Blog - Upton & Lytchett

JOHN BUCHAN - Illustrated Talk and Presentation by Marcus Paul - January 2026

This month we were delighted to welcome back Marcus Paul, who many of you will remember from a couple of years ago when he presented a talk for us - Ireland to the Wild West.

This time the subject of Marcus’s talk was John Buchan. Through his lively, fast-paced talk, Marcus gave us a revealing insight into this fascinating man of many talents. Novelist, soldier, politician and diplomat, John Buchan made a contribution to three wars, served as Governor of Canada and influenced the thinking of the British Government for the first 40 years of the 20th Century. Despite achieving all this, today he is probably best known as author of The Thirty Nine Steps, through which he created a completely new writing genre. His revolutionary fictional approach to writing influenced many writers of his time, and went on to become the basis of what we now know as ‘the thriller novel.’

Attended by a very appreciative audience of u3a members and guests our Winter Talk was a resounding success, and we are grateful to Marcus for a most enjoyable and informative afternoon.

A SCHOOLGIRL’S WAR - Tea + Talk - Wednesday 7th May, 2.00 pm - St Dunstan’s Church, Upton

In May, in recognition of VE day, the topic for our spring talk was a Schoolgirls War. Presented by Mary Smith, a former head teacher, this fascinating illustrated talk presented a unique insight into what it must have been like to be a school child living through the trauma of World War Two. Mary described the schoolgirls’ experiences of enduring air raids, doodlebugs and disruptive lessons taught underground in tunnels in the school grounds. Her discoveries of underground tunnels used as classrooms, and of unearthing a set of exquisite paintings which depicted wartime schooling, led her to many interesting revelations which she shared with us.

The topic proved a poignant note with a number of our members who experienced similar experiences themselves. Indeed, one of our members actually attended the school that Mary spoke about and was able to add her own details of how it was to be a schoolgirl during these hazardous times.

THE LIVES OF LADY ANNIE AND SIR MERTON RUSSELL COTES - THEIR LEGACY

Our u3a February Talk and Tea

This intriguing story was the subject of our February Talk + Tea, which was presented by Dr James Taylor. James, who lives locally, is an independent author, award winning lecturer and exhibition organiser. He’s a man of many talents but he’s also a man with a tale to tell, and what a tale he had to tell us. Superbly illustrated and packed of detail, James' talk was about the Russell-Cotes family, the magnificent house they built, their travels and how the house was left to the people of Bournemouth. James held our members captivated and left us all not just well informed but also motivated to visit the famous house.

Many of our members knew something of the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum on Bournemouth’s East Cliff, but not so many were familiar with the history of the house and the fascinating lives of Annie and Merton Russell-Cotes, the original owners of the house. Married in 1860, these two very different but equally interesting (some might say eccentric) individuals dedicated much of their lives to collecting artefacts to display in their constantly evolving late Victorian home.

East Cliff Hall was commissioned in 1897 by Merton as a birthday present for his wife Annie. An imposing house, with a stunning sea view, it was designed by the architect John Frederick Fogerty and heavily influenced by Merton, who on its completion in 1901 gave it to his wife - what a birthday gift! Annie in turn, went on to be equally generous by donating the house and its contents to the town of Bournemouth who took it over after her death in 1920.
During the intervening years, the couple enjoyed an elaborate and often flamboyant lifestyle. They entertained interesting people and travelled extensively. On their visits to foreign countries they acquired fine art and antiquities which they brought back to Bournemouth to display in their home. By the end of their lives they had accumulated a vast array of exquisite paintings and other remarkable objects. Such was the extent of their collection, over the years the house had to be extended several times to accommodate everything they acquired.

Today we are privileged to have all of these beautiful objects on show at the gallery and museum that bears their name. Annie and Merton Russell-Cotes were a truly remarkable couple, who through their generous legacy left us all a unique local treasure.

FIRST TANGO IN LYTCHETT MATRAVERS

At the U3A Christmas party on December the 12th, Over sixty members turned up to enjoy an afternoon of eating, drinking and lively music.

We were treated to a demonstration of Argentinian tango dancing by Vito Pogioli and Pam Dickie. (Special thanks to Pam, who deputised at very short notice).
This was fascinating! We are hoping to start a new u3a group for tango dancing with Vito, so do get into contact if you fancy this.

We were also entertained by Stephen Fletcher singing and playing guitar.

We also ran our ever-popular party quiz and Christmas raffle.

Making our annual Christmas Party a success requires not just a lot of work but also the commitment of our members who join in to help. As usual we are very grateful to all those who this year came forward to assist with the many tasks required. Enthusiastic volunteers helped us with preparing and decorating the hall, making the tea, running the raffle and much more. We are also grateful to everyone who brought along lots of delicious food.

THE STORY OF DR. JOHN SNOW

Our U3a November Talk + Tea - Illustrated talk by Dr. Richard Cottrell

Every now and again someone appears this makes such a contribution to medical science that their name goes down in history. Alexander Fleming, Louis Pasteur, Edward Jenner etc, the names of all these brilliant men have become familiar to most of us. But sometime equally revolutionary people never seem to get the public recognition they deserve. The subject of our talk on October 18th in Lytchett village hall was just such a man.

Dr John Snow, born 1813, arguably did more to progress both the development off anaesthesia and epidemiology than anyone else. John Snow’s early work led him to explore pioneering methods of controlling the amount of chloroform used through the use of an inhaler to regulate the dose. Previously, ether had been used as the drug of the day. Administered through uncontrolled methods this often resulted in the patient being give either too high a dose or the opposite, too low a dose. The former often being fatal the latter resulting in the patient waking up mid operation. John Snow’s use of vaporisation changed all this, and his pioneering efforts can be viewed as the beginnings of administering anaesthetics more safely.

Such a breakthrough in medicine would usually be enough for one man but not for John Snow, who went on to apply his scientific brain to the field of public health.

Taking on the heavyweights of the establishment and government of the time, he identified that contaminated water was the key factor in the spread of cholera. The common belief of the time was that this highly infectious disease resulted from the ‘bad air’ that proliferated in many big cities in the 19th century. John Snow believed otherwise and the epidemiological techniques he developed proved he was correct.

It was this forward thinking man who tracked the source of the 1854 London cholera outbreak to polluted Thames water that contaminated a well. A well which local used for their drinking water supply. Derided by the establishment and struggling to gain acceptance for his belief, he took action to stem the Soho outbreak into his own hands. He prevented people using the well by making it impossible for them to do so. He rendered the handle of the Broad Street pump inoperable.

The methods he used to geographically plot the outbreak are the same as those we use today to investigate infectious disease outbreaks. As our very interesting talk demonstrated John Snow was indeed a true giant in the field of medicine and public health.

DB/22/11/24

NATURE’S WONDERS - TALK BY JANE ADAMS

Our talk in May was given by Jane Adams, writer, photographer and keen amateur naturalist. Jane lives locally, has won an award for an online wildlife diary and was shortlisted in 2022 for a New Travel Writer of the Year award. She has organised ‘Bioblitzes’ for local communities – where the whole community is encouraged to explore their local area, listing everything they see including plants, butterflies, bats, creepy-crawlies, bees.

Jane started by giving us some personal details about how she became fascinated by wildlife from a young age, and how you don’t have to be expert or very knowledgeable to notice the little things, especially in your garden. These small treasures can help to give us breathing space and a few moments to relax in the simple ‘wonders of nature’ – like breathing in the scent of wild bluebells, or watching bee flies dart about the garden or woodland.

Her slideshow, taken from her book Nature’s Wonders, published by The National Trust, revealed these magical moments (and copies of the book were soon snapped up by members of the audience).

Jane’s easy and chatty style, together with her stunning slides, encouraged plenty of questions after the talk – everything from ‘how often should you mow your lawn?’ to ‘should we kill harlequin ladybirds?’ (introduced as a pest control, but have spread and are now threatening our native ladybirds).

It was clear that Jane’s talk gave us all a great incentive to go into our gardens or nearby green area to see just what’s out there!

TALK BY STEVE ETCHES

From Local Plumber to International Fossil Expert!

Until quite recently Steve Etches was probably better known in Upton and Lytchett as a plumber. Indeed, many of those attending his talk in February knew him personally from the plumbing work he has done for them over the years.

Well, all that has changed overrecent times, and these days Steve is definitely better known for his fossil collection than
he is for plumbing.

Dr Steve Etches MBE, as he now is, has acquired a truly international reputation for his expertise on the subject. His lifelong enthusiasm for collecting fossils and his efforts in building the Kimmeridge museum has made him somewhat of a local legend. This welll-deserved accolade was elevated still further when he recently featured on the BBC with Sir David Attenborough. On this special New Years Day programme Sir David announced Steve’s latest discovery, a giant skull of a pliosaur.
As well as this latest incredible find, the Etches Collection includes over 2,000 pieces extracted from the clay in Kimmeridge Bay, including remains of ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs, and a whole host of Jurassic marine life. Once housed in his garage, the collection is now on display at the stylish Etches Collection Museum in Kimmeridge.

We were extremely fortunate to have Steve present our last talk and for being on hand to answer members’ questions about the fossil finds and the work of the museum. His message was clear - the centre, which sees around 25,000 visitors a year, is as much about educating people about the past as it is preserving the fossils held there. It is also most certainly a legacy, one which has evolved from a lifetime dedicated to his passion.

VISIT TO ENGLISH OAK VINEYARD

Our January event took us to the award winning English Oak Vineyard.

Situated in the tranquil countryside on the edge of Lytchett Matravers, this boutique family vineyard was planted by its owners Sarah and Andrew in 2007. Since then it has developed and expanded to become an internationally recognised vineyard, producing top quality sparking wine made in the traditional methode champenoise.

Amongst its many awards, English Oak has achieved a gold medal at IWSC and been awarded silver by both IEWA and in the Decanter World Wide Awards.

Our wine tasting event took place on a bright sunny afternoon, a perfect day for such a pleasant experience. A small group of members enjoyed an interesting and very informative couple of hours, rounded off by sampling some very delicious wines.

Andrew began the afternoon by setting the scene. After explaining the background to the beautiful vineyard and how he and Sarah trained in viniculture, he took us through their journey, from an idea formulated on holiday in Cyprus, to the reality of owning 23,000 vines in beautiful Dorset.

Sarah then took us outside for a tour of the vines, explaining how they are planted, grown, pruned and harvested. It was then back to Andrew for the highlight of the tour, which was of course the wine tasting. Assembled in their comfortable tasting room, u3a members sampled the delights of four of their excellent wines, accompanied by Andrew’s explanation of the various wines and how the different grapes are blended to produce the individual character of the wines.

This was the second of our ‘visits’ to local places of interest, and we hope to organise more as the year progresses.

CHRISTMAS PARTY FUN!

Christmas Party .. Christmas Party 2023 again! What is the saying, ‘Christmas comes but once a year.’?
Well that may be so, but it doesn’t mean we can’t get started on festivities early, and that’s exactly what we did this year. Breaking with the tradition of pervious years, this season we held our Christmas Party at the end of November. Over sixty members turned up to enjoy an afternoon of eating, drinking and lively music ....The Scout Hut Band brought to us by the local rock group, The Scout Hut Band.
As well as the usual Christmas music, classic hits from the sixties and seventies soon got people tapping their feet, and some even took to the dance floor!
For those who didn’t wish to use up quite so much physical energy we also ran our ever-popular party quiz and Christmas raffle.

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE REX CINEMA IN WAREHAM

Illustrated presentation and talk by David Evans - October 2023

If your last cinema going experience was at a Multiplex, surrounded by popcorn-munching people, chatting incessantly, and if the whole experience has put you off going again, then fear not, it doesn’t have to be like that. Here in Purbeck we are fortunate enough to have a completely different kind of cinema experience available; it’s open 364 days of the year, and it’s practically on our doorstep. It’s the Rex cinema in Wareham, and this was the subject of our October talk.

This fascinating and colourful story was packed full of the twist and turns and many challenges the building and its supporters have faced throughout the years. Presented by David Evans, Chair of the Rex Cinema Charity, our October talk at St. Dunstan’s Church in Upton drew a lively and interested audience. This was the first of our 23/24 events season, and David’s excellent talk could not have got us off to a better start.

Built in 1889, originally as a hall for local Oddfellows, the building has been in the business of entertainment throughout its history. In its early days it hosted traveling theatre shows, concerts and banquets, but it was after the Great War in 1920, that the hall really developed when it became the local cinema after the Garrison Cinema in Worgret closed. Called the Empire in those days, it was already well established when in 1927 the ‘Talkies” arrived, and the whole new era of cinema going really took off.

From this time on, the cinema was run by several different people until 1963, when it closed briefly for renovation. The 60’s was a heyday for the cinema, which was then running two full length feature films each night. By now it had also changed its name to the Rex cinema.

In 2009 the cinema was acquired by the Purbeck Film Charitable Trust. It became a non profit community cinema, run by local volunteers. Today the Rex still operates as a charity, funded entirely through donations and grants and run by around 45 volunteers who keep the show on the road every day but Christmas Day. With a bright interior, comfortable seating for 125, and with the addition of a bar, the Rex offers a unique cinema experience in a charming setting.

The Rex cinema in Wareham is a real gem, and as you will have gathered, it’s a cinema with a past, and what a past! We are grateful to David for sharing its fascinating history with us, and for providing us with what the Rex has always provided, fine entertainment. However, this wasn’t a fictional Hollywood movie, this was a real story, a tale about a truly iconic building, run by a group of truly dedicated people.

VOLUNTERS NEEDED!

{07/10/2023 DISCLAIMER: u3a is happy to help by posting this blog entry, but is not responsible for its content.

Livability Millie College is based at Livability Holton Lee on the Dorset border.

Our site, spanning more than 350 acres of nature reserve, provides the perfect space for nurturing wellbeing, and enterprise opportunities

Using a skills-based approach linked to our enterprise curriculum, we support young people with barriers to learning and disabilities to access a range of work-based opportunities and enrichment, enabling them to develop self-advocacy.

We are looking for volunteers to support our areas of Enterprise here at Millie College.
We need volunteers in:
• Animal Care
• Conservation
• Horticulture
• Events
• 1:1 support for some of our Post 25 participants.

If you would like to help, please contact us by visiting our website:-

{www.livabilitymilliecollege.org.uk}

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

07/10/2023 DISCLAIMER: u3a is happy to help by posting this blog entry, but is not responsible for its content.

The Great Big Dorset Hedge (GBDH) initiative is looking for volunteers.

Is your bird-watchers group are interested in combining their bird-watching with some hedgerow watching?
Are there local U3A members who might be interested in volunteering with us?

We have 175 volunteers across Dorset and we looking to increase this to 400. We have various voluntary modes ranging from the outdoor leisurely active, through the socially frantic, to the computer-based static - something for almost everyone. Our existing volunteers have surveyed 250 km of hedges in year one and that just scratches the surface. There are four of us who have documented 90% of that effort for the whole of Dorset (and we desperately need more with an appetite to put their computer skills into action once again). All are welcome in whatever role suits them the best.

We are engaging with farmers where improved hedgerows are now assured and this will, in no small way, move those farmers towards net zero and towards enhanced biodiversity. Clare Lees at Post Green Farm is the first local farmer to embrace our support and we are continuing to survey at her farm this week.

If you watch the 8 minute video, you will have a glimpse of what is there to enjoy!
{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4tOs_1mYuw}

For those in a hurry to sample a survey asap, you just need to sign up here and the first invitation will follow promptly.
{https://www.dorsetcan.org/hedge/volunteer}

27/07/2023 UPTON & LYTCHETT u3a - Much More than an AGM!

It really doesn’t seem possible that I have come to the end of my first year as Chair of our u3a, but I have, and on 27 July I called my first AGM at the Village Hall in Lytchett Matravers.

Annual General Meetings aren’t known for their fun element. They are supposed to be about the business of the organisation, factual and informative, and it’s true to say that for the first hour, our AGM was just that. But just because they are formal meetings, I don’t believe that means they have to be boring, with endless monotone speeches and pages of indecipherable figures. Our u3a Committee are a lively bunch, we don’t like boring, so we decided to organise things a little differently!

With Committee Members elected, motions proposed and passed and Accounts presented, we quickly moved on from the business to a much more interesting agenda, the social agenda. After a rapid shuffle of the tables and chairs and with the ambience transformed, we broke out the tea and cakes, and got on with the serious task of what u3a is about, enjoying ourselves. Of course, there’s only so much tea and cake you can eat before that too gets boring, so we added a further element of light relief with an enlightening talk given by the gardeners of Carey’s Secret Garden.

Who wouldn’t be fascinated by the concept of bringing back to life a secret walled garden that had laid neglected and unloved for 40 years?. Even more so when you learn this is right on our doorstep, just down the road in Wareham.

Let me tell you a bit about Careys Secret Garden - well actually no - it’s a secret garden, so to find out about it you’ll need to visit for yourself. www.careyssecretgarden.co.uk

For those of you who feel cheated because I’ve not told you anything about the business part of the AGM, such as who was elected to the Committee, and what Proposals were passed, this is for you.

Honorary Chair - Dawn Bason
Honorary Treasurer - Andy Jenkins
Honorary Secretary - Sharon Morgan
Group Co-ordinator - Gwyneth Harrop
IT Manager & Vice Chair - Bob Newnham
New Enquiries Secretary - Sarah Wall
Social Secretary - Sheila Twelvetrees
Co-opted Member - Peter Tipping
Co-opted Member - Temporary Membership Secretary - Riette Hodson
Co-opted Member - Health & Safety - Sarah Fleming

And the Motions proposed and passed were:

1. To increase the membership fee by £2.50 (10%), to £27.50 for the year 2023/2024

2. To re-charge members the cost of receiving a paper copy of Third Age Matters
magazine £3.60

3. To change the dates for fee paying periods from 3 per annum to 2 per annum
those being: 01.09.2023 - 31.08.24 and from 01.04.24 - 31.08.24

Dawn Bason - Chair Upton & Lytchett u3a.

DB/WSBlog/GD-Articles03.08.23

Upton and Lytchett u3a - VOLUNTEERS WANTED

Members with a passion for making things happen!

We are actively looking for new people to work alongside us to take our u3a forward. We have lots of ideas and lots of things we would like to offer our members but we need people to help us organise and deliver them. This could be by joining our Committee either as a full or co-opted member, becoming a supporter or by just helping out with specific tasks regularly or now and again.

We are looking for people who have experience or skills in any of the following:

Research - Co-ordination - Graphic Design - Administration - Database Inputting - Marketing
Events Management - - Fundraising - Copy Writing - Photography - Telephone Liaison
Health and Safety.

Whether you can only offer a few hours now and again or would like to really roll up your sleeves and get stuck in on a regular basis, we would like to hear from you.

To learn more please contact Dawn Bason, Sharon Morgan or Gwyneth Harrop via the Contact Us page.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you. Dawn Bason Chair - Upton and Lytchett u3a

FROM IRELAND TO THE WILD WEST

Illustrated talk and presentation by Marcus Paul - February 2023

There is nothing like a Wild West adventure to capture the imagination and whet the appetite for learning more about the history of the mid-west of the United States. And our recent talk by Marcus Paul certainly did both of these things. Captivating his audience with historical detail, wit and humour Marcus brought alive the1870’s lives of two young people who set sail from Liverpool to settle in America.

Through the graphic account provided by Marcus, this richly illustrated talk, with original portrait photographs, maps and documents portrayed a fascinating true story of romance, faith, tragedy and hope.

Attended by a very appreciative audience of our u3a members and a number of guests, this truly was an afternoon to remember. We were even fortunate enough to have the grandchildren of the Kinnier Wilson family in the audience, including the present-day James Kinnier Wilson.

About the talk

The story is centred round the life and work of James Kinnier Wilson and his wife Agnes. ‘Ireland to the Wild West’ is a truly inspiring tale of a young man, James Kinnier Wilson, who left famine-stricken Ireland for Edinburgh where he met his future wife Agnes Hately. Together, as newlyweds, this intrepid couple made the dangerous Atlantic crossing to settle in New Jersey and expand the Presbyterian faith. While there, Agnes wrote intimate letters home about her children, the people around her, the church and the dangers of endemic disease. Called to travel further west, to what was then indeed ‘The Wild West’, Agnes, travelling alone with two small children made her way to Kansas. Her husband James was to join her later, to establish a farm for them to settle in and to found churches.

While alone in Kansas waiting for James to join her, Agnes through her writings revealed the harsh conditions of her lonely life on the frontier. Vividly documenting her impressions of American women, cowboys, servant girls and church goers her letters and papers provide a rich archive of what life was like in this hostile and very dangerous place.

Further information about Marcus Paul and his book Ireland to the Wild West can be found at: www.marcuskpaul.o.uk

CHRISTMAS TIME IS PARTY TIME FOR UPTON AND LYTCHETT U3A

Christmas is the time of the year for getting together with family, friends and likeminded people to have fun and that certainly applies to the members of Upton and Lytchett u3a.

This year in early December 2022 we held our Christmas party at Lytchett Matravers Village Hall. More than 50 people attended to share good food, lively conversation and an afternoon of song and celebration. Entertained by the very popular Frayed Strings Ukulele Band, a mind-stretching quiz teaser and a foam snowball fight, our u3a members enjoyed a very festive afternoon. The party was topped off with our usual Christmas raffle, and with more than thirty excellent prizes there were plenty of lucky winners.

Seeing so many of our members together, enjoying chatting and joining in the fun, was certainly testament to the party’s success and to the relevance of the u3a maxim Live, Laugh, Learn.

Organising a successful party doesn’t just happen, it takes hard work and commitment, and our very grateful thanks must go to those who contributed food for the table of Christmas treats, to the volunteers who helped organise things on the day and to everyone who donated prizes and other goodies. Of course our last word must go our members who came along and whose enthusiasm and good humour made the whole thing such an enjoyable occasion.

If next Christmas you’d like to join in the Christmas party fun, then why not come along. Attendance is free to all Upton and Lytchett u3a members. For further information on joining, please contact Sarah on 01202 054974, or by email using the link on our Contacts page.

Acknowledgment goes to Frayed Strings Ukulele Band, who very kindly donated their musical talents free of charge.

SKITTLES - FRIDAY, 25th NOVEMBER 2022

The Clay Pipe Inn, Organford Road, Holton Heath.
This was so successful we are organising another one!

THE SIEGES OF CORFE CASTLE - FRIDAY, 4th NOVEMBER 2022

Illustrated Talk by Iain Dickie

Our November talk was the first in this year’s calendar of social and learning events.

There is a huge interest in local history within our u3a so we knew this talk would be popular. Many of our members have expressed interest in learning more about the history of this fascinating area in which we live. We were therefore not surprised that the talk was over-subscribed. With more than seventy u3a members and guests attending, we spent an enjoyable afternoon learning more about local history and the role the Bankes family played in defending Corfe Castle.

Presented by Iain Dickie, a well-known local historian, writer and author, the talk described the circumstances surrounding two sieges of Corfe Castle that took place in the 1600’s. Iain’s in-depth knowledge of his subject was evident and with the aid of illustrations, drawings and even a small working model of a siege engine, he gave a graphic demonstration of how the walls of the Castle were attacked. Describing how the hill-top position of the Castle gave the advantage to the small group defending the fortress, Iain explored the character of Lady Mary Bankes who endured the first siege and fought off the attacking forces.

About the talk

The talk focused on one of Dorset’s most iconic monuments - Corfe Castle. This impressive fortress has experienced a chequered history - in its heyday a centre of lavish wealth and grandeur, today it dominates its hill-top as a majestic ruin.

In 1635 the castle and its estate was purchased by Sir John Bankes. The Bankes, a local Dorset family, were immensely rich and influential, Sir John attending at the court of King Charles I. Sir John Bankes was an interesting character in his own right, but Iain’s talk only touched on Sir John’s power and standing, focussing mainly on the bravery of his formidable wife, Lady Mary Bankes. While her husband was away at court, Lady Mary and her two younger daughters resided at Corfe Castle. It was during this time, at the outbreak of the Civil War in 1642, that the first attack on the Castle by Parliamentary forces took place. Lady Mary, determined that the Castle should remain Royalist, was left with little choice: surrender or fight. Choosing the latter, she was forced to defend her property. Outnumbered and with only limited weaponry, Lady Mary led a spirited resistance. The position of the Castle, the strength of its structure and the determination of Lady Mary prevailed, and after a lengthy siege the attackers withdrew.

By the time of the second siege a few years later, the political scene had changed significantly. Most of Dorset was by this time in Parliamentary hands and once again attention turned to capturing Corfe Castle. After a carefully planned attack the Castle finally fell to the Parliamentarians in 1646.

WHY NOT JOIN US?

If you are interested in any of our future talks, why not join us? They take place at either Lytchett Matravers Village Hall or St. Dunstan’s Church in Upton. Look out for information on the Events page of our website, on other local websites and on Facebook. Alternatively, for information or to book a place contact our Social Secretary - Sheila Twelvetrees. A link can be found on our Contact Us page.