Group Activity News Barn Dancing will start again in September Ann Taylor Indoor Bowls
Mondays 2.0 to 4.0 pm October to April.
We have a good membership, room for a couple more.
A few statistics
During last October to March we attended for 25 weeks. We have had about 125 games. Each person has bowled about 1500 bowls. Each person has bent & stretched (touch your toes) about 1500 times. Each person has walked about 1 mile. Each person has activated their "Chuckle Muscles" many thousands of times. Many friendships have been made and continued.
Brian Hall (Bowls Coordinator) Science and Technology Group
The group has now combined with the Astronomy Group and is nearing its maximum capacity in membership with about a dozen regular attendees. Recent topics Presented by The Properties of Stars Alan Banks Autumn Plant Colours Dave Rosser Cancer Drugs Dave Starling History and Technology of Telescopes Alan Banks Chemical Interactions The effects of substances such as pheromones on the lives of animals and plants Arthur Mason The occurrence and effects of Ice Age Ian Norris Dave Rosser Scrabble 2
WHY NOT keep those 'little grey cells' going! Play an hour or two of Scrabble twice a month. Scrabble 2 has room for a few new players. Novices and 'rusty' players will be welcomed. Meetings are held in Neston on the first and third Wednesdays at 2.00 pm.
Anyone interested should contact Pamela Wren on 336 1095 Craft Group
There are 7 members with Joyce Seaton acting as the main contact. We generally meet at her house. We meet on a random basis trying to choose a day that gets most of us together. The chosen day is a Wednesday afternoon. Each member brings their own expertise and shares it with the other members. Bird Group The group is now firmly established on the 3rd Thursday of the month. Recently we have taken 2 walks where we were able to recognise a variety of birds on the marsh and the Wirral Way. We also had an interesting afternoon learning about the BTO Garden Birdwatch. We are hoping that members will continue to bring forward their special bird interests and so increase our knowledge.
Please see the Interest Table for details or ring 336 6466. Nita Greenleaves. Family History Group At the moment I am coordinating 3 groups. We meet at The Sycamores on a Wednesday morning, generally the 1st, 3rd and 4th of the month. I do not consider myself as an expert, more an enthusiastic amateur, and I help those who are less familiar with computer searching as well as advising others on where they might go with their research and how to store any documents in their possession. Most people in the group have made good progress. I am considering changing one of the Wednesdays to a Tuesday morning and thus allow some people to join my group who at this moment are otherwise occupied with other groups.
Pat Rosser Plants & Gardens Group 2
Meetings are held once a month on no set day. Topics include discussing various kinds of plants, their growing habits and problems which the group may have encountered with such plants. Our project this season is to grow some runner beans - most of the group are not vegetable growers.
contact Pat on 342 2101 Digital Presentations
A spin-off from Neston U3As' acquisition of a digital projector seems to have been the urge of members of those groups who make regular use of the projector to improve their skills in digital presentation, particularly in the use of Power Point.
While there may be an element of competition in this, it is to be commended, and surely one of the aims of the U3A is for its members to acquire new skills or to hone those lying dormant since their pre-retirement days.
It may involve sitting in front of the computer for hours on end but it is more rewarding than most of the offerings on TV. The projector has only been used by about half a dozen groups. If any other group would like to use it, or there are members who would like to know more about digital presentations there are those amongst us who would be very glad to help.
Dave Rosser The Barn Dancers displayed their talent at a recent open meeting 
Poetry, Prose & Plays We are a lively, light-hearted group of folk who enjoy literature but we don't study or analyse in any depth the pieces we choose, it is simply for our pleasure.
We continue to meet on the first Thursday of the month from 10 a.m. to 12 noon when each member brings along a couple of poems, or prose, relating to that month's chosen topic.
Our social events for 2008 commenced on the 10th of January with an evening get-together at a member's house where we enjoyed good company and good food and wine. This year we were privileged to have as our special guest June Lancelyn-Green MBE who delighted us with a selection of Christina Rossetti's poetry. A thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all. Later in the year a day at Ness Gardens is planned, which will include lunch and poetry readings around the grounds, weather permitting, of course!
U3A members, dressed for the occasion, explored the Mersey Tunnel.
On Tuesday 24th March, seventeen members of Neston U3A went on a "Mersey Tunnel Tour" arranged by Pat Mann. The facility is very interesting and we were given a warm welcome by our two guides. Already wearing warm clothing and stout shoes we were further kitted out with hard hats and fluorescent jackets. First we were introduced to the some of the powerful fan and motor equipment that supplies the seventy year old tunnel with air. We also saw how buildings had been built over the dock over the last hundred years. Descending over 100 steps we saw both the car deck and the safety refuges below. We kept our feet dry all morning and had a very interesting outing. David Starling  
“Simply for our Pleasure”
Since its formation in December 2004, the first ‘Poetry, Prose and Plays’ group of the Neston U3A has continued to flourish. Of their eleven members, several regularly write poems relating to the particular topic chosen for our monthly meetings.
A group member recently suggested that an anthology of the poems written by our members would be a really good idea. So, with the support of the other group members a compilation was agreed and "simply for our pleasure" was chosen as an appropriate title.
We are deeply indebted to Frank Wood for his unstinting input with the printing and binding. Without his help the publication would not have been possible.
Contributors to the anthology are Pauline Anderson, Jill Carlson and Pat Wood with a minor offering from myself.
To cover the cost of production, copies are available at £2.50 each.
We hope you, the reader, simply take pleasure from our poetry.
Jean Chadwick
Group co-ordinator
Exploring music.
A flexible group interested in classical and jazz music, ballet and opera. Normally meets on the second Thursday of the month at the leader's house. To listen to and discuss recorded music and videos. When appropriate, attends lunchtime concerts at the Chester Festival, (July) and the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool (October). New members and ideas are always welcome.
Alan Bradshaw Exploring art.
A flexible group interested in visiting art galleries, exhibitions, churches, museums, etc to enjoy and share a love of art in all its forms. Occasional meetings are held in the leader's home on the third Tuesday of the month, when videos of major artists’ lives are reviewed and discussed. New members and ideas are always welcome.
Alan Bradshaw Life in the `LIT'
"Any Iris Murdoch"? - groans all round "Well, she was an important literary figure of our time and we have been rather lightweight recently”. We were suitably admonished.
So, not a case for a trip to my favourite shop (Borders), more a beeline for the Library before the crowd. Goodness - a shelf full from which to choose. I ask myself "why they are all on the shelf?"
A quick flip through the date issue sheets shows that they are quite used to sitting on the shelf.
They probably boast about it to the other books when the Library is closed. "You flighty ones are in and out all the time, whereas we are quality, we are always here". Now, which one shall I choose - the thinnest?
Hmm.. hard going - where does she get those characters from? They are more like something out of a book. What a tortuous plot but a sudden end. Did Iris Murdoch become exasperated with them all as much as I did? I wonder. Not many of our group became Iris Murdoch devotees, but would we have read even one without the 'Lit' Group?
Beryl Jackson Pilates Classes are held at Neston United Reform Church Hall on Monday at 11.30 - 12.30 and at 1.45 - 2.45. The cost (Hall & Tutor fees) is divided between the number of people that enrol. There are limited spaces at present 
I must own up to being, at first, a reluctant member of this group, having signed up when feeling I should do more exercise and then thinking, do I really want more exercise? BUT I am really glad that I have been on the course.
Mair is an excellent teacher and as I suffer more than the odd niggle in shoulder and neck, she has shown me exercises to help correct my posture.
Pilates allows anybody, of any flexibility, to keep your body moving. We all stiffen up as we age and this course has helped me and others, who attended the 10 week course to gain the confidence to stretch our bodies under the careful guidance of Mair. It is hoped that we will start a new course in the new year - I urge you all to give it a whirl, its not like Yoga or a mobility class but a carefully thought out and well explained set of movements which I for one am hoping to continue to use every day.
Pat Rosser
Photography
The group meets monthly, usually in a member's house, to discuss general photographic matters which seem to be of interest. We have considered the various salient points of photography with reference to the use of colour print film and transparency film etcetera. We have had a couple of sessions of outdoor meetings taking photographs, the results of which we considered at a later meeting. We are also taking an interest in digital photography and are keen to learn about and explore this very interesting medium. We have room for perhaps two or three new members and can assure them that if they like photography they should enjoy belonging to this group.
Peter Roca Painting 
Many of you will have seen the wonderful work that the members of the painting group exhibited at the AGM . They are very fortunate to have Margery as their tutor.
If there is anybody out there who could lead another group we will give you all the assistance you need to arrange venue etc.
You can see some of their work in "Interesting Pictures"
Armchair Travel
This group meets usually on the last Tuesday in the month between 2-4 pm at Wayside, 8 Station Road, Neston. (353 1777) The aim of this group is to share our holiday slides and learn more about different cultures and customs in a friendly atmosphere .
Are there any members who would like to show their slides to members of the armchair travel group? If so, contact me.
Peter Roca Walking This group aims to enjoy rural walks in congenial company, getting to know the local area and those further a field and making friends with Neston U3A members. The short walks are on the 1st Thursday in the month and the longer walks are on the last Friday in the month starting from the Royal Oak, Little Neston. These generally incorporate a Pub lunch or a picnic. No long walks during December, January and February.
The first Tuesday walks continue during the spring and summer. So far these have been around the Wirral Peninsula, walking about 5 miles on fairly flat terrain, not too quickly or strenuously. They have been and will continue to be, a pleasant morning exercise getting to know one another.
Do think about joining us. Perhaps you have a favourite walk you would like to share with us. The time and venue are displayed at the main meeting or you can contact me for details During the summer we decided that we should do an additional longer walk, involving a pub or picnic lunch.
Pauline Pollard
Some of the Walkers 
They saw this, 
and went here! 
sights  
and views 
Computing COMPUTER TRAINING Many Neston U3A members have reason to be grateful to Sheila John for the computer training she has provided over the past few years, and we’d like to thank her on behalf of the organisation. However, Sheila has decided that the time has come to pass the baton, and the challenge has been taken up by Thelma Langford and Steve Williams. Lessons are starting this January, using Sheila’s proven approach. Thelma will provide guidance to the “novices”, while Steve will try to address “intermediate” requirements, and maybe some “advanced” ones. Lessons may be for small groups or individuals, and we have been offered the opportunity to use the Cyber Centre in Neston for some of this learning. Anyone who is interested in lessons should make contact with Thelma or Steve to obtain a form for outlining requirements. COMPUTER GROUP In addition to lessons, there has been a suggestion that a computer group could be formed. , The initial thought is that it would start as an information sharing and self-help group, but could move towards some project work at a later date. We’d like to take the opportunity to assess the level of interest, so please e-mail Steve Williams at the address above, and let him know what you would like to get from the group, and what areas/software you have knowledge of that may be useful. Steve Williams
Rummikub A favourite with "Puzzlers", Rummikub is a bit like Scrabble , but played with numbers.
Sometimes with deep concentration!
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