 Flower Arranging - talk by Mary Griffiths 01/10/13 Suffolk Historic Churches - talk by Alan Benton 05/11/13 Oakhouse Foods - Free Demonstration and Tasting

Hertford

Newmarket

Mrs Olive Smith CHAIRMAN 01992 550753 Methodist Church Hall, Ware Road, Hertford First Monday of each month at 2-4pm (except Bank Holidays) 02/09/13 Talk by Louise Overington, EHDC Waste Disposal 11/09/13 Braintree Retail Park and Visit to Cressing Temple 07/10/13 Laughter is still the Best Medicine talk by Mrs Ann Hunt 09/10/13 Lunch at The Crooked Chimney 04/11/13 My Favourite Islands - talk by Mrs Brenda Brown Nov 2013 Outing TBA

Mike Hastings CHAIRMAN 01638 661065 michaelhastings@mypostoffice.co.uk St. John Training Centre, Newmarket Hospital, Exning Road Second Wednesday of each month at 2.15pm 11/09/13 Catering the Royal Way Part II - talk by Dr Patrick Thompson 09/10/13 The Meaning of the Standard of The Royal British Legion - talk by Sheila Jeffery 13/11/13 Jack of all Trades - talk by Barry Kauffman-Wright

Harpenden

Norwich

Mrs Gillian Greville SECRETARY 01480 458098 Little Stukeley Village Hall, Low Road (off Mill Road), Little Stukeley, Huntingdon Last Thursday of the month at 2.30pm 26/09/13 Dressed to Kill - talk by Greta Paradine-Palmer 31/10/13 The Canary Islands Telescope - talk by Neil Parker

Mary Weatherhead SECRETARY 01603 410821 Reading Room, Doughty’s Hospital, Golden Dog Lane Second Monday of each month at 10am for 10.30am 09/09/13 Hats and how to wear them - talk by Mrs M Sims 14/10/13 Experience of Road Travel in Georgian England - talk by Mr J Albone 11/11/13 The Agricultural Labourer - talk by Mr S Pope

Ilford

Radlett

Mrs Sylvia Green SOCIAL SECRETARY 020 8594 5284 sylviagreen@rocketmail.com St. Andrew’s Church Hall, The Drive, Ilford Third Monday of the month at 1.30pm 16/09/13 “I am a Tulip” - talk by Jackie Aviolet, owner of a Garden Nursery 21/10/13 Quiz and Discussion Group 18/11/13 Eddie Upcraft (one of our members) will talk about his travels

Mrs Shirley Herbert SECRETARY 020 8953 2999 Local restaurants for coffee or lunch Monthly - details from Secretary

Ipswich

Rochford

Eva Stevens SECRETARY 01473 688040 evajs@yahoo.co.uk Museum Street Methodist Church Hall, Blackhorse Lane, Ipswich First Wednesday of each month at 2pm 04/09/13 Bletchley Park - talk by Joyce Kimber 11/09/13 Luncheon at Peak Lodge at 12.30pm 02/10/13 Macmillan Nurses 06/11/13 Flowers for Christmas - Jan Davis

Mrs F Cohen SOCIAL SECRETARY 01702 342426 Parish Council Rooms, 82 West Street, Rochford Third Thursday of each month from 1.45-3.45pm

Huntingdon

Loughton Eric Adams CHAIRMAN 020 8508 7207 Jazz Archive Room, Loughton Library, Traps Hill, Loughton Third Monday of each month at 2pm 16/09/13 Heroes in Essex - holders of the Victoria Cross and George Cross 21/10/13 Chat on current affairs 18/11/13 Education when we were young

Lowestoft Kate McNamara TREASURER/SECRETARY 01502 714380 kate_mcn@talktalk.net Victoria Hotel, Kirkley Cliff, Lowestoft and ExServicemens’ Club, Lowestoft First (at Victoria Hotel) and Third Wednesday (ExServicemens’ Club) of each month at 10.30am

Rayleigh Mrs F Cohen SOCIAL SECRETARY 01702 342426 Cloister West, Parish Rooms, Rayleigh Church, Rectory Garth (off Hockley Road), Rayleigh First Thursday of each month from 2.00-4.00pm

Saffron Walden Mrs E Mansfield CHAIRPERSON 01279 755458 The Chequers Public House, Cambridge Road, Ugley, Bishops Stortford

Shoeburyness Mrs F Cohen SOCIAL SECRETARY 01702 342426 Thorpdene Community Centre, Delaware Road, Shoeburyness First Tuesday of each month from 2.00-4.00pm

St. Albans Mrs B G Hill SECRETARY 01727 858198 barbara.hill5@ntlworld.com Friends Meeting House, Upper Lattimore Road, St. Albans First Thursday of the month at 10am

Stevenage & Baldock Helen Leisk SECRETARY 01438 355131 helen.leisk@firenet.uk.net United Reformed Church, Cuttys Lane, Stevenage First Thursday of every month at 2pm www.csrf.org.uk AUTUMN 2013

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05/09/13 The Royal Gunpowder Mills - talk by Richard Thomas 26/09/13 Coach Outing to the Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Cross (must be prebooked) 03/10/13 Laughter in the Villages - talk by Bob Jones 07/11/13 The Work of The Anthony Nolan Trust talk by Christine Jolly

Swaffham David Moore CHAIRMAN 01760 723740 Methodist Church Hall, London Street, Swaffham Third Tuesday of each month at 10.15am

Watford (Cassiobury) Mr Ian Whyte LOCAL CONTACT 01923 441952 duncan.whyte1@ntlworld.com St. Luke’s Church, Langley Way, Watford WD17 3EG Second Tuesday of Jan, May, Jul, Sep & Nov at 10am

Westcliff-on-Sea Mrs F Cohen SOCIAL SECRETARY 01702 342426 Balmoral Community Centre, Salisbury Avenue, Westcliff on Sea Fourth Wednesday of each month from 2.004.00pm

Wickford Peter Blake CHAIRMAN & SECRETARY 01268 583060 Christchurch Hall, R/O 44 High Street, Wickford Second Thursday each month 1.30 - 3.30pm

SOUTHERN ENGLAND Aldershot Gloria Wetherill SECRETARY/SOCIAL SECRETARY 01252 345318 rayglo227@talktalk.net Holy Trinity Church, Galpin Hall, Windsor Way, Aldershot Second Thursday of every month at 1.30-3.30pm

Arun - formerly Littlehampton Jim Underwood TREASURER 01903 709033 jimunderwood9@hotmail.com St Joseph’s Convent, Franciscan Way. Please use entrance in East Street if arriving by car.

Second Wednesday of each month at 2pm 11/09/13 Aguila Wrens - talk 09/10/13 Chris Quizz 13/11/13 ACE Homeless - talk

Ascot & Sunningdale John Cook CHAIRMAN 01344 429391 johnwgc@btinternet.com De Vere Venues, Sunningdale Park, Larch Avenue, Ascot Third Friday of each month at 12 noon 20/09/13 Hearing Dogs for Deaf People - talk by Sally Botwright 18/10/13 The Foundling Hospital - talk by Pam Scott 15/11/13 The intriguing story of The Three Graces - talk by Pat Lock

Basingstoke Janette Davies CHAIRMAN 01256 321471 Brookvale Village Hall, Lower Brook Street, Basingstoke First Wednesday of each month at 10.00am 04/09/13 Beijing and Beyond - talk by Jean Shepherd 24/09/13 Outing to Bath 02/10/13 Beating Crooks - talk by Ralph Kay 17/10/13 Mystery Tour 06/11/13 History minus the Boring Bits - talk by Susan Howe

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Bexhill

Brighton & Hove

Hilary Markham SECRETARY 01424 210985 Bexhill Sailing Club, Marina, Bexhill-on-Sea Fourth Tuesday of each month at 10am 10/09/13 Mystery Trip 24/09/13 Coffee Morning with Speaker on Herbs 22/10/13 Coffee Morning and Quiz 12/11/13 Lunch at Brickwall Hotel, Sedlescombe

Mrs Anne Cobby saglibcob@googlemail.com Ventnor Hall, Blatchington Road, Hove First Wednesday of the month at 2.15pm

Bognor Regis & Chichester Heather Olive CHAIRMAN 01903 778543 Jeneses Community Arts Centre, 45 Linden Road, Bognor Regis Last Thursday of each month at 2.00-4.00pm 26/09/13 Visiting Speaker (tbc) 31/10/13 Visiting Speaker (tbc)

Bournemouth - Boscombe & Southbourne

Burgess Hill Mike Mason CHAIRMAN 01444 245289 michael_mason6@hotmail.com Millfield Suite, Cyprus Hall, Cyprus Road, Burgess Hill Fourth Wednesday of each month at 10am for coffee mornings 10/09/13 ‘Steam and Cream’ Trip on the Bluebell Railway (please contact Mike Mason) 25/09/13 Coffee Morning 23/10/13 Coffee Morning and ‘Childhood in Barbados’ talk by Al Edwards

Chandlers Ford

Paul Tabor CHAIRPERSON 01202 422493 paul.tabor@tesco.net St Katherine’s Church Hall, Church Road, Southbourne First Wednesday of each month at 10am 04/09/13 Experiences of a Mining Engineer - talk

by Dennis Smith 02/10/13 Music on Horseback - talk by Lt.Col. Malcolm Torrent 06/11/13 The Netanya Connection - talk by Eric Watson

Ken Willcocks CHAIRMAN 023 8076 0102 Chandlers Ford Community Centre, Hursley Road, Chandlers Ford First Friday of the month at 10am 06/09/13 The Work of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance - talk 04/10/13 Wartime Experiences in Burma - talk by Stephen Dyer 22/10/13 Skittles and Lunch at Wellow Golf Club 01/11/13 Annual Cheese & Wine Event

Bournemouth - Central

Jim Piercey CHAIRMAN 01293 409332 Bill Buck Room, Crawley Library, Southgate Avenue, Crawley Fourth Friday of the month at 2pm 27/09/13 Cookery Tips - talk by Jim Piercey 25/10/13 Playing Card Bingo 22/11/13 Christmas Party

Alan Carter 01202 292720

Bournemouth Christchurch & Highcliffe Paul Tabor 01202 422493 paul.tabor@tesco.net

Bournemouth - New Forest Sandy Whittaker CHAIRMAN 023 8028 2157 New Milton Community Centre, Osborne Road, New Milton Second Tuesday of each month at 10.15am 10/09/13 Ronnie Barker: Life and Comedy - talk

by Chris McColl 08/10/13 The Census - talk by Colin Van Geffen 12/11/13 My Life as a Member of the Magic Circle - talk by Clive Greenaway

Bournemouth - Poole & District Ray White 01425 476037 rm-white@tiscali.co.uk

Bournemouth - Ringwood & District Ron Fisher CHAIRMAN 01202 896315 ronf. nottington@homecall.co.uk Greyfriars Community Centre, Ringwood First Friday of each month at 10am 06/09/13 Entertainment from your Committee 17/09/13 Pub Lunch (details from Ron Fisher) 04/10/13 Return to the Amazon - talk by Mrs Shirley Critchley 15/10/13 Pub Lunch (details from Ron Fisher) 01/11/13 Entertainment from your Committee

Bournemouth - Swanage Mrs Irene Greenway 01929 423394

Bournemouth - Wimborne & Ferndown Eric Basire SECRETARY 01202 897158 eric-rita@tiscali.co.uk Ferndown Village Hall, Church Road, Ferndown Third Wednesday of each month at 10.30am.

Skittles meetings, New Forest walks and other events are held from time to time - ask Eric Basire for details.

Crawley

Emsworth & Havant Ralph Whitehouse CHAIRMAN 01243 374081 Emsworth Community Centre, Church Path, Emsworth First Friday of each month at 10am 06/09/13 Canine Partners - talk 04/10/13 “A Bit on the Side”, Colmans Mustard talk by Steve Harris 01/11/13 Bring & Buy Sale followed by Fish & Chips Lunch

Hastings & St Leonards John Hall CHAIRMAN 01424 813355 All Saints Church Hall, All Saints Street, Old Town Third Tuesday of each month at 10am - 12 noon 17/09/13 A Bit of This and That - illustrated talk

by Michael Hoad 15/10/13 A Games Morning 19/11/13 TBC

Newbury Roger Walker CHAIRMAN 01635 44575 colonelrog@hotmail.com St. Johns Church Room, Newtown Road, Newbury Second Monday of the month at 2.15pm 09/09/13 Bees and Beekeeping - talk by Derek Swailes 17/09/13 Visit to the English Rural Museum in Reading 18/09/13 Skittles Night at Thatcham FC 14/10/13 Two very different Monarchs: Edward VII and George V - talk by Barbara Askew 17/10/13 Pub Lunch at the Rampant Cat 11/11/13 Photographic Competition and Quiz

Portsmouth North Mrs Noreen Lane CHAIRMAN 023 92 655502 St. Nicholas Church Hall, Battenburg Avenue, Copnor

Second and fourth Mondays at 2pm (except Bank Holidays and Aug) 09/09/13 Mishaps of a Student Teacher - talk by Ruth Warren 23/09/13 Bring and Buy 14/10/13 Harriet & Herbert Hedgehog - talk by Steve Harris 28/10/13 Bingo 11/11/13 Annual Luncheon with Entertainment by the Pompey Pluckers (ukulele band)

Reading West & Tilehurst David Cox SECRETARY 0118 958 6311 United Reformed Church Hall, Polsted Road, off Armour Road Last Wednesday of the month at 2pm unless otherwise stated 25/09/13 London with a Difference - illustrated talk by Nick Channor 30/10/13 Fish & Chip Lunch (1.30pm)

Southsea Mrs Emily Kitching SECRETARY 023 92 785427 emilyshiels@hotmail.com St. Simon’s Church Hall, Waverley Road, Southsea Second Wednesday of the month at 10.30 and fourth Wednesday of the month at 2.30pm 25/09/13 Portsmouth in the Sixties - talk 28/09/13 Visit to the Michaelmas Fair at Alverstoke Village 11/10/13 Holiday at Matlock Bath, includes a visit to the Venetian Boats (11-13 October) 16/10/13 Coach Outing to the New Forest and a Cream Tea 23/10/13 Life Below Decks on the Royal Yacht talk by Lt. Cmndr. M S Hill (Retired)

Stubbington Peter Stilwell SECRETARY 023 92 527346 amy_stilwell@hotmail.com Catholic Church Hall, Bells Lane, Stubbington Second Thursday of each month at 2.00pm (meeting) and last Tuesday of each month at 10.30am (coffee morning). On the Tuesday following the Thursday meeting we have a pub lunch. On the last Thursday of the month we have lunch at a local pub and play skittles.

Tadley Mr D MacLean CHAIRMAN 0118 970 1290 Tadley Community Centre, Newchurch Road, Tadley First Thursday of each month at 1.15pm for 1.45pm (excepting in unusual circumstances when advance notice is given to our members) 05/09/13 Down One Mile - talk by Richard Tanner 03/10/13 Open Meeting, Jane and Kevin ‘Songsters’ 07/11/13 Ways to Improve your Memory - talk

by Simon Williams

Worthing David Keeling CHAIRMAN 01903 248663 United Reformed Church Hall, Shaftesbury Avenue (just south of Durrington Railway Bridge: entrance in Barrington Road) Third Tuesday of each month at 10.00am (coffee at 9.45am) 17/09/13 HM Coroners Office - talk by Helen Lawrence 15/10/13 One Arm, One Eye and a Mistress talk by Steve Harris 19/11/13 Bring & Buy Event

SOUTH WEST ENGLAND Amesbury

Chard Gordon Baker SECRETARY 01460 73333 The Donyatt Bowling Club, Ilminster Third Thursday of the month at 10.30am

Chippenham David Gardner CHAIRMAN 01249 658431 Rotary Hall, Station Hill, Chippenham First Wednesday of each month at 2pm

Crediton

Mrs Freda Hedge SECRETARY 01980 590499 Antrobus House, 39 Salisbury Road, Amesbury First Tuesday of each month at 2pm (unless otherwise stated)

Miss M Steer CHAIRMAN 01363 866256 Various venues - contact the Chairman for details First Friday of each month at 10.35am for coffee unless there is a trip or lunch when a notice will appear in the local paper

Barnstaple

Dawlish

Peter Mumby CHAIRMAN 01271 815021 Committee Room, Roundswell Community Centre, Roundswell, Barnstaple Last Friday in the month at 11am Feb, May, Jun, Jul, Oct and Nov and at 10am Mar, Apr and Sep. 27/09/13 Committee Meeting (10am) followed

by Coffee Morning (11am) 25/10/13 Coffee Morning

Bath Roy Burnett CHAIRMAN 01225 426583 St. John’s Parish Hall, South Parade, Bath First Thursday of each month at 10.30am for coffee mornings as well as events listed below.

Short Mat Bowls held every Friday at 2pm at The Scout Hut, The Avenue, Bath 05/09/13 Coffee Morning 03/10/13 Coffee Morning 07/11/13 Coffee Morning 13/11/13 Autumn Lunch

Mrs M Carter SECRETARY 01626 888275 The Manor House, Old Town Street Second Friday of each month at 2pm 13/09/13 Talk by David Alcock 11/10/13 Disability Transport - talk by John 08/11/13 Quiz

Dorchester Mike Rogers CHAIRMAN/TREASURER 01308 420755 michael@mikerogers3.plus.com Dorset Youth HQ, Lubbecke Way, Dorchester Third Thursday of the month at 10.15am for 10.30am - 12.30-1.00pm 19/09/13 Royal Scandal - talk by Pat Robinson 17/10/13 Quiz Time 21/11/13 Charles Dickens’ London - talk by Bob Ayres (note: 4th Thursday in month)

Exmouth

Griggs Close Community Centre, Northam, Bideford Second Friday in the month at 10.30am. Please contact Fellowship Office for further information on 020 8691 7411.

Carol Brett SECRETARY 01395 442671 Wings Club (formerly RAFA), Imperial Road, Exmouth First Wednesday of each month at 10am 04/09/13 Coffee Morning 02/10/13 Coffee Morning 06/11/13 Coffee Morning

Blandford Forum

Liskeard & Pensilva

Mrs M Chambers SECRETARY 01258 456572 Contact Secretary for venue details.

Second Friday of each month at 11am

Shirley Waye CHAIRMAN & SECRETARY 01579 346089 shirleywaye@gmail.com Refreshment Rooms, Liskeard Town Hall, 3 West Street, Liskeard Last Wednesday of each month at 10am 13/09/13 Tavistock - afternoon Cream Tea at Twobridges Hotel 25/09/13 Local and National Changes to the NHS - talk by David Sheppard 23/10/13 Tenpin Bowling and Lunch at Trethorne Leisure 18/11/13 Turkey & Tinsel Holiday at Royal York & Faulkener Hotel, Sidmouth (18-22 November)

Bideford

Bradford-on-Avon

John Keast SECRETARY 0118 940 2975 john@keast.go-plus.net Hannen Room, St. Marys Church, Station Road, Wargrave Third Tuesday of Feb, Apr, June, Oct and Dec

Mr P F Nuttall SECRETARY 01225 862919 United Reformed Church Hall, St. Margarets Street, Bradford on Avon Second Monday of each month at 2.15pm 08/09/13 Group Holiday to Torquay (8-14 September) 14/10/13 Winter Colours in Gardens - talk 28/10/13 Lunch at The Dog & Fox 11/11/13 The Heritage of Bath - talk 21/11/13 Coach Trip - Christmas Shopping in Southampton

Uckfield

Brixham

John Gutteridge SECRETARY 01825 764781 john@gutteridge.eclipse.co.uk Five Ash Down Village Hall, Five Ash Down, Uckfield First Thursday of the month at 2.30pm unless otherwise announced.

05/09/13 The Beat Goes On - talk by Neil Sadler 03/10/13 Thomas Brassey: Railway Builder - talk

by David Jones 07/11/13 Brighton’s Workhouses - talk by James Gardner

Mrs Brenda Smith SECRETARY 01803 559466 brenda54@talktalk.net Various local restaurants, usually Waterside Paignton Usually second Thursday of the month at 12 noon contact Brenda Smith for details.

Twyford & Wargrave

Burnham Area Youth Centre, Cassis Close, Burnham on Sea Fourth Tuesday in each month from 10am to 12 noon

Burnham-on-Sea Joyce Beard SECRETARY/TREASURER 07706 868648 joyful18@live.co.uk

Minehead Isabel Dobson 01643 703199 Foxes Hotel, The Esplanade, Minehead Coffee mornings on the last Tuesday of the month at 10.15am

Princetown Mike Fitzpatrick SECRETARY 01822 890799 mikeandkate3@talktalk.net Prince of Wales, Tavistock Road, Princetown First Thursday of the month at 12.30pm 01/09/13 Group Holiday to Scotland (1-7 September) www.csrf.org.uk AUTUMN 2013

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12/09/13 Monthly Meeting (date changed due to Group holiday) 19/09/13 Tour of the Blackdown Hills with Derek & Ruth (includes several refreshment stops, lunch and dinner) 17/10/13 Outing to Tom Cobley’s for a Bar-BQue Lunch 07/11/13 Monthly meeting with Paul Rendell as Guest Speaker talking about the History of Okehampton

Salisbury Plain Mr Roy German SECRETARY 01980 653446 royandvi@live.co.uk The Village Hall, High Street, Durrington Third Tuesday of each month at 2.30pm 17/09/13 Wiltshire Farm Foods - talk by Darren Shergold 24/09/13 Outing to Bishops Lydiard with a Steam Train ride to Minehead 15/10/13 Pig Lady - talk by Mrs A Bodden 04/11/13 Turkey & Tinsel Holiday in the Isle of Wight 19/11/13 A Cockney Lass - talk by Mrs A Bodden

Sidmouth Margaret Adams CHAIRMAN 01395 577622 rjadams39@waitrose.com Sidholme Hotel, Elysian Fields, Temple Street Second Wednesday of each month at 10.25am

Somerton Colin Mclntyre SECRETARY 01458 223953 The Two Brewers, Leigh Road, Street Third Tuesday of the month at 11.30am

Tamar/Tavy (Tavistock) David Askew SECRETARY 01822 612274 daveandjennyaskew@gmail.com Burrator Inn, Princetown Road, Dousland, Yelverton Second Thursday of the month at 12.30pm

Taunton Mick Grigg CHAIRMAN 01823 272046 mfgrigg@talktalk.net Lawns Social Club (formerly Royal British Legion Club), St. Mary Street, Taunton Second Friday of the month at 10.30am (unless Public Holiday in which case third Friday) 13/09/13 Fading Images - talk by Tony Bagwell 11/10/13 Bring & Buy Cakes 08/11/13 Coastal Footpaths - talk by Clive White

Trowbridge Peter Collins SECRETARY 01225 768370 csrftrow@which.net Old Manor Hotel, Trowle, Trowbridge/ Trowbridge Cricket Club, The County Ground, Lower Court, Trowbridge First Wednesday of each month at 10.30am (Old Manor Hotel) & third Wednesday of each month at 2pm (Trowbridge Cricket Club) 04/09/13 Coffee Morning at the Old Manor Hotel 18/09/13 Coach Trip to Bishops Lydiard then on to Minehead by Steam Train 02/10/13 Coffee Morning at the Old Manor Hotel 16/10/13 A Birds Eye View of Famous Landmarks - talk by Mrs H Hook 06/11/13 Coffee Morning at the Old Manor Hotel 20/11/13 Coach Trip (TBA) - likely a Mystery Tour

Third Monday of each month at 1.45pm for 2.00pm. Second Monday in December (Xmas Party) 16/09/13 The Woodland Trust - talk by Richard Slingsby 18/09/13 Outing to Portsmouth/Southsea 16/10/13 Autumn Lunch at Portland, Dorset 21/10/13 Magic of the Scillies - illustrated talk

by Roger White 18/11/13 Story of Christmas Dinner - talk by Miss D Starkey 20/11/13 Outing to Cardiff (Shopping)

Westbury-on-Trym Beryl Webb SECRETARY 01454 614451 Studland Court, Henleaze Road, Henleaze First Thursday of each month at 2pm 05/09/13 TBA 03/10/13 Speaker from St. Peters Hospice 07/11/13 TBA

Weston-Super-Mare Alan Jackson CHAIRMAN 01275 858766 jackson-a21@sky.com Friends Meeting House, corner of High Street/ Oxford Street, Weston-Super-Mare First and third Thursday of the month at 10am (for coffee mornings, other events listed below) 02/09/13 Group Holiday to North Wales (2-6 September) 05/09/13 Coffee Morning 10/09/13 Coach Outing to Henley on Thames and WI Tea 19/09/13 Coffee Morning 03/10/13 Coffee Morning 08/10/13 Coach Outing to Dunster and Tour of Exmoor 17/10/13 Coffee Morning 07/11/13 Coffee Morning and AGM

Weymouth Geoff Greenstreet SECRETARY 01305 832432 St. Nicholas Church, Buxton Road, Weymouth Second Thursday of each month at 2.30pm 12/09/13 TBA 25/09/13 Coffee Morning Oct 2013 Group Holiday to Croatia 14/11/13 TBA

Yate & District Donald Kirkham CHAIRMAN 01454 317242 donald@kirkham3.orangehome.co.uk Yate Parish Hall, Station Road Fourth Tuesday of each month at 2pm 24/09/13 A Country Boy - talk by Laurence Curtis 22/10/13 Life in the 50s - talk by Mr & Mrs Elsbury

LONDON & SOUTH EAST ENGLAND Banstead & District Miss Marion Pevy SECRETARY/TREASURER 01737 812129 Banstead Methodist Church Hall, The Drive Last Tuesday of each month at 10.30am - 12 noon 24/09/13 Coffee Morning and Quiz 29/10/13 Coffee Morning and Quiz

Beckenham Eileen Morgan CHAIRMAN 020 8650 8784 Beckenham Public Hall, 4 Bromley Road, Beckenham First Tuesday of each month at 2pm

Westbury (Wiltshire)

Bexleyheath

Ken Holloway CHAIRMAN 01373 864049 kenmoholloway@metronet.co.uk Paragon Hall, Haynes Road, Westbury

Miss Norma Smith SECRETARY 020 8304 2466 St. Andrews Church Hall, Brampton Road, Bexleyheath

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First three Wednesdays in every month at 1.45-3.45pm. Every 2nd Wednesday is a Social Afternoon and Bingo.

04/09/13 The Story behind your Cuppa - talk by Alan Payne 11/09/13 Social Afternoon 18/09/13 Reminiscence Disco with Malcolm Dixon 02/10/13 The Red House Ladies - talk by Dr John Mercer 09/10/13 Social Afternoon 16/10/13 Chair-based exercises with Donna Sugden 06/11/13 Autumn Fayre 13/11/13 Social Afternoon

Camberley Anne Morris SECRETARY 01344 772419 anne.morris@btinternet.com High Cross Church, Knoll Road, Camberley Fourth Tuesday of each month at 2pm

Edgware & Stanmore Ray Broom SECRETARY 020 8427 8659 St. Lawrence’s Church Hall, Whitchurch Lane, Edgware Second Monday of each month at 2pm 09/09/13 Changing Nature of the English Countryside - talk by A H Smith 14/10/13 Edinburgh - talk by Ivan French 11/11/13 Stanmore, History in a Book - talk by G Howlett

Enfield Susan Bentley SECRETARY & PROGRAMME 020 8360 4361 St. Andrew’s Church Hall, Silver Street, Enfield First Monday of the month at 10am (unless a Bank Holiday when it will be the second Monday) 02/09/13 The History of the East End illustrated talk by John Neal 07/10/13 Walking Sticks - talk by Reverend David Bradburn 04/11/13 Solo Singers of the Swinging Sixties illustrated talk by Geoff Bowden Bookings are now being taken for our Christmas Lunch on 28 November - £5.00 deposit required.

Hounslow Roy Woods CHAIRMAN 020 8230 5533 United Reformed Church Hall, 114 Hanworth Road, Hounslow Second Tuesday of each month 1.30-4.00pm 10/09/13 Illustrated talk by Maureen Pickering 08/10/13 Falls - Judy Lynch from Hounslow Borough Council 12/11/13 General Meeting

Kingston & District Mrs Jean Hall SECRETARY 020 8942 2309 Kingston Methodist Church Hall, Avenue Road, Fairfield South, Kingston Third Tuesday of each month at 2pm. For outings programme contact the Secretary.

17/09/13 Behind the Scenes at BBC’s The Antiques Roadshow, Hampton Court Palace - talk by Ian Franklin 18/09/13 Coach Outing to Bognor Regis 15/10/13 At Home. Members entertain Members 19/11/13 Voyage to South Georgia, the Falklands and Antarctica - illustrated talk by Ms Ann Buxton

Leatherhead Anne Thomson SECRETARY 01372 373258 anner.thomson@talktalk.net John Rumble Hall, Fetcham Village Hall, The Street, Fetcham First Friday of each month at 10am

06/09/13 Experiences of a Verger - talk by Sheila Ford 04/10/13 Getting your Book Published - talk by Tony Lester 01/11/13 The RNLI - talk by Richard Bywaters

London - Catford & Lewisham Doreen Hughes SECRETARY 020 8461 4800 St. Laurence Church Hall, Bromley Road, Catford Second Tuesday of the month at 10am 10/09/13 Coffee Morning 08/10/13 Coffee Morning 12/11/13 Coffee Morning with Speaker from The Woodland Trust

London - Chiswick W4, W6 & W12 Helen Barron CHAIRMAN 020 8748 2486 Scouthaven, Wilson Walk (passage between Stamford Brook Underground Station and Prebend Gardens) Fourth Friday of each month at 2pm

First Wednesday of the month at 10.15am.

Please contact Fellowship Office (020 8691 7411) for further details.

London - Hendon Harry Hunt SECRETARY 020 8202 7647 harrycarman@hotmail.com Various venues each month for lunch - phone Secretary for details First Thursday of every month at 12.30pm

London - Southbank SE17 Joy Creamer CHAIRPERSON 020 7407 2332 Penrose Tenants Hall, Penrose Estate, Walworth Second Wednesday of each month at 10am

London - Stockwell SW8 & SW9 Mr D Stannard SECRETARY 020 7720 0982 Job Centre Plus Offices, 246 Stockwell Road, Brixton Fourth Thursday of each month at 2pm

London - Clapham SW4 & SW11

London - Streatham & Norbury - SW16

Miss M Farley SECRETARY 020 8870 7361 Staff Restaurant 4th Floor, PCS Headquarters, 160 Falcon Road, Clapham Junction First Thursday of each month at 10.15am. We also have a monthly lunch - for details please contact the Secretary

Mrs J E Winter SECRETARY 020 8764 6450 The Glebe Sheltered Housing Complex, Prentis Road, Streatham SW16 1QR Second Tuesday of each month at 2pm 10/09/13 Another Popular Beetle Drive 08/10/13 A Small Portion of China - talk by Malka Baker about visits to China 12/11/13 AGM (2.15-3.15pm) followed by Annual Bring & Buy Sale (no clothing please)

London - Dulwich & Norwood Miss M J Bacon SECRETARY 020 8761 2158 Railway Club, Selhurst Station Approach Fourth Tuesday of each month at 10.30am 24/09/13 Life in Bethlem Hospital - talk by Andrew Wilson 26/09/13 Outing to Barnsgate Vineyard 22/10/13 Bowls - talk by John Wake

London - Edmonton Mrs Sheila Lamonte CHAIRPERSON 020 8886 7873 Ambassador Room, Millfield House, Silver Street, London N18 Third Monday of each month from 10am - 12 noon 16/09/13 Quiz or Game (maybe both!)

21/10/13 “It was Napoleon’s fault” - talk by Michael Welling 18/11/13 The Work of the Enfield Society illustrated talk by Bob Fowler

London - Eltham Phyllis Duignan CHAIR 020 8265 0810 phyllis. duignan@gmail.com United Reformed Church,Sherard Hall, Court Road, Eltham Fourth Thursday of each month at 10am - 12 noon 09/09/13 Airedales Holiday to Warners Lakeside, Hayling Island (9-13 September) 26/09/13 Coffee Morning followed by talk by Barry McKay: The Curious Story of Crystal Palace Lost Railway 10/10/13 Coach Outing to Bletchley Park 17/10/13 Theatre Outing to Billy Elliot (Victoria Palace) 24/10/13 Coffee Morning followed by Bring & Buy Sale 14/11/13 Westminster Abbey Tour (using Freedom Pass)

London - Fulham SW5, SW6 & SW10 Mrs Grace Phillipson CHAIRMAN Waterford House, Waterford Road, Fulham

Maidstone Keith Hunter CHAIRMAN 01622 746792 Methodist Church Centre, Brewer Street, Maidstone Second Monday of the month at 2pm 09/09/13 Entertainment on Musical Themes 14/10/13 Members to bring articles of interest 11/11/13 Xmas Fayre, Quiz and Raffle

North/South Harrow Mrs Doris Bending SECRETARY 020 8863 3240 St. Albans Church Hall, Norwood Drive, North Harrow Last Tuesday of the month at 2pm 24/09/13 That’s Jazz - dialogue and music from a jazz enthusiast. Bring & Buy Table (please bring something from the larder) 29/10/13 28th Anniversary Party with the Denham Ladies Choir

Orpington Peter Standen VICE CHAIRMAN 01689 833358 The Memorial Hall, Methodist Church, Sevenoaks Road, Orpington First Friday in the month at 1.45pm 22/09/13 Holiday in Fistral Bay, Newquay, Cornwall (22-27 September)

Romney Marsh Mrs Win Owen CHAIR 01797 362598 winefride@aol.com The Assembly Rooms, Church Approach, New Romney Second Wednesday of each month at 10am 04/09/13 Trip to Boulogne 11/09/13 Soho - talk by Roger McKenna 09/10/13 Romney Marsh: Pilots, Planes & Plaques - talk by Geoff Turner 13/11/13 A Focus on the Tenterden Area - talk

by Brian Doorne

Sanderstead & Selsdon Ralph Perryman LOCAL CONTACT 020 8657 3487 ralph.perryman172@btinernet.com The Selsdon Centre for the Retired (Sainsbury’s Supermarket), 132 Addington Road, South Croydon Second Thursday of each month at 3.00pm 12/09/13 Afternoon Tea 10/10/13 Afternoon Tea 14/11/13 Afternoon Tea

South East Middlesex Mrs June Brown SECRETARY 020 8891 4680 junebrownuk@hotmail.com Various venues Various dates and times

Staines Dorothy Dib SECRETARY 01784 441990 Various restaurants for lunch. New members always welcome.

Third Tuesday of each month

Sutton Pam Davis SOCIAL SECRETARY 020 8641 2114 Friends Meeting House, 10 Cedar Road, Sutton Last Monday of the month at 2-3.45pm 09/09/13 Informal Lunch at The Old Bank, Sutton 30/09/13 The Why and How of the Downe Dames - talk by Barbara Stevens 14/10/13 Afternoon Tea at The Waldorf Hotel, Aldwych (TBC) 28/10/13 Fashions of the 1920s and 1930s talk by Carol Harris 11/11/13 Informal Lunch (TBC)

Whitstable & Herne Bay (inc. Canterbury) Linda Swift LOCAL CONTACT 01227 276583 lindaswift2@sky.com Swalecliffe & Chestfield Community Centre, St. Johns Road, Whitstable Fourth Thursday of the month at 2.00pm 26/09/13 Adventures at Sea - talk by Ley Liberson 24/10/13 TBC

Worcester Park Peter Tharby CHAIRMAN 020 8337 7423 petertharby@blueyonder.co.uk Old Malden Scout Hall, 411 Malden Road, Worcester Park First Monday each month at 2.00-4.00pm (If Bank Holiday, then second Monday) 02/09/13 Wartime Fashions 1939-45 - talk by Carol Harris 07/10/13 Music from the Shows - a tubular presentation by Sandra Williams 04/11/13 Fundraising Day - Raffles, Cake Stall, Bring & Buy and a fun Team Quiz

NO GROUP IN YOUR AREA?

Then we’d like to help you establish one. If you’d be interested in working with us to open up a new group for your area then contact David or Belinda at Fellowship Office on 020 8691 7411. www.csrf.org.uk AUTUMN 2013

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the last word

My

favourite things…

1

7

Historical Figure

Novel

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett It’s an epic read with great characters and historical detail. I found it difficult to put down!

Film

2

Music

American History X

Lark Ascending by Vaughn Williams I grew up with this piece of music so whenever I hear it, it reminds me of my childhood.

3

City

Gozo

Undisturbed, beautiful and historic. I’ve had lots of great holidays there and there are little or no tourists which is an added bonus!

Not an easy movie to watch, but Ed Norton turns in a great performance on a subject that is tricky to tackle.

5

Colour

Black

One of the best colours for anyone’s wardrobe as it goes with everything (and it looks very flattering as well).

6

Animal

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AUTUMN 2013 www.csrf.org.uk

Photo: © Manuel Harlan

Adam Cooper (pictured right) is a dancer, choreographer and theatre director who has worked in many fields of dance. A dancer of classical ballet and a former Principal of the Royal Ballet. He is also noted for creating the lead role in Matthew Bourne’s contemporary dance production of the ballet Swan Lake, a role that was briefly featured in the 2000 film Billy Elliot. He currently works as a dancer and choreographer in musical theatre and was most recently the star of the West End production of Singin’ in the Rain. Just before the show began its national tour we managed to catch up with him to find out his favourite things…

Cats They are independent but loyal.

Fred Astaire Given my career, this is perhaps an unsurprising choice but Astaire was the Master of dance and watching his moves and performance is still inspiring.

8

Flower

Poppies

Simple and beautiful, there’s something tranquil about this beautiful flower.

Singin’ In the Rain is about to embark on a national tour including Manchester (9-30 Nov), Cardiff (3 Dec- 4 Jan 2014), Sunderland (14 Jan – 1 Feb) and Nottingham (4 Feb – 15 Feb 2014). For more information visit www.singinintherain.co.uk