DIDCOT & DISTRICT UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 2pm at Didcot Civil Hall.  Visitors are welcome to come to a meeting as a taster before joining.

At our meeting on 17th November 2015 Corry Starling, the miller, will talk about “Mapledurham Watermill’’

It’s never too late to expand your horizons…………..

The University of the Third Age offers the opportunity to share your knowledge, experience and talents with others and learn from them in friendly surroundings.   Why not come along to the next meeting of the Didcot & District U3A and find out what we are all about.  A member of our committee will be on hand to make you welcome.

Tel: 07802 237963

Email:  didcotdistrictU3A@virginmedia.com

Hello from Cornerstone Arts Centre in Didcot!

Our November programme is packed with a great variety of events, classes and workshops.   Popular Top Fun Sundays continue through November, offering family friendly entertainment and facilities.  A range of activities begins at 11am and there’s a super children’s show at 2pm. On Sunday 15 November we have highly skilled theatre from one of the leading UK children’s theatre companies with Puss in Boots.  This story, brought vividly to life by Patrick Lynch from CBeebies, has a host of puppets, a working windmill, hidden trapdoors and lots more.  It’s the cat’s whiskers.

Recently named as one of the Top Nashville Artists, by ‘The Alternate Root’, Wild Ponies offer dead right honest songwriting.  Headed up by Doug and Telisha Williams their most recent album,Things That Used To Shine, spent over twenty weeks in the top forty.  Come along and be captivated by their magnetic and stunning stage presence on Thursday 12 November.

There’s stand-up comedy from James Acaster on Friday 20 November.  You’ll have seen him on Nevermind the Buzzcocks, Mock the Week, 8 Out of 10 Cats and heard James Acaster’s Findings on BBC Radio 4.  He was also a Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Show Nominee in 2014, 2013 and 2012.

Disco Pigs, on Saturday 28 November, is an electrifying, high octane, roller-coaster ride piece of theatre.  Born seconds apart Darren and Sinead, aka Pig and Runt, live in a fantasy world of their own, fuelled by disco beats and cheap booze.  Reality violently collides with fantasy as they go for a 17th birthday binge, and their world begins to crumble.

Are you finding your feet twitching to join in while watching Strictly Come Dancing?  Why not give our Argentine Tango classes a try?  Both beginners and improvers are catered for, and you can book for a block of five weekly classes (starting on 6 November) at a new cheaper rate, or just drop in and give it a go. There’s also a Practica session for more experienced dancers after the class finishes.

Do you love to knit, or have always wanted to learn?  We have just the thing for you on Saturday 14 November with Knitting for Beginners: Make a Bag in the morning and Knitting, Colours and Patterns in the afternoon!  The beginners workshop will include learning how to cast on and off and the basic stitches you need to begin knitting your own bag.   In the afternoon you’ll learn the techniques involved with knitting with several different coloured yarns including Fairisle and Intarsia techniques.

Details of our full autumn programme can be found on our website at http://www.cornerstone-arts.org, where online booking is available.  Bookings can also be made through the Box Office by telephone on 01235 515144 or in person.  Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from 11am to 4pm.  Cornerstone is closed on Monday.

 

DIDCOT & DISTRICT UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 2pm at Didcot Civil Hall. Visitors are welcome to come to a meeting as a taster before joining.

At our meeting on 21^st July Malcolm Nelson will talk about “40 Years of Smugglers.”

It’s never too late to expand your horizons…………..

The University of the Third Age offers the opportunity to share your knowledge, experience and talents with others and learn from them in friendly surroundings. Why not come along to the next meeting of the Didcot & District U3A and find out what we are all about. A member of our committee will be on hand to make you welcome.

Tel: 07802 237963

Email: didcotdistrictU3A@virginmedia.com

Website: http:/u3asites.org.uk/didcot

Apparently Santander customers can now take cash from their current accounts, we have been informed that there are still some teething problems with some of their cards, but most of them work! This means that 99% of you can take money out with absolutely no charge, and most of those accounts can take cash & cheque deposits too, saves a trip into town!

There are some new stamps out in July, commemorating the Battle of Waterloo, slightly better than other recent issues!

We have tickets for many village events, and have pantomime DVD’s, honey, eggs, ice cream, and we have a new dry cleaning company on board now, they collect (and return) on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays,

We will be closed on the August Bank Holiday Monday, allowances usually paid on that Monday, will be paid into accounts on the Friday before.

Mail to the Yeman is still suspended.

Love from Karen & Angela

First & Second class stamps go up 1p each from 30^th March, we have plenty in stock if you want to beat the price rise! These just re-value themselves, so as long as they have 1^st or 2^nd on them, it doesn’t matter what you paid for them!

The really good news is that Royal Mail are keeping the 2^nd class small parcel rate (under 2kg) at £2.80, and even better, the second class medium parcel rate (under 2kg) is actually down to £4.89, a drop of £3.11, and about time too! Of course, they haven’t told us about the first class parcel rates, or any international price rise either!

We still have a brown dotty coat, (age 12), a green chiffon scarf, a mobile phone & a ring in our lost property box!

Duck race tickets are also now on sale, also tickets for BlewTube, & the last 2 winter lectures!

Please remember we are closed on Good Friday (3^rd) and Easter Monday (6^th), allowances will be paid early, but we haven’t been told when! (Usually the previous working day, Thursday?)

Love from Karen & Angela

Blewbury Post Office

Cornerstone has activities to keep every member of the family entertained and occupied during the Easter school holidays. Why not try our family Science Day: Sun and Earth on Wednesday 1 April, which offers a fantastic hands-on science themed workshop? Let your imagination run riot on Friday 10 April in our Kool Science! workshop, and make animated short movies showing the weird and wonderful side of science. Full details of all Easter holiday activities together with booking information can be found on the website (details below).

Our Top Fun Sundays, offering great family entertainment, free activities for little ones and delicious food, continue through April with Duck In The Truck on Wednesday 8 April and Annabelle’s Skirting Board Adventure on Sunday 26 April. Perfect for families and children, these shows would make a lovely Easter holiday treat for the grandchildren.

Cornerstone’s Comedy Club, on Thursday 9 April, will have three of the hottest names on the comedy circuit as well as an expert compere. Book for a comedy curry and a beer before the show to really get yourself in the mood!

Robert Habermann: Sinatra – The Movie Years is a must for lovers of ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes’ and his film career and features some of his greatest songs. This 2pm, matinee, performance is on Thursday 16 April (group bookings available).

Winner of the Editor’s Award at the Edinburgh Fringe, 300-1 Monkey Poet brings his one-man show and brilliant poetic stand-up to Cornerstone on Friday 17 April. A schoolboy re-enacts the macho homoerotic warm film 300 in his bedroom, with Wilfred Owen as his Homeric scribe.

Would your book group like to meet somewhere different for a change? Book Group Night runs regularly on the first Tuesday of every month in our quiet and cosy Café.

Our summer season programme, running from May to August, is now booking. Full details can be found on our website at http://www.cornerstone-arts.org, where online booking is available. Alternatively call the Box Office Tuesday to Sunday on 01235 515144 to book over the phone or for more information (closed M

The weeks are racing past and, with spring just around the corner, here’s a selection of what’s coming up at Cornerstone in March. 

On Saturday 7 March Peter Knight’s Gigspanner promises an evening of superb music.  Legendary folk fiddler Peter Knight, guitarist Roger Flack and conga and djembe player Vincent Sazfaas will take you on a journey influenced by British traditional, Eastern European, French, Canjun, African and Aboriginal music.

A Cappella Day on Sunday 8 March is a one day singing workshop.  The Fifth A Cappella Spring Fest will take over the entire Cornerstone building and offers a choice of choirs and classes with inspirational leaders. Please note that pre-registration is essential.

Prepare to be funked! Top class jazz and soul from Yolanda Brown on Saturday 14 March.  Double MOBO Award Winning Saxophonist Yolanda is one of the UK’s most exciting and in-demand jazz performers.  Touching on Jazz, Soul and Reggae her music is a wonderful mix of genres.  

Life-affirming theatre production, CELL, on Saturday 21 March is humorous, heart-warming and hopeful and features puppetry, physical theatre and original music.  Suitable for ages 11 and up it tells the story of Ted who, after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, goes on the trip of a lifetime…and so does his pet fish. 

Friday 27 March sees The Poozies at Cornerstone. Sally Barker (seen last year wowing millions in BBC1’s The Voice), Mary Macmaster, Eilidh Shaw and Mairearad Green have been described as ‘Britian’s premiere Celtic roots all-woman super-group’.  They bring a powerful combination of punching acoustic guitar, Camac electric harp, dextrous fiddle and accordion plus spine-tingling songs in four-part harmony. 

Revel in the glamour and glitter of post-war America,with A Little Touch of Schmilsson In The Night on Saturday 28 March.  Peter French brings us his highly acclaimed London show, recreating Harry Nilsson’s famous album of 20th century songs – A Little Touch of Schmilsson In The Night – along with songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole and Doris Day. An intimate evening of swing and style, and the American Songbook at its absolute best. 

The start of April brings Easter and the school holidays and, as always, we have a fantastic selection of holiday activities to keep youngsters entertained, stimulated and informed. 

Full details of our March programme are available on the website at http://www.cornerstone-arts.org (online booking available) or from the Box Office on 01235 515144 (open Tuesday-Sunday).

Post Office News;

We still haven’t heard whether the postage rates will change, (usually the beginning of the financial year in early April), so it may be prudent to buy a few extra 1^st & 2^nd class stamps, and beat any increase, as they all re-value themselves anyway! We have plenty in stock!

We have some interesting “Scientific Discovery” stamps on release from late February, and some pretty “Bridges” out in March.

Love from Karen & Angela

We have some beautiful stamps depicting Alice in Wonderland on sale at the moment, sadly, Royal Mail in their infinite wisdom, have decided to produce two of them, (81p & £1.47) that are not of much use at all! On the other hand, they have decided to extend their “special offer on 2^nd class parcels between 1kg & 2kg” until the end of March, (£2.80 instead of £3.80), and we hope that they will not put their prices up too much in April! We have plenty of 1^st & 2^nd class stamps for those who like to beat any price rise, by buying early!

Despite our writing in the last bulletin about the last acceptance times for post, we still had quite a few late arrivals, we are actually not allowed to accept post after our “Last Acceptance Times” or LATs, these are clearly displayed in branch, 4.30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday, 10am on Wednesday & Saturday, on these two half days, the postie comes to collect as late as he can, usually 11.30am, but post really needs to be in by then, to give us time to process it!

We still have a gents silver ring, and a child’s brown dotty coat, but now also have some snazzy black and red kid’s gloves! The car keys found their owner!

Love from Karen & Angela

The Taming of the Shrew – Auditions – Act now!

This year’s summer production at Orchard Dene Garden Theatre will be The Taming of the Shrew directed by Erica Harley. Performances will be on 15^th-18^th July 2015.

Auditions 7^th, 8^th and 10^th February

Please call 01235 850537 to ask more about this or to book an audition. If these dates do not suit please do call for an alternative.

Erica is looking forward to the auditions and to having a lot of fun working with you. “I have always loved the production for two reasons:  because of the farcical nature of much of the action, but mainly because of the relationship between Petruchio and Katherine. The challenge for any 21st Century production is how to meet the perceived anti feminist elements of the play. This is a play where women are bought and sold, dowries negotiated and the highest bidder wins!  Petruchio and Katherine, against all the odds, have a sexual chemistry that eventually overcomes all the obstacles. Or do they?? It is a wonderful opportunity to tackle one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays which is the least challenging in terms of verse and language. And it needs actors who are willing to explore the nature of the relationships but also to enjoy the physical requirements of Farce. It will be fun!!!

Auditonees will be able to have prior notice of speeches they can prepare for.