Caernarfon Castle

Day 1 We depart in our private executive coach and en route to our hotel we visit the National Memorial Arboretum near Litchfield. On arrival in Caernarfon we check in at the 3* Celtic Royal Hotel for a four night stay on half-board basis.

Day 2 in the morning we meet our Blue Badge Guide who will accompany us throughout the day. First we visit Caernarfon Castle. Begun in 1283 as the definitive chapter in Edward I’s conquest of Wales, Caernarfon was constructed not only as a military stronghold but also as a seat of government and royal palace. We then visit the National Trust’s Plas Newydd Country House and Gardens. Associated with the 1st Marquess of Anglesey, who commanded the cavalry at the Battle of Waterloo, Plas Newydd is a beautiful 18th Century Country House with spectacular views across the Menai Strait to Snowdonia.

Portmeirion

Day 3 we visit, with our guide, Portmeirion and in the afternoon enjoy a scenic excursion on the Festiniog Narrow Gauge Railway from Minffordd Station to Blaenau Festiniog. We continue to the LLechwedd Slate Caverns where you may choose to embark on the Victorian Mine Tour (there are 61 steps to climb down and 70 steps to climb up again). The tour involves a ride on the steepest cable railway in Britain before we all hear about the life of a Victorian family at work in the mines. The entrance fee for the Victorian Mine Tour is not included in the Tour price.

Day 4 brings us to the NT property at Bodnant Gardens. Featuring huge Italianate terraces and offering stunning views across to Snowdonia, this is one of the world’s most spectacular gardens. In the afternoon we have a guided tour of Conwy Castle. Completed in 1287 and one of Edward I’s chain of Welsh fortresses, Conwy Castle is a gritty, dark stoned fortress which has the rare ability to evoke an authentic medieval atmosphere. In the afternoon you may also choose to visit the NT’s Aberconwy House dating from the 14th Century.

Day 5, after checking out of our hotel, we visit the award winning Compton Verney art gallery. Located in the setting of a grade 1 listed Robert Adam mansion, Compton Verney contains an outstanding collection of British, Neopolitan, Germanic and Chinese paintings.

Cost: £ 410.00 pp sharing a twin room

£ 75.00 deposit – non- refundable, payable with booking

£ 99.00 single room supplement

£ 16.00 insurance – upper age limit: 85 years

For a detailed booking form please complete the enclosed application form and send it with a stamped self- addressed envelope (not too small please) to:

Gisela Zürcher-Feiß, 37, The Byeways, Surbiton KT5 8HT – Tel 8399 4990

The Castles Historic House etc. application

The Architecture Group do guided walks in the Spring and Summer for  U3A members who would like to book a place even if you are not a permanent member of that Group. Several ran very successfully last year and the new list of walks for 2015 is now available.

There are two opportunities to do each walk in March and April and this will continue in later months if the demand is there.  All walks start at 10.15  – venues will be notified to those who book in. To Book a Place please contact Stephen van Dulken  on     svandulken@hotmail.com or on 07854 453109

New Dates  2015

March 16th or 23rd             King’s Cross  – British Library the Railway Stations, St Martins School of Art and other New Developments in the area.

April 27th or May 5th        Kensington    – Victoria and Albert Museum, Harrods and other mainly 19th century buildings.

May 18th                                    Islington       – mainly  Regency Houses.

June 29th                                 East End       – Geffrye Museum down to Spitalfields via Columbia Road taking in Brick Lane and the Huguenot Streets

Drawing and Painting Group 2 meet in the United Reform Church Kingston on a Tuesday afternoon.  We are a happy group of sixteen, mixed ability, mixed gender, but who all have a real love of putting, pen, pencil, brush,  or whatever to paper.  We are lucky enough to have an excellent tutor in Charles Penny, who since joining us some 18 months ago, has breathed new life into our perceptions and given us the enthusiasm to try new things.  We were lucky enough to be able to show our work recently at the CornerHOUSE Theatre in Tolworth and during the course of the exhibition a total of 12 paintings were sold, which was very gratifying.

Please Contact  – Carolyn Forsyth 02082551746 or 07939824730 or caro15@blueyonder.co.uk

Ageing well isn’t just about keeping the wrinkles at bay. There are a number of health problems which affect women as they grow older, but knowing what you can do about them can improve the quality of your life. In association with Brunel University, we are hosting a workshop to address health issues such as memory, continence problems and hearing. Designed for women aged 65+ and to be informative and fun, the workshop will last for 1 to 2 hours at the end of which women who are interested will be able to sign up to take part in a research programme.

The workshop will take place on 20 January 2015 from 2.00pm. The venue will be the New Quaker Meeting House in Kingston  (Fairfield East, Kingston upon Thames, Greater London KT1 2PT ) ‎ in Committee Room 2. If you are interested please email wilsond115@googlemail.com

Hello. My name is Ian Haynes and I am the U3A Archaeology Subject Adviser. I am contacting you because opportunities have arisen for U3A Archaeology group members to apply to participate in a project recording archaeological finds in your local region.

Activities will vary and possible tasks include washing, identifying, measuring, weighing, photographing, researching and recording finds, mounting displays and exhibitions, with training given so that volunteers can be confident in what they are doing.

Up to 500 volunteers of all ages and backgrounds from local communities will be recruited as part of the “PASt Explorers Project”, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and run by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) for England and Wales. Volunteers will be part of new Community Finds Recording Teams (CFRTs) working with their local Finds Liaison Officer (FLO). The project starts this month, November 2014.

Such opportunities are very rare and I advise you to act quickly if your members are interested, particularly as volunteering will be open to all, including schools and colleges.

What now? Please contact your members to see if anyone is interested. Then send an email to

Claire at ccostin@britishmuseum.org, letting her know that you would like to be involved in the scheme, which U3A group you are, how many members are interested and, if possible, their names. There is no need at present to contact your local FLO unless you already have links with her / him.

Speed is of the essence as there is likely to be competition for these places. Clearly, exactly where and when the training and other sessions will take place will affect who is able to go but at this stage you really need to make sure you register your interest and take things from there.

I’ve attached a file containing an outline of the scheme from Claire, and an explanation of what the PAS is and does.

Volunteering Opportunity Nov 2014