SEE THE EVENTS PAGE FOR 'DATES FOR YOUR DIARY'
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
Greetings and welcome to our January Newsletter
2025 was a particularly successful year for our u3a. The social events were very well supported, new Groups have been formed whilst many existing Groups have increased numbers and the general membership is up. This could not have been achieved without the fantastic aid from the army of helpers, usually in the background. Well done and thank you!
2026 is a very special year for us as we celebrate our 20th Anniversary! There are many Founder members still with us and we hope to hope to have a range of activities to mark the occasion.
Also to look forward to is the AGM. Details will be sent to you.
This time of the year we make New Years resolutions, so how about joining another group, forming a new group or even joining the Committee…
Keep warm and safe,
Happy New Year!
Richard Lewis Chair Furness u3a
CHRISTMAS SOCIAL
Around 90 members enjoyed our 2025 Christmas Social. We were treated to an excellent buffet organised by Chris and her team with wine provided by Dawn. Uplifting carols were provided by the Furness Bach Choir and Tim rounded off another successful Christmas Social with a Quiz that stretched our mental abilities.
Harry Knowles
Vice Chair
GROUP NEWS
Sequence Dancing
The committee is pleased to announce that Sequence Dancing has become an active group and will hold their first session at Croftlands Community Centre on Wednesday 21st January 2026, 14,30 - 16.30, which will be led by Dawn & Adrian Morris. This group is just getting started and more members would be warmly welcomed. For more information please contact me Duncan Platts Groups Liaison
Drawing and Painting for Pleasure
The new Drawing and Painting for Pleasure led by Diane Rixom is now meeting. Please look on the group's web page for more details or contact Diane Rixom
Garden Visit
A reminder that the Visiting Gardens group are organising a trip to the Himalayan Gardens at Ripon, Yorkshire. It's on Tuesday the 26th May 2026. It will be with Dave New coaches. They don't have a exact price probably around £36 coach and entrance fee. If any other u3a members would like to join them on this trip please contact Sabina Garnett asap. They will collect the money in at the February monthly meeting in the Coro. Contact Sabina Garnett
CHESS - A new group?
Vance Sarson has contacted me to see if anyone else would be interested in joining a new chess group. The aim would be to meet perhaps every two weeks during the day for a friendly game of chess with tea and coffee. He would be happy to host this at his house, but it could also rotate with other members houses. If you are interested please contact me, Duncan Platts at Groups Liaison .
QUESTERS
Questers had a super end-of-year lunch at the Abbey House Hotel! All thanks to Sheila Slack for making the arrangements.
The staff were very pleasant and helpful; the food was good and (from the volume within the Great Hall) we had super chats throughout. It was probably our noisiest event so far!!
A number of awards and thanks were given to Questers who went over and above, to make the Questers group as enjoyable as possible.
They were;- Sheila Bull, Mike Hopkins, Netty Garforth, Sue Whibley, Margaret Helm, Catherine Hindle, Kate Brown, Sandie Pye, Janet Kelly, Joan Bush, Hazel Smith, Christine Stuart-Woodburn and finally Sheila Slack. All the above arranged super visits and events through the year. Thank you all very much!!
We are in the fabulous position of having a full provisional timetable for 2026!! Our first visit of 2026 is to the Ulverston Blue Light Hub (next to M&S and Aldi) on Thursday 15th January. We plan to meet there at 10am and the tour is expected to take 2 hours. There is no charge but I'm sure we could make a donation. Afterwards, we could take a stroll across the car parks to Starbucks (which has a very large seating area) or Greggs (which is smaller) for a light lunch.
When speaking with the Chief Fire officer, at the Blue Light Hub, he commented, "You're never too old to squirt water about"!!
We already have the names of 30 Questers who will be attending this visit and if you would also like to come along please contact Sue Whibley or Tim Evans .
Please see the Questers Group page for details, or contact Tim Evans
WORLD HISTORY
Prussia (particularly under Frederick the Great)
Prussia’s origins trace back to 1525 when the Teutonic Order’s lands were secularised, forming the Duchy of Prussia under Polish suzerainty. In 1618, it united with Brandenburg through dynastic inheritance, creating Brandenburg-Prussia — a foundation for future expansion. The Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) devastated much of Europe, but Brandenburg-Prussia emerged stronger, gaining territory and asserting sovereignty.
The transformation accelerated under Frederick William, the “Great Elector” (1640–1688), who centralised power, built a standing army, and promoted economic recovery. His reforms laid the groundwork for absolutism and military strength. In 1701, his son crowned himself King in Prussia, elevating the duchy to a kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire. Throughout the early 18th century, Prussia expanded its influence, notably acquiring Silesia and parts of Poland.
Frederick II, known as Frederick the Great, ascended the throne in 1740 and ruled until 1786. His reign marked Prussia’s rise as a major European power. Militarily, he seized Silesia during the War of Austrian Succession (1740–1748) and defended Prussia’s position in the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763) against a coalition of great powers. Despite immense challenges, Frederick’s strategic brilliance preserved Prussia’s independence and prestige.
Beyond warfare, Frederick embraced Enlightenment ideals, modernising administration, reforming laws, and promoting religious tolerance. He encouraged agriculture, economic development, and patronised the arts, corresponding with intellectuals like Voltaire. By his death in 1786, Prussia had doubled in size, strengthened its army, and established itself as a leading European state—laying the foundation for German unification in the 19th century.
Harry Knowles
If you would like to join the World History Group, please contact Rosie Kyles or look here.
LOCAL HISTORY GROUP
U3A Local History Group Meeting Report 8th December 2025
We welcomed our guest speaker Peter Laird who came to talk about ‘Barrow: Born of villages, built by industry’
Peter's talk was a comprehensive account of the small villages and hamlets that made up the area now known as Barrow going back to the Romans and later the Viking influence in place names and surnames still to be found in the area, names like Roose and Dalton, Fell and Back as examples. Roose and Dalton both are included in the 1086 Doomsday survey. 1st July 1127 saw the defining moment in Furness History when the monks arrived having been given all of Furness apart from Muchland, and Peter showed how powerful the monks were until the 1537 dissolution which was a disaster for Furness. The different hamlets round Barrow were also covered, like Cocken, together with a brief history and how they were tenanted. The islands round Barrow large and small too were covered.
Why Barrow was there and grew to the industrial giant it became was covered from the Furness Railway being built to transform the carriage of Iron Ore, the discovery of Park mine in 1852, the second largest deposit ever found in England. The purchase of Barrow Island and the Hindpool estates by the Furness Railway was covered and how this allowed industry to grow. This meant the population grew very fast and Peter talked about the problems housing this workforce, always behind demand rather than ahead, just as it is today with the current shipyard expansion.
Barrow becoming its own borough rather than a part of Dalton Parish in 1867 was covered as well as the building of the magnificent Town Hall the town enjoys today and we finished with the expansion onto Walney with Vickerstown and how building the bridge allowed housing to expand dramatically.
A little over an hour passed all too quickly and certainly left your reporter wanting more.
Next month we have the Social get together for which bookings are now closed. On Monday 9th February we welcome Neil Whalley to talk about Gleaston Castle and the Manor of Muchland. New and old members welcome. Regrettably to cover ever rising costs we are having to lift the door charge to £3.
Geoff Holme, Joint leader Local History Group
STRIDERS WALKING GROUP
Our Striders walking group meets each Friday. Walking together is a very special thing and here is a report by Stan on a recent walk around Broughton.
I'm reflecting on today's walk when on a cold and frosty day, 18 of us braved the elements and walked together. I proudly showed you Broughton's new post office and that new vintage shop but after that it was pure enjoyment and appreciation of how good it is to be alive. Our coffee stop comfortable to be in the sun and then our lunch stop, the place to put in your all time memories.
Well done to all who did that walk today. For some it was a challenge after a long absence. So good to see John walking with us again. And Val too! She's been missed these many months. Judy continues to amaze and I'm thinking now fully fit again. Dorothy and Dave did half the walk and I'm intrigued Dave was given a free coffee in The Square cafe after some kind of bird incident! Fiona joined us at Donkey Rocks and was welcomed enthusiastically.
And did we really spend an hour laughing and talking together in The Square Cafe? These are the best days of our lives for sure my friends, let's hope they never end.
Stan Aspinall Striders Walking Group
VISITING GARDENS
Our next event will be our annual planning meeting on Tuesday 20th January at the Ulverston Golf Club from 10.00a.m. - lunch. This will be to plan our visits for 2026, so please come along with plenty of ideas.
It will be followed by lunch for those who wish to stay on. Further details to follow.
Jeni Sarson Visiting Gardens
INDUSTRIAL HISTORY GROUP
The January meeting – Gleaston Village Hall – Stephe Cove talking about Coniston copper mines.
Jo White Industrial History Group
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 December 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 November 2025 - January 2026 copy.