Avanti Magazine - Winter 2015 Issue

THE MAGAZINE FOR MEMBERS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE RETIREMENT FELLOWSHIP WINTER 2015 www.csrf.org.uk

MAGAZINE

50

GloriousYears!

Celebrating our Golden Jubilee Special photo pullout section

& much more inside…

contents editor’s letter

4 JUBILEE NEWS AND VIEWS Golden Jubilee Raffle winners, pictures from our Golden Jubilee Reception and news from Fellowship Office

Hello and welcome to the Winter edition of avanti!

14 LIGHTEN UP

As it’s the last issue for our Golden Jubilee Year we’ve provided a special memento of CSRF’s activities over the past few decades: our ’50 Years in Pictures’ four page pullout feature starting on page 31. You may recognise yourself in some of the photos (and do let us know if that’s the case) and we hope it provides you all with happy memories of some of the terrific work that the charity has been engaged in over the years.

To add to this, our ’50 Things to do in Winter’ feature suggests a whole range of activities you might want to undertake over the Winter, some for the Fellowship and some just for fun. We don’t expect anyone to try them all, but we’re hoping they’ll give you some ideas.

However, that’s not all! We look into the arguments for and against changing our clocks for Winter; take a different look at the stars in our investigation of the ever popular Star Wars franchise; go international with our extracts from a new book of travel writing by older people; and discuss why pets are good for you (complete with some Christmassy pictures from Battersea Cats and Dogs Home).

Finally, we’ve got a packed Postbag section! Happy reading, and a happy New Year.

Our Big Question: has GMT had its day?

17 REACH FOR THE STARS As the blockbuster series returns to the box office, we take a look at the eternal allure of Star Wars

21 NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS How pets are great for us, all year round

24 50 THINGS TO DO IN WINTER For you, for others and for CSRF

28 TO OLDLY GO Older travellers lead the way

31 50 YEARS IN PICTURES Our special cut out and keep pullout record: five decades of CSRF

36 ENTERTAINMENT Staying in or going out, our top picks

40 SOPHIA’S CORNER Winter warmer treats

42 TEA BREAK Jokes, puzzles, top tips and our ever popular prize crossword

47 POSTBAG Your letters, stories and views

51 GROUP FOCUS

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Group reports and news from around the country

54 THE PLANNER

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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

Find out what your local group is up to

62 MY FAVOURITE THINGS Joanna David’s top choices

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

Publisher: Gaynor Garton e: gaynor@square7media.co.uk Advertising: t: 020 3283 4055 e: adsales@square7media.co.uk Editor: Radhika Holmström Contact the Editor: Use the CSRF address above e: avanti@square7media.co.uk t: 020 8691 7411 Contributors: Sarah Herbertson, Sophia Hill, Adrian Monti, Kate Wheal, Judy Yorke Designer: Charlotte Morgan ©2015. 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.

www.csrf.org.uk AUTUMN 2015

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frontdesk

Hello Everyone!

We are almost at the end of our 50th year and we have been celebrating the Fellowship’s achievements with lots of activities and fundraising initiatives. A huge thank you to those who responded earlier this year to our donation appeal and to everyone who bought raffle tickets to help support CSRF. Although the raffle draw has taken place there are still lots of opportunities for helping and supporting the Fellowship now and in the future.

We’ve put together a collage of past and present photos of lots of people who supported and support our Fellowship.

Sadly, our founding fathers are no longer with us but I’m sure they will be looking down on all our members in this very special year with pride.

The Fellowship is a family consisting of many parts; volunteers who organise local group activities, visitors who meet people who welcome that friendly knock on the door, phone buddies who enjoy chatting to their assigned buddy, the friendly 4

WINTER 2015 www.csrf.org.uk

Chief Executive’s letter Words by Jean Cooper office team, board members, and finally our new serving civil service employees who’ve answered the call and become Departmental Ambassadors and Visitors too. Without their support, enthusiasm, commitment this fantastic organisation would not be what is is today.

However, we can’t fund any of this marvellous work without funding, so please donate today by sending your donation now, by filling out the form and returning your donation to the office.

The Fellowship’s Board of Directors are planning for the future and a number of them have undertaken a full strategic review which will form the blueprint

1965 2015

Jean (centre) with Fellowship Office staff and volunteers at the Golden Jubilee reception at Admiralty House

for the future direction of the Fellowship.

Consultations will take place during 2016 with stakeholders, so watch this space!

Finally I want to thank and wish our members, beneficiaries, sponsors, volunteers, board members and office team who’ve supported the Fellowship over the last three years call to action.

You will see that we were well supported at our end of campaign reception at Admiralty House. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did; and meeting so many people past and current brought it home to me that one main theme we all have in common is a belief in Fellowship!

Seasons greetings to all our Readers and may 2016 be a great year for all of us!

Celebrating

Years

2015 Golden Appeal Give a little, help a lot. Thank you Return the completed form including your donation to: The CSRF, Suite 2, 80A Blackheath Road, London SE10 8DA Cheques should be made payable to ‘The CSRF’.

Please accept my gift of:

£10

£20

£50

£250

£100

Other £

How would you like us to acknowledge your donation?

By Post

By Email I do not wish to receive an acknowledgement We are extremely grateful for all donations we receive; you can help us save money by ticking the box to opt not to receive an acknowledgment

Name: Address:

Post Code: Tel Number: Email:

By giving a regular gift to The CSRF you are making an important contribution to our ongoing work and support of our volunteers, branches and groups Please pay: each month/year (delete as appropriate) Starting on (date)

The sum of £

/

/

until further notice

Name of account holder Account No

Sort Code

-

-

Name and address of your bank/building society (BLOCK CAPITALS please) To the manager

Signature Date

/

/

For office use only (Bank, please quote reference)

Originator’s Identification Number

6 3 0 6 7 0

Instruction to your Bank or Building Society Please pay The CSRF Direct Debits from the account detailed in this instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee.

I understand that this Instruction may remain with the CSRF and if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society

Make your gift worth a quarter more at no extra cost to you!

If you are a UK taxpayer The CSRF can reclaim the tax you’ve paid on your donation. Please tick the Gift Aid declaration box below I want to Gift Aid this donation and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past 4 years. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference.

If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code. Please notify us if you want to cancel this declaration, change your name or home address or no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains.

news

News from Fellowship Office Membership rates for

2016

Please note that with effect from 1 January 2016 our new membership rates will be:

£32.00 for a single membership (1 year) £54.00 for a joint membership (1 year) £320.00 for a single life membership £420.00 for a joint life membership

If you are making payments via deduction from pay or pension, the new monthly rates will be £2.66 (for single) and £4.50 (for joint).

Our Associate Membership (open to any non-civil servant who wishes to support our work) will be £25.00.

Departmental Ambassadors Think Tank Thanks to the hard work of our fast stream secondee Rosie Jacot, our Departmental Ambassador Network has been growing. Our volunteer Ambassadors are an essential link for us to help promote our work and support fundraising activities within

civil service departments. We were pleased to invite a few of them along to a think tank discussion last month to listen to their ideas about how we might best engage the interest of serving civil servants.

If you’re a serving civil servant and would like to volunteer as a Departmental Ambassador contact David Tickner on 020 8691 7411 or by email at: volunteering@csrf.org.uk to find out more about what’s involved.

Pictured: Deputy Chief Executive David Tickner with (from l to r) Ambassadors Becky Steer (DEFRA), Rosie Jacot (MOD), Rosie Hamer (DEFRA) and Sarah Fallon (Cabinet Office)

Congratulations to the Artists in Public Service on another splendid exhibition at the Menier Gallery, London

2015 Golf Winner The 2015 Seniors Golf Tour took place in September with excellent weather conditions for all those who participated.

The Tournament champion, with 39 points, was Mark Waters representing the civil service, while Jenny Cook from the NHSRF, also with 39 points, came a close second. The team event with 87 points was won

by Noel Gavin, Sheila Gavin, Kathy Skilton and Geoff Skilton.

Pictured above: Mark Waters being presented with the CSIS Perpetual Trophy by Dame Yvonne Moores and the winners of the Team event.

Pictured: (from l to r) Relwyn Reffell, winner of the Margaret Butler Cup for best in competition, Andrew Cooper, CPSA Chair, and judge Michael Higgins from CSIS

Date for your Diary 9 April 2016 Fellowship Day

Why not find out whether your local group intends to celebrate this sp ecial day and, if celebrations are planned, take along your friends and family to join grou p members?

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WINTER 2015 www.csrf.org.uk

Celebrating

Years

Civil Service Live London This year’s Civil Service Live event took place at the QEII Exhibition Centre in London in October 2015 and thanks to support from MyCSP we were able to participate. Staff and volunteers from Fellowship Office helped run a stand promoting the CSRF, Civil Service Pensioners Alliance and Civil Service Insurance Society. More than 800 people visited the stand across two days and took away information on membership, fundraising and volunteering. A live version of popular CSRF stress pig ‘Piggles’ also made a special guest appearance!

Piggles with visitors to the CSRF stand at CS Live London

Coping with Winter Fuel Bills Our friends at The Charity for Civil Servants have some new advice on how to stop your fuel bills going through the roof.

Each year the charity supports hundreds of people with their energy bills. It has now brought together lots of the key information about fuel and energy, including advice on managing fuel bills and debts, ways to ensure you’re getting the best value for money and details of benefits that you, or someone you know, may be entitled to in order to cover your fuel costs.

Find out more from the website www.foryoubyyou.org.uk or call direct on 0800 056 2424.

AgeUK produces an excellent free booklet too. You can request Winter Wrapped Up free of charge by calling 0800 169 2081 or you can download it directly from www.ageuk.org.uk/publications British Gas is also offering free insulation.

You don’t have to be a British Gas customer, or buy any other products and services; and your eligibility is based on your home, not your income or on whether you own or rent.

To find out more check online at www.britishgas.co.uk

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VISITORS NE

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Our National Visitors Network (NVN) continues to provide friendship and companionship to any beneficiary who’d like to request a visit. While we continue to train new Visitors each month to join the scheme, we do have some Visitors ready to visit straightaway. So if you live in the areas shown opposite and fancy making a new friend, then do please give us a call.

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OR W

Make a new friend

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befriending schemes

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Enjoying the companionship: Mike’s story Since becoming a certified NVN visitor just over a year ago, I now visit six beneficiaries whom I try to visit twice a month. Visits typically last for no more than a couple of hours and I currently operate within a 20 mile radius of my home town of Bridport.

My new friends include a 92 year old gentleman, who looks forward to debating current affairs issues, politics and religion, and a variety of ladies whose ages range from late 80s to 93.

They delight in looking back at our respective youthful upbringing, family, gardening and genealogy. All my visits have a lot of laughter and general “bonhomie” and, judging by the tea and cream cakes that I am plied with, there must be a general conspiracy to increase my weight! I never come away from a meeting without feeling that we both enjoyed it, and their eagerness to schedule further visits convinces me of the value of visiting. Long may it last, and it will surely grow.

Pictured: Mike on a recent visit

8

WINTER 2015 www.csrf.org.uk

Making new friends: Sarah and Joyce Sarah works at the MoD and is on the Generalist Fast Stream.

She volunteered to become a Visitor with the NVN and, after a training seminar in London, she was matched up with 85 year old former civil servant Joyce, whom she has been visiting now more than six months. Sarah joined the NVN as she felt she wanted “to give something back to the community and help combat loneliness in later life”.

Joyce used to work in the Cabinet Office and HM

Treasury and was also in the Land Army in the Second World War. She has lots of stories that she has shared with Sarah and very much enjoys the companionship that the NVN offers her. Sarah’s friendship visits have also helped Joyce’s recovery from a stroke as the two are spending quality time together.

Pictured: Joyce and Sarah enjoying a recent visit

Celebrating

Years

Would you like a visit?

Our 100th match We’ve made our 100th match and the beneficiary was Alan, who worked for 33 years in the Northern Ireland Civil Service before taking early retirement. Alan has a wide range of interests including philosophy, history and stamp collecting but his limited mobility means he is unable to get out much, which is why he registered for the NVN. His Visitor, Mertie, is also a retired civil servant, who worked for 23 years in recruitment, finance and personnel. She has been thoroughly enjoying her visits too, saying: “I have been very impressed with how the NVN works and enjoyed the opportunity to provide friendship to some of our Northern Ireland beneficiaries who can’t get along to group meetings.”

Pictured: Alan and Mertie at their first visit

We currently have trained Visitors available to visit in Braintree, Bristol, Bury St Edmunds, Carnforth, Dumbarton, Exeter, Glasgow, Gloucester, Hayle, Hornchurch, Lindfield, London, Maldon, Selby, Slough and Stockport. So if you live in any of these areas and would like to make a new friend, we’d love to hear from you.

How do I register for the National Visitors Network?

020 8691 7411 and a member of the Fellowship Office team will call you back for a confidential chat. visiting@csrf.org.uk with your name and telephone number.

You can also find out more in the Volunteer Section on the CSRF website, www.csrf.org.uk and even download the application form immediately from there!

9

golden jubilee

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1

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Golden Jubilee Drinks Reception Past Presidents, Vice Presidents, Permanent Secretaries, volunteers and friends joined staff and members of the Board of Directors at a drinks reception at Admiralty House (with music provided by a quartet from the Whitehall Orchestra) to celebrate 50 years of the Fellowship.

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1. (l to r) Russell Brown, Doreen Beck, Vida Pritchard, DCEO David Tickner and Lyn Willan; 2. Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary at the Cabinet Office John Manzoni; 3. (l to r) Ethel Corduff, Vida Pritchard, Doreen Beck and Lyn Willan; 4. (l to r) Board Director John Lloyd CB, Vice President Peter Jones CB and Katrina Williams, Director General for International, Science and Resilience, Dept for Energy and Climate Change; 5. (l to r) Derek Kinrade, Graham Hadfield OBE and Graham Hooper, Chief Executive of The Charity for Civil Servants; 6. (l to r) Debbie Terry, Fund Manager, BT Benevolent Fund, Lord Robin Butler KG, GCB, CVO, Past President and Lord Andrew Turnbull KCB, CVO, Past President; 7. Gill Noble, Chair of Trustees, Civil Service Insurance Society Charity Fund and DCEO David Tickner; 8. (l to r) Rosalind Murray, Benevolence Secretary, The Officers’ Association, Vice President Peter Jones CB, Elizabeth Rathjen, Vice President Ian Rathjen FCA and Ray Harmsworth; 9. (l to r) Lord Robin Butler KG, GCB, CVO, Past President and Lord Andrew Turnbull KCB, CVO, Past President; 10. (l to r) CSRF Ambassador Sarah Fallon (Cabinet Office), Chairman John Barker CB, CSRF Ambassador Louise MacMorran (Dept for Business, Innovation and Skills), CSRF Ambassador Becky Steer (DWP) and CSRF Ambassador Gillian Smyth (Home Office); 11. (l to r) Vice Chair Sue Jarvis (centre) with CSRF Ambassadors Becky Steer and Louise MacMorran; 12. (l to r) Jonathan Jones, HM Procurator General, Treasury Solicitor and PS Government Legal

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WINTER 2015 www.csrf.org.uk

Celebrating

Years

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IMAGES Š Paul Heartfield

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Service, Stuart Cawthorn, Royal London, John Manzoni, Chief Executive Civil Service and Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office, Ralph Groves, Deputy General Secretary, Civil Service Pensioners Alliance, Vice President Sir Alex Allan KCB and Lin Homer, Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary, HM Revenue & Customs; 13. Michael Peacock and Board Director Tony Hazeldine CBE; 14. John Manzoni, Chief Executive Civil Service and Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office with Chairman John Barker CB; 15. Dr Felicity Harvey CBE, Director General for Public and International Health, Department of Health; 16. (l to r) Lord Andrew Turnbull KCB, CVO, CSRF Ambassador Sarah Fallon and John Manzoni, Chief Executive Civil Service and Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office; 17. Board Director Phyllis Duignan (centre) with members of the Eltham Group and Stuart Cawthorn (right) from Royal London; 18. Guests enjoying the speeches given by Chairman John Barker and John Manzoni, Chief Executive Civil Service and Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office; 19. Past President Lord Robin Butler KG, GCB, CVO with Eltham group’s Pat Pearce watching a slideshow of pictures from across the 50 years of the Fellowship; 20. (l to r) Lin Homer, Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary, HM Revenue & Customs, Ben Wilson, Head of Communications, UK Supreme Court and National Visitors Network trainer Christopher Robertson; 21. Lin Homer, Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary, HM Revenue & Customs and Chairman John Barker CB

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golden jubilee raffle

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR

GoldenWinners 2 st 1 winner nd Prize

winner

Prize

(£5,000 donated by Benenden)

J Beard, Retford

D Kovanovic, London

(£3,000 donated by CSIS)

3rd Prize

winner

M Hansford, Thatcham

(Long UK Weekend Break donated by Warner Leisure Hotels)

4th

Prize

winner

J Allen, Guisborough

(Weekend Break in a Grand UK Hotel donated by CSRF Travel Club)

5th

Prize

winner

K Willcocks, Southampton

(Weekend Break in London donated by CS Club)

6th

Prize

Elliot Harris (left) and Nick Simkins from Moore Stephens LLP (CSRF Auditors) draw the winner of the 1st Prize

Our Prize Sponsors

A big thank you to all those organisations who donated our Golden raffle prizes:

Benenden Provide affordable healthcare from £8.45 per person per month as well as a wide range of other services for their members. For more information call 0800 414 8011 or visit www.benenden.co.uk

The Civil Service Insurance Society (celebrating 125 years this year) CSIS are a not-for-profit organisation that provides competitive insurance

winner

D Rowland, Guildford

(Three course meal for ten donated by CS Club)

products to all former and serving civil and public servants as well as their partners. For more information call 01622 766960 or visit www.csis.co.uk

The Civil Service Club The Civil Service Club includes a restaurant, bar, ensuite bedrooms and lounge facilities for members and their guests at good prices just a stone’s throw from Charing Cross. For more information call 020 7930 4881 or visit www.civilserviceclub.org.uk

The UK Holiday Group The UK Holiday Group operates our Members’ travel club and specialise

The 50 runners up who won £100 each (donated by Benenden): H Owen, Swansea; N Rodrigues, London; S Banning, Nottingham; R Collier, Plymouth; C Barnes, Woodbridge; H Ure, Edinburgh; W Husson, Orpington; B Moyse, Plymouth; B Siubon, Glengormley; J Vincent, Amesbury; A Murphy, Cheshunt; D Mannock, Gloucester; D Beadling, Rochdale; S Snook, Reading; R Harmsworth, Bromley; J Allen. Sutton; B Meleady, Pinner; J Manwaring, Coventry; N Mooney, Castlewellan; J Elford, Newport (Isle of Wight); I Higgins, Halesowen; M Kearney, London; H Thorp, Greenford; A Furniss, Bridlington; F Wyatt, Southampton; M Laird, Croydon; R Sullens, London; J Guest, Nuneaton; E Darby, Sevenoaks, A Barnet, Inverness; B Ranns, Doncaster; A Birch, Blackpool; S Duckett, Whitstable; P Ratford, London; G Turner, Sanderstead; J Lloyd, Cardiff; I Barry, Bexleyheath; R Dalgarno, Southend-on-Sea; D Maxwell, Glasgow; A Rix, York; V Gilliver, Burton-on-Trent; J O’Loughlin, Bristol; P Osborn, Cheltenham; R Cummings, Killylea; M Arthur, Chester Le Street; N Coomer, Croydon; D Coles, Tavistock; A Gauntlett, Washington; M Austin, Norwich; P Shannan, London.

in coach holidays, river and ocean cruises, short-haul air holidays and self-drive breaks. They also own fifteen hotels located across the UK. For more information call 0844 264 2422 or visit www.csrftravelclub.com

Warner Leisure Hotels Exclusively for adults, Warner Leisure Hotels have thirteen properties across the UK, from sophisticated country manor houses to pretty coastal villages to seaside hotels. They have a huge range of activities available so there is something for everyone. For more information call 0330 100 9774 or visit www.warnerleisurehotels.co.uk

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Big Question : GMT v DST

Lighten up:

has GMT had its day?

Is it time to live on Daylight Saving Time all year round and even add an extra hour in Spring?

A

s the saying goes, ‘Spring forward, Fall back’.

Accordingly, on the last weekend of October we all get an extra hour’s sleep as we shift our clocks to Greenwich Mean Time.

From then on, we really do see the evenings closing in, especially in the more northerly areas of the UK. It can seem that lunch is barely over but the day is done.

The trade off, of course, is the lighter mornings. Yet is this really worth it? Many people don’t think so.

Indeed, there’s a big campaign for us to shift forward an entire hour all year; in other words, living on Daylight Saving Time (GMT plus an hour) all Winter and then adding an extra hour during the Summer. That’s what happens in most of mainland Europe, they point out, so why not here?

Clocking off Until the mid 19th century, it was quite possible to go from one area of the UK to another and find that your fob watch needed adjusting because you’d moved from one unofficial time zone to another. It was the advent of the railways, and the need to coordinate train timetables,

A huge coalition wants a shift to ‘lighter later’

14

WINTER 2015 www.csrf.org.uk

that led to the adoption of ‘London time’ throughout. Then, in 1895, New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson made the first proposal that the clocks should be shifted forward at the equinox to maximise daylight hours.

Ten years later British builder William Willett picked up the idea, suggesting a very complex advance of 20 minutes every Sunday in April, with a corresponding decrease in September. In 1908 Liberal MP Robert Pearce put a bill before Parliament proposing formal daylight saving.

At the time, there was too much opposition, especially from farmers, who have to get up early whatever the time on the clock, and Daylight Saving Time did not become law in the UK until 1916, when it was brought in to save fuel for the war effort. Since then, with a brief interlude between 1968 and 1971 (mainly as an experiment just to see what would happen) shifting the clocks has become a twice yearly ritual.

Some people have questioned whether this was a good idea in the first place. At the other end of the spectrum, others have felt it does not go far enough and would like to move to the European pattern: Single/Double Summertime (SDST). It’s the latter idea that has gained more traction.

Conservative MP Rebecca Harris tabled a Private Member’s Bill in 2010 asking the government to conduct an analysis of the potential benefits of putting

the clocks forward for a further hour for all or part of the year. The bill was defeated, partly because of the effect on areas of Scotland and Northern Ireland (where sunrise in the middle of Winter would be delayed until around 10am) but the push for SDST continues.

Keeping forward One of the big arguments in favour of lighting up the evenings rather than the mornings is safety. Road safety charities point out that road casualty rates peak in the mid to late afternoon, and that these incidents increase in the darker months, particularly for vulnerable road users (including older people). They estimate that moving to SDST could cut 80 road deaths and more than 200 serious road injuries every year, though they do also concede that there would be a slight rise (not to the same extent) in accidents during the dark mornings.

The road safety campaigners also point to publications from the Department of Transport and the National Audit Office in 2009, which confirm the higher rate of accidents during darker periods and estimations of the savings.

However, that’s not all. There are environmental arguments in favour, say campaigners. We’d be cutting carbon emissions significantly by taking advantage of natural light. On top of that, we’d be happier, healthier and more active because we’d be getting out in the evenings instead of scuttling home.

Celebrating

Years

It’s also believed that tourists would be more attracted to the UK for longer, with a beneficial effect for jobs in the industry. It might well cut crime too, as more than half of criminal offences take place after dark. Altogether, a huge coalition of transport, safety, environmental, leisure and other organisations, not to mention thousands of individuals, are in favour of the ‘lighter later’ idea.

Tom Mullarkey, chief executive of the Royal Society of the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), says: “Out of the things we can do to make our lives better, I can’t think of anything else that’d make us healthier, fitter and richer at the same time, at no cost. It would give us all the chance of a better life. It’s something fantastic just waiting to be implemented. It would make us greener, healthier, happier, wealthier and safer. We need to align ourselves more with our available daylight. The vast majority of opinion and evidence is in favour, yet somehow a few nay sayers are preventing us getting this benefit.”

Falling back Quite a few people aren’t so convinced.

Farmers are traditionally cited as a big opposition group, because they’d have to get up even earlier and end up living on a daily cycle completely out of sync with their friends and families. The National Farmers Union of England and Wales has made it clear, however, that it doesn’t have a committed view on the subject.

“The last time we tested opinion among our members, there was a narrow majority in favour of lighter evenings,” says NFU director Martin Haworth. “Whether an extra hour’s daylight would be more beneficial in the morning or the evening depends very much on the work pattern on each individual farm. If a firm proposal was made to put the clocks forward, we would need to consult our members, but at this stage we are keeping an open mind.”

Others, particularly those further north, are quite firmly against a shift

as it would mean they would not only get up in the dark but stay in darkness until well into mid morning. A 2005 MORI poll suggested that only 40 per cent of people in Scotland were in favour of the change.

Getting physical What about the physical effects?

One argument in favour of lighter evenings is that we’d be awake for them, rather than sleeping through the light mornings. Campaigners such as RoSPA estimate that we’d increase the amount of light in our day by more than a quarter. That would give us a lot more opportunities to get out and to be active.

The effects would be particularly marked for older people, who often don’t like being out after dark in the evenings (and don’t have the same need to be out in the mornings as people who are still in work). We’d also all feel safer and less anxious, which shouldn’t be underestimated in terms of our overall wellbeing.

Against this, however, there are biological arguments for staying more in key with morning daylight (insofar, of course, that we get any morning daylight at all in the middle of Winter). The whole relationship between our body and its need for natural light has come under intense scrutiny in recent years, with researchers uncovering the way we need light to set our body’s cues, and indeed to reset them every day.

“Your biological time is set by the natural light-dark cycle of day and night, and it will always dominate over official clock time,” says Professor Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at Brasenose College, Oxford. “Light alerts us, and elevates our mood, but it also conducts and coordinates our physiological processes. It provides a daily time cue for the body’s activities.”

The darker mornings, which don’t provide this cue, send everything out of alignment. Foster compares it to an orchestra that has lost its conductor.

He and most other researchers think

Next year, we’re going to be running a series of Big Questions and we’d love to have your input for each one.

In our Spring 2016 issue our Big Question is going to be: Should the bus pass be free for all pensioners? Do let us know your views. this a major contributor to Seasonal Affective Disorder.

They’re also concerned that operating continually on a slightly different cycle from the sun’s creates a kind of constant jet lag. In fact, earlier this year a group of academics from across Europe presented a paper to the European Union arguing against shifting to Daylight Saving Time, on the basis that this just will put us constantly out of alignment.

“Our biological clocks are synchronised using the timing and amount of light and darkness, not the alarm clock,“ they wrote. ”As a result our biology does not respond to DST changes. Rather, we simply have to go to work an hour earlier relative to our biological clock. We are adding an extra hour of social jet lag to the European population.“ Like it or not, Daylight Saving Time seems to be here to stay. After a century of putting the clocks forward (with that brief exception halfway through), we take it for granted, even though not everyone’s very keen. Whether we’ll move yet another hour forward, though, is yet to be seen.

talk to us

What do you think: should we stay as we are, go forward or indeed stay with GMT all year round? Do write in and tell us.

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feature : STAR WARS

Reach for the Stars Parents and grandparents who loved the original Star Wars are eagerly awaiting the chance to take the next generation to the new film, The Force Awakens, this December. But what is the enduring appeal of this six part space opera? Sarah Herbertson reports

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ho doesn’t love Star Wars, that simple tale of good versus evil, dark versus light, lost sons, mysterious fathers, strange furry creatures and evil stars that are in fact space stations?

The six part saga set in a galaxy far, far away has spawned games, toys,

spinoff TV series, clothes, a day (4 May) and even an official religion (in the last census, 390,000 UK respondents entered their religion as Jedi). Oh, and on the way it has won 10 academy awards and netted an extraordinary $4 billion.

Three new films are now under way.

The first, The Force Awakens, is to

be released in December, to almost unbearable excitement.

May the Force be explained In case you’re one of the few people who doesn’t know the history, the first Star Wars was released in 1977, The Empire Strikes Back in 1980

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feature : STAR WARS and Return of the Jedi in 1983. Three ‘prequels’ were then made between 1999 and 2005: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. These set the scene for the original films, which were subsequently renumbered four, five, and six in the series. (Yes, it’s confusing!)

The plots take place in a fictional galaxy full of alien creatures and robotic ‘droids’, with a perpetual war between the Jedi (goodies) versus the Sith (baddies). Binding the universe together is the ‘Force’, an energy that can be used for good or for evil and skulduggery (when it is known as the ‘dark side’).

The original trilogy focused on Luke Skywalker’s journey from simple farmer to Jedi knight, and his struggle against the dark side with the rebel alliance and his plucky friends Han Solo, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Princess Leia, plus two bickering ‘droids’, C3PO and R2-D2.

Key to the plot is Luke’s discovery that arch villain Darth Vader, whom he has spent so long trying to destroy, is in fact his father. At the final showdown, Luke spares his life.

The new film will feature many of the original cast, which is one reason why so many people are finding the prospect extremely exciting.

However, some things have changed.

The first trilogy was very much a man’s world; there were only six women and just three had any dialogue, with Princess Leia a feisty exception. Today’s sassy girls have a much better selection of role models. The existing prequels already have Padmé Amidala (she leads a guerrilla attack aged 14 and fights off countless clone troopers 10 years later) bounty hunter Aurra Sing (who declares: “I will drink your fear and spill your blood, and my hate will scar the galaxy”).

The Force Awakens promises even more, with its lead character Rey played by Daisy Ridley, aged 23, pictured right.

The Empire (in more ways than one) The original film is generally acknowledged to have marked a turning point in science fiction films and films in general. It shifted the focus of Hollywood films from deep and meaningful drama to the use of special effects and computer generated imagery.

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It also started the tradition of the Summer blockbuster, created the model for the major film trilogy and showed that merchandising rights on a film could generate more money than the film itself.

Ah yes, the merchandising. The original films spawned action figures, posters, bed linen, lunch boxes, toiletries and jewellery, along with tie ins with other brands, some of which are now worth a fortune.

By 2012, the total value of the franchise was estimated at £19.5 billion. The faces of Darth Vader and C3PO, and the tubby form of R2-D2

The films take inspiration from more recent stories and films, including Japanese director Kurosawa’s Hidden Fortress, Flash Gordon and John Ford’s western The Searchers. The pod race in The Phantom Menace is based on the chariot race in Ben Hur, even down to the ‘wheel lock’ incident; the light sabre duels are reminiscent of the swashbuckling swordplay from Robin Hood type films; and the Mos Eisley Cantina is straight out of Casablanca.

have become iconic images.

Today it’s possible to buy light sabre chopsticks, death star ice moulds and an AT-AT dog costume. The Royal Mail has even got in on the act, producing a set of Star Wars stamps. Official Force Awakens merchandise, ranging from the usual character figures to light sabre barbeque tongs and even tins of soup, has gone on sale three months before the film opens and is due to net Disney (which owns the rights to the franchise) $3 billion this year.

The show must go on So just what is the secret of its massive and enduring appeal across the generations? For every small boy wielding a light sabre or carrying an R2-D2 lunchbox, there’s a grandfather attending a Star Wars convention in full garb, or a pair of respectable parents sourcing authentic costumes for special screenings. In fact, the majority of those queueing at 5.30am for new Force Awakens toys were aged over 30.

For children, the partnership with Lego has been a masterstroke, enhancing both brands. There are endless kits available, ranging in price from £9 to £250. There is even a series of Lego Star Wars animations on DVD,

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You wear it well Is there a place for older people in the Star Wars universe? At first sight, it might appear no: after all, it’s a rough, tough and ruthless world. Yet the newest film includes Harrison Ford (still a heart throb at 73) as Han Solo, and Anthony Daniels (now 69) in his seventh outing as C3PO. Interestingly, Mark Hamill (playing Luke) will be the same age as Alec Guinness was when he played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first film: yes, 63. Whether or not the average avanti reader would survive is of course another question, although there may be a Jedi knight or two wielding a light sabre among you!!

retelling the classic Star Wars themes with a plastic tongue firmly in yellow cheek. The cute and collectible Star Wars Lego minifigures have themselves spawned yet another spinoff in the form of sticker books (in endless categories).

Countless video games have added to the attraction, as they make it possible for players to feel they are actually part of the whole experience.

To tie in with The Force Awakens, the latest must have for Star Wars gamers will be Star Wars Battlefront, coming out in November, for PS4/Xbox.

Yet the cult status of the star opera can’t simply be put down to clever merchandising or the appeal of the collectibles, or indeed the delight of comparing ‘original’ and newer episodes. It is also attributed to the quality of the stories. While the themes of good vs evil, dark vs light, father vs son make the narrative pleasingly easy to understand for children, others argue that the story is not as clear cut as that. We sympathise with iconic villain Darth Vader (who is still vulnerable to love) and the stories aren’t all neatly tied up. There’s room for the imagination.

The saga also revisits great myths and fairy stories that we’ve all loved (in the same

way as many books, TV shows and films do, from the Wizard of Oz to Harry Potter). In classic mythology, the hero reluctantly leaves the homeland (in Luke’s case, the planet Tatooine) on a quest that takes him over a supernatural threshold into a strange land. A fellow hero (enter Han Solo) lends a steady hand through a series of ordeals, while comic relief is provided by tricksters, in this case C3PO and R2-D2. Ultimately, the hero alone must face the darkness (the evil side of the Force) and conquer it before returning to reality, stronger and wiser.

A series of obstacles block the hero’s path to an enchanted land where final victory (whether a golden fleece or galactic peace) awaits. Guardians constantly interfere with the hero (hello stormtroopers and Jabba the Hutt). Once the guardians are defeated, the final showdown with the villain can begin.

“Every culture has them, and they’re essentially the same story,” said Liam Neeson, who plays Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace.

“We immediately recognise them in some way, and we feel the need to have them told.”

Making sense of the world “The stories speak to something inside us that wants to know how our world lives, that wants to make order of it and find some meaning,” adds Shanti Fader, one of the contributors to the academic book Star Wars and Philosophy: More Powerful Than You Can Possibly Imagine (yes, Star Wars has generated whole university courses).

What’s more, she points out, they do so in a more complicated way than we might initially assume. By revealing Darth Vader’s redemption from the ‘dark side’ of the Force, director Lucas tells us that there is light after the shadows.

That idea of second chances, and Luke’s forgiveness of his father and insistence that he’s still a Jedi knight at heart, are highly appealing. It’s that promise of goodness that Fader believes is vital to the Star Wars phenomenon.

Perhaps it’s that more than anything else that keeps us coming back to the box office generation after generation.

talk to us

Are you a Star Wars aficionado?

Or are you yet to be convinced (perhaps by the latest in the series)? Do let us know.

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feature : PETS

Not just for Christmas Adrian Monti looks at all the different ways a pet can enhance your life

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There are 13 million pet owners in the UK alone, and each person has their own story of how an animal came to share their home. Pets of all description play a big part in many of our lives: waking us up each morning, enthusiastically greeting us at the end of the day or simply being around for a cuddle. Ranging from the standard mutt or moggy or small rodents such as hamsters and guinea pigs, to the truly exotic (gecko or cockatoo, anyone?), they benefit our lives in a whole host of ways.

Love and companionship The companionship and affection a pet provides cannot be underestimated.

“The emotional bond between owner

and pet can be as intense as that in many human relationships and may confer similar psychological benefits,” says psychologist June McNicholas.

It’s really not surprising: who doesn’t want to feel wanted? The presence of an animal in your life is a reminder that someone cares for you, as well as something to be responsible for. If you live on your own and you’re quite isolated, that bond is especially significant. Many people say their pets are as valuable to them as their other friends and family and that’s hardly surprising; they’re a constant, loving companion as well as first class entertainment.

Most (certainly most mammals) love physical

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contact too, whether it’s a tickle under the chin or a bit of TLC when it comes to grooming. That’s equally important in terms of our wellbeing.”Animals have a completely different agenda to humans, and bring things back to basics. They want comfort, feeding and love. In return, they give huge affection,” says psychologist Ingrid Collins. “The simple benefit of touch, for someone who is lonely, is enormous.”

Mick Moody, 62, a retired fireman from Newark, Nottinghamshire, has had his black Labrador Bo since January 2013.

I’d met my wife Elaine when we were still at school and we started courting in our teens. We later got married, had two sons and enjoyed our life together; but at the age of 52 in 2006, Elaine was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. She coped bravely and even completed the London Marathon twice to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Research UK. But her condition deteriorated from 2010 and she passed away in March 2013. I had my family, including three grandchildren, but I had a large hole in my life after she died.

I’d owned black pedigree labradors in the past so I decided look online for another labrador

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puppy in late 2013. When I went to see one that seemed promising, the breeder lived only three miles from where Elaine and I married. It seemed as if it was meant to be.

I called the puppy Bo. I realised being retired and without Elaine, I needed discipline in my life and an energetic dog that needs walking certainly gives you discipline! It gets you out even on the worst days and is something to care for.

Bo sets the mood for the day.

When he knows it’s time to go for a walk, he looks so happy you can’t but feel it too. I’ve met new friends through walking, and done some walks for Alzheimer’s Research UK charity.

My grandchildren and family are a big part of my life but so is Bo. Having him has helped keep me busy and positive.

Free information about Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias is available from Alzheimer’s Research UK by calling 0300 111 5555 or online at www.alzheimersresearchuk.org

Getting out and about A pet will also help you to meet other people in your community and in fact there’s lots of evidence that people are more likely to approach you and strike up a conversation if you have your pet with you. Dog walking is the obvious example, but it’s the case with other animals too.

An attractive cat quickly becomes a talking point with passers-by, even if you’re just putting the rubbish out (especially if your cat’s sitting on the bins already, as they so often are).

With dog walking, of course, you’ll also get the extra benefits of compulsory exercise. We’re all familiar with the health advice to be more active and if you have a dog to walk, you really can’t decide it’s too cold, windy or rainy. It’s no surprise that dog owners on average walk at least twice as far every day as those who don’t have one.

All this interaction, both with the pet and others who see you with it, increases your contact with others. This can help with a number of psychological issues linked to loneliness, including low self esteem, dark moods and even depression.

Fitting a pet into your life So far so good. But don’t rush out to the pet shop just yet! If you have never had a pet, or not had one for many years, you may have to think about a few practical considerations too. Is there enough (indoor and outdoor) space in your home for a pet? Are there any regulations against animals where you live?

Assuming your home is suitable, you will also want to consider whether you’re the right fit for a particular pet. Will you be able to walk that dog every day? Will you be able to cope with a furry animal around your home if you’re prone to allergies or breathing problems?

Can you be bothered with all the

People will strike up a conversation if your pet is nearby

Celebrating

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CHRISTMAS ANIMAL PICTURES FROM BATTERSEA DOGS AND CATS HOME

Derinda Franks, 68, from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, began volunteering for the charity Dogs for Good (formerly Dogs for the Disabled) almost 10 years ago after she retired. She now houses one puppy a year to get it accustomed to people before its formal training begins.

A good friend who already socialised puppies for the charity persuaded me that I would really enjoy volunteering to have a puppy for a year. So we were visited by a puppy coordinator from the charity, who found our home environment acceptable. Before we knew it, an adorable eight week old black Labrador, Flora, arrived and socialising began.

She settled in straight away and soon we were able to start taking her out and about.

Wherever we went, Flora came too, so that when she was eventually partnered with a disabled adult or child, nothing would startle her.

It’s so rewarding, especially when you meet the client who has one of your grown up pups

cleaning out of cages, tanks and other paraphernalia that comes with looking after any pet?

However, if a full time pet is a commitment too far, don’t despair. There are plenty of ways you can get your fix of having a pet companion but not on a permanent basis.

Centres that look after abandoned dogs are always keen for new volunteers to walk them. It’s a great way to see if having a dog on a more permanent basis

Dogs Trust 17 Wakley Street, London EC1V 7RQ 0207 837 0006 dogstrust.org.uk Blue Cross for Pets Shilton Road, Burford, Oxfordshire OX18 4PF 0300 777 1897 bluecross.org.uk Pet Fostering Service Scotland PO Box 6, Callander FK17 8ZU 0844 811 9909 pfss.org.uk

and you realise the difference the dog is making to their lives.

It’s very humbling.

I feel so privileged to be in at the beginning of these wonderful partnerships. People often ask how we can possibly give them back after 12 months. It’s emotional for us the day they go in for training; the dog doesn’t seem to mind at all.

But that’s not the end of the story. We’re kept updated throughout their training and we meet the client when they are partnered and they often keep in touch as well.

works for you. You can also take on a puppy for a short while, while it’s trained up to become a guide or assistance dog for people with sight impairments or physical disabilities.

If you need yet another reason to feel a pet will bring new meaning into your life, what can be better than these varied ways of helping others at the same time too?

The Cinnamon Trust 10 Market Square, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 4HE 01736 757 900 Cinnamon.org.uk Guide Dogs Burghfield Common, Reading RG7 3YG 0118 983 5555 guidedogs.org.uk Canine Partners Mill Lane, Heyshott, West Sussex GU29 0ED 08456 580 480 caninepartners.org.uk Dogs for Good The Frances Hay Centre, Blacklocks Hill, Banbury OX17 2BS 01295 252600 dogsforthedisabled.org

talk to us

Tell us about your pets past and present: we’d love to hear from you. Has an animal enhanced your life? Have you stories to tell?

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feature : 50 THINGS

things to do this Winter For our Golden Jubilee issue, we’ve found 50 seasonal activities to try! By Judy Yorke

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things to do on your own

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1

Take part in the annual RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch weekend in January. Find out more at the website www.rspb.org.uk or ring the RSPB on 01767 680551.

Cast aside the ‘cooking for one’ books and buy a really indulgent recipe book instead. Cook for four and freeze three individual portions, so that you’ve got three delicious homemade meals waiting for you.

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If you’ve got a smartphone or a tablet, download a word game and play against people all over the world. Try Words with Friends (www.zynga.com/games/ words-friends), which is similar to Scrabble.

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T A BU D D Y

Check your local leisure centre for classes: many cater specially for older people. Getting active with others is a great way to increase your social circle as well as your wellbeing.

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Go to the cinema in the afternoon.

Pick exactly what you fancy, or try a genre you’ve never explored before. Now’s your chance to experiment with a rom com, sci fi or documentary.

BE A UDDY B

Join CSRF’s Phone Buddy scheme and link up with other members.

Make a firm date to meet one of the old friends on your Christmas card list.

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Send a letter, story or joke to avanti.

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Visit your local archives and discover who used to live in your house.

Become a Visitor with our National Volunteer Network or request a visit if you’d like one.

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things to do 0 1 with your family

1

Go to a football or rugby match.

If you can’t get Premier League tickets, try your local non league football club.

2 3

Take a family trip around your neighbourhood to see which houses have the best Christmas lights.

Head to the forest: Winter woodlands can be quite spectacular!

4 Take a ride on a Santa Special steam train, which many local lines run at this time of year (and tell the kids if you remember steam trains yourself!)

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Go to a pottery café and see who can get most creative with the ceramics.

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Take small grandchildren to the pantomime, you’ll all have a great time (oh yes you will…).

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If your local Fellowship group’s hosting a Christmas Bring & Buy, take everyone along and see what bargains you can all get.

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Get one of your computer savvy grandchildren to give you a tutorial.

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Go to a carol service and continue the nostalgia with mince pies and mulled wine afterwards.

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things to do with friends

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Organise yourselves into a team and do a pub quiz. (Donate any winnings to CSRF too!)

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Get your glad rags on and have an indulgent afternoon tea at a smart café or hotel.

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Promise each other you’ll sign up for a new activity in the New Year, and stick to it!

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Start a book club.

Help out with a community litter picking event at your local park or town.

Host your own fundraising dinner for CSRF. Bon Appetit!

Sign them all up for CSRF membership.

Associate Membership is open to all!

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5

Hold a reunion with friends from university or your days in the civil service. Encourage them to bring photos, the more embarrassing the better.

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Make the most of the outings organised by your local Fellowship group!

Enjoy an out of season walk in a seaside resort, or a ‘heritage walk’ through a town or city.

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Relive a Victorian Christmas at a National Trust property.

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feature : 50 THINGS

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things to look forward 0 1 to in winter.

things that you may not have tried before

1

Organise a fundraising event for CSRF.

2

Volunteer as a marshal at a parkrun.

These free 5k runs take place all round the country at 9am every Saturday morning (www.parkrun.org.uk).

Even better, take part!

5

Get colouring in. There are some beautiful books available for adults and they’re great for relieving stress and tension.

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Christmas markets: they’re full of wonderful smells and unusual gifts.

2

Mulled wine and hot cider.

6 Write a poem

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Try geocaching, a kind of 21st century treasure hunt (find out more at www.gagb.co.uk).

The snow! Just as long as you don’t have to go out in it, of course.

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Become a member of your local museum or art gallery. You can often enjoy members only events and behind the scenes tours.

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Go to a life drawing class

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Local Fellowship Christmas get togethers.

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Watching cheesy films on TV with a hot chocolate and lots of goodies.

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Cosy jumpers and fluffy slippers.

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If you’ve never gone along to your local Fellowship group, take the plunge!

WINTER 2015 www.csrf.org.uk

Have a go at Nordic walking.

See www.nordicwalking.co.uk to find a group.

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Christmas issues of TV magazines.

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Sales shopping: a perfect excuse to buy something frivolous and indulgent.

Christmas cards from old friends.

your ten Planning Summer holiday!

Volunteer to help at your local primary school, helping children read.

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feature : TRAVEL

To Oldly Go Travel is a passion for many of us, especially in retirement.

This is the time when we have the time to indulge our interests, revisit places we’ve loved in the past and seek out new ones. A new book, To Oldly Go, brings together a collection of tales from older travellers. Here we share a selection of their very different adventures

Relic of the Raj The countryside changed. Low hills appeared on both horizons and, now that we had left the delta, the land was parched. This was a tough region for scratching out a living. We had a map but it wasn’t easy to follow our progress northwards when we couldn’t read most of the signage.

The temperature had now risen to around forty degrees Celsius and sweat dribbled from my nose and down my back. Someone started the ceiling fans but they were completely ineffectual.

We had to drink water, but the train continued to buck like an unbroken horse and I wondered if trying to rise to the trot might make me spill less. All I achieved was to dislodge the blocks that served as my seat cushions. There were often huge crashes as one compartment was wrenched out of synch with others. Some jolts left one carriage more than half a metre higher than its neighbour. It was clear why so few people – locals or tourists – travelled this way.

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At Pyinmana Junction a bevy of smartly dressed police and soldiers joined us. Alarmingly one carried a machine gun; two others held rifles that might have seen service during the Korean War. Their uniforms were crisp – as soon as these military men had decided on seats, they removed their shirts and dangled them with their weapons. I realised that we’d reached ten-yearold Naypyidaw, Royal City of the Sun, which is now the national capital.

As we crossed several empty five-

lane highways, we wondered why, if the planners really anticipated serious levels of traffic, these were interrupted by level crossings. Twelve hours into our ten-and-a-half-hour journey vendors offered chilled Myanmar and Tiger beers and half bottles of Grand Royal or High Class whiskies. We gazed out at a spectacular sunset, feeling ready for a sundowner. A can of Tiger hit the spot, and we rattled into Mandalay after fifteen hours, battered, sweaty and bruised of bum, mellow and ready to do battle for a taxi.

Jane Wilson-Howarth

Celebrating

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Yukon’s Ice Bears Phil Timpany is the ‘bear whisperer’ of North Yukon. He is to grizzlies what George Adamson was to lions and doesn’t even carry a can of pepper spray – the most popular bear deterrent. His weapon of last resort is a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, but in all his twenty-two years at Bear Cave Mountain he has never had to use it.

On my first morning I grabbed a coffee and stepped out into the boneclenching chill of a North Yukon dawn. The sky was clear but sun-up was still an hour away as Timpany and I walked down to the river with Smoky [his dog] at our heels. The lodge is set on a bend of the river with Bear Cave Mountain and its limestone pinnacles on the other side, creating a natural theatre-inthe-round.

Now the stage was set. Locked in an all-embracing silence, we sat on a log at the water’s edge and waited for the first bears to arrive as ravens flitted through the trees like souls. The river flowed past us, swift and shallow, its gin-clear waters an angler’s dream, alive with the outlines of spawning fish.

Some mornings, said Timpany, he saw moose by the riverside; caribou and wolverine, too; and at night when the aurora borealis swirls and flickers

overhead he would hear the eerie harmonies of wolves in the spruce forests.

Even when no bears are in sight their spine-tingling presence is powerful; but we did not have to wait for long. Out of the mist hanging over the river emerged a dark apparition.

It was the big male called Stanley, patrolling the riverbank with a rolling swagger as if all this wild land belonged to him. Eleven years old and just entering his prime, he was the spirit of Winter made flesh and bone, his heavy coat encased in icicles. Closer and closer he came until the bear was no more than three paces away from where I sat on the iron-hard ground. ‘Good to see you, Stanley,’ said Timpany softly as my heartbeat increased a notch or two. But Stanley ignored us completely.

Stanley had evolved an efficient way of catching food that Timpany calls snorkelling, wading along with his head underwater until he spotted his prey, then charging after it in a welter of spray to emerge with a ten-pound fish in his jaws.

When the bear had ambled on upriver, Timpany told me about his life in grizzly country. In his early years he worked as a guide

for trophy hunters but tired of the bloodletting and got a job studying chum salmon before moving to Bear Cave Mountain in 1991. Now in his fifties, having spent more than two thousand days in the company of grizzlies, he has come to know them better than anyone.

His relationship with bears is based on mutual respect, exploding the grizzly’s fearsome reputation as a natural born killer. ‘They are such forgiving animals,’ he said. ‘When you enter their world you realise what a peaceful coexistence they enjoy.’

As if to prove it, another grizzly materialised from the willow thickets on the opposite bank of the river.

This time it was a female known as Mrs Tucker with a yearling cub at her side, close enough for me to hear the crunch of bones as they feasted on a salmon in the shallows.

Her broad back was white with hoar frost and icicles dangled from her belly. ‘Hi Mrs Tucker, how’re you doing?’ said Timpany quietly in his John Wayne drawl as she continued on her way with hardly a glance in our direction. Clearly she was not interested in snacking on a writer long past his sell-by date; not when the river was alive with salmon.

Brian Jackman

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Return to Kiev On a lovely day in October 2014, with the shadows of leaves from ancient horse chestnut trees flickering on the cobblestones, I stood diagonally across the narrow roadway from my greatgrandfather’s mansion on Malopodvalnaya Street in Kiev’s historic upper city. My mother’s grandfather, born a serf, had worked his way to prominence as a businessman and member of the duma. He owned a crystal shop in the city centre. In the early twentieth century, he built the house for his wife Yelena and their four children, including my grandmother Anna. ‘It was a huge mansion,’ my mother had told me, drawing sketches on napkins at the kitchen table. ‘It covered a whole city block in the centre of Kiev.’ But with the self-centredness of youth, only halflistening, I didn’t really believe her until I saw it for myself.

With its ornate exterior and tall windows, the house was much as she had described it, although it had been converted into expensive condominiums and boxy balconies now marred its façade. My family’s fortunes changed in 1918, the year my mother was born, as the Russian Revolution took hold and Kiev was thrown into chaos. Private property was seized. The house was turned into a kommunalka, communal apartments, and people from all over the country were crammed into any available spaces, cooking on hotplates in hallways and washing dishes in bathrooms. My great-grandfather died of a stroke, and my great-grandmother Yelena, my grandparents and my infant mother, after first fleeing the city for a village, cautiously returned some months later and were allotted one room for all of them, later expanded to two.

On this Autumn day, I looked straight across the intersection

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to the corner room my mother had shared with her grandmother Yelena, once mistress of the house.

During our trip here in 1995, on the night we arrived, my parents and I walked through the streets of Kiev.

In the soft misty rain, my father said he had the odd feeling that time had vanished and he didn’t know where he was, or when. Where was his home? Here in Kiev or in the US? As we rounded a corner the house on Malopodvalnaya, then being remodelled, emerged from the darkness in a glow of streetlights.

It seemed as if we could walk right in and our people would be going about their lives, ready to offer us tea and sweets.

Now, standing there on my own, both my parents gone, I imagined my mother as I had seen her in a photo taken in that same room while she recovered from scarlet fever. She leaned against the dark wooden backboard of the bed, an extraordinarily beautiful girl of about fourteen, hair parted on one side, falling across her face and framing her high cheekbones. There is a porch in front of that entrance, and I have a black and white photo of my mother sitting on it wearing a cotton print dress, knees hugged to her chest, her spaniel Topsic by her side. She looks up from beneath the wave of her hair into the camera with a direct gaze that’s both startling and confrontational, like a dare; locking eyes with the observer, yet also seeing beyond into some mysterious, distant future.

Katheryn Stavrakis Lesley

Bradt Travel Guides is offering avanti readers a special discount of 30% (RRP £10.99, offer price £7.69) on To Oldly Go: Tales of intrepid travel by the over-60s.

To claim your discount, visit www.bradtguides.com and enter discount code AVANTI at the checkout; or write to Bradt Travel Guides, 1st Floor IDC House, The Vale, Chalfont St Peter SL9 9RZ; or phone 01753 480633. Offer valid until 31 December 2015.

Don’t forget to buy travel insurance to cover your own adventures (and do please be upfront about any health issues you have!). There is more on travel insurance from CSIS on page 12 but of course do shop around to suit your own particular needs.

Celebrating

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50th Anniversary

50 Years in Pictures We’ve had a busy 50th year with lots going on around the country and as we near the end of it, we’ve put together a selection of just some of the many pictures that provide a fitting record of all that we’ve achieved in half a century

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50th Anniversary

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1. April 1965: The year it all began; 2. 1979: Annual General Meeting and Conference in York; 3. November 1968: Plymouth branch meeting; 4. 1982: Annual General Meeting and Conference in Brighton; 5. November 1969: Solent branch meeting; 6. Flower Garden celebrating CSRF in WestonSuper-Mare; 7. April 1972: Gloucestershire branch holiday in Newquay; 8. Gordon and Barbara Harris, whose eyes met across a crowded meeting room in Plymouth 1997; 9. November 1965: Birmingham Branch Meeting; 10. Retired Assistant Paymaster General John Vetch signing the first History of the Fellowship book with members of staff; 11. Celebrating the 30th Anniversary – Chairman Peter Jones with Fellowship Office staff; 12. Edinburgh branch planting a tree to mark CSRF’s Silver Jubilee; 13. 1989: Lord Houghton’s 90th Birthday Party; 14. Charles Lait, Jean Cooper, Sandra Brown, Pat Lait; 15. Ron Hayward, Gwenda Wolstenholme & Philip Wolstenholme; 16. 1985: Jean Cooper and Chairman Keith Lawrance planting a rose bush at the Royal Lodge, Windsor; 17. 1996: Highland Branch’s visit to Pitlochry

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18. Dorset Branch at Bovington Tank Museum; 19: 1998: Fellowship Holiday on the Isle of Wight; 20. 1997: Baroness Symons; 21. Staff on the 2011 Sponsored Thames Walk; 22. Kate Losinska and Peter Jones; 23. Piggles visiting Civil Service Live in October 2015; 24. 2013: Our newest group, Bognor Regis & Chichester, celebrating at its first meeting; 25. 2000: Presentation of 100th Birthday Book to CSRF Patron, HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother; 26. Sue Gethin, Sophia Hill, Sue Jarvis & Rosie Jacot; 27. 2014: Visitor Alex visiting retired civil servant Grace on our newest scheme, the National Visitors Network

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Celebrating

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entertainment

Our regular mix of books, culture and entertainment

Alive, Alive Oh! And Other Things that Matter Diana Athill, Granta, 3 December

Several years ago, Diana Athill accepted that she could no longer live entirely independently, and she moved to a retirement home in Highgate, north London. There, she found herself released from the daily anxieties of caring for her own property, and free to settle into her remaining years. Mixing vivid memories of the past with candid, wise and often very funny reflections on what it’s like to be very old, Athill reflects on what it feels like to be at this stage in her life, and on the moments that have risen to the surface to sustain her in these last years.

Asylum: A survivor’s flight from Nazi-occupied Vienna through wartime France Moriz Scheyer, Profile, out January

Written while Scheyer was in hiding in 1944, this memoir tells of his persecution in Vienna and his flight to wartime France. As an arts editor for Vienna’s principal newspaper before the German invasion in 1938, Scheyer was friends with some of the city’s great artists and an important literary journalist in his own right. Here he turns his acerbic wit and critical eye to his own remarkable experiences, culminating in a dramatic rescue and clandestine life in a convent.

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Hidden Treasures of London: a guide to the capital’s best-kept secrets Michael McNay, Cornerstone, out November

The secret history of London, as told by some of its less familiar sights: from Aeroville, Hendon, to the zodiacal clock of Bracken House, and from Alexander Pope’s grotto to the ruined Epstein sculptures of Zimbabwe House. However well you may think you know the capital, this illustrated guide to more than 400 architectural gems will lead you away from the usual tourist destinations to discover the city’s secret history.

books

The Good Liar Nicholas Searle, Viking, 14 January

Roy is a conman living in a leafy English suburb, about to pull off the final coup of his career. He is going to meet and woo a beautiful woman and slip away with her life savings. Who is he and what has he had to do to survive a life of lies?

And who has had to pay the price of this deceit? This isn’t a novel full of twists; it’s one of layers, as each layer in Roy’s life is scraped back and the reader has to change perspective again.

The Good Liar is the first novel from author Nicholas Searle, who will only reveal that he was a senior civil servant for many years before deciding to leave in 2011 to write fiction.

Celebrating

Years

Wendy Williams, Oneworld, out November

Horses have been our companions in work and leisure for thousands of years. As a species, we have profited immeasurably from their resilience, strength and intelligence. Journalist and equestrienne Wendy Williams brilliantly brings to life the story of one of the most loved animals in the world. She travels from the streets of Vienna to the rugged terrain of Galicia to uncover a biography that stretches back 56 million years.

IMAGES: PICSELECT, IMAGE.NET, WARNER

The Horse: a biography of our noble companion

film The Lady in the Van (Sony, out 13 November)

A man forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her car that’s parked in his driveway. A big screen adaptation of writer Alan Bennett’s iconic and celebrated memoir, directed by long-standing Bennett collaborator Nicholas Hytner and starring Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, Dominic Cooper and James Corden, as well as Mr Bennett himself.

Grandma

(Sony, out 11 December)

Lily Tomlin stars as Elle, whose granddaughter Sage unexpectedly shows up needing $600 before sundown. Temporarily broke, Grandma Elle and Sage spend the day trying to get their hands on the cash but end up rattling skeletons and digging up secrets.

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (Disney, out 18 December)

Trust

Mike Bullen, Sphere, out November

Greg and Amanda are happy. They’ve been together 13 years and have two young daughters. They’re still in love.

Dan and Sarah aren’t so fortunate.

Their marriage has grown stale. Friends and colleagues Greg and Dan attend a conference where a chance encounter with two fellow delegates leads to a drink in the hotel bar. The debut novel from the BAFTA winning writer of TV’s Cold Feet, this is a tale of romance, sex and morality for anyone who’s ever fallen in or out of love.

Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher return in this continuation of the saga created by George Lucas, set 30 years after Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (released in 1983).

See our feature on page 21.

Point break

(Warner, out 15 January)

Inspired by the classic 1991 hit, a young FBI agent infiltrates a team of extreme sports athletes he suspects of masterminding a string of unprecedented, sophisticated corporate heists.

MANY OF THE NATIONAL CINEMA CHAINS OFFER SPECIAL DISCOUNTS FOR OLDER PEOPLE. CHECK YOUR LOCAL PRESS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

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Bend It Like Beckham: the musical

Phoenix Theatre, London

Jess is facing the most important decision of her life: live up to family expectations of university, career and marriage, or follow in the footsteps of her hero David Beckham. When the talented teenager is spotted playing football in Southall, a world of unexpected opportunities opens up before her. Based on Gurinder Chadha’s ever popular film, with original lyrics.

theatre

Rapunzel: Hairway to Heaven

Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, from 28 November to 23 January

The Everyman’s annual rock’n’roll panto promises to ‘blast your bouffant all over town’ this year.

Regular writers Sarah A Nixon and Mark Chatterton have adapted the Brothers Grimm’s traditional tale of the heroine with long flowing locks, but with a twist. The run will include an autism friendly/relaxed performance and a range of British Sign Language, captioned and audio described performances.

A Christmas Carol Noel Coward Theatre, London, from 30 November to 30 January

Academy Award-winning actor Jim Broadbent makes his long awaited return to the stage to play Scrooge in a new version of A Christmas Carol, adapted from Charles Dickens’ classic story of greed, grief, ghoulish ghosts and eleventh hour redemption.

The Girls

Leeds Grand Theatre, 14 November to 12 December Lowry Theatre, Salford, 13 January to 30 January

Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s musical adaptation of Calendar Girls is based on the true story of Women’s Institute members from a small Yorkshire village who raised money, awareness, and some eyebrows as well, with their fundraising calendar.

culture Julia Margaret Cameron

V&A, 28 November to 21 February

Although Julia Margaret Cameron did not pick up a camera until she was 48, she quickly became a pioneer in the subject, and remains one of the most celebrated photographers in history. Known for her powerful portraits and reenactments of allegorical stories, she created incredible images that are at once ethereal and commanding. She deliberately used out of focus shots, often with traces of her process, including scratches and smudges, and used her friends, family and servants as models in often elaborately staged sets.

Such unconventional techniques often garnered criticism, but she was nevertheless celebrated for her beautiful compositions. Marking the bicentenary of her birth, this exhibition offers a retrospective of her astounding output.

Sleeping Beauty

Hull Truck, 4 December to 9 January

Don’t mess with the Nannas! There’s a party at the palace and you’re all invited. Only, someone’s been missed off the list and she’s not very happy about it! Award winning children’s writer Mike Kenny reinvents the traditional story from the point of view of the fairies, who’re played as ‘The Nannas’ complete with housecoats.

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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TOP: Whisper of the Muse, 1865; LEFT: Paul and Virginia, 1864, Julia Margaret Cameron. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Celebrating

Years

The Fallen Woman

Foundling Museum, London, to 3 January

The ‘fallen woman’ was a popular theme in 19th century art and literature as Victorian moralists warned against the consequences of losing one’s virtue. As Britain’s first charity for abandoned children, the Foundling Hospital had been taking in infants since the mid 18th century. The stories of these women’s lives form the basis for the Foundling Museum’s exhibition, which includes original testimonies and small tokens left by the desolate mothers.

It also features the mythologised images found in popular prints and illustrations of the time, as well as works of art from Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Richard Redgrave and George Frederic Watts and a specially created sound installation.

G F Watts, Found Drowned, c 1848-1850 © Watts Gallery

Gift from the Gods: Animal Mummies Revealed Manchester museum, to 17 April

Humans weren’t the only mummies in ancient Egypt. Animals were closely affiliated with religious beliefs and enjoyed a prized status in ancient Egyptian society. It was particularly popular for animal statues to be left at the temple as offerings to gods, but with bronze being expensive, animal mummies became extremely popular. This exhibition features the mummies of an array of creatures, including jackals, crocodiles, cats and birds, alongside displays of how they would originally have been presented and stored.

Viking Voyagers

National Maritime Museum Cornwall, throughout the year.

Rare antiquities on loan from museums across the UK and Denmark are used to unlock the secrets of the Viking world. The Vikings didn’t just occupy northern Britain. Norse warriors allied themselves with the Cornish against West Saxon expansion, and Cornwall became an important stop-off point on their sailing route from Scandinavia to Scotland, Ireland and France. The exhibition delves into Viking beliefs and rituals as well as their raiding, trading, navigation and seamanship.

Cat Mummy 2, Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester © Alan Seabright

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cooking

Sophia’s Corner

As the nights get darker there’s nothing like having something warm and gently spiced cooking in the oven or in a teacup to keep your hands warm

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hese stuffed aubergines can be prepared in advance and are great for bringing along to a CSRF group Christmas buffet, to serve as a Winter main meal with a difference or as a

new way to use up the Christmas leftovers. I’ve included a vegan alternative that can still be enjoyed by everyone, especially as the nuts give it a particularly festive feel.

My Wintery ‘tea’ cocktail is sure to warm you up and banish any seasonal sniffles. It’s incredibly quick and easy to make and not what friends and family will expect out of the teapot!

Stuffed Spiced Aubergines Ingredients Serves 2 medium aubergines 2 tbsp olive oil ½ tsp cumin 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 level tsp ground cinnamon 1 medium onion finely chopped A small handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped 1 tsp tomato purée Seeds from half a pomegranate (you can also buy pomegranate seeds ready prepared in many supermarkets) Small handful of flaked almonds 100ml water Salt and black pepper 200g minced lamb OR 150g chopped nuts (almonds, brazil nuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts and walnuts are all in season) OR a big handful of leftover Christmas cold cuts, shredded.

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METHOD Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas mark 6. Cut the aubergines lengthways through the stalk and score the flesh in a crisscross pattern (but not all the way through). Place, flesh up, in a roasting tin and drizzle over a tablespoon of olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes until the flesh is soft and leave them to cool slightly. Scoop out half the flesh, roughly chop and set aside.

To make the stuffing base, soften the chopped onion in the rest of the oil on

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a low heat on the hob. Tip in the spices and a pinch of salt and stir. If you are using minced lamb, turn up the heat to medium and add it to the onion and spices with the tomato purée. Cook until the meat is done (about seven minutes) and then stir in the chopped aubergine flesh. If you are using chopped nuts or leftover meat simply stir into the stuffing base of softened onion and spices with the tomato purée and chopped aubergine. Gently heat through on a low temperature

and be sure to taste it. Pack your stuffing into the aubergine halves and put them back in the roasting tin.

Pour the water in to the bottom of the tin, not over the aubergine, and cover the tin tightly with a double layer of foil. Roast for half an hour. Finish off with the flaked almonds scattered over the top and roast for five more minutes with the foil removed until they’ve turned golden. Top them with the pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley and serve.

Celebrating

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Winter Citrus Tea Squeeze the juice of one lemon and one orange in to the teapot with 1 tbsp of runny honey, 1 tsp of freshly grated ginger and a pinch of nutmeg. If you can’t find whole nutmegs to grate, use twice the amount of ground nutmeg instead. Top up the pot with freshly boiled hot water and give it all a good stir so that the honey is completely dissolved. If you’re using it, add 200ml of bourbon to the teapot, place the lid on and let it sit for five minutes. Put a slice of lemon into each teacup and pour the ‘tea’ over slowly, using a tea strainer if needed. Serve immediately.

If you prefer your cocktails cold, simply allow your ‘tea’ to Serves cool and serve over ice in a glass tumbler.

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tea break CODED WORD PUZZLE

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Thank you to Faith Byram and to David Cowling who sent in these pictures of their faithful Teasmades, following our look back at them in the last issue of avanti.

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HO, HO, HO A Russian couple was walking down the street in Saint Petersburg the other night, when the man felt a drop hit his nose. “I think it’s raining,” he said to his wife.”No, that felt more like snow to me,” she replied. “No, I’m sure it was just rain, he said.” Well, as these things go, they were about to have a major argument about whether it was raining or snowing.

Just then they saw a minor Communist Party official walking toward them. “Let’s not fight about it,” the man said, “let’s ask Comrade Rudolph whether it’s officially raining or snowing.”As the official approached, the man said, “Tell us, Comrade Rudolph, is it officially raining or snowing?”

“It’s raining, of course,” he answered and walked on. But the woman insisted: “I know that felt like snow!” To which the man quietly replied: “Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear!”

Celebrating

Years

Looking back at …

Green Shield Stamps Green Shield Stamps were the forerunners of today’s loyalty cards, but with a difference: they allowed ‘mix and match’ shopping. Their first base was small local shops (of which there were a lot in the 1960s and 1970s).

Even when Tesco came on board, we still collected our stamps at independent retailers everywhere.

The first trading stamps were offered in the US in 1896, but it took another 60 years before they were introduced into the UK. For a while, they were all the rage; and indeed rival companies attempted their own trading stamp empires (anyone remember Pink Stamps or Blue Chip)?

Green Shield, though, reigned supreme. We diligently collected them, stuck them into the books and built up our own alternative capital while browsing through the Green Shield Stamp company catalogue.

In theory, if you built up enough credit, you could use the stamps to pay for luxury items, from motorboats to flights.

In reality, given the outlay (it cost £32 to fill one book, the equivalent of more than 10 times the same amount today), you were more likely to end up with a set of mugs or a record rack.

Eventually, of course, Green Shield Stamps folded, and when Tesco abandoned the scheme this inevitably led to its decline.

By 1991 you couldn’t find a single shop that issued them.

However, rather like dinosaurs evolving into birds, the Green Shield Stamp catalogue shops were rebranded as Argos in 1973, and of course pretty well every high street chain now has its own loyalty card and scheme to keep us clocking up points and splurging with the credit we build up.

talk to us

Did you collect the stamps?

If so, what’s the best thing you ever used them to ‘buy’?

Do let us know.

“One can never have enough socks,” said Dumbledore. “Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn’t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books.”

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

SUDOKU

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All that glistens Since it’s our Golden Jubilee year, here are a few nuggets (sorry!) of information about the precious metal • G old is one of the heaviest metals in the world.

ery few chemicals can • V attack gold, which is why it keeps its shine.

• M uch of the gold mined throughout history is still in circulation in one form or another.

he biggest gold nugget that • T has ever been found weighed about 90 kilograms and was unearthed in Australia.

• T he world’s oceans hold a vast amount of gold, but it’s very diluted (one cubic kilometre of seawater contains 10 to 20 kilograms of gold).

bsolutely pure gold is so • A soft that it can be moulded by hand.

• A stronaut helmets have a visor coated with a thin layer of gold, which blocks harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun.

he first purely gold coins • T were manufactured in the Asia Minor kingdom of Lydia in 560BC.

WORD SEARCH Find the following dogs names from the following list

bird-dog bitch borzoi cairn chow coach-do collie corgi cur Derby dog dhole

dingo Eskimo griffon gun-dog hound-dog house dog husky keeshond laika lap-dog limmer

lym nunx peke pi-dog pom pooch pug pup rach rug saluki

shough spaniel spitz Talbot terrier tike tyke whelp

We want YOU for avanti!

Whether it’s your career highlights, your hobbies or your group activities, do let us know either by email or by writing to Fellowship Office.

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Celebrating

Years

Prize Crossword Congratulations to Mrs Marjorie Freeman from Eccles, Manchester who was our lucky winner for the Autumn crossword. Try your hand at this issue’s prize puzzle and you too could win £100 worth of M&S vouchers. Good luck!

Across 8 To go from one country to another (8) 9 Wicked (6) 10 Slang for to defeat utterly (6) 11 Uncontrolled growth of abnormal tissue (8) 12 Sudden infant death syndrome (3, 5) 13 Method of colouring fabric (3,3) 14 Without affectation or pretence (15) 18 Warmth of feeling (6) 20 A type of nautical pastime or sport (8) 23 Space for placing clothes (8) 24 Stale; musty (6) 25 Affectionate (6) 26 Add more (8)

Down 1 Shrew (6) 2 Form opinion without any basis (8) 3 Loss of muscle coordination (6) 4 Gallic overseas territory in S Pacific (6,9) 5 Knee length women’s trousers (8) 6 Put on hold (6) 7 Gesundheit (5,3) 15 Storyteller (8) 16 Vacation; leave of absence (8) 17 Unwelcome visitor (8) 19 Decree (6) 21 Funnies (6) 22 Practice of wearing no clothes (6)

Solution to Autumn Prize Crossword

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: 15 Jan 2016

NAME: ADDRESS:

POSTCODE:

TEL No:

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

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jubilee year

POSTbag Dear Postbag You may be interested in my recollections of my introduction to working life in the civil service.

Having clicked with my new heels across the shining marble corridors, I made my way across the vast expanse of immaculate sunlit carpet and carefully positioned myself on the chair provided. Everything seemed so vast. The enormous door that had been opened for me seemed, at five foot one and a half, like something out of Alice in Wonderland.

I faced this solemn row of gentlemen who smiled kindly across the shining mahogany table. I was carefully dressed in a pale grey suit with matching shoes and handbag.

On my head (conceal your mirth!) I had a pale blue hat to which was attached a large pale blue rose.

It’s there in black and white

When I think of it, they must have been hard put to find something to discuss with this shiny faced schoolgirl!

I had my handbag over my arm and remembered to sit correctly with legs crossed at the ankles, like the new queen.

Having covered school activities

Wheels ahead Dear Postbag I read with interest the article in the Spring 2015 avanti on the subject of ‘Only the Lonely’. My husband died three years ago, and rather foolishly I decided to move to another part of the country as I did not have any family nearby.

I have discovered that the most important possession to enable one to have a good social life is a car. Without one’s own transport, it is virtually impossible to do so many interesting things, such as visit stately homes, enrol at a Summer college, go to the theatre or find a nice country pub for lunch. Even living in the centre of a city, as I do, most of the events take place in the evening and for someone on their own it is not very pleasant walking

Your letters and stories

and hobbies, we got around to discussing this amazing new TV thing which had (for most of us just marginally) entered our lives. Black and white, of course, usually 14 inch screen and at times decidedly erratic.

It was at that stage that I felt I should impart a vital piece of information. Leaning forward, head (and rose) bobbing with intensity, I came out with it. “My dad says he thinks some day everyone will have a TV set in their own house.” They didn’t exactly reel back with shock but they were kind enough not to show the shadow of a smile.

And so, dear reader, they took me on!

Mrs R Williamson (née Dowling), Belfast

Ed’s note: Ah, but you were right, weren’t you! Does anyone else have tales of callow youth to share?

past the many pubs late at night. I am sure there are many other CSRF members who are in the same position, and the lack of a car is something that is never mentioned.

Mrs G Edwards, Chester

Ed’s note: That is a really interesting and important point.

Social networks are so important to us and, as you say, transport is a key element of this. Thank you for flagging it up. If anyone would be willing to volunteer to drive a local CSRF member to a group meeting or similar meetup, do please let us know at Fellowship Office.

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The audiologist said “You’ve got beautiful ears” The chiropodist loved my feet The Doctor said “You haven’t changed In ten years” Now isn’t that Really sweet My friends say “You’ve got A marvellous skin And a voice That’s nice when you speak” So I’m not doing badly – All things considered Since I’m 92 this week!

Sheila Sidebottom, Clacton-on-Sea

Age then and now Dear Postbag I was saddened by the letter from Peter Mahoney in the Autumn edition. He seems to have taken a different road from the one taken by me. I am 87 and was an evacuee during the war and returned to London in time to endure plenty of V1s and V2s.

I am not a confirmed bachelor, and I am not aware of any decline in community spirit. My current neighbour is more attentive than any of his predecessors. On my fairly frequent trips to London, I find young people more polite and considerate than I ever was.

John Lyne, Carshalton Beeches

Dead Good: Peter James

Ed’s note: That is very reassuring.

Thank you. Would other readers be able to tell us about help from friends, neighbours or even strangers?

Dear Postbag In the feature on crime fiction in the Autumn avanti you asked about other crime writers we enjoy. My favourite is Peter James, a local author who comes

from Brighton. His Roy Grace police detective novels are based on Brighton and areas around Sussex. One of the things I enjoy with his crime novels is puzzling out ‘who done it’.

You cannot miss his novels as they have ‘dead’ in the title: for example, Dead Simple, Not Dead Enough, Not Dead Yet and Looking Good Dead.

MN Mills, Haywards Heath

Ed’s note: He is indeed a very good novelist and his fans include our CEO Jean Cooper! Any other reader recommendations?

It’s in the post Dear Postbag I delighted in reading the article ‘Last Post’ in the Autumn avanti and found it very informative. I myself belong to three pen pal clubs and enjoy sending and receiving letters.

I would recommend it. People

don’t know what they are missing if they do not write to someone. Many a friendship has been made by the power of the pen.

Barry Twomlow, Portsmouth Dear Postbag As a prolific letter writer, my scrapbooks contain more than 3,000 of my published epistles: mainly to newspapers, both to my old local newspaper in the East End of London and those there in Cornwall. The best letter I ever received was from the Prime Minister David Cameron and his predecessor (also ‘Buck House’) to grant to/for the people of Wootton Bassett the prefix ‘Royal’. However, I still enjoy short story writing and of course ‘Letter to Editors’ on all topical and local issues.

Peter Mahoney, Hayle

Ed’s note: Great to see the epistolary arts are alive and well.

We’ve received some great responses so far. Keep them coming! 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. In these cases, letters will be edited to fit within the allotted space we give to Postbag.

Audio avanti is free 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 (kindly produced by Kent Association for the Blind) and is posted out to you just after publication of the print version.

The gang’s all here Dear Postbag Further to the letter in the Summer avanti from NC Henshaw, I was an Assistant Preventive Officer at Salford Docks at the same time as Neville and the work was never dull.

In my third week of service, and as a member of the Rummage Crew (or ‘Black Gang’), I was involved in a court case in Manchester following three seizures (or ‘finds’) of contraband involving several gallons of brandy.

After the court hearing, we had lunch in Manchester and aroused some interest among the lunchtime clientele, who appeared to be puzzled by our uniforms. One was heard to say, “I think they are in the German Navy”, to which we

talk to us

muttered suitable comments, such as “Ja so, guten essen” to establish the illusion.

Great fun, great job, and we were paid too!

PS: following the ‘Ed’s note’ to Neville’s letter, other notable civil servants of the past include Robbie Burns, Adam Smith and Tom Payne from one era alone.

G Rowan, Penrith

Ed’s note: Vielen danke!

Double

gold As we celebrate our Golden Jubilee, we’d like to congratulate Bunny Honeybun, from Manningtree, who sent us this photograph of her 100th birthday, which she celebrated by taking on her daily cryptic crossword.

Many congratulations!

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jubilee year

GROUPFOCUS Deputy Chief Executive David Tickner’s round up of all the news from our group and branch network

Working together in Dorchester

CSRF has been working with the NHS Retirement Fellowship (NHSRF) on a pilot scheme to encourage greater collaboration between CSRF groups and NHSRF branches. More than 20 groups are already benefiting from this, and we have started to schedule joint events for the future. So we were delighted to receive news from our Dorchester group of a recent joint outing to Torbay. Starting from Weymouth and picking up passengers en route at Dorchester and Bridport, the coach trip travelled to Torquay, where it connected with the South Devon boat train to Dartmouth. Group members enjoyed sightseeing and lunch in Dartmouth before boarding a river cruiser for a trip up the River Dart to Totnes. Despite the inclement weather, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day out.

CSRF and NHSRF members pictured on the quay side at Totnes

Awards for All Congratulations to Neath Port Talbot and Swansea groups on their successful applications to Awards for All Wales and also to Dumfries & Kirkcudbright, which was awarded a grant from Awards for All Scotland.

that if Don’t forget res from ny pictu you have a activity or event ng, ti a group mee em in to us and we’ll th d up you can sen res on the relevant gro tu pic ing on publish all ite. Depend e can ebs w F R S C w page on the as many as lso include of avanti. You a ll e’ w , ce spa ion tly p news sect in the grou y digital pictures direc n a y il if a k or ou can em @csrf.org.u rt o p p su p u and we’ll to: gro us the photo ight d n se r, fe pre send it stra scan it and ! back to you

Neath Port Talbot news It’s been a busy past few months for the group, with a number of activities as well as the regular meetings. In August members attended a lunchtime play at The Grand Pavilion Porthcawl and then

enjoyed a bite to eat in the café and a walk along the promenade. In September they visited the local amateur dramatict society’s annual Gilbert and Sullivan production and more recently they enjoyed a trip to a 1930s reconstructed cinema at the bottom of a residential garden!

The group has also teamed up with the Swansea NHS Retirement Fellowship for a skittles and buffet lunch to celebrate our 50th anniversary.

ABOVE: CSRF and NHSRF members with Kate Hughes (representative from the Office of the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales) and Neath Port Talbot’s Older People’s Champion

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in pictures

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1: Sleaford & Ancaster group members in front of the N Coates memorial in Cleethorpes on a recent visit.

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2: The winners of the Ipswich group quiz with their prizes at the group’s annual quiz match with Colchester group in July.

3 & 4: Highland branch members enjoying a boat trip run by the Seagull Trust. Certificates were issued to those members who took a lesson in piloting the boat.

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5: Swaffham group members at their summer garden lunch.

6: Salisbury Plain group members enjoying a trip on a horsedrawn barge in July.

7: A presentation to John Stevens and Lyn Bessant at the Salisbury Plain group for all their work on outings and holidays.

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8: Sleaford & Ancaster group members enjoying a visit to Rufford Park in September.

9: Members of Eltham group leaving the Redcliffe Hotel, Paignton Devon after their holiday.

10: Members of the Princetown group enjoying an outing to the Lighter Inn, Topsham, Devon.

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11: Liskeard group members at their recent scarf party.

12: A novel approach to fundraising at the Caerphilly group Bring & Buy sale from Alun and Barbara Caddy, who ‘sold themselves’ to help raise funds!

13: Sutton members on a visit to the Zandra Rhodes Textile and Fashion Museum in Bermondsey, south London.

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Celebrating

Years

GROUP 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?

SCOTLAND Dumfries & Kirkcudbright John Walker Chairman T: 01387 261889 E: j.walker215@btinternet.com We do not hold regular meetings but if you would like further details about coach trips please contact Doreen Beck on 01387 268824.

Coach Trips: All trips start and finish at Brooms Road Car Park Dumfries. Everyone is welcome, including family and friends as the greater the number who attend the lower the cost. Please book as early as possible by phoning Doreen Beck on 01387 268824 or the Chairman on 01387 261889 02 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at the Queensberry Arms Hotel, Annan

Edinburgh (Central) Liz Beedie Secretary T: 0131 229 7422 Edinburgh Quaker Meeting House First Floor 7 Victoria Terrace Edinburgh EH1 2JL Third Tuesday of each month (October April) at 2pm for speakers etc. We run walks throughout the year (jointly with Corstorphine Group) meeting at Lakeland at the corner of George Street/Hanover Street at 1.30pm on the first Friday of each month.

Organiser: Pat Sinclair (0131 337 6389) 15 Dec 2015 Christmas Social 2pm 19 Jan 2016 Lunch at The Royal Overseas League. Organiser: Liz Beedie 0131 229 7422 16 Feb 2016 Venue and speaker to be confirmed

Edinburgh (Corstorphine) Liz Beedie Secretary T: 0131 229 7422 The White Lady Cafe Glasgow Road Corstorphine Edinburgh (please note change of meeting venue) Third Thursday of each month October - April at 10.30-12 noon (except December). We run walks throughout the year (jointly with Corstorphine Group) meeting at Lakeland at the corner of George Street/Hanover Street at 1.30pm on the first Friday of each month.

Organiser: Pat Sinclair (0131 337 6389) 15 Dec 2015 No meeting 19 Jan 2016 Lunch at Royal Overseas League (Tuesday).

Organiser: Liz Beedie 0131 229 7422 18 Feb 2016 Monthly Coffee morning at The White Lady 10.30am

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Highland (Scotland)

Bury

Mrs Pam Barnet T: 01463 790265 Macdougall Clansman Hotel 103 Church Street Inverness IV1 1ES First and third Wednesday of each month: Coffee morning at 11am

Gerald Beadling Chairman T: 01706 633674 The Mosses Centre Cecil Street Bury Lancashire BL9 0SB First and third Wednesday of each month at 2.15pm (except events where listed) Jan 2016 Lunch at Bury College (date to be confirmed)

Rosneath William Lauchlan Secretary T 01436 842723 The Church Hall St. Modan’s Parish Church Rosneath Road Rosneath G84 0RQ First Monday of the month at 1.30pm 07 Dec 2015 Monthly meeting 04 Jan 2016 Monthly meeting 02 Feb 2016 Monthly meeting

NORTHERN IRELAND & NORTH WEST ENGLAND Banbridge Adrian Howlett Secretary T: 028 4062 7979 Bannside Presbyterian Church Hall 21 Castlwellan Road Banbridge BT32 4AX 02 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at Ballymascanlon Hotel , 1pm 06 Jan 2016 The Easter Rising: talk by Clive Scourlar 03 Feb 2016 Reflexology demonstration

Bangor Mrs Isabel McKnight Secretary T: 028 9186 3410 E: IR3410@yahoo.co.uk Hamilton House Community Centre Town Hall The Castle Bangor BT20 4BT Second Wednesday of the month at 2.30pm 09 Dec 2015 Christmas Party and AGM

Belfast Miss Wynne O’Neill Secretary T: 028 9067 1157 McElhinney Room The Pavillion Stormont Estate Upper Newtownards Road Belfast BT4 3TA First Monday of each month at 2pm 07 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch 04 Jan 2016 Going to Press: talk 01 Feb 2016 Sydenham (Belfast): talk

Birkenhead & Wirral Cynthia Morgan Secretary T: 0151 678 6266 Victory Hall 61 Salacre Lane Upton Wirral Merseyside CH49 0TN First Tuesday of the month at 2pm (except January)

Craigavon George McConnell Secretary T: 028 8676 4395 E: joannearcher1@hotmail.co.uk Portadown Library 24-26 Church Street Portadown Craigavon BT62 3LQ First Tuesday of the month at 2.30pm

Crewe Miss Grace Harding Chairman T: 01270 250677 Wells Green Methodist Church Hall Brookland Avenue Wistaston Crewe CW2 8EJ First Tuesday of each month at 2pm

Crosby Dorothy Ainsworth Treasurer T: 0151 222 2538 E: dorrain@blueyonder.co.uk Mersey Road Methodist Church Mersey Road Crosby Liverpool L23 3AE Second Tuesday of each month at 10.30am (except January)

Lisburn Ann Allen - Secretary - Tel: 028 9266 1943 Bridge Community Centre 50 Railway Street Lisburn County Antrim BT28 1XP Second Monday of each month at 2.30pm

Penrith Richard Roscoe Chairman T: 01697 472383 A local hostelry each quarter First Tuesday of the quarter (March, June and September) at 12.30pm for lunch and in December for a Christmas lunch

Stockport/Grove Park Yvonne Smith Social Secretary T: 0161 427 5593 Brookdale Club Bridge Lane Bramhall Stockport SK7 3AB First Thursday of each month at 2.15pm 25 Nov 2015 Annual Christmas Lunch at Alma Lodge Hotel 03 Dec 2015 Slide show by Peter Broadbent

Celebrating

Years

13 Dec 2015 Coach Trip to York for the Christmas Markets 07 Jan 2016 In house Entertainment 04 Feb 2016 AGM and Video Show

NORTH EAST ENGLAND Blaydon Mrs Catherine Thomas Treasurer T: 0191 488 1385 Ridley Room Blaydon Library Wesley District Precinct Blaydon Tyne And Wear NE21 5BT Second Tuesday of the month at 10.30am

Boston Spa & Wetherby Mrs Janet Walker Records Secretary T: 01937 842216 Deepdale Community Centre Deepdale Lane Boston Spa Wetherby LS23 6EW Second Tuesday of the month at 2pm (except January) 08 Dec 2015 Social afternoon 12 Jan 2016 No meeting 09 Feb 2016 Antiques: talk by Mrs P O’Melia

Bradford Mr Norman Griffiths Secretary T: 01274 586410 Centenary Court 1 St Blaise Way Bradford BD1 4YL Third Tuesday of each month at 2pm (except December) 15 Dec 2015 Christmas get together 19 Jan 2016 AGM 16 Feb 2016 TBA

Chester-Le-Street Mrs Kathleen Quinn Chairperson/Secretary T: 0191 454 9063 St. Mary & St. Cuthbert Parish Centre Church Chare Chester-Le-Street Co. Durham DH3 3QB First Monday of each month from 2pm to 4pm

Gateshead Elsa Jackson Chairman T: 0191 267 4728 Gateshead Community Fire Station Dryden Road Low Fell Gateshead NE9 5BU First Thursday of the month from 10am to 12 noon

Horsforth Rawdon & District Mrs M J Taylor T: 0113 267 8110 Venue varies, we meet in local hostelries for lunch. Please contact Mrs Taylor for more details. We are a friendly group and new members are always welcome The last Tuesday in the month at 12.30pm

Hull Brian Mitchell Treasurer T: 01482 653973 Age UK Healthy Living Centre Porter Street Hull HU1 2RH Third Tuesday of the month at 2.15pm 15 Dec 2015 Social meeting with mince pies Jan 2016 Late Christmas Lunch at a local restaurant (to be decided)

Middlesbrough Lilian Lloyd Secretary T: 01642 315439 St. Marys Centre 82-90 Corporation Road Middlesbrough TS1 2RW Last Tuesday of the month at 2pm (except December) 29 Dec 2015 No meeting (venue closed) 26 Jan 2016 TBA 23 Feb 2016 Bring & Buy, Raffle and Quiz

Sunderland & Washington Ivan Bell Secretary T: 0191 549 4130 Various venues in the area, please contact the Chairman for details First Monday of the month from 2pm to 3.30pm

WALES & WELSH BORDERS Caerphilly Mrs Cindy Kingham Secretary T: 01633 440460 E: cindykingham@yahoo.com No.2 Meeting Room Caerphilly New Library The Twyn Caerphilly CF83 1JL Second Monday of every month at 10.15am 14 Dec 2015 Christmas Meal at Wetherspoons, Caerphilly 11 Jan 2016 Comedy Writing and Tommy Cooper etc: talk by Mr Tudor Jones 08 Feb 2016 AGM and Quiz

Church Stretton John Brewer Secretary T: 01694 722965 E: johnbrewer1@talktalk.net Mayfair Community Centre Easthope Road Church Stretton SY6 6BL For meeting dates and times see below or contact the Secretary 08 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at The Green Dragon, Little Stretton 15 Jan 2016 Coffee morning (11am) at Housman’s Church Stretton; 05 Feb 2016 TBA

Llandudno Mrs Beryl Rennie Assistant Secretary T: 01492 876238 Queen’s Hotel The Promenade Llandudno LL30 2LE First Tuesday of each month at 10.30am for coffee mornings. Details of lunches/walks are announced at the previous coffee morning

Ludlow Peter Waite Liaison T: 01584 872639 E: 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 T: 01639 887851 Neath Working Mens Club Wind Street Neath SA11 3HA Last Wednesday of each month at 2pm (except December) 25 Nov 2015 Wiltshire Farm Foods: talk

by Sue Aldrich

01 Dec 2015 Carol Service at St. Thomas’ Church, Neath 2pm 10 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at Glynclydach Hotel 27 Jan 2016 AGM, Tea Party and Raffle

Oswestry Ruth Haile Chairman T: 01691 650993 The Wynnstay Hotel Church Street Oswestry SY11 2SZ First Tuesday of each month at 10.30am

Swansea Mrs Sylvia Edgell Chairman/Secretary T: 01792 851125 E: sylviaedgell@btinternet.com The Vestry Hall St. Mary’s Church Swansea SA1 3LP Last Friday of each month at 2pm (except December) 27 Nov 2015 Composer and Piano: Rev. Clive Williams 01 Dec 2015 Carol Service in the Trinity Chapel St. Marys 09 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at Olchfa House, Killay 29 Jan 2016 AGM and Social Time 26 Feb 2016 The Untold Truth: talk and film by Richard Williams

Whitchurch (Cardiff) Jane Lewis Secretary T: 029 20 757174 Ararat Baptist Church Plas Treoda Whitchurch Cardiff South Glamorgan CF14 1PT Second Wednesday of the month at 10am 09 Dec 2015 Christmas themed meeting 13 Jan 2016 Bring & Buy Sale 10 Feb 2016 Annual General Meeting

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

Second Tuesday of each month at 12.30pm for lunch

MIDDLE ENGLAND Amersham Jim Campbell Chairman T: 01494 722558 Community Centre Chiltern Avenue Amersham Buckinghamshire HP6 5AE First Wednesday of the month at 2.30pm

Banbury Ann Garton Secretary T: 01295 750151 E: agarton@btinternet.com Hanwell Fields Community Centre Rotary Way Banbury OX16 1ER Second Tuesday of each month from 2.15pm to 4.15pm 08 Dec 2015 Christmas Cheer: local choir, sherry, mince pies, Christmas raffle and Secret Santa 17 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at The Moon and Sixpence, Hanwell 12 Jan 2016 The Work of Waitrose: talk

by Clare Hammond 09 Feb 2016 Buying English Coins: talk

by Steven Bruce with a roadshow afterwards

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Bedford Patricia Waters Secretary T: 01234 347443 The Bunyan Meeting Mill Street Bedford MK40 3EU First Tuesday of every month at 10am 01 Dec 2015 Coffee morning and Christmas Carols 05 Jan 2016 Coffee morning and Family Fortunes 02 Feb 2016 Coffee morning and AGM

Birmingham June Oakley Chairman T: 01952 604922 Five Ways House Islington Row Five Ways Edgbaston B15 1SL Third Wednesday of each month at 11am

Coalville & Ashby Terry Watson Chairman T: 01530 835373 Thringstone Community Centre The Green Thringstone Coalville LE67 8NR Third Wednesday each month from 2pm to 4pm

Coventry Mrs J Turner Chairman T: 024 76 465382 Room 2 Gilbert Richard Centre Broadway Earsldon Coventry CV5 6NT Third Tuesday of each month at 2 pm (except November and December)

Donnington Betty Pugh Chairman T: 01952 811355 Turreff Hall Turreff Avenue Donnington TF2 8HG Every Monday at 1pm (except Bank Holidays)

Dunstable & Leighton Buzzard Mrs Janet Bliss Secretary T: 01582 661795 E: j.bliss35@btinternet.com Scout HQ Grovebury Road Leighton Buzzard LU7 4SW First Wednesday of the month at 2pm 02 Dec 2015 Christmas Party: fun, food and fellowship plus The Belles of St. Mary’s Church 20 Jan 2016 Lunch (venue to be arranged) 03 Feb 2016 AGM with time to talk. Bring & Buy, raffle and book table

Grantham Mr Maurice Whincup Chairman T: 01476 572425 E: mewhincup@gmail.com The King’s Hotel 130 North Parade Grantham NG31 8AU First Wednesday every month from 10.30am to 12 noon

Hucclecote Mrs B Arnold Secretary T: 01452 618069 Evangelical Church Colwell Avenue Hucclecote Gloucester GL3 3LX First Thursday of the month at 2pm 03 Dec 2015 Christmas Tea Party

Kidderminster Pam Hussey Local Contact T: 01562 755632 Various venues in and around Kidderminster

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WINTER 2015 www.csrf.org.uk

Third Wednesday of each month at 11am (except when lunching out) 02 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at The Fox Inn (12.30pm)

Lincoln City Jannette Hook Secretary T: 01522 803412 Mothers Union Centre St. Benedicts Church St Benedicts Square Lincoln LN5 7AR First Wednesday of the month at 10.30am 02 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch 06 Jan 2016 Bring and Buy 03 Feb 2016 AGM

Louth Mrs Margaret Bradley Secretary T: 01472 388928 Elizabeth Court Church Street Louth LN11 9BP Second and fourth Thursday of the month at 10.30am

Melton Mowbray Mr M Johnson Chairman T: 01664 566821 School Room United Reform Church Chapel Street Melton Mowbray LE13 1LZ First Tuesday of each month at 1.45pm

Nottingham Pam Bradley Chair T: 0115 938 4676 The Mechanics 3 North Sherwood Street Nottingham NG1 4EZ Second Wednesday of each month from 10.15am to 12.15pm 09 Dec 2015 Christmas Party

Nuneaton Rachel Homer Secretary T: 024 76 385845 E: rachel.homer@tesco.net The Sycamore Tree 2 Chapel Street Nuneaton CV11 5QH First Tuesday of each month at 11am for coffee mornings

Rutland Mrs Peggy Brown Chairman T: 01780 480314 Various locations for pub lunches in and around Rutland Third Wednesday of each month

Skegness Ray Morris Secretary T: 01754 762060 E: ray@bermond.co.uk Philip Grove Community Rooms Church Road South Skegness PE25 2HW First Thursday of each month from 10am to 12 noon

Sleaford & Ancaster Mike Smith Chairman T: 01526 833273 E: mjs_consultation@hotmail.com Bristol Bowls Club Boston Road Sleaford NG34 7HH Sleaford: First Thursday of the month at 10.15am Bristol Bowls Club Boston Road Sleaford NG34 7HH Ancaster: Second Wednesday of the month at 10.15am to 12 noon Angel Court Ancaster Grantham NG32 3PR 03 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at the Barge and Bottle in Sleaford

Solihull Margaret Smith Secretary T: 0121 744 6150 E: me.smith@talktalk.net Assembly Rooms Poplar Road Solihull B91 3AD Second Monday of each month at 10am

Stamford Mrs B Smith Chairman/Secretary T: 01780 755437 Tenter Court Wharf Road Stamford PE9 2EZ Last Thursday of the month at 2.15pm

Wigston Mrs J Collins Vice Chairman T: 0116 288 7802 The Elms Social & Service Club (formerly The Royal British Legion) Launceston Road Wigston LE18 2BA Second and fourth Monday of each month from 1.30pm to 4pm (Bank Holidays permitting) 14 Dec 2015 Christmas Party 11 Jan 2016 Visual Illusions: talk by David Siddons 25 Jan 2016 (Belated) Xmas Lunch at Ullesthorpe Court 08 Feb 2016 Leicester Trams: talk by John Lessells 22 Feb 2016 Bring & Buy

Worcester Leigh Watkins Secretary T: 01905 774034 Perdiswell Young Peoples’ Leisure Club Droitwich Road (opposite Checketts Lane) Worcester WR3 7SN Second Wednesday of the month at 1pm 09 Dec 2015 Christmas Buffet 13 Jan 2016 New Year Meal 10 Feb 2016 TBA

EASTERN ENGLAND & EAST ANGLIA Attleborough Mrs D Parker Secretary T: 01953 456958 Methodist Church Hall London Road Attleborough NR17 2BY Third Thursday of the month from 10am to 12 noon and other events listed below 17 Dec 2015 Christmas Party 21 Jan 2016 The Dogs Trust: talk 28 Jan 2016 Post-Christmas Lunch at Sherborne House Feb 2016 Outing to London for Brick Lane Pantomime (date to be confirmed) 18 Feb 2016 Monthly Meeting and AGM

Aylsham & District Pam Bailey Social Secretary T: 01263 731421 Friends Meeting House Pegg’s Yard Red Lion Street Aylsham Norfolk NR11 6ER Second Monday of each month at 10am for 10.30am (unless it’s a Bank Holiday) 14 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at The Beechwood Hotel, North Walsham 11 Jan 2016 AGM 08 Feb 2016 My Life in Engineering: talk

by Norman Watson

Celebrating

Years

Billericay Mr J R Smith T: 01277 622156 Mr Cecil Featherstone E: feathb-cay@tiscali.co.uk Various locations for informal lunches in and around Billericay 21 Jan 2016 Informal Lunch at the Blue Boar, High Street at 12.30pm

Bury St. Edmunds Mrs Doreen Ginn Chairman T: 01284 755256 West End Home Guard Club Abbot Road Bury St. Edmunds IP33 3UB Second Wednesday of each month at 10am 09 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch 13 Jan 2016 Confessions of a Factory Inspector: talk by Graham Higgins 10 Feb 2016 AGM and Beetle Drive

Colchester Joan Gomer Secretary T: 01206 794656 Straight Road Community Centre 329 Straight Road Colchester CO3 9EF Third Monday of each month at 2pm 11 Dec 2015 Christmas Meal 21 Dec 2015 No meeting 18 Jan 2016 Catchphrase 15 Feb 2016 AGM

Harlow Mrs Edna McNaughton Secretary T: 01279 865102 E: edian.mcnaughton@tesco.net Toby Carvery Edinburgh Gate Harlow CM20 2LQ First Friday of the month at 12 noon

Ilford

Hotel Kirkley Cliff Lowestoft NR33 0BZ First (at the Victoria Hotel) and third Wednesday (at Ex-Servicemens’ Club) of each month at 10.30am

Newmarket Mike Hastings Chairman T: 01638 661065 E: micbra@mypostoffice.co.uk The Ancient Order ff Foresters Hall Kingston Passage Newmarket CB8 8EN Second Wednesday of each month at 2pm 09 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch (TBA)

Norwich Mary Weatherhead Secretary T: 01603 410821 Reading Room Doughty’s Hospital Golden Dog Lane Norwich NR3 1BP Second Monday of each month at 10am for 10.30am 09 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch 14 Dec 2015 Christmas Party 11 Jan 2016 Members’ Meeting and Bring & Buy Sale 08 Feb 2016 AGM and Quiz

Radlett Mrs Shirley Herbert Secretary T: 020 8953 2999 Monthly at local restaurants for coffee or lunch - further details from Secretary

Rayleigh Mrs F Cohen Social Secretary T: 01702 342426 Cloister West Parish Rooms Rayleigh Church Rectory Garth (off Hockley Road) Rayleigh SS6 8BA First Thursday of each month from 2pm to 4pm

David Hubbard Social Secretary T: 020 8550 1533 E: dhubbard777@gmail.com St. Andrew’s Church Hall The Drive Ilford IG1 3JQ Third Monday of the month at 1.30pm (except December) 14 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch

Mrs E Mansfield Chairperson T: 01279 755458 The Chequers Public House Cambridge Road Ugley Bishops Stortford CM22 6HZ Second Monday in the month (around four times a year) from 12-12.30pm for lunch

Ipswich

Shoeburyness

Saffron Walden

Eva Stevens Secretary T: 07765 588467 E: evajs@yahoo.co.uk Museum Street Methodist Church Hall Blackhorse Lane Ipswich IP1 2EF First Wednesday of the month at 2pm 02 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch and Carols

Mrs F Cohen Social Secretary T: 01702 342426 The Salvation Army Hall Frobisher Way Shoeburyness SS3 8UT First Tuesday of each month from 2pm to 4pm

Loughton

Mrs B G Hill Secretary T: 01727 858198 E: barbara.hill5@ntlworld.com Friends Meeting House Upper Lattimore Road St. Albans AL1 3UD First Thursday of the month at 10.15am

Peter White Treasurer T: 020 8508 5442 Jazz Archive Room Loughton Library Traps Hill Loughton IG10 1HD Third Monday of each month at 2pm 21 Dec 2015 Favourite Christmases of the Past 18 Jan 2016 TBA 15 Feb 2016 A History of the Civil Service

Lowestoft Mike Chester T: 01502 476629 E: mikewc10@gmail.com Ex-Servicemens’ Club Gordon Road Town Centre Lowestoft NR32 1DY and Victoria

St. Albans

Swaffham David Moore Chairman T: 01760 723740 Methodist Church Hall London Street Swaffham PE37 7DD Third Tuesday of the month at 10.15am 15 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch plus Secret Santa 19 Jan 2016 New Year Lunch 16 Feb 2016 TBA

Westcliff On Sea Mrs F Cohen Social Secretary T: 01702 342426 Balmoral Community Centre Salisbury Avenue Westcliff on Sea SS0 7AU Fourth Wednesday of each month from 2pm to 4pm

Wickford Peter Blake Chairman and Secretary T: 01268 583060 Christchurch Hall Rear of 44 High Street Wickford SS12 9AJ Second Thursday of each month from 1.30pm to 3.30pm

Witham Mrs P Rogers Group Secretary T: 01376 514539 Witham Methodist Church Hall Guithavon Street Witham Essex CM8 1BJ Last Tuesday of each month at 10.30am (except December when an alternative date will be agreed)

SOUTHERN ENGLAND Aldershot Mrs Gloria Wetherill Social Secretary T: 01252 345318 E: rayglo227@talktalk.net Holy Trinity Church Galpin Hall Windsor Way Aldershot Hampshire GU11 3HE Second Thursday of the month from 1pm to 4pm 10 Dec 2015 Christmas Party and singalong to Christmas Carols with Hand Bell Ringers 14 Jan 2016 Open Forum to talk about 2016 Activities 11 Feb 2016 AGM followed by a game of Hoy

Arun Jim Underwood Treasurer T: 01903 709033 E: jimunderwood9@hotmail.com St. Joseph’s Convent Franciscan Way Littlehampton BN17 6AU Second Wednesday of each month at 2pm.

Please use entrance in East Street if arriving by car

Ascot & Sunningdale Pam Drummer Secretary T: 01344 774849 E: roypamdr@talktalk.net De Vere Venues Sunningdale Park Larch Avenue Ascot SL5 0QE Third Friday of each month from 2 noon to 4pm 11 Dec 2015 (2nd Friday) Christmas Lunch 15 Jan 2016 The Return of the Red Kite: talk by Nigel Snell 19 Feb 2016 Quiz: Beryl & John Bailes

Basingstoke Tony Brazier Secretary T: 01256 418770 E: bjmapbr@ntlworld.com Brookvale Community Association Hall Lower Brook Street Basingstoke RG21 7SD

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First Wednesday of each month at 10am.

Please note that all trips will be subject to a minimum number of bookings 02 Dec 2015 Christmas Entertainment: The Purple People 10 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch 06 Jan 2016 Antarctica: talk by Ian McEvoy 03 Feb 2016 Mervyn’s Coaches: talk by Mervyn Annetts 18 Feb 2016 Trip to The Ghurkha Museum and Winchester (includes lunch)

Bournemouth Ringwood & District

Bexhill

Bournemouth - Swanage

Elizabeth Leahy Secretary T: 01424 214042 Bexhill Sailing Club Marina Bexhill-on-Sea TN40 1LA Fourth Tuesday of each month at 10am (except December) 10 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at The Hydro, Eastbourne 26 Jan 2016 Coffee morning and Quiz 23 Feb 2016 AGM

Bognor Regis & Chichester Mrs Heather Olive Group Chairperson T: 01903 778543 Jeneses Community Arts Centre 45 Linden Road Bognor Regis West Sussex PO21 2AS Last Thursday of the month from 2pm to 4pm 26 Nov 2015 Christmas Party and Raffle 31 Dec 2015 No meeting 28 Jan 2016 Postcards: talk by Juliet Thomas 25 Feb 2016 The History of Gunpowder: talk by Brian Fielding

Bournemouth - Boscombe & Southbourne Paul Tabor Chairman T: 01202 422493 E: paul.tabor@tesco.net St. Katherine’s Church Hall Church Road Southbourne BH6 4AR First Wednesday of each month at 10am 02 Dec 2015 Christmas Eats and Quiz 06 Jan 2016 No meeting 03 Feb 2016 Wartime Favourites: talk

by John Symonds

Bournemouth - Central Alan Carter T: 01202 292720

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

Bournemouth New Forest Sandy Whittaker Chairman T: 023 8028 2157 New Milton Community Centre Osborne Road New Milton BH25 6EA Second Tuesday of each month at 10.15am 08 Dec 2015 Policing Victorian Dorset: talk by Maurice Hann

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Ron Fisher Chairman T: 01202 896315 E: CSRF.ringwood@gmail.com Trinity Centre Christchurch Road Ringwood BH24 1DH First Friday of each month at 10am. Pub lunches are 12 noon for 12.30pm. Any change of venue will be announced at the preceding coffee morning, or ask the Committee 04 Dec 2015 Christmas Celebration 08 Jan 2016 Beetle Drive 05 Feb 2016 TBA

Mrs Irene Greenaway T: 01929 423394

Chandlers Ford Ken Willcocks Chairman T: 023 8076 0102 Chandlers Ford Community Centre Hursley Road Chandlers Ford Eastleigh Hampshire SO53 2FT First Friday of the month at 10am 04 Dec 2015 Monet, his home and garden at Giverny: talk by Jennifer Carter 15 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at Keats Restaurant, Ampfield 12 noon 08 Jan 2016 Roaming Free, life between the grids: talk by Suzanne Kempe 05 Feb 2016 Hampshire Autism: talk by Georgia O’Rourke

Crawley & District Jim Piercey Chairman T: 01293 409332 Bill Buck Room Crawley Library Southgate Avenue Crawley RH10 6HG Fourth Friday of the month at 2pm (except December)

Hastings & St. Leonards John Hall Chairman T: 01424 813355 Please contact the Chairman for details

Mid Sussex Mike Mason Chairman T: 01444 245289 E: michael_mason6@hotmail.com Millfield Suite Cyprus Hall Cyprus Road Burgess Hill RH15 8DX Fourth Wednesday of each month at 10am (December may vary) 25 Nov 2015 Coffee morning and Scrabble 08 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch (details from Mike Mason 01444 245289) 16 Dec 2015 Coffee morning with a Seasonal Flavour 27 Jan 2016 Coffee morning and AGM 24 Feb 2016 Coffee morning and The Argus Newspaper: talk by Paul Green

Newbury Roger Walker Chairman T: 01635 44575 E: colonelrog@hotmail.com St. John’s Church Room Newtown Road Newbury Newtown Road Newbury Rg14 Second Monday of the month at 2.15pm

07 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at The Chequers 14 Dec 2015 Christmas Party (St. Johns Room) 11 Jan 2016 Group AGM 01 Feb 2016 Committee Meeting 08 Feb 2016 Odd Odes and True Stories: talk

Portsmouth & Southsea Edda Rea Chairman T: 023 92 753581 St. Simon’s Church Hall Waverley Road Southsea PO5 2PW Second Wednesday of the month at 10.30am and fourth Wednesday of the month at 2.30pm 09 Dec 2015 Christmas Coffee morning with Sherry, Mince Pies and a Christmas Gift 12 Dec 2015 Visit to Salisbury Christmas Market 16 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at the Holiday Inn 13 Jan 2016 After-Christmas Sale 27 Jan 2016 Quizzes and Cakes 10 Feb 2016 AGM 24 Feb 2016 Southsea Reel Club (Scottish Dancers)

Reading West & Tilehurst David Cox Secretary T: 0118 958 6311 United Reformed Church Hall Polsted Road (off Armour Road) Tilehurst Reading RG31 6HN Last Wednesday of the month at 2pm (unless otherwise stated)

Stubbington Peter Stilwell Secretary T: 023 92 527346 E: amy_stilwell@hotmail.com Catholic Church Hall Bells Lane Stubbington Hampshire PO14 2PL Second Thursday of each month at 2pm (meeting) and last Tuesday of each month at 10.30am (Coffee morning) (except December).

On the Tuesday following the Thursday meeting we have a pub lunch 26 Nov 2015 Trip to Salisbury Christmas Market 03 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at The Masonic Hall, Gosport 10 Dec 2015 Christmas Tea and Jollifications, including carols by local school 14 Jan 2016 Silly Songs and Anecdotes: talk 26 Jan 2016 Coffee morning 11 Feb 2016 Group AGM 23 Feb 2016 Coffee morning

Tadley Mr D MacLean Chairman T: 0118 970 1290 Tadley Community Centre Newchurch Road Tadley RG26 4HN First Thursday of each month at 1.15pm for 1.45pm (excepting in unusual circumstances when advance notice is given to our members) 03 Dec 2015 Songs from the Shows with Carol Edgar 07 Jan 2016 Ukulele Group 04 Feb 2016 Police Dog Handling: talk by Simon Williams

Celebrating

Years

Worthing David Keeling Chairman T: 01903 248663 United Reformed Church Hall Shaftesbury Avenue Worthing BN12 4ET (just south of Durrington Railway Bridge: entrance in Barrington Road) Third Tuesday of each month at 10am (coffee at 9.45am) 08 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch 19 Jan 2016 My Life at Sea: talk by Arthur Devanney 16 Feb 2016 AGM

SOUTH WEST ENGLAND Amesbury Joe Rooney Acting Chairman T: 01722 333885 Antrobus House 39 Salisbury Road Amesbury SP4 7HH First Tuesday of the month at 2pm (unless otherwise stated) 01 Dec 2015 Christmas Tea 15 Dec 2015 Christmas Meal

Bath Ros Kedge ChairmanT: 01225 443176 St. John’s Parish Hall South Parade Bath BA2 4AF Coffee mornings on the first Thursday of each month at 10.30am (except January when it may be the second Thursday) 04 Dec 2015 Christmas Coffee morning 07 Jan 2016 New Year Coffee morning

Bideford Sylvia Moody T: 01237 471334 Griggs Close Community Centre Northam Bideford Devon EX39 1BR Second Friday in the month at 10.30am

Blandford Forum Mrs Margaret Chambers Secretary T: 01258 456572 Please contact the Secretary for venue details Second Friday of each month at 11am

Bradford-On-Avon Mr M Wickham Secretary T: 01225 864541 E: lindamorgan1975@btinternet.com United Reformed Church Hall St. Margarets Street Bradford-on-Avon BA15 1DD Second Monday of each month at 2.15pm 07 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at Leigh Park Hotel 11 Jan 2016 New Year Party 08 Feb 2016 AGM with Quiz

Brixham Brenda Smith T: 01803 559466 E: brenda54@talktalk.net Various local Restaurants, usually Waterside Usually second Thursday of the month at 12 noon

Burnham-On-Sea Mrs Joyce Beard Secretary/Treasurer T: 01278 782650 E: joyful18@live.co.uk Apex Park Marine Drive Burnham-on-Sea TA8 3YY

Fourth Tuesday in each month from 10.30am (except December) 26 Jan 2016 AGM at Crossways Inn, West Huntspill at 2pm

Chard Gordon Baker Secretary T: 01460 73333 Donyatt Bowling Club Ilminster Somerset TA19 0RG Third Thursday of the month at 10.30am

Chippenham David Gardner Chairman T: 01249 658431 Chippenham Museum 10 Market Place Chippenham SN15 3HF First Wednesday of each month at 2pm 02 Dec 2015 Music and Mirth and Christmas Tea: with Margaret & John Craig 06 Jan 2016 No meeting 03 Feb 2016 Walks on Ascension Island: talk by Deirdre Aldous

Crediton Miss M Steer Chairman T: 01363 866256 Various venues in and around Crediton First Friday of each month at 12 Noon for lunch unless there is a trip planned. Trips are announced in the local paper

Dawlish Mrs M Carter Chairman T: 01626 888275 The Manor House Old Town Street Dawlish Devon EX7 9AP Third Friday of each month at 2pm 27 Nov 2015 Autumn Lunch 18 Dec 2015 The History of Christmas with food 15 Jan 2016 AGM and Quiz 19 Feb 2016 TBA

Dorchester Mike Rogers Chairman/Treasurer T: 01308 420755 E: michael@mikerogers3.plus.com Dorset Youth HQ Lubbecke Way Dorchester DT1 1QL Third Thursday of the month at 10.15am for 10.30am till 12.30-1pm 08 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch 21 Jan 2016 Telling Tales, the Life of an East London shopkeeper’s children 1910-1930: talk 16 Feb 2016 Lunch out in Dorchester (please note this is a Tuesday)

Exeter Mrs Cathy Tyrrell Chairman T: 01392 879022 Please contact the Chairman for further details

Exmouth Carol Brett Secretary T: 01395 442671 Wings Club (formerly RAFA) Imperial Road Exmouth Devon EX8 1DB First Wednesday of each month at 10am 02 Dec 2015 Coffee morning (11am) followed by Christmas Lunch at venue 06 Jan 2016 Coffee morning 03 Feb 2016 Coffee morning

19 Feb 2016 Annual Luncheon at Manor Hotel (please note this is a Friday)

Liskeard & Pensilva Shirley Waye Chair/Secretary T: 01579 346089 E: shirleywaye@gmail.com Refreshment Rooms Liskeard Public Hall West Street Liskeard Cornwall PL14 6BW Last Wednesday of each month at 10am (except December) 25 Nov 2015 Group meeting 17 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at Trethorne Leisure 27 Jan 2016 AGM 24 Feb 2016 TBA

Princetown Mike Fitzpatrick Secretary T: 01822 890799 E: mikeandkate3@talktalk.net Prince Of Wales Tavistock Road Princetown PL20 6QF First Thursday of the month at 12.30pm 03 Dec 2015 Dartmoor’s Myths and Legends: talk by Tom Sobey 17 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch and Party.

Entertainment by Geoff Lakeman and ‘Speakeasy’.

Booking essential, please contact Mike. Grand Draw starts at 11am 07 Jan 2016 The Railways of our Past: talk by Stephen Fry 04 Feb 2016 My Life as a Police Officer: talk by Simon Dell

Salisbury Plain Mr Roy German Secretary T: 01980 653446 E: royandvi@live.co.uk The Village Hall High Street Durrington Salisbury SP4 8AD Third Tuesday of each month at 2.30pm 15 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch and Draw 19 Jan 2016 New Year Party 16 Feb 2016 AGM

Sidmouth Margaret Adams Chairman T: 01395 577622 E: rjadams39@waitrose.com Sidholme Hotel Elysian Fields Sidmouth EX10 8UJ Second Wednesday of each month at 10.25am and lunches listed below at 12.30pm 25 Nov 2015 Lunch at Cat & Fiddle, near Exeter 09 Dec 2015 Lunch at Sidmouth Golf Club

Somerton Colin McIntyre Secretary T: 01458 223953 The Two Brewers Leigh Road Street Somerset BA16 0HB Third Tuesday of the month at 11.30am

Tamar/Tavy (Tavistock) David Askew Secretary T: 01822 612274 E: daveandjennyaskew@gmail.com Burrator Inn Princetown Road Dousland Yelverton PL20 6NP Second Thursday of the month at 12.30pm 10 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch

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Taunton

Weymouth

Mick Grigg Chairman T: 01823 272046 E: mfgrigg@talktalk.net Lawns Social Club (formerly Royal British Legion Club) Mary Street Taunton TA1 3PE Second Friday of the month at 10.30am (if Public Holiday then third Friday) 11 Dec 2015 Christmas Party 08 Jan 2016 Bring & Buy Sale and time to chat 12 Feb 2016 AGM

Geoff Greenstreet Secretary T: 01305 832432 St. Nicholas Church Buxton Road Weymouth DT4 9PJ Second Thursday of each month at 2.30pm and fourth Wednesday for Coffee mornings at the Coffee Shop in the Weymouth Bay Methodist Church Melcombe Avenue near Green Hill (unless otherwise stated) 25 Nov 2015 Coffee morning 10 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at The Lodmoor 23 Dec 2015 Coffee morning 14 Jan 2016 Portland Spies: talk by Rod Harris 27 Jan 2016 New Year Lunch at The Marquis of Granby 11 Feb 2016 Salt: talk by Daphne Pont 24 Feb 2016 Coffee morning

Trowbridge Peter Collins Secretary T: 01225 340580 E: csrftrow@which.net Please note our change of meeting venues: First Wednesday of each month (Coffee mornings) at The Wiltshire Yeoman Chilmark Road Trowbridge BA14 9DD at 10.30am and third Wednesday of each month (Monthly Meetings) at Trowbridge Cricket Club The County Ground Lower Court Trowbridge BA14 8PX at 2pm (except for arranged coach trips) 02 Dec 2015 Coffee morning at the The Wiltshire Yeoman at 10.30am 16 Dec 2015 Christmas Party Lunch a Southwick Scout Hut at 12.30 for 1pm 20 Jan 2016 AGM and Monthly Meeting at Trowbridge Cricket Club at 2pm

Westbury (Wiltshire) Ken Holloway Chairman T: 01373 864049 E: kenmoholloway@metronet.co.uk Paragon Hall Haynes Road Westbury Wiltshire BA13 3HA Third Monday of each month at 1.45pm for 2pm 21 Dec 2015 Christmas Party Jan 2016 No meetings or outings Feb 2016 No meetings or outings

Westbury-On-Trym Beryl Webb Secretary T: 01454 614451 Studland Court Henleaze Road Henleaze BS9 4JY First Thursday of each month at 2pm 03 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at Toby Carvery, Henbury (prebooking essential) 07 Jan 2016 Afternoon Tea and Quiz 04 Feb 2016 AGM

Weston-Super-Mare Margaret Cole Chairperson T: 01934 514309 E: margaretcole@btinternet.com Friends Meeting House High Street WestonSuper-Mare BS23 1JF First and third Thursday of the month at 10am 08 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at The Commodore Hotel, Sand Bay 21 Jan 2016 Coffee morning followed by lunch at The Sidcot Hotel, Sidcot, Somerset

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WINTER 2015 www.csrf.org.uk

Yate & District Donald Kirkham Chairman T: 01454 317242 E: donald@kirkham3.orangehome.co.uk Yate Parish Hall Station Road Yate BS37 4PQ Fourth Tuesday of the month at 2pm (except December) 08 Dec 2015 Christmas Party and Entertainment with a talk on Xmas of Yesterday by Mrs P E Clements 26 Jan 2016 Tax Care, Toy Boys and Long Term Care: talk by John Ambrose 23 Feb 2016 Quakers in South Gloucestershire: talk by Mr R Anderson

LONDON & SOUTH EAST ENGLAND Bexleyheath Brian O’Brien-Wheeler Chairman T: 020 8311 1608 St. Andrews Church Hall Brampton Road Bexleyheath Kent DA7 5SF First three Wednesdays in every month from 1.45 to 3.45pm 02 Dec 2015 Annie Gee, Singer 09 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch 06 Jan 2016 The Good Companion Singers: talk by Norah Staines 13 Jan 2016 Buckingham Palace Gardens: talk by Jim Buttress 20 Jan 2016 Social Afternoon and AGM 03 Feb 2016 The Day Peace Broke Out: talk by Mike Brown 10 Feb 2016 A Cruise down Father Thames: talk by Colin Burring 17 Feb 2016 Social Afternoon and Quiz

Enfield Mrs Susan Bentley Secretary T: 020 8360 4361 St. Andrew’s Church Hall Silver Street Enfield EN1 3EG First Monday of the month at 10.30am (unless a Bank Holiday when it will be the

second Monday). Refreshments available at all meetings from 10am 26 Nov 2015 (Thursday)Pre-Christmas Lunch (bookings only) 07 Dec 2015 Christmas Party 04 Jan 2016 A Musical Interlude by Carl Pulman 01 Feb 2016 AGM

Harrow Mr John Pickard Chairman T: 020 8866 5708 E: ja.pickard@btinternet.com St. Albans Church Hall Norwood Drive North Harrow HA2 7PF Last Tuesday of the month at 2pm (except December) 26 Nov 2015 Christmas Lunch at The Cumberland Hotel, Harrow at 12.30pm 26 Jan 2016 The Best of British Jazz with Peter Vacher 23 Feb 2016 Being a Game Maker at the Olympic Games: talk by Mrs B James

Hounslow Roy Woods Chairman T: 020 8230 5533 United Reformed Church Hall 114 Hanworth Road Hounslow TW3 1UF Second Tuesday of the each month 1.30 for 2pm 12 Jan 2016 Travelogue: illustrated talk

by Roy Woods 09 Feb 2016 AGM

Kingston & District Helen Stanley Secretary T: 020 8946 2768 Kingston Methodist Church Hall Avenue Road Kingston KT1 2UJ Third Tuesday of each month at 2pm 15 Dec 2015 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: talk by Jonathon Jones 19 Jan 2016 Runes: illustrated talk by Prof Michael Barnes 16 Feb 2016 Ernest Shackleton and The Endurance Expedition: talk

by Carol Harris

Leatherhead Anne Thomson Secretary T: 01372 373258 E: anner.thomson@talktalk.net John Rumble Hall Fetcham Village Hall The Street Fetcham KT22 9QS First Friday of each month at 10am (except January 2016) 04 Dec 2015 Christmas Meeting 08 Jan 2016 Water for Health: talk by Jo Hedges, Sutton and East Surrey Water 05 Feb 2016 My Family and other Setbacks: talk by Mel Rees

London - Catford & Lewisham Doreen Hughes Secretary T: 020 8461 4800 St Laurence Church Hall 37 Bromley Road Catford London SE6 2TS Second Tuesday of every month at 10am, we have a Table Top Sale at each coffee morning all donations will be gratefully received

Celebrating

Years

London - Clapham Miss M Farley Secretary T: 020 8870 7361 Staff Restaurant 4th Floor Pcs 160 Falcon Road London SW11 2LN First Thursday of each month at 10.15am

London – Croydon, Dulwich & Norwood Miss M Bacon Secretary T: 020 8761 2158 Railway Club Selhurst Station Approach Selhurst SE25 5PL Fourth Tuesday of each month at 10.30am (except December) 22 Dec 2015 No meeting 26 Jan 2016 New Year Quiz 23 Feb 2016 Bring & Buy

London - Edmonton Mrs Sheila Lamonte Chairperson T: 020 8886 7873 Ambassador Room Millfield House Silver Street London N18 1PJ Third Monday of each month from 10am to 12 noon 16 Nov 2015 The Work of the Enfield Food Bank: talk 21 Dec 2015 Christmas Party 18 Jan 2016 AGM 15 Feb 2016 TBA

London - Eltham Phyllis Duignan Chair/Treasurer T: 020 8265 0810 E: phyllis.duignan@gmail.com United Reformed Church sherard Hall Court Road Eltham SE9 5AD Fourth Thursday of each month at 10am to 12 noon (except December when it is the second Thursday) 26 Nov 2015 Coffee morning followed

by Highlights of a Stunt Life: talk by Lucy Alan 10 Dec 2015 Coffee morning followed

by Christmas Cards, Bumper Raffle and Mince Pies 15 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at Limoncello Restaurant, Sidcup 17 Dec 2015 Sing-a-long Carols at the Royal Albert Hall 14 Jan 2016 Coach Outing to Bluewater followed by lunch at the Fighting Cocks pub 28 Jan 2016 Coffee morning followed

by Shelterbox Charity: talk

London - Stockwell Mr D Stannard Secretary T: 020 7720 0982 Please contact the Secretary for venue details.

Fourth Thursday of each month at 2pm (except December)

London - Streatham & Norbury Mrs J E Winter Secretary T: 020 8764 6450 The Glebe Sheltered Housing Complex Prentis Road London SW16 1QR Second Tuesday of each month at 2pm Note: The Glebe is currently being

refurbished and therefore the programme below may be subject to cancellation. Please contact the Secretary for information 08 Dec 2015 Christmas Party (cost £3 per head) 12 Jan 2016 TBA 09 Feb 2016 TBA

Maidstone Keith Hunter Chairman T: 01622 746792 Methodist Church Centre Brewer Street Maidstone ME14 1RU Second Monday of the month at 2pm 03 Dec 2015 Xmas Lunch at The White Rabbit Maidstone 14 Dec 2015 Xmas Celebrations 11 Jan 2016 Games 08 Feb 2016 Lunch of Fish and Chips followed by AGM

Orpington Peter Standen Vice Chairman T: 01689 833358 The Memorial Hall Methodist Church Sevenoaks Road Orpington BR6 9JH First Friday in the month at 1.45pm 04 Dec 2015 Humorous Acting Stories: talk 08 Jan 2016 Quiz and New Year Entertainment 05 Feb 2016 AGM and Trading Standards: talk

Romney Marsh Win Owen Chair T: 01797 362598 E: winefrideowen@aol.com The Assembly Rooms Church Approach New Romney Kent TN28 8AS Second Wednesday of the month from 10am to 12 noon 09 Dec 2015 Social Meeting and on to Newchurch House Restaurant for Christmas Dinner afterwards 15 Jan 2016 AGM followed by Young Dickens’ London: talk by Ian Porter 10 Feb 2016 The History of the Canal System in Britain: talk by Len Howell

Sanderstead & Selsdon Ralph Perryman Local Contact T: 020 8657 3487 E: ralph.perryman172@btinternet.com Various venues for lunch, please contact Ralph Perryman for confirmation of lunch details 10 Dec 2015 Lunch at Toby Carvery Brighton Road (12 for 12.30pm) 21 Jan 2016 Lunch at McDermott’s, Foresdale Centre (12 for 12.30pm)

South East Middlesex Mrs June Brown Secretary T: 020 8891 4680 E: junebrownuk@hotmail.com Various venues in and around Twickenham Various venues, dates and times. Please contact the Secretary for further details 09 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch

Staines Dorothy Dib Secretary T: 01784 441990 Various restaurants for lunch in and around Staines Third Tuesday of each month

Sutton Pam Davis Social Secretary T: 020 8641 2114 Friends Meeting House 10 Cedar Road Sutton SM2 5DA Last Monday of the month from 1.45 to 3.30pm (please note new times) except December 30 Nov 2015 American Supper (aka Bring, Share and Eat) 10 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at the Casa Nostra Restaurant, Mulgrave Road, Sutton 13 Jan 2016 Outing to see a Magnificent Music Hall Matinee at Wimbledon Theatre 25 Jan 2016 AGM and Social Afternoon 01 Feb 2016 Informal Lunch at the Lord Nelson, London Road, North Cheam 29 Feb 2016 The History of Epsom Coaches: talk by Steve Whiteway

Worcester Park John Wright Secretary T: 020 8337 8965 E: johnandglenisw@gmail.com Old Malden Scout Hall 411 Malden Road Worcester Park KT4 7NY First Monday each month from 2pm to 4pm (if the first Monday is a Bank Holiday then meeting will be held on the second Monday) 07 Dec 2015 Christmas Lunch at The Hogsmill, Old Malden Lane, Worcester Park 04 Jan 2016 The History of the English Toastmaster: talk by David Pearson 01 Feb 2016 UFOs - their History, Culture and Government Agencies: talk by Lionel Beer

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.

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the last word : JOANNA DAVID

my favourite THINGS

Actress Joanna David’s career spans film, television and theatre. Her TV credits include: Rebecca, playing opposite Jeremy Brett; the BBC’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, alongside Colin Firth; Bleak House; Miss Marple; Foyle’s War; Inspector Morse; and most recently the hit ITV drama Downton Abbey. She has also appeared in many films, and recently starred in BBC Radio 4’s adaptation of War and Peace.

PAINTING

Vincent Van Gogh’s Shoes, because they remind me of two people I love: my husband (actor Edward Fox) and actress Phyllida Law.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. When I was about 15 I saw the film with Dirk Bogarde and then I read it later. The characters are so incredibly vivid and it’s such a nail biting romantic story.

Piece of music

Jacqueline du Pré’s recording of Elgar’s cello concerto. She was a friend of mine and her Elgar is so passionate. I only knew her when she was ill but I sat with her and we listened to the recording she’d made some years before.

Film

Roman Holiday is a divine film.

It makes you laugh, it’s romantic, it’s just glorious.

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WINTER 2015 www.csrf.org.uk

destination

Animal

Colour

Historical Figure

Kimmeridge, by the sea in Dorset. I’ve been going there since I was 23, and took my children there throughout their lives.

Cornflower blue. I love cornflowers in wild meadows and their colour is the best.

Hedgehog. I want to adopt a couple.

Prince Charles. He’s a remarkable, enlightened human being.

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Novel

Flower

Quotation TS Eliot: ‘And so each venture is a new beginning’ from Four Quartets.

You can apply it to so many things.

Aquilegia. I first saw them years ago, when my husband gave me a Dürer print with one in it, and I’ve loved them ever since.

Joanna is a long term supporter of the National Brain Appeal, and will be one of the guest readers at the charity’s Carol Concert on Thursday 10 December at St George’s Church, Queen Square, London WC1N.

Celebrating

Years