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July 2nd: "The Secret Life of Words", by Colin Davidson

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July 2nd: "The Secret Life of Words", by Colin Davidson

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Words are our most useful tools, yet they carry the baggage of centuries of hidden meanings, and we seldom look inside to discover their dark secrets. This talk is full of surprises and humour, with plenty of audience response, including a session of Call My Bluff, and an invitation to add improbable but true foreign words to our already rich English language.

Colin Davidson was an editor on the Daily Mail, who also researched blood feuds and interviewed murderers in Yugoslavia, acted as a consultant to newspapers in East Europe after the fall of Communism and served on the code committee of the Press Complaints Council.

He also runs a successful opera appreciation group for the u3a, and was formerly the u3a national adviser on opera.

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Welcome to all those who have recently joined us. If you need any assistance, please contact our new member liaison, Dilys Warren. Otherwise, it would be great to see you at the coffee morning at the Old Nelson hotel on Stratford Road, or one of the monthly talks at Lansdown Hall, Lansdown Rd, in the centre of Stroud. Both are excellent opportunities to meet other members, including members of the committee. Hope to see you there.

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STROUD COUNTRY SHOW 2026– 18th July 2026

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STROUD COUNTRY SHOW 2026– 18th July 2026

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Stroud Show is the major annual event held in Stratford Park, where many local charities and businesses display their wares. Once again we'll have a promotional stand for Stroud u3a. In past years it's been very popular and has proved a great way of attracting interest in the u3a; but we need helpers who can do an hour or two throughout the day please.

We meet at 9.30am to set up the gazebo and tables then the show officially opens to the public at 11.30am (though a lot of people don't wait so long to have a look around).  We usually take it down about 5.00pm. So if you are able to help, whether with the assembly, the disassembly or talking to people as they pass by, then please contact Dilys Warren.

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The Readers Group has now finished reading and talking and writing about our chosen book, Wessex Tales, by Thomas Hardy. Some contributions are on our Readers Group page, or soon will be. It’s worth looking at the page to see what this rather unusual group has been doing. We are about to start on George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss, one of the Big Books of the nineteenth century. If you like reading the best books and talking about them to like minded people, have a look. If you’re interested in what we’re doing, try a visit to us, especially if you’ve read the book we’ve chosen. We’re not only unusual: there seems to be only one other Readers Group in any u3a in the country. Stroud, as usual, is unusual. John Peters

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July 2nd, 2.30: - Lansdown talk: Colin Davidson, "The Secret Life of Words"

July 15th: deadline for submissions to the newsletter

July 18th: Stroud Show, Stratford Park

July 20th: publication of the newsletter

July 28th: coffee morning at the Old Nelson, Stratford Road

July 30th, 2.30: Lansdown talk: Liam Fleet 'Historic musical instruments'.

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July 30th - Liam Fleet on "Historic Musical Instruments"

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July 30th - Liam Fleet on "Historic Musical Instruments"

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Liam Fleet’s presentation will focus on what are known as double-reed instruments, which produce sound when two pieces of shaved cane vibrate against one another. This family includes the oboe, the English horn (cor anglais), the bassoon, and the contrabassoon. Liam will take us on a journey from some of the very earliest woodwind instruments and demonstrates the evolution from these primitive ancestors to their modern counterparts.

Liam is a professional bassoonist and oboist and is a fanatic of all things double-reed. He plays with some of the UK's leading Early Music ensembles including the Musical and Amicable Society and Instruments of Time & Truth.

He also sings bass with the Llandaff Cathedral Choir.

Liam is a passionate educator, and an active teacher of bassoon, oboe, recorder and singing across Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

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The cast in rehearsal for the production of "Arsenic and Old Lace"

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Have you ever wondered what goes on Backstage and Front Of House during a theatrical production? This is your opportunity to find out. The Drama group are putting on "Arsenic and Old Lace" at Oakridge Village Hall probably on October 16th and 17th 2026. Here are the sort of roles needed. Front Of House...Ushers, Ticket Sales,Refreshments,Car Park Ushers,First Aider, Hall Manager. Advertising, Ticket sales. Backstage a couple of people to make sure props are on stage and where they should be(no heavy lifting required.) Stage Lighting. Training will be given if necessary. This production is going to be excellent and the cast are working very hard to produce the best performances they can. Do contact me if you would like to be part of this exciting event. Sheila Beer (Producer and Director)

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After a wet start to the Paddlers season (one trip cancelled, one cold and damp) we had a very interesting trip to the Kennet and Avon canal at the beginning of May, starting at Bathampton and paddling into Bath – not quite into the centre, but as far as Widcombe, at the south-east corner.   We went past offices, workshops and people’s homes, some with really fabulous gardens sloping down to the canal where we paused for a chat with a man enjoying a glass of wine on his patio area at the canalside.  Under attractive bridges and through a couple of (not so attractive) tunnels imaginatively called Tunnel 1 and Tunnel 2!  Then back to The George Inn at Bathampton for a welcome and warming coffee.

Then, a week ago six of us had a wonderful afternoon at Bristol Harbour, paddling past the tall ship Matthew and the SS Great Britain as well as any number of houseboats, party boats, ferries, working boats and a gin palace complete with helipad and helicopter.  Clearly it hasn’t moved since we were there last year!

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Schoolreaders is a national literacy charity dedicated to helping children improve their reading and comprehension skills. We recruit, train, and match volunteers with local primary schools, where they provide one-on-one reading support to children who need it most.

One school in Stroud, close to the town centre, is currently looking for volunteers. It would be great to find them some for the start of the next academic year in September.

By volunteering with Schoolreaders, you can make a meaningful difference in a child's life — and in your local community.

Volunteers must be able to commit to at least an hour each week for a full year during term time (although holidays can of course be taken); you will undergo an Enhanced DBS check, organised and paid for by the school. You must have a good standard of written and spoken English, but we do not require any specific qualifications.

Please visit https://www.schoolreaders.org/for more information. If you're interested, please apply via the website or can contact us at admin@schoolreaders.org.

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Spider at Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo, Brazil, 2013

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Wendy’s presentation on May 20th, was titled Louise Bourgeois, ‘The Spider Woman’ – Her Life and Work, and was an unusual assault on the senses.

Bourgeois was born in Paris in 1911 and in 1930 studied Mathematics and Geometry at the Sorbonne. These were subjects that she valued for their stability, saying "I got peace of mind, only through the study of rules nobody could change."

She had an intense relationship with her father who was very proud of his gifted daughter, but that relationship was fractured when the father had a very public and passionate affair with the tutor hired to teach the children English. This caused everyone a great deal of distress, especially for Josephine, the mother and was the source of Louise's angst which is played out in her artwork. To add to the trauma, her mother became very ill; Louise had to organise appointments, medication and ensure the day-to-day care needed. Josephine died when Louise was 22 years old.

Her death freed Louise to abandon Maths for Art and after her graduation in 1935 from the Sorbonne, she took up Art at the Ecole des Beaux Arts & Ecole de Louvre and several other academies. In her long lifetime (she died at the age of 98) she produced the most amazing body of work, covering such a wide range of mediums from the drawings and prints to large Installations, sewing and her iconic Spiders, once seen never to be forgotten. In the late 1990s, Bourgeois began using the spider as a central image in her art.

Motherhood is another recurrent theme of Bourgeois's work. It was her mother who encouraged Bourgeois to draw and involved her in the tapestry business. Bourgeois considered her mother to be intellectual and methodical; the continued motif of the spider in her work often represents her mother. The notion of a spider that spins and weaves its web is a direct reference to her parents’ tapestry business and can a metaphor for a mother who repairs things. She saw spiders as being benevolent beings, weavers who created a home for the many offspring, protecting them and repairing the web to keep them safe. So not to be feared but admired.

She has been described as being an Abstract Expressionist, a Surrealist or a Feminist Artist. But she did not want to be associated with any particular movement but acknowledged that her work was personal and came from childhood trauma and her own angst. Art as therapy for herself.

Her small drawing of the Spider in the egg has become a popular Tattoo !

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Cotswold Link special interest day, June 2nd

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Cotswold Link special interest day, June 2nd

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Why am I euphoric at the end of a long day (June 2nd), 06.20 start to now 16.20? Well, perhaps a little background first?

First task of today – deliver the car to the garage for service and MOT (a likely large hit to the bank balance) and then onto The Cotswold Link Special Interest Day – theme being ‘from Pen to Reader: The journey of a Book.’

First up is Sue Ablett giving us “Bums on Seats”. Sue took us through the stages of changing a loss-making Evesham Literary Festival into a thriving Evesham Festival of Words, 2026 is its 10th anniversary. This was a thrilling guide in how to be successful.

Next up were two very different authors – Jacqui Rogers on how she conducts her research into Roman Britain and Colin Wade on the joys and perils of self-publishing his crime novels.

Gareth Swain of History Press then gave us a publisher’s perspective – an interesting collective of how a publisher works with an author to gain a satisfying and hopefully lucrative result to an author’s labours.

The last delight of the day and the one that left me feeling elated was Maureen Partington from Fairford u3a Creative Writing group. The group consisted of six ladies all the “other side of eighty” who decided that the time had come to stop practising scales and compose their own sonata – they have published four books, using Amazon’s self -publishing kit ,and the profits from their endeavours get donated to the Cirencester Food bank. The four books were ‘Behind the Grey Hair’, (the changes to women’s lives over time), ‘Thank Goodness it’s not just Me’ (anecdotes of their battles with IT), ‘A Word for all Seasons’, (an anthology of poetry and short stories) and a collaboratively written murder mystery thriller, with each member writing a section leading on from the previous one.

To have achieved so much living and learning all mixed together with lots of raucous laughter, I am sure judging by the sparkle in Maureen’s eyes as she shared these accomplishments with all of us, left me feeling amazed, joyous and hopeful for the future.

That wonderful feeling didn’t last long, the large bill for the car will lead to a large dent in the bank balance but not yet - thank goodness for credit cards! Joan Toon

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Did you know the national u3a offers a programme of short-break themed holidays for u3a members around Britain? The first one will be "the Agatha Christie story", for four nights based in Torquay, and starting on September 14th. To see more about this and other trips, visit https://www.justforgroups.com/u3a-getaways.

Also, for prospective writers amongst us, they are running an essay competition; they invite you to take us on on a remarkable real-life journey - of discovery, adventure or transformation - and bring the story to life in fewer than 1000 words.

Free entry: open to all u3a members

Deadline: 31 July 2026

Prize: book bundles for the winner and two runners-up.

To enter, go to https://www.u3a.org.uk/what-we-do/learning/learning-activities/essay-competition-2026

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Join u3a members from around the country on a range of bespoke holidays exclusive to u3a members and their friends. This exciting partnership opens a new chapter in discovery, fun and shared experience. Look forward to a continually evolving collection of unique itineraries, simply click on the breaks below to discover more…

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People often say to me that it would be nice if the newsletter could help us get to know one another a little better. So I thought we'd try a new column where people told us something surprising about themselves.

And Katherine has volunteered to kick us off - here goes:

1. How long have you lived in Stroud district?

Not long - I was propelled here from the east coast by my son so he could keep an eye on me.  Really! Well here I am - what a lively, beautiful and exciting place this is.  I love the sense of community and of adventurous out-of-the-box thinking.

2. What was your most enjoyable job before retirement?

The opportunity to bring community leaders in Southend together to build a vision for an active, healthy community - some of it happened.

3. What would be your dream holiday activity?

Walking again amongst the spring flowers high in the Swiss mountains

4. What’s your favourite piece of music or musician?

Beethoven’s final piano sonata played by Solomon

5. When were/are the best days of your life?

My precious time in Suffolk with my late husband, birdwatching, and walking along the sea shore.

6. What’s the next exciting thing you're planning?

Lots and lots of exploration of this lovely area,  so many walks to find, so many activities to be part of - there is never enough time.

Katherine Kirk

Fancy having a go at answering these questions in a future newsletter? Get in touch with Peter, today!

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Would anyone be interested in a one-off sort of "gang show” ? Around 10-15 members performing for five minutes each in Lansdown Hall? This might be an additional meeting or, possibly, take one of our regular monthly meeting slots next year. It definitely won’t be this year!

So do you have a 5 - 10 minute (maximum) party trick, song, poem, very short story, playlet, a few jokes or any other form of short stage entertainment which we might be able to use to put together such a show by members for members?

If you do, or if you think you might, please email Richard Bedford at bookings@stroudu3a.org.uk with your name, email and an idea of your type of “act”. Can be individuals, duets, duos or small groups (e.g. a singing group).

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I have advertised this possible new group couple of times, and several people have contacted me to say they might be interested. Unfortunately a computer glitch means I no longer have their emails, and I have no other record of who they are.

So, with huge apologies, I'd be very grateful if you could contact me once again, and we'll finally get this off the ground.

CLlive Blackmore, clijun69@gmail.com