26/02/2026
Welcome February 2026’s newsletter.
Note: February’s meeting was
on the 12th due to the following week being half-term when the
community centre is closed.
NOTE: It is sometimes difficult for members to judge when the meeting has ended, especially
when question time starts. In future Nick, or another member of the committee, will announce
the end. Please can members be considerate of other members and our speakers during this
period and refrain from talking.
COMMITTEE RESIGNATION
The committee is sorry to announce that Carol Atkinson has decided to resign. Carol was a
member of the original steering committee that brought our u3a into being. She has been a
familiar friendly face on the committee and contributed greatly over the years with her ideas and her time to help make your u3a what it is today. The committee, and I am sure all the
members, thank her.
NEXT MEETINGS
Our next meeting is Thursday 12th February at 10.15. Bernard Nevin will be talking on The Traitor and the Knickers Spy. Chris was hard put to choose one of Bernard’s talks as they all
sounded fascinating. Change of date due to half term.
• Thursday 19th March at 10.15 – Victims Care Fraud & Scams.
• Thursday 16th April at 10.15 – Lewis Lesley Liverpool in 1792.
• Thursday 21st May at 10.15 – Edward Montana-Williams The Forgotten
Artists of Northern Britain.
• Thursday 18 June at 10.15 – Holly Von Bergen Talk on Cyber Crime
• Thursday 16th July at 10.15 – John Coventry Elvis.
• August – Closed.
• Thursday 17th September at 10.15 – Martin Ford Commonwealth Graves.
• Thursday 15th October at 10.15 – Red Rose Concert Band.
• Thursday 19th November at 10.15 – AGM and Social
• Thursday 17th December at 10.15 – To be arranged
REVIEW OF JANUARY’S MONTHLY MEETING
Stuart Elliot taught at a Higher Education College on the subject of Economic History. He specialised in the period between 450AD to 1439AD. His talk in January was ‘The English Village in Tudor and Stuart Times’. The Tudor era started after the Battle of Bosworth 1489AD and the Stuart dynasty ended with the death of Queen Anne 1714AD. During this period there was a village farming revolution, which directly caused a building revolution and a governmental revolution. Farming in England was the traditional strip farming, those strips enclosed in a large field run on the fallow system, so at any one time one third of the strips was
uncultivated for a year. Animals could be allowed to graze on it, but that was strictly managed for the fertility of the soil. The new system was called Up & Down husbandry, the large open fields were partitioned off, and crops like clover ploughed back in for nitrogen fixation which made the land more fertile. In 1674 John Worlidge wrote the Systema Agricultuae Mystery
Husbandry explaining how this new method of farming worked. Documents between the Reverend Dr William Nichols (tenant) and the Mayor of Withenshaw Mr Tatton (landlord)
showed how much more the land produced per annum that it had previously. The yield had gone up from 10shillings per acre to £8 an acre for barley, £10 an acre for wheat and £5 for
oats.
With production increasing the infrastructure needed to keep up (building revolution). Roads had been maintained by the tenants of the land who had to work six days in the year to maintain them. Totally inadequate for the transport of food on a much bigger scale. The solution was the building of turnpike roads by landowners who could recoup and make a profit by charging a toll to use them. Different traffic was charged a different fee e.g. horse-riders, carriages, carts, droves of sheep and cattle. At the same time the rivers were made more navigable for the
increase in shipping. Both required an Act of Parliament. Because there was now access for moving goods, and agriculture had increased economic prosperity, there was demand for
manufactured pottery, clothing and metalware. This had previously been done within the village. It was not a full-blown Industrial Revolution because it was small scale.
A typical early mediaeval dwelling was made of wattle and daub with one storey, thatched roof and no chimney. They were damp, filthy with moss growing up the walls as the Black Death
had decimated the population. With the general improvement in the standard of living there was a change to building in stone and brick. It was helped by the fact that wood had become much more expensive. Along with this came the growth of the middling classes who funded the building of village schools and alms-houses.
The revolution in village governance started in the reign of Elizabeth I due to the increase in beggars and vagrants. Villages and towns were plagued by people without jobs; a mini ice-age
had led to starvation and agricultural improvement meant less jobs The solution was the Vagabonds Act of 1572 allowing the whipping or hanging of vagabonds. Many villages and towns were reluctant to enforce it. In 1601 the Poor Relief Act was passed. This made everyone responsible for the upkeep of the poor. Which meant paid officials, accounts and somewhere to store them, a place for them to meet in and rates (now called council tax) to pay for it all.
Originally, they met in the vestry of the church, a small place usually used to keep the vicar’s vestments. It was too small so a Vestry Office was built, salaried officials were constables,
beadles, surveyors and many other jobs. This Universal System of Welfare passed the responsibility and the upkeep of the poor from central government to ‘local government’. By
Victorian times so many Vestries were notoriously corrupt they were abolished. These three revolutions led to the rise of the middling classes and they both funded and profited from the
VISITS CALENDAR
Most visits will be scheduled so you can use your Senior Pass to get there. John Burrows
NOTE: Photographs taken during visits will be reproduced in the O, our face-book page and other publications. Consent is assumed. Please do not poise for the photograph if you do not
consent.
John is away during our March meeting so if you want to go to any of the following, please put you names down at the February Meeting or contact John directly.
• Walker Art Gallery Wed 25th March 11am. (max 30). Meeting at Orrell Park station for the 9-56 train to Central, then a 10/15min walk to the gallery should give us half an hour to get a coffee etc before the tour at 11am. This is a donation tour recommended
£8 but give what you feel is right.
• April to be arranged.
• Anfield Stadium Tues 19th May 11-30am This tour costs £16 and must be paid for by the 5th May (cash at our April meeting on the16th). Arrangements TBA but we will
probably meet in the Stanley Park Cafe as we did before going to Goodison Park.
• June – to be arranged.
Any suggestions for future visits are always welcomed.
ART GALLERY & EXHIBITIONS GROUP – Pat Wallis
• Future Trips will be announced as the exhibitions open.
DISCUSSION GROUP - contact John Burrows
• This was due to meet in February, but has been pushed back to March.
• The topic for discussion is ‘Is it fair to reduce the number of Jury Trials?’
• Note: as this is a group there is a small charge for room hire.
MENTAL WELLBEING GROUP - John Burrows
• The group meets on the second Wednesday of the month. Please contact John (details
above) if you want any further information.
• This group has been running since the start of our u3a and has become more of a coffee morning cm chat.
WORLD HISTORY – Sue Kelly
• Are meeting via zoom on Tuesday 3rd March at 7 pm. The talk is The Hanseatic League by our resident polish expert Krzys Stankiewicz.
•
• Everyone is invited, either sign into zoom with the above or use the link and you can join this friendly group. A reminder email with the link is sent out the Sunday before the meeting.
50 SHADES OF FOOD – Jean Oliver
• To be announced at the monthly meeting.
WALKING GROUP – Sue Kelly
• The walking group will be revamped in the New Year. There will be a WhatsApp Group to sign up to in order to make communication easier and faster so we can respond quickly to the weather. There will be a list if anyone wants to be signed up for this at
the monthly meeting.
• Walks will be either Wednesday or Friday in future – chosen by the leader for her availability.
• The only stipulation for this group is that you can walk at least five miles. The walks are all on the flat with only the occasion slope or stairs to be climbed.
• They will also be announced by email the day before to take account of the weather conditions.
• Sadly, last year it has been either too wet, too hot, or did not run due to another group meeting on the same day. With the changes we hope to do better.
SILVER SCREEN GROUP – Nick Broadhead
Nick is experiencing a problem with his emails some are going in spam/junk, please check to see that is happening with your delivery.
• Nick will be consulting members about which cinema they would like to attend.
Unfortunately, the cinema they have been going to are running films the group have already seen.
Theatre Group
• Does anyone want to volunteer to lead this group?
Music Group – Coordinator Carol Atkinson
• Carol is looking for a co-coordinator. Please speak to Carol if you would like to volunteer.
Gardening Group – Coordinator Eileen Doughty
• The Group is suspended during the winter and will restart in the Spring
GROUP REPORTS
WORLD HISTORY
On Tuesday 3rd February Krzys Stankiewicz, with contributions by his twin brother Michael, gave a talk on The Poles in the UK – After World War II: part 2. The following write up is from Krzys.
The Second Migration. This was from July 1945 to the summer of 1948, after the Potsdam Conference established new national boundaries in central and eastern Europe. During this time
around 120,000 Military Personnel and their families moved to the UK. These were Poles from the pre-War Eastern ‘Kresy’ (’Borderlands’) who had been deported to Siberia in 4 waves
between February 1940 and June 1941, and who, subsequently, were released from the Soviet Labour Camps after the N***s invaded the USSR in June 1941.
Those men released from the Camps who were of military service age formed the core of the Polish 2nd Corps, known as ‘Anders’ Army’, after their Commander, General Władysław
Anders. The soldiers of the 2nd Corps saw service in Italy, Normandy and in the Low Countries. Their families stayed behind in the Middle and Near East, initially in Persia (now
Iran) and then Lebanon and British Palestine. Others were sent to British colonies in Africa
(mostly to Kenya and Uganda), to India and even to Australia and New Zealand.
Polish Communities in the UK after World War Two. The Polish Re-Settlement Act of
March 1947 was Britain's first mass Immigration Law. The Act enabled Poles, many of whom
for various reasons were unable to return to Poland, to settle in Britain.
Large numbers of Poles, initially from the Resettlement Camps established by the Polish Resettlement Corps (PRC) settled in London, as well as in and around the industrial areas of
the Midlands, the North and Scotland. The PRC operated jointly with the British Army between 1946-49, helping members of the Polish Armed Forces make the transition from military to
civilian life.
In the late 40’s and early 50’s Polish Communities gradually began establishing themselves
throughout the UK. The main Communities were as follows:-
London and the South. London - 100,000 – 70,000 in West London (Ealing, Acton, Chiswick,
Hammersmith and Earls Court) and 30,000 in South London (Balham and Streatham). Swindon
– 8,000, Slough – 5,000, Southampton – 5,000.
Midlands. Birmingham – 20,000, Coventry/Solihull – 10,000, Nottingham/Newark/Melton Mowbray – 10,000, Leicester – 5,000.
The North West and N Wales. Manchester – 12,000, Liverpool – 5,000, Preston – 2,000, Bolton
– 1,500, Blackburn – 1,500, Oldham – 1,500, Southport – 500, Penrhos (N. Wales) – 500,
Penlee (N. Wales) – 500.
Yorkshire and the North-East. Leeds – 3,000, Bradford – 1,500, Tyne & Wear – 2,000.
Scotland. Edinburgh/Dundee – 10,000, Glasgow – 10,000, Perth – 5,000
Altogether around 250,000.
The Polish Social and Cultural Centre in Hammersmith, London (‘POSK’ – ‘Polski Ośrodek
Społeczno-Kulturalny’) was opened in December 1974.
The ‘Dziennik Polski’ (‘Polish Daily’) was first published on July 12tth, 1940. Since 2015 it has continued as the ‘Tydzień Polski’ (‘Polish Weekly’).
The resettled Poles, many of them skilled tradespeople as well as people with professional qualifications and experience, were a valuable addition to the National Labour Force in the
post-War reconstruction effort.
They, and their descendants, formed the bulk of the Polish Community in the UK as it existed prior to Poland's accession to the EU in May 2004
Others settled in the British Empire, forming significant Polish Communities in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and smaller Communities in India, Kenya and Uganda.
Krzys and Mike added to the Talk with their reminiscences of the Manchester Community of the 1950’s and 1960’s. The Manchester Community was the 3rd largest in the UK, after London
and Birmingham.
Part 3 of the Talk – which will look mainly at the most recent Migration after Poland joined the EU in May 2004 – is on Tuesday, May 5th.
COMMUNITY NEWS
The following is from John Burrows:-
A friend of mine and his sons are in the North West Vehicle Restoration Trust. They are having a Southport Heritage Running Day on Sunday 29th March 10am-5pm There will be a static
display and free rides on vintage buses to various places from the end or the pier/ Silcocks Family Restaurant. A souvenir program will be available for £5 and all charitable donations
will go to ELSIES STORY. Elsie Dot Stancombe being one of the 3 young Southport girls who never got to finish their dance class in July 2024
CENTRAL NEWS
This year’s summer school has been announced. North West Region u3a Summer School 2026 Tues 11th August – Friday 14th August
Manchester Metropolitan University, M15 6GX
The 8 courses on offer are:-
Archaeology Explorers (now full)
Making sense of everyday Mathematics
An introduction to Geology
Photography - Beyond the Snapshot
Art challenges - the history of colour
The UK and USA Political Scenes
Operatunity – opera appreciation
Intermediary Ukulele
An application form and further details are available online at
Manchester astonished the world with its rapid growth during the 19th and early 20th centuries. But part of the price was that the accumulated remains of past centuries were swept aside and lost.
