Doors open at 9:45, tea and coffee are served from 10:00 to 10:30, and are free as long as you bring your own cup. The meeting starts at 10.30 am with notices, followed by the talk.
Meetings labelled "Hat", will take place in Breaks Manor Youth Centre, Link Drive, Hatfield, AL10 8TP. If you're online, you can click here for a map.
Meetings labelled "WGC" take place in the Ludwick Family Centre, Hall Grove, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 4PH. If you're online, you can click here for a map. There's sometimes a problem with parking for cars at Ludwick - if you don't mind a walk you could try parking in Caponfield - click here for a map.
There have been complaints from residents about the parking on the road in front of Ludwick Family Centre. If you plan to park here, please could you ensure that you 'follow the trend' and park on the same side as those cars already parked. This ensures that delivery lorries and emergency vehicles can pass through. Many thanks.
If you want to display notices on the projector, or notice boards, at the meetings, contact Tony Tutton on 01707 328943, or E-mail him: "tonytutton1@yahoo.co.uk".
Please note that, for health and safety reasons, we have to limit attendance at these meetings to 170
Please note that the Welwyn Hatfield U3A does not endorse any products or services provided by the speakers at our meetings.
For information on recordings of talks from past meetings, click here.
Planned meetings for Summer 2024
| Date | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 17 April | WGC | Fran Sandham – “Solo Walk Across Africa” Fran describes how he left the daily grind of London for an epic adventure, walking from the Skeleton Coast to the Indian Ocean, through Namibia, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania. |
| 24 April | Hat | Pauline Martindale – “Volunteering Adventures” Pauline has visited us before, talking about her career as a prison officer. This time, we will hear about her volunteering adventures following the 2012 Olympics. |
| 1 May | WGC | Nikki Edwards – “Chalk, Clay & Climate Change Under Sherrardspark Wood" Hertfordshire geology may not be spectacular, but it has much to tell us about the past and may even help us to anticipate the future. There is volcanic ash laid down in a clear warm sea, Hertfordshire Puddingstone with evidence of a major global warming event and the most complete record of the last Ice Age in Britain. The humble pebbles in your flower beds tell a story! |
| 8 May | Hat | Neil Hanson – “In and Out at the Top” This is a laugh-a-minute tour of the quirks and foibles, highs and lows of his time running Britain’s highest inn back in the 1970s and 1980s. A hugely engaging storyteller, Neil’s account of grappling with tight-fisted farmers, eccentric characters, bizarre local customs, naturist weekends, “lates and lock-ins”, police raids, rats in the attic, close encounters with magistrates and planners, and the shooting of a famous double-glazing commercial |
| 15 May | WGC | Jim Stebbings – "D'Oyly Carte A Very English Dynasty" The initial role of Richard D'Oyly Carte in Gilbert & Sullivans comic Operas is only part of the story of this remarkable family. From the origins of the D'Oyly Carte name and four generations Jim tells of the Highs/Lows/Successes & Failures during the 19th & 20th Centuries. |
| 22 May | Hat | Graham Laurie – “The Royal Flying Doctor Service and the $20 note” The first slide is of an Australian $20 - why? All will be revealed as the history of this famous organisation is explained. |
| 29 May | WGC | Roger Mason – “Al Capone” We probably all know the name of Al Capone and may even recall the odd fact about the notorious gangster, such as his eventual imprisonment for tax evasion. Roger will let us in on the full story. |
| 5 Jun | Hat | Roger Wotton – “The Ten Plagues of Egypt” Each of the ten plagues, except the last, have natural explanations. In this talk, we will examine them in sequence and suggest that they had unusual meteorological conditions present at the time. |
| 12 Jun | WGC | Adam Smith – “Olaudah Equiano and the Interesting Narrative” Olaudah Equiano was born around 1745 in West Africa but was kidnapped into slavery as a boy and transported across the Atlantic. In 1766 he purchased his freedom and in 1789 he wrote The Interesting Narrative which was one of the key books used by anti-slavery campaigners. |
| 19 Jun | Hat | Jill Campbell – “Lady Constance Lytton” Learn about the life of suffragette, Lady Constance Lytton of Knebworth. Using photos, letters and family documents from the Knebworth House Archive, we discuss the part she played in the struggle for women’s suffrage and the life changing effect it had upon her. |
| 26 Jun | WGC | Dave Felton – “40 Farms – the Changing Landscapes of Cumbria” In March 2021, British Life Photographer of the Year Amy Bateman and award-winning author David Felton embarked on a journey to record the stories of forty farms in Cumbria. In this talk - accompanied by Amy’s beautiful photographs - David will talk about the financial challenge of farming in post-Brexit Britain; the tightrope balance of producing quality food in nature-rich landscapes; and the highs and lows of working in an area internationally famed for its beauty. |
| 3 Jul | Hat | David Callaghan – “For Valour – the history of the Victoria Cross” From its inception in 1856 to the present day the only firm to supply the VC is Hancocks of London. David Callaghan began his career with the firm as an apprentice, eventually becoming the senior Director. With this unique insight, David will trace the medal’s history and highlight some of the stories of the heroism for which it has been awarded. |
| 10 Jul | WGC | Sheila Grimmant – “The Anthony Nolan Charity” Since 1974 this organisation has helped families affected by blood cancer and other blood disorders. Sheila has worked with them for over 12 years. She will outline for us what the organisation does and explain her role as a courier. |
| 17 Jul | Hat | GARDEN PARTY |
The next New Members Welcome meeting will be on Monday 29th April at 10 am (prompt!), probably at the WGC Cricket Club, 288 Knightsfield, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 7NQ.
For an overview of the outings planned by the various study groups, click here..
For an overview of when the study groups meet, click here.
For provisional meetings dates for 2024, click here (PDF).
Preparing tea & coffee: please click here (PDF).
Setting up the computer & projector: please click here (PDF).