u3a

Shaftesbury & Gillingham

Events

Monthly meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month. Tea/coffee is available from 10:00, with the meeting proper starting at 10:30.

The venue is The New Remembrance Hall, Charlton, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 0PL. There is a link to Google Maps here.

The 29 bus service from Shaftesbury to Salisbury stops in Charlton near to the hall. The timetable may be found here.

A charge is made of £2 per person, to cover speakers' costs and refreshments. Open meetings provide an opportunity to have a coffee, socialise and to enjoy presentations from invited speakers. Non-members are welcome to attend one open meeting to sample what is on offer.


Monthly Meetings

5th December 2024
10:00 am
Meeting

Michael Malaghan - "It Shouldn't Happen to a Writer"

Michael Malaghan - "It Shouldn't Happen to a Writer" All about the funnier side of writing and based on Michael's working career as a journalist in local newspapers and having […]
Venue: The New Remembrance Hall

2nd January 2025
10:00 am
Meeting

Lt.Col.(rtd) James Porter – “The Final Flight of Lancaster Bomber PB848”

This talk begins by examining the development of aerial bombing during WW2, why night bombing began and the technical difficulties associated with it. I then look at how bombing targets […]
Venue: The New Remembrance Hall

6th February 2025
10:00 am
Meeting

Felicity Herring BA MA – “The Extraordinary Life of Dr James Barry”

In 1809 Margaret Bulkley disguised herself as a man and went to Edinburgh University to train to be a doctor, becoming the first female doctor in Britain. Felicity has a […]
Venue: The New Remembrance Hall

6th March 2025
10:00 am
Meeting

Ashley Jones MBE – “Animals at War – The History of the Dickin Medal (The Animal VC)”

This talk traces the early history of the Dickin Medal, now considered to be the VC for animals. The presentation features several accounts of animals that have been worthy recipients […]
Venue: The New Remembrance Hall

3rd April 2025
10:00 am
Meeting

Jenny Mallin – “A Grandmother’s Legacy: the early days”

How Benjamin Hardy in 1798, a 7th generation weaver ancestor of Jenny Mallin from Mirfield in Yorkshire, sails to Madras with his British Army unit, fights for the next 22 […]
Venue: The New Remembrance Hall

1st May 2025
10:00 am
Meeting

Alex Leger – “Life On The Licence Fee –Challenges and Change at the BBC”

Luck played its part when Alex joined the Blue Peter programme in 1975.  The presenters were John Noakes , Peter Purves and Lesley Judd.  He describes pivotal events in broadcasting […]
Venue: The New Remembrance Hall

5th June 2025
10:00 am
Meeting

Christine Wallach – “Now I Belong to Me”

Just before my 50th birthday, my husband and I and five of our seven children were summarily excommunicated from a strict and restrictive religious cult and found ourselves outside the […]
Venue: The New Remembrance Hall

3rd July 2025
10:00 am
Meeting

Kevin Patience – “Salvage Master – A Career in Commercial Diving and Marine Salvage”

This talk illustrates an unusual hobby that subsequently became a full time job in an extremely hazardous environment. Kevin was resident in East Africa and the Middle East for many […]
Venue: The New Remembrance Hall

4th September 2025
10:00 am
Meeting

Dr. Francis Burroughes – “The Golden Age of Glass”

We welcome Dr Burroughes back to give us the follow up from the previous talk which takes the story of English glass through the 19th and 20th centuries, when Britain […]
Venue: The New Remembrance Hall

2nd October 2025
10:00 am
Meeting

Ian Williamson – “My Australian Adventure and Trekking Across the Cradle Mountain in Tasmania”

Ian’s travels in 2015 - to Australia and Hong Kong – for sightseeing, but most of the time was in Tasmania – where the big adventure was doing the Cradle […]
Venue: The New Remembrance Hall

6th November 2025
10:00 am
Meeting

Justine Salkeld – “The Work of the Dog’s Trust”

Dog’s Trust is the UK’s largest canine welfare charity, known prior to 2023 at the National Canine Defence League.  This talk will share the world of Dogs Trust covering topics […]
Venue: The New Remembrance Hall


Group Events

13th November 2024
10:00 am
Group Event

(Group: Natural History)

Outing to Garston Wood

Fungi & lichen

11th December 2024
Group Event

(Group: Natural History)

8th January 2025
Group Event

(Group: Natural History)

Outing to Kimmeridge

Museum with 2000 fossils

12th February 2025
Group Event

(Group: Natural History)

Outing to Arne

Winter waterfowl

12th March 2025
Group Event

(Group: Natural History)

9th April 2025
Group Event

(Group: Natural History)

Outing to Moldram Ground

Bluebells, wild garlic, Spring birdsong

14th May 2025
Group Event

(Group: Natural History)

11th June 2025
Group Event

(Group: Natural History)

Outing to Fiddleford

Dragonflies and Damselflies

9th July 2025
Group Event

(Group: Natural History)

Outing to Whitesheet Hill

Wildflowers & views!

13th August 2025
Group Event

(Group: Natural History)

10th September 2025
Group Event

(Group: Natural History)

Planning meeting @ Jill’s

Coffee, cake and garden walk