| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Leader: | |
| When: | Occasional |
| Venue: | Various locations |
Events and outings are being arranged on an ad hoc basis and offered to the whole membership of Redditch u3a.
Examples of previous outings are a visit to Harvington Hall for a Candlelit Tour, a Palace Theatre visit to see the musical “Kiss me, Kate”, an Open Gardens opportunity to enjoy the gardens at Moreton Hall, and a coach trip to Gloucester including a boat trip on the “Boudicca.” river cruiser.
Please contact the leader for further information or with suggestions for future events or outings.
Possible Events for 2026
I have been thinking about next year and would welcome ideas. I list a few possible events below.
• Gliding, but in the summer with longer days
• Morton Hall in September when the gardens are different.
• Guided tours of Bordesley Abbey and the Needle Museum.
• Winterbourne Gardens
• The Garden of Heroes and Villains near Dorsington
• A canal trip with afternoon tea on the Worcester canal.
• A coach trip to an undecided venue.
Forthcoming events
Afternoon Tea at The Limes Country Lodge Wednesday 17th September 2025
As you will see from the photos below, we had a delicious afternoon tea at The Limes with generous portions of sandwiches, cakes and warm scones with jam and clotted cream! Some of us also had a glass of prosecco and together, we all toasted Olive whose 95th birthday was to be the following day. The restaurant was warm and inviting, and the service was excellent. Do join us next time!
Oxford City and River visit on Thursday 19th June 2025
We had a very hot and sunny day for our coach outing to Oxford.
On arrival, many of us headed to the Ashmolean Museum for coffee and cake. I had previously picked up a leaflet recommending the 10 highlights to see in an hour and so Sylvia and I started with the Alfred Jewel, a 1,100 year old “masterpiece of goldsmith’s work”. It really is stunning! We then found Turner’s ‘High Street, Oxford’, an example of his architectural style, and a most impressive Samurai suit of armour, before our hour was up.
It was then time for Sylvia and me to have lunch in the Ashmolean’s rooftop restaurant. This experience was well worth the not overly expensive cost. Others either visited the Ashmolean or other museums, ambled around the Oxford colleges or sheltered from the heat in cafes. Perhaps a few even went shopping.
Then it was off to catch the coach to the optional Oxford River cruise. Our party positioned itself under the canopy to shade ourselves from the sun. What a contrast to last year’s boat trip in Gloucester when we were sheltering under the canopy from the rain!
Once the boat got started, a very gentle breeze cooled us a bit. A commentary from the boat captain accompanied the first half of the cruise. He told us that the company which had built the boat and still owned it, was the biggest boat builder in the world in the 19th century! He pointed out the Oxford college boat houses clustered on the riverbank, and the small residential boats on the river itself which were only allowed to stop for 48 hours but had been there for up to fifteen years!
After disembarking from the boat, we went into the Head of the River pub for refreshments before we boarded the coach home.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable - though very hot - day which we plan to repeat next year. Any suggestions for a destination?
Murray Taylor
Morton Hall visit on 13th May 2025
It was a beautiful May day when a group of us visited Morton Hall gardens. They are situated between Redditch and Inkberrow and Morton Hall itself is a Georgian country house. The website describes it as resting on the crest of a steep embankment, looking out west over the Vale of Evesham to Welsh mountain ranges on the horizon. The Malvern and Clee hills can be seen to left and right. A really beautiful situation.
We were greeted by the Gardens Manager, Suzanne, who described the plan for our afternoon. We were taken round the gardens by the owner Anne Oliviera. We started on the East Terrace in front of the main entrance. She described the history of the house, what the gardens were like when she and her husband arrived, and the planning and construction of the present garden. She engaged Charles Cheshire who suggested the idea of the garden as a journey through a serious of harmonious spaces.
My favourite was the Stroll Garden where you pass a summer house before walking round a large pond. The area is full of tree peonies, magnolias, primulas and geraniums.
After walking through the spaces, we reached the orangery where we had a delicious cream tea with homemade jam. The shoppers amongst us then had the opportunity to top up our greetings card collection.
A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon which we plan to repeat in August next year when different flowers will be in bloom.
A few photographs of the visit below.
