Norton Radstock u3a members are delighted to be up and running in 2022 again with the usual Speaker Meetings and Coffee Mornings each month taking place.

The speaker meeting held on 13th February was attended by many members who had not felt able to attend meetings since the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Members were busy completing Membership Renewal Forms and collecting copies of the group spring newsletter which included details of the various subject groups.

Some u3a subject groups had not met for some time whilst others had used Zoom to support members.

The Singing for Pleasure Group are restarting on 16th March whilst the Poetry Group intend to restart on 6th April. Pre-pandemic the number of u3a subject groups was over forty and we look forward to achieving that number again soon.

At the speaker meeting on 13th February, members received a talk given by Gerry Burdall which dealt with the loss of the Royal George which was launched in 1756. Gerry provided details of this huge warship which included details of the gun disbursements and the total numbers of officers and seamen which made up the crew of 830 men. Details of the luxurious living conditions for the officers and poor conditions for other ranks were stark. The crews’ food was largely salted with amounts of beer, wines and spirits being available in quantities. Battles with the French Navy were frequent. The sea battle at Spithead was significant. The sinking of the Royal George was bizarre, as this was due to gun ports being left open. The sinking of the ship did have one positive outcome, which was that it led to the discovery of the wreck of the Mary Rose in later years.

Asked about what created his interest in the Royal George, Gerry explained that in 1945 his father gave him a book which had wood covers, probably from the Royal George, which contained facilitating details of the ship and crew, some of which he had included in his presentation. This book now has some value as it is a rare item.

Gerry was warmly applauded by his audience for providing such an enjoyable talk.

The Group AGM is being held as part of the coffee morning on 25th April which will include full reports from officers and the election of the officers and committee for the next year. All

members are encouraged to attend this meeting and have their say in the running of the group.

Norton Radstock u3a are planning to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee at the meeting on the 13th June which will also recognise the 40th Anniversary of the u3a movement by arranging an Afternoon Tea with entertainment. Tickets will be available from the coffee

morning on 28th February at the Somer Centre.

Colin M.Tincknell OBE