Limebrook u3a's November newsletter: Lively RAAC discussions, beer festival fun, and tips on evading scammers
By Ben Shahrabi 24th Oct 2023
Limebrook u3a Publicity Officer Brian Harris looks back on an eventful October for the Maldon community group...
Chris Stringer coordinates the Family History Group. They have started the new season of meetings by watching Toni Neobard's talk on Genetic Genealogy. This inspired the members to learn more about DNA and what it can reveal. Toni's discovery is very exciting, and it is highly recommended. Chris is going to do a series of workshops on Ancestry DNA starting in November. This will be following Toni Neobard's method and will give an understanding of how your DNA can help you with your family history.
The second Social Sciences Group has really taken off and Mary Dove now has a full membership of 12. Their third meeting was on the use of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in schools. One member had knowledge of its content and uses. The consensus of opinion, after a lively discussion, which went on to cover other suspect building materials i.e. asbestos., was that RAAC was used as a cheap option, by those in authority at the time, who possibly would not have to bear the cost if and when material began to fail.
The Poetry Group use themes for each session. This month's theme is 'Nature'.
Organiser Liz Jones says: "There is always humour and laughter interspersed with serious discussion and I think it is safe to say we all depart from our meetings uplifted."
Having finished reading Macbeth, the Shakespeare Group are going to the Cambridge Arts Theatre to see a performance of the play. They will now move on to reading 'The Merry Wives of Windsor'.
Graham Churchill organised a morning in Maldon where the Photographers were set the task of taking images of our own Town. It is easy to forget how much history and interesting buildings there are here. Looking for unusual and different perspectives was an interesting challenge. As usual, they gathered for lunch to compare notes and look forward to showing their pictures next month.
The Real Ale Group attended the South Woodham Ferrers Beer Festival where Mike Stringer the coordinator was helping in the organisation of the event on behalf of the local CAMRA branch. It was a very successful event and raised funds for the RNLI.
Fact & Fiction is one of our four book groups. Mark Ellis says: "We have just finished reading 'The Secret Rooms' by Catherine Bailey. Next, we turn to that old classic, 'Lord of the Flies' by William Golding. Many have memories of reading this as a set text for O level English and perhaps not enjoying it too much. However, it's always good to revisit these classics occasionally. Now it's our turn! Personally, I'm looking forward to renewing my acquaintance with the book."
Howard Corlett, the Limebrook u3a Chairman, wrote as series of articles about various scams to watch out for. In our October Monthly Newsletter, he shared a recent experience: "I had a phone call from a number withheld source, which should have been a warning sign, from someone who claimed to represent Nationwide Building Society. I was told that they had intercepted two substantial suspicious transactions. When I said that I didn't believe she was from Nationwide, her response was that if I didn't clear security, my account would be suspended, which would necessitate a visit to my nearest branch. I said that was fine with me and the line immediately went dead, which is definitely not how the genuine Nationwide would have acted. All I can say is that you have to be vigilant when you are called out of the blue. Go with your gut feeling and don't be pressurized into doing what the caller asks you to do. If there is any doubt, end the call and use a secure number to contact whoever the caller purported to be."
Maldon has four u3a groups in the area. To learn more, visit the Limebrook u3a website.
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