SEE THE EVENTS PAGE FOR 'DATES FOR YOUR DIARY'
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
Greetings and welcome to our June Newsletter.
Our very successful and healthy u3a has been active for 20 years and has undergone many changes of members, Committee and Groups. This is a natural process of evolution. Improving and growing but sadly it is sometimes time to stand down.
Linda Marshall, our long standing Membership Secretary, will be retiring from that role at the end of June 2026. We are very pleased that she has volunteered to stay on the Committee so we can continue to benefit from her considerable experience. Adrian Morris has stepped in to take the role supported by Dawn Morris.
We still have vacant roles of Publicity, Speaker Finder and Hospitality which need urgent filling.
Briefly....
- Publicity involves drawing the attention of the wider public to our activities via open days, leaflets and other materials.
- Speaker Finder seeks new speakers for our monthly meetings, often a year ahead using our contacts locally or other u3a’s.
- Hospitality helps organise refreshments for the monthly meetings and other social events. This role is ideal to share between two or three people.
Remember that you can all ask any member of the Committee any questions, problems or things you may not be happy about at any of the meetings. We are the people wearing the name-badges!
See you soon,
Richard Lewis
Chair
Richard Lewis Chair Furness u3a
COMMITTEE UPDATE
Message to Our Newsletter Contributors
First of all, the Committee would like to say a big “Thank You” to all those who submit articles for our monthly Newsletter. It is always a great read, full of stories about the amazing things our members are doing!
The Newsletter is now published as a webpage, which means that it can be viewed by anyone with access to the internet, not just our members. So: please remember, before including a member’s photograph, to make sure that they are happy for their picture to be on the web.
We also advise you not to include images downloaded from other websites, which may be under copyright. [It’s ok to download such images for use within your Activity Groups, because that would be covered by our copyright agreement.] If you have any queries about this, please contact our Secretary, Neil McLaughlin Cook, via
Neil McLaughlin Cook Secretary secretary@furnessu3a.org
GROUP NEWS
For help and support with starting or running groups, please contact
Duncan Platts Groups Liaison
ENVIRONMENT MATTERS (Part 1)
[Editor's note/apology - This first story got stuck in my in-tray last month, and so gets first slot this month]
u3a Environment Matters Group at the Eco Fair
Members of the Environment Group once again manned a stall representing our group and u3a at the annual Eco Fair in the Coronation Hall. This year the event was held on a Saturday as opposed to the usual Thursday and footfall was noticeably increased. Organisers reflected on the wide range of organisations coming together to share ideas, information and inspiration, attendees commenting on how engaging and informative the event was.
Our theme this year was Food Waste, an area we have researched more fully after visiting the Food Project in Ulverston in January. Many visitors were only too happy to enter into conversation, sharing their food waste suggestions and enquiries were made as to ‘u3a? What’s that?’ Leaflets were taken away with encouragement to check out further information on our website.
We leave you with a fondly remembered poem, recited by one of our group, who recalls being told as a youngster to eat up what was on her plate - with no snacking between meals. Perhaps an interesting thought when considering how to reduce food waste – taking to your plate what you need and eating what you take. It’s the little steps that can make a difference in more ways than one!
The Vulture
The vulture eats between his meals,
And that’s the reason why
He very, very rarely feels
As well as you or I.
His eye is dull, his head is bald,
His neck is growing thinner.
Oh! What a lesson for us all
To only eat at dinner!
Hilaire Belloc
ENVIRONMENT MATTERS (Part 2)
Environment Matters Group – May
An Allotment Visit
The weather forecast predicted rain with the possibility of thunder and lightning, but undaunted, members of the Environment Group met at the entrance to the Dragley Beck Allotments to learn about the life of an allotmenteer! Some of us had more knowledge than others, but one thing is for sure, no matter what your experience, there is always more to learn.
We arrived at Linda’s plot - organic and no-dig - which she has worked for some nine years and as we were shown round were told tales of trials, successes, disappointments and challenges that come with allotmenteering. It is hard work.
Some may think an allotment is simply a plot of land rented by an individual for growing vegetables, fruits or flowers. But allotmenteers will tell you it is much more than that, providing not only fresh produce but also a sense of community, mental well-being and exercise. In terms of the environmental impact, growing your own food reduces the carbon footprint associated with transporting produce, they support biodiversity by providing habitats for various insects and animals, they help improve soil health through composting and they provide a space for people to learn about sustainable living.
The photograph shows Linda’s plot.
In the foreground is the composting area with bins of compost at its various stages just out of view, as is the comfrey, grown to make an organic, high-potassium plant feed. The main growing area consists of no-dig raised beds. It was the beginning of the growing season when we visited, but before too long, beans, kale, perennial kale, raspberries, rhubarb, peas, lettuce to name but a few, will be making an appearance. You can see the strawberry beds are full of flowering plants. These will shortly be protected, as birds love to help themselves! But there is accommodation for them too. A damson tree is in full leaf, the tree in the distance is home to a chiffchaff brood and beyond the raised beds is a wilding area – perfect for pollinators.
The plot also has room for a greenhouse and a slightly leaning shed, where rain water is collected from the roof.
In the distance is the tree-lined boundary of the allotment, beyond which is Dragley Beck. Unfortunately, during a particularly heavy rainfall, the beck overflowed and proceeded to flood Linda’s allotment. To help combat this in the future, ‘Leaky Dam’ has been built out of setts no longer required after the redesigning of a friend’s patio. With gaps between the setts, it is hoped this should help to reduce the force of the water at least!
We also met Steve, the site manager, who enthusiastically told of future plans for the site, including the developing of a community space where allotmenteers can gather to sit and chat. A gazebo had been erected for us here, seats provided – the perfect spot to enjoy our flasks of tea (and cake of course).
We were invited to explore the rest of the site, including the orchard and bee hive and were impressed by the variety of produce being grown and the individuality people have brought to their spaces, be it in terms of maximum productivity, or creating a rather special, peaceful haven in which to relax and work at a more gentle pace.
Huge thanks to Linda and should you be tempted to become an allotmenteer, unfortunately there is a waiting list. In the meantime, maybe start with a window box …
ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCE
Our dates for September are:
Monday 7th September 2026 and Monday 21st September 2026.
Further details are available on the group’s webpage.
Thank you again for supporting the Ceilidh and we are hoping we will be greeting some new dancers when we start again in September.
LOCAL HISTORY GROUP
Furness U3A – Local History Group – Meeting 11 May 2026
A good turnout greeted Alan Cleaver who came to speak to us about ‘Cumbria’s Postal Paths’.
These were the walks walked by Post men and Post ladies or often simply Posties 6 days a week in all weathers so that the obligation to deliver to all addresses daily Monday to Saturday going back to Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887 could be met. In rural areas many of these walks could be 25 miles and sometimes more.
Alan talked a little about the history of the Post Office itself and how the service pre the Penny Black in 1840 was both expensive and poor and unreliable and easily open to abuse.
He gave the example of the poet Southey seeing an old lady refusing a letter as she had to pay 2d to receive it. He was generous and paid it and the old lady told him off very strongly that it was not needed as she just getting it knew her son in London was alright. The contents were blank. This ‘scam’ persuaded Southey who was a friend of Sir Rowland Hill the great postal reformer that prepayment was needed. And some years later the Penny Black and the delivery service was born with mail prepaid. Alan used similar stories to help deliver his points throughout the presentation.
Alan illustrated his presentation showing some of the short cuts on these paths like steps over the wall so the postie did not break it down climbing over. He described assisting transport like the introduction of bikes shortly before 1900 right up to them being declared a safety hazard in 2014 and stopped. Now all rural post is delivered using vans as opposed to the traditional walks.
Some walks were circular and some out and back and a Postman's hut was illustrated where the postman on an out and back round could wait for a few hours before returning to base. This was equipped with a stove and it was possible for a postie to do other jobs whilst waiting. As common in years gone by as a telephone box very few remain today being made mostly from corrugated sheets. These were out of use by the 1960’s and allowed the postman to deliver the mail in the morning and collect the replies together with other mail in the afternoon. For this he carried a pouch with stamps in and equipment included a pair of small scales.
Mail would be delivered down the Eskdale Valley to Eskdale Green by rail and from there the postman would sort it and deliver including walking along the railway.
Alan brought along some examples of the walks that can still be followed today on sheets for members to take away and a small museum of post written in his beautiful handwriting as well as handwritten illustrated books of some of his walk.
A most enjoyable time very quickly passed and there were plenty of questions to finish with and chat about over our cups of tea and coffee.
This month on Monday 8th June we welcome Christopher Donaldson to talk about “Scientists, soldiers, sailors & spies: an American view of Cumbrian history”. All welcome and we start at 2.30pm at Croftlands Community Centre, Ulverston.
VISITING GARDENS
Himalayan Gardens 26th May
The views on the coach drive were lovely, the weather was amazing, the garden sang in the sunshine with all the glorious flowers and sculptures, and we all had a lovely day out and everyone enjoyed it (full report to follow in the next newsletter).
Our next garden visit will be on Tuesday 16th June when we will be going to Johnby Hall, Penrith. This is a wildlife friendly garden with woodlands, around a historic house. We will meet in Victoria Road cul-de-sac, Ulverston at 9.15 for car sharing. The owners have asked for a donation of £10 for the garden visit, which includes tea and cake, and all the money goes to good causes. This is our longest trip this year, and the amount payable to drivers for lifts will be £12.50. To book your place please contact Jeni Sarson by 8th June.
Some more information about the garden in the words of the owner:
“We do our best for those with limited mobility but the landscape is against it - steep slopes, steps, and all slippery when wet. if you have people with limited mobility they are of course welcome but they will be somewhat restricted. Do let us know in advance. I would recommend stout footwear, and waterproof trousers if it's been very wet - think woodland walk rather than garden party on the lawn ... expect a highly natural, wildlife-friendly, maybe even wild garden, maintained by one person with a full-time job - not a stately home with a staff of National Trust volunteers! In other words if you faint at the sight of a 'weed' this may not be the garden for you!”
Jeni Sarson Visiting Gardens
INDUSTRIAL HISTORY GROUP
Industrial History Group visit to La’al Ratty and Eskdale Corn Mill on Thursday 28th May 2026
What a shame more members weren’t able to join the eight of us on this month’s visit to Ravenglass and Boot in Eskdale. They missed a wonderful day out.
An hour at Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway terminus gave us time for coffee, a visit to the Ravenglass Railway Museum, and a chance to visit the old signal box and the fleet of miniature steam and diesel locomotives.
The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway (La’al Ratty) was built in 1873 to transport haematite iron ore from the hills surrounding the villages of Dalegarth and Boot to the mainline Furness Railway on the coast. The original track had 3ft wide rails. In 1876 it was upgraded for passengers and became the first public narrow-gauge railway. It closed in 1913 due to a decline in the demand for iron ore and passenger traffic. Two years later it was reopened as a 15-inch minimum gauge line by miniature railway engineers W J Bassett-Lowke and R. Proctor-Mitchell. Towards the end of the 1950s, the company was in financial trouble but was saved from liquidation by the Ravenglass Railway Preservation Society and new private investors. Today it is a major tourist attraction carrying over 100,000 passengers a year.
We all enjoyed the forty-minute journey to Dalegarth. Bright sunshine, ever changing scenery, all kinds of flowers and animals to see, and plenty of children to wave to from our open carriage.
From Dalegarth we walked the short distance to Boot. Having prebooked tickets to visit Eskdale Corn Mill we were allowed to choose a suitable shady spot in the lovely grounds to eat our picnic lunches.
Milling in Eskdale valley has been going on for over 700 years, but there are no surviving medieval mill buildings in Cumbria. The water-powered mills ground grain grown by the farmers who raised sheep and cattle on the fells and along the river. In older English, “corn” was the term used for whichever type of grain that was predominantly grown in the area. In Eskdale that was oats. It is possible that the earliest part of the present mill was built on the site of a 12th century corn mill. There are records of this mill being In Boot in 1547. It was extended between 1737 and 1752, and the mill cottage was built in 1756. Milling ceased in Boot in 1937 when the last miller died.
There are four stages involved in milling cereals. These are drying, grinding, dressing and bagging. Barley and wheat dry naturally in the field but oats retain a lot of moisture, and must be dried on the drying floor above a furnace. Most corn mills eventually converted to coke furnaces but Eskdale had a ready supply of peat from the nearby fells, so never converted. The dried oats were then passed through an upper pair of grindstones which were set just far enough apart to break off the outer, inedible “shell” from the inner “groat”. These stones are made of coarse sandstone grit from Derbyshire. For finer grinding, the groats could be passed through the upper grindstones again or put through a lower set of stones made from superior French burr millstone. Wheat flour would have been produced this way.
Outside the mill, we watched one of the two over-shot water wheels in action.
We then had a leisurely walk back to Dalegarth station and another ride on Ratty before setting off for home.
Thank you, Jo, for your excellent organisational skills, and thank you to the whole group who made the day so enjoyable.
Future visits are:
Our June visit to Oxleys is fully subscribed with a waiting list so if you have booked but realise you can't attend please let Jo know.
July 23rd – Alan is leading us to Silver Howe Rifle Range and Cathedral Cavern
August 27th – Julia and Neil are leading us around Arneside and Silverdale
September 24th – Threkeld Quarry and Mining Museum
If you would like to join us on any of our visits please let Jo White
Barbara and I are already gathering ideas for next years programme, so if you could lead a visit or have an idea please let Jo know.
Jo White Industrial History Group
WORLD HISTORY GROUP
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
At our May meeting we had a brilliant comprehensive presentation on the History of German Music complete with musical accompaniment. German music from 900 to 1900 traces a remarkable evolution from medieval sacred chant to the foundations of modern classical music. Over these thousand years, the German-speaking lands became one of Europe’s most influential musical centres, shaping harmony, orchestration, opera, and symphonic form.
Around 900, music in the German regions was dominated by the Christian Church. Monasteries and cathedrals preserved and developed plainchant, especially the form now called Gregorian chant. Religious music was written in early notation systems, helping preserve melodies across generations. During the High Middle Ages (1100–1300), German-speaking courts supported traveling poet-musicians called Minnesänger, who composed lyrical songs about love, honor, and chivalry. One of the best-known figures was Walther von der Vogelweide. At the same time, sacred music became more complex as polyphony spread from France into German churches.
The Renaissance period (1400–1600) saw increasing sophistication in vocal composition. The Protestant Reformation transformed German music after Martin Luther encouraged congregational singing in the vernacular. Luther himself wrote hymns, and the chorale became central to German religious life. Composers began blending rich polyphonic techniques with accessible melodies for worship. Printing technology also helped spread music widely for the first time.
The Baroque era (1600–1750) marked Germany’s rise as a major musical power. Composers absorbed Italian and French influences while developing distinctive German traditions in organ music, sacred cantatas, and instrumental composition. The greatest figure of this era was Johann Sebastian Bach, whose fugues, passions, and cantatas combined intellectual complexity with emotional depth. Another major composer, George Frideric Handel, achieved fame across Europe, especially in opera and oratorio. German organ-building and court orchestras flourished, making music a symbol of both religious devotion and princely prestige.
During the Classical period (1750–1820), cities such as Vienna became centres of European music. Composers emphasized clarity, balance, and formal structure. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart expanded opera and symphonic writing, while Ludwig van Beethoven transformed music by introducing unprecedented emotional intensity and structural ambition. Beethoven’s symphonies bridged the Classical and Romantic eras and profoundly influenced later composers.
The nineteenth century brought the Romantic movement, in which German music emphasized emotion, nationalism, storytelling, and individual expression. Composers such as Franz Schubert developed the Lied, an art song combining poetry and piano accompaniment. Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms enriched piano, chamber, and orchestral music with deep lyricism and complex harmony. Meanwhile, Richard Wagner revolutionized opera through massive works that united drama, mythology, and music into a continuous artistic experience.
By 1900, German music had become central to Western classical tradition. Its composers, institutions, and theoretical innovations shaped global ideas about harmony, form, and artistic expression. From medieval chant to Wagnerian opera, German musical history reflects both religious transformation and the emergence of modern European culture.
If you are interested in joining the group please contact Rosie Kyles or via World History Group on the Furness u3a website.
QUESTERS
A big thank you to Dawn Elsworth and Win Postlethwaite for arranging our next Questers Visit.
It will be to the Lakeland Motor Museum on Thursday 18th June.
The entrance fee is reduced to £10 each.
We will meet at the Victoria Road cul de sac at 10:00 to be at the museum for 10:30.
Now here's a thing..........If you don't already have a "Resident's Discount Card" or if the one you have, has expired, (like mine), bring along the expired card or proof of your address and have a new card issued to you that lasts five years. With your new card you can get reduced prices for visiting the museum, the café, the train to Lakeside and also the Windermere boats for any future visits.
The Café Ambio will be open for us to have lunch there once we've finished our tour of the museum.
To have your name on the list for this visit, please contact Win Postlethwaite or Tim Evans .
If you are willing to drive and can take passengers, or if you require a lift. Please let us know. Petrol donation on the day will be £1.50p to the driver.
Sue and Tim
Please see the Questers Group page for details, or contact Tim Evans
WELFARE AND INCLUSION UPDATE
At the recent Group Leaders Get Together, I challenged the Group Leaders to consider how well they actually know the members within their group. As we all know there are many hidden disabilities and ailments. If someone has a broken leg, it’s obvious to all that care and consideration has to be taken, but what about those conditions that can’t be seen, such as heart issues, blood pressure, diabetes, allergies, anxiety… to name but a few.
This sparked some debate about the need to know and that some people may not want to disclose. Obviously, it can vary on the type of group and physical exertion required. As a Group Leader, they would be the person everyone would look to, to take control of a situation should something arise.
But equally I challenge you the membership to consider whether there is something you need to ensure your Group Leaders to know.
- For example, do you have a serious allergy to bees and carry an EpiPen? Where do you keep your EpiPen? How does someone administer it if you are unconscious? Walking groups could be far from help off the beaten track.
So please do consider if there is something you should disclose.
Stay safe everyone.
Dawn
Dawn Morris Welfare and Inclusion
SOME OTHER SOURCES OF WIDER U3A NEWS
There are several places where you can catch up on U3A news from further afield.
There is a U3A Friends Group who send out a regular newsletter. You can see the May edition here, and if you would like to subscribe there is a link at the bottom of their newsletter.
There is a U3A YouTube channel U3A
The North West Region of the U3A have their own website, and a quarterly newsletter.
This is the May - July 2026 copy.
You can access the national Third Age Matters magazine on line here, including screen read editions.