ROMSEY and District
Low-down in the Lockdown Bulletin No.7 - 5 August 2020 Our seventh ‘Low-down in the Lockdown’ comes as we find some restrictions are being lifted but wearing masks (correctly!) becomes more important. Activity centres are opening up too so, as usual, do continue to Stay Safe, Keep Active & Keep Well as you start to make your way back out into ‘normality’. Our August NEWSLETTER will be with you in two weeks, when there will be lots more for you to read. Thank you again to anyone who has contributed to the articles - what amazing talents you have!
Do you remember ... … when we used to hold monthly meetings in Crosfield Hall and Annual General Meetings in May? So much has changed this year: lockdown started on 23 March and although some restrictions have been lifted, large gatherings are still not permitted.
Romsey and District U3A is run by members for members. Your group leaders run 59 topic groups to support a wide range of member interests and activities. Many have risen to the challenge of regularly keeping in touch with their members during the lockdown; some groups have remained active online.
In this last year, your committee of 14 trustees has met 4 times. Members of your U3A have produced newsletters, ‘Low-down in the Lockdown’ bulletins, met and greeted and served coffee and biscuits at monthly meetings, arranged speakers and chairs, established new groups and so on. These committee members, group leaders and many other willing volunteers keep Romsey & District U3A alive.
PLEASE show your appreciation by ATTENDING YOUR ONLINE AGM on 19 August at 10.30. You will be sent the Zoom link nearer the time. Papers for the meeting have already been sent to you but are available here on our website. Immediately following the short AGM there will be a talk ‘Keeping Your Data Safe’ in which Sylvia Croxall (Introduction to Computers group leader) will help you to keep fraudsters out of your devices and away from your money. She will cover website fraud, email fraud, telephone fraud and social networking fraud.
Monthly Meetings Our July main meeting was an interesting talk by Dan Ball from the Army Flying Museum at Middle Wallop. The Museum charts over 100 years of the British Army in the air. With over 35 fixed wing and rotary aircraft on display, including a WWII Spitfire, it is the perfect place to explore the fascinating history of Army aviation. Dan wore their hats as he told inspiring and harrowing stories about the people involved and showed us items such as uniforms, medals, equipment and photographs. We even heard that the first Air Balloons were made from bovine intestines and filled with hydrogen! During the WWII D-Day invasion, large numbers of troops, vehicles, weapons, equipment and supplies were landed in France using gliders, flown by highly-trained soldiers of the Glider Pilot Regiment. As the invasion force advanced, gun fire from artillery batteries and Royal Navy ships was directed onto targets by Army pilots in small aircraft from the Air Observation Post Squadrons, who provided aviation support wherever they were needed. RAF Middle Wallop was declared operational in April 1940 and became a Spitfire base during the Battle of Britain in 1940, hosting key squadrons and their aces. Over 100 knitted Pilots on Parade are now on display, ready to welcome you to the Museum, open by pre-booked tickets only. The next Outreach project is for a Remembrance art installation of Magnificent Mini Medals and poppies in November - can you knit or crochet one (or more)? Meanwhile, online, six Lockdown lectures of 10 minutes long, are showing in August. GROUP ACTIVITIES Thanks to group leaders Sheila, Adrian and David, PICKLEBALL has started again, following their group’s Risk Assessment. Now outdoors at North Baddesley recreation ground, both tennis courts are used, which are completely on their own, enclosed but surrounded by a big open field and trees. A sanitising station is set up, and social distancing is easy. Reusable tape makes court markings clearer; each person has an individual bat, with outside balls which are sanitised after each game, as advised by the Lawn Tennis Association. Everyone takes their own chair for when they are ‘resting’! Sheila says, “It’s so lovely to see some of the group after such a long time.” (Do YOU know what Pickleball is?) Are you driving your car again? MOT TESTS became mandatory from 1 August. If your car was due for its MOT between 30 March and 31 July, you have a 6-month extension but make sure it is still safe to drive. This Which? article explains more here including what to do if you are ‘shielding’. Page 1 of 2