u3a

South Solihull

Local History (Group 1) - Earlier activities

Here is a list of the events we organised up to the end of 2022

9/1/2020Solihull Waste Disposal PlantVisit to an incineration plant used by Solihull waste disposal.
6/2/2020Famous People from the MidlandsTwo members researched famous people from the Midlands; George Elliott and Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, and gave a presentation over tea, coffee and cake.
15/5/2021Elmdon and Knowle 1963Online Zoom meeting. Speaker: Linda
24/6/2021Zoom MeetingsThis was our first Zoom meeting.  19 members came online for a virtual coffee and “Chat about V. E. Day”. Building on the success of this first Zoom, we had monthly online meetings from May 2020 through to June 2021.
2/9/2021Face to Face8 members meet at Hatton Lock Café, ‘face to face’ for the first time in 18 months for coffee, chat and planning for the future.
4/11/2021Elmdon ParkRemembering the excellent Zoom presentation on Elmdon Park that Linda had given us in May, the group decided it was worth a visit.
8/12/2021Meeting together and flourishing!After a 22-month break, the group got together for an afternoon of individual reminiscences from our younger days.
6/1/2022Annual Get-togetherWe started 2022 with our annual meal at the Wilson Arms, kindly organised by Jenny, where 16 members had an enjoyable lunch.
3/2/2022The Monastic Sites of WarwickshireLaurence Ince give us an illustrated talk on The Monastic Sites of Warwickshire, including Henwood Mill with its tales of ghostly sightings of nuns.
30/3/2022Polsworth AbbeyThis is a hidden gem.  Fr. Philip, gave up his afternoon to chat to us about the history of Polesworth, the Abbey and Shakespeare even got a mention. We walked in the sensory garden before a shower hastened us inside the Abbey Church.
25/5/2022The Roundhouse, Birmingham15 of us caught the train into Birmingham and thence to the Roundhouse for a guided tour. We learnt about the role of the Roundhouse in providing stabling for the canal horses and workers
1/7/2022Leamington SpaWe enjoyed a visit to Leamington Spa.  We were lucky to visit All Saints Church on the day that the Quilt of Hope which has been travelling around the local churches arrived.  We also saw the Pump Rooms Museum and Art gallery, the Jephson gardens and the Leamington studio artists in the East Lodge.
9/11/2022Leisure in Knowle 1945 -1970Speaker: Helen George. From Whist Drives & Bike Rides to Barbeques & Discotheques.
13/12/2022Museum of Local Curiosity13 members met to plan for 2023.  In the first hour, following the format of the Radio 4 programme “The Museum of Curiosity”, eight members suggested entries to our local virtual museum.  Here are some of the submissions: Museum of Local Curiosity