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Hello UpARA members,
This month we would like to invite you to our Christmas Social afternoon on Friday 17th December.
This will be like our previous social afternoons; tables will be arranged around the hall and the idea is that you just turn up and generally have an enjoyable afternoon in the company of others. Guests welcome.
We will be providing some festive mince pies, cakes, mulled wine, teas & coffees plus a free raffle with lots of prizes. Please also bring your own drink/glasses. There will be some festive fun with entertainment on the big screen plus a short quiz. All for just £2, taken on the day - what more could you ask for!?
Please book - We ask that you let us know that you are coming please, and we will allocate a place. Also, let us know if you are a group and a table will be set aside so you can sit together.
Our speaker this month is sure to set the festive tone when Tony Harris returns giving us a history of the Pantomime Dame. Many will remember Tony with unforgettable appearances as Henry VIII, Sherlock Holmes, and Churchill.
The thoughts of Chairman John
Hi everyone,
We continue with our activities both indoor and outdoor with really good turnouts, so good that we have been running Petanque for two afternoons a month, (I would like to thank Ray for all the work ensuring the Terrains are kept in excellent condition, especially at the moment with the clearing of the leaves).
Last month’s Speaker, Edwin, gave us a really enlightening talk on Canine Partners; it was the first talk he had given since Lockdown; a member organised a collection which raised £100, (additional to the club’s donation of £60) - many thanks to Heather - I have since received an email from Edwin who was over the moon!
Lastly, Turkey and Tinsel at the Belgrave Sands Hotel in Torquay; once again Malcolm and Brenda have hit the Jackpot. The Hotel was superb - everything you could ask for; Rae and Rob from Jewels Tours were excellent.
Our trips out were also very enjoyable, Exeter, Plymouth, and an evening trip for some to the nearby Babbacombe Theatre to see the show, ‘Step into Christmas’, tears of laughter flowing all the evening! As it was T&T, all our members had a chance to celebrate the festivities, with various festive wear!
John W Trips
Homeward Bound. A stop at Stonehenge after a great break in Torquay.
Website
Don’t forget you can visit us on our website: www.upara.club to see what is happening, view the calendar if you need to check whether certain activities are on or not and what time.
Can you help us?
You may remember our asking for volunteers to help in running some activities, possibly as part of a group or on a rota - Many hands make light work! If you can help in any way, please let us know.
December Activities
Please note there is no Table Tennis, Art, Coffee Morning, 10 Pin Bowling, and only one Walk. Thank you.
Mondays December 6th, 13th, 20th 10:00am - Short/Soft Tennis
Returns 10th January
Monday, December 6th 2:00pm - Kurling
Returns 10th January
Tuesday, December 7th - Inn on the Lake ‘Salute to Xmas’
Wednesdays December 8th, 15th 10:15am - Line Dancing
Returns 12th January
Friday, December 10th 2:00pm - Monthly Meeting
Tony Harris & The History of the Pantomime Dame
Tuesday, December 14th 1:00pm - Petanque
Note this is the normal day for 10 Pin Bowling which is cancelled this month
Friday, December 17th 10:00am - Seasonal Village Walk
Santa Hats optional!
Friday, December 17th 2:00pm - Christmas Social Afternoon
£2 - Includes free raffle, tea/coffee, mince pies, mulled wine, cakes, entertainment, plus a chance to say ‘Merry Christmas’ to friends! Bring your own drink and glasses and enjoy yourselves.
Hopefully, see you all soon - your UpARA Committee.
Hello UpARA members,
The Inn on The Lake Country & Western lunch at the beginning of October was a tremendous success, so much so that another booking was made at the time for ‘Salute to Christmas’ on 7th December and tickets sold out within a couple of days before a few more tickets were obtained, making the number of UpARA members going at around 80.
The second Friday afternoon Social went very well. Special thanks to Jeff Pedley for working so hard on his three ‘sets’ and his running quiz. Well done to the table that managed to get a very respectable 44 points, and well done to those that received their cash prizes in our ‘Golden Ticket’ draw.
Speakers are now booked right through to January 2023; please visit www.upara.club to view and to check on our calendar of events which we are working hard to ensure is current and up to date.
You may notice that there are less activities than normal towards the end of the month - this is due to the Torquay trip taking place and the Upchurch Players Pantomime having the hall for the week afterwards…
The thoughts of Chairman John
Hi everyone,
It seems an age since lockdown, our activities have restarted and are as strong as before, a good testament being our recent London Walk to Southwark.
We've also found a demand for an extra Boules afternoon, usually attracting 20+ members with the chance to catch up, over a coffee afterwards.
The only disappointment now is 10 Pin Bowling, possibly due to the proximity of others, although the lanes are laid out very well; we will continue and review in the new year.
Another success has been the Friday Social afternoons, an idea thought of in lockdown to provide a simple way of bringing people together to just enjoy themselves in a social setting (that we weren’t able to do back then).
The "Social Degenerates" have met up once again and have some events in store for 2022, including a Birthday Party in March, a "Do" for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, and the return of the Christmas Party. A festive social gathering on the afternoon of 17th of December is also planned.
Under the circumstances, I can't believe the steps we have made over the past few months, including our trips and events. Next stop Torquay!
John W
Trips
UpARA members dancing off their lunch at the Country and Western
afternoon at the Inn on the Lake.
A lovely row of listed cottages in Borough. Turns out one of our members
lived at No.2 till he was 12!
The George Inn, Borough. Owned by the National Trust, this is the only surviving
galleried coaching Inn in London and mentioned in Dickens’s ‘Little Dorrit’.
They also serve a mean Fish & Chips.
November Calendar
Monday, November 1st 2:00pm - Kurling
Mondays November 1st, 8th, 15th - 10:00am Short / Soft Tennis
Tuesday, November 2nd 2:00pm - Table Tennis
Tuesday, November 2nd 9:30am - Coffee Morning & Art Class
Wednesdays November 3rd, 10th, 17th 10:15am - Line Dancing
Friday, November 5th 10:00am - Village Walk
Tuesday, November 9th 10:30am - 10 Pin Bowling (Hollywood Bowl)
Friday, November 12th 2:00pm - Monthly Meeting
Tuesday, November 16th 1:00pm - Petanque ***
Friday, November 19th 10:00am - Village Walk
Mon - Fri November 22nd - 26th - Torquay Trip
Tuesday, November 23rd 9:30am - Coffee Morning & Art Class
Tuesday, November 23rd 2:00pm - Table Tennis
*** Please note new ‘Winter’ timings for Petanque. Any ‘extra’ session this month will be communicated separately.
Hopefully, see you all soon - your UpARA Committee.
Hello UpARA members,
September turned out to be another great success with both our Runnymede / Saville Gardens trip and our first Social Afternoon (Quiz) going extremely well.
Our next Social will have Jeff Pedley entertaining us on the afternoon of the 29th of October. We hope that many of you will be able to attend; non-member friends are welcome too. However, we do need to know who is coming for tables and seating etc. Again, it is bring your own drink and nibbles, just sit back and enjoy yourselves with friends. (£5 pay on the day).
Please Email: uparaupchurch@gmail.com or text: 07802 250773 to book a space.
The Quiz was a close-run thing with the winning team, (who celebrated with some nice bottles of Rioja and Prosecco) just a couple points ahead of the pack.
Some lucky holders of the free ‘Golden Tickets’ shared £100 in cash to boot!
The thoughts of Chairman John
Hi everyone,
Time seems to have flown by since Lockdown, credit to all members who ensured all our activities re-started with great support.
The first Tenpin Bowling only tempted six members; however, it was good to see Perspex Screens between the lanes. I personally felt very comfortable and would recommend it wholeheartedly. The Bowling is very safe at the Hollywood Bowl, although my personal bowling left room for a great deal of improvement! Don't be afraid to give it a bash, even if you haven't done it for longer than you like to remember, don't worry…… you will be in good company.
We have had the same Committee with just a few changes over the past seven years, I'm sure amongst our membership of (200) there must be some who would like to join a very friendly group who are in need of new ideas. We have an option of co-opting at least 3 members (we are a little light on ladies!).
Finally thank you all for making our efforts all worthwhile, but so much is down to the enthusiasm of Bryn for all the admin and organization, and with no fewer thanks to Malcolm for all the Trips, with some still come!
The better news?? The social Degenerates Committee has resurfaced, watch this space with bated breath.
John W
London Walk
Weather permitting, we will be embarking on our first London Walk since restarting - on Friday 15th October.
This time, we are doing the ‘Southwark & Bankside’ Walk. Although the actual walk is just two miles, lots more yards will be added to this as the walk takes in many places. Some of these we will be stopping at, to allow everyone to have a nose around and at some point during the walk, there will be time to stop for lunch.
Sights on the way include Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral, Globe Theatre and countless other interesting sites and tidbits of information.
We will meet at Rainham Station and purchase our group saver (to be confirmed but think the cost of a return ticket will be £15) and take the 09:57 Thameslink train to London Bridge.
Please Email: uparaupchurch@gmail.com or text: 07802 250773 to register your interest and then further details will be sent out nearer the time.
Petanque
Please note the extra Petanque session this month, on 5th October, in no small part to its popularity and your support.
October Calendar
Monday, October 4th 2:00pm - Kurling
Tuesday, October 5th 9:30am - Coffee Morning & Art Class
Tuesday, October 5th 2:00pm - Table Tennis
Tuesday, October 5th 2:00pm - Extra Petanque Session
Wednesdays Oct 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th, 10:15am - Line Dancing
Friday, October 8th 2:00pm - Monthly Meeting
(Speaker Maurice Chittenden - My Life amongst the Great Train Robbers)
Mondays October 11th, 18th, 25th, - 10:00am - Short / Soft Tennis
Tuesday, Oct 12th 10:30am - 10 Pin Bowling (Hollywood Bowl)
Wednesday, Oct 13th - Country & Western @ Inn on the Lake
Friday, Oct 15th 10:00am - London Walk (Southwark & Bankside)
Tuesday, Oct 19th 2:00pm - Petanque
Tuesday, October 26th 9:30am - Coffee Morning & Art Class
Tuesday, October 26th 2:00pm - Table Tennis
Friday, October 29th 2:00pm - UpARA Social - With Jeff Pedley
Hopefully, see you all soon - your UpARA Committee.
Hello UpARA members,
August was a great success with pretty much all our activities getting back on track. In addition, both our Oxford trip and Breakout Party went extremely well.
Our next Social is the UpARA quiz on the afternoon of the 24th. We hope that many of you will be able to attend; tables of six (if you can’t make a six, let us know and we will organize a team for you). If you want to make up a six with friends then great, non-members welcome, the important thing is that everyone has a good time.
A lot of effort goes into the organizing of these and indeed all our activities and trips and it really does make it feel worthwhile by the organisers when things are well attended.
Please Email: uparaupchurch@gmail.com or text: 07802 250773 to book a space.
Another one of the aims of the Socials is to raise money to help to make a difference to members’ experience, e.g, we are planning to build a storage area for our stacks of books and jigsaws and are also looking to help fund a defibrillator for the hall if it can be accommodated; if you can think of anything you would like to see, let us know...
The thoughts of Chairman John
Hi everyone, So much has happened in the last month compared to the last eighteen, it’s difficult to know where to start!
Having attended the Village Hall open afternoon a couple of Saturday’s back I was struck by how much has changed, with all the improvements to the hall and also, the number of activities, trips and social events that UpARA provides.
Many pictures of old trips were on display and provided lots of memories; it’s easy to forget that just seven years ago we didn’t even exist as an organisation, and it is a credit to everyone involved, past and present, that UpARA is where it is now. It was also great to see all the other users of the hall and so many visit to see the improvements.
Lastly, an interesting phenomenon occurred during our Oxford trip - Two of our members saw their footwear disintegrate before their very eyes!
John W
Ten Pin Bowling
Just a reminder that 10 pin bowling will be restarting this month on the 14th of September. We’ll be continuing at the Hollywood Bowl, Strood and will be meeting in the car park outside.
Activities
Guy Bartlett gives us a fascinating talk on the Battle of Britain.
Trip down the river at Oxford, past all the College Boat Houses. It is rumoured that several members were spotted throughout the day in the Pub opposite.
Great to see everybody having a great time again with our Breakout Party and entertainment from Nick Boswell.
Trips
Don’t forget - the balance is due by 10th September for those going to Tinsel and Turkey week in Torquay and deposits are now being taken for the Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey) trip to secure your place.
Any queries... just ask...
September Calendar
Wednesdays September 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th 10:30am - Line Dancing
Friday, September 3rd 10:00am - Village Walk
Friday, September 3rd - Runnymede and Saville Gardens Day Trip
Mondays September 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th - 10:00am - Short / Soft Tennis
Monday, September 6th 2:00pm - Kurling
Tuesday, September 7th 9:30am - Coffee Morning & Art Class
Tuesday, September 7th 2:00pm - Table Tennis
Friday, September 10th 2:00pm - Monthly Meeting
Tuesday, September 14th 10:30am - 10 Pin Bowling (Hollywood Bowl)
Friday, September 17th 10:00am - Village Walk
Tuesday, September 21st 2:00pm - Petanque
Friday, September 24th 2:00pm - UpARA Quiz
Tuesday, September 28th 9:30am - Coffee Morning & Art Class
Tuesday, September 28th 2:00pm - Table Tennis
Hopefully, see you all soon - your UpARA Committee.
Hello UpARA members,
We are now pretty much back to where we were before the Pandemic, with most of our activities having restarted towards the end of July. We very much hope that this continues into the future with no more ‘disruptions’. We do not expect things to go back to where they were straight away and will support all activities to get back to becoming ‘self-supporting’. One activity that we are not restarting quite yet is Pilates, Janetta has decided not to return again this year, although she will continue with her online classes.
URGENT- New Treasurer required
As you will know, John Tutt will be stepping down as Treasurer at the next AGM. We urgently need someone to fill the void, ideally to be in a position to take over the running of the accounts from the beginning of the next financial year ie March 2022.
This will require changing details with the bank prior to this though, so we need someone to step forward very soon. Banking of cheques and cash can now be made at the Post Office which takes a lot of the pain out of the role. Please, if you feel you could be suited to this or would like a bit more detail before committing, please step forward.
The thoughts of Chairman John
Hi everyone,
After all the false starts, lockdowns and self-Isolations, our greetings when we meet now seem to begin with “have you been Pinged?”
Despite all the distractions, UpARA is now up and running; our outdoor activities have been very well attended - in fact, we almost ran out of UpARA Boules at the first Meeting! - and recently restarted activities also very encouraging.
Throughout the Pandemic, two of your committee members, particularly, have been beavering away behind the scenes, I've tried to give them some recognition before but they both declined. The amount of time they have both given to us, (with Trips cancelled / re-booked, together with developing a full diary of trips, Emails, Risk Assessments, Hall bookings and all the paperwork required to conform with Covid Regulations, these don't happen by magic!).
Thanks, on behalf of all the members for your sterling work - Malcolm for the Trips & Holidays and Bryn for everything else involved with Communications to all our members.
Finally, looking forward to seeing all of you again, especially our new members, welcome to UpARA I'm sure you will enjoy what we have to offer!
John W
Social Activities
We are hoping to introduce a (fairly) regular Friday Social afternoon.
The idea is that you bring your own food & drink etc and we lay on some various entertainments for everyone’s enjoyment.
Places would be requested as they are now for other social events and there will be a table plan so you can sit with friends and avoid mad scrambles for seats!
This month sees the first, and is the breakout party, on the evening of the 13th with Nick Bosworth as our entertainment. We are hoping for a great night.
On Friday afternoon 24th September will see our next and will be the annual quiz, from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. Our last quiz in January 2020 was very well received and seemed to be really enjoyed by everyone who came. More details soon.
We then have Jeff Pedley entertaining us with some acoustic melodies on Friday 29th October from 2:00pm
Further socials will follow, so if you have any ideas for a theme, or know some entertainers please let us know. Choirs / West End Musical Hits / Horse Racing / Tribute Artists, all things considered, as long as we all have a good time, especially through the Winter afternoons.
August Calendar
Mondays August 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd - 10:00am - Short / Soft Tennis
Monday August 2nd 2:00pm - Kurling
Tuesday August 3rd 9:30am - Coffee Morning
Tuesday August 3rd 2:00pm - Table Tennis
Wednesdays August 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th, 10:30am - Line Dancing
Friday August 6th 10:00am - Walk (venue TBA)
Friday August 13th 2:00pm - Monthly Meeting
Friday August 13th 7:00pm - Break Out Party
Tuesday August 17th - Oxford Day Trip
Tuesday August 17th 2:00pm - Petanque
Friday August 20th 10:00am - Walk (venue TBA)
Tuesday August 24th 9:30am - Coffee Morning
Tuesday August 24th 9:45am - Art
Tuesday August 24th 2:00pm - Table Tennis
Regards and hopefully see you all soon - your UpARA Committee.
With the end of restrictions upon us, this Email is to inform everyone of what we are planning from now on.
This Friday as you know we have our Friday Walk setting off from Riverside Country Park, and, (for the last time), we need you to let us know if you are coming.
On Tuesday, 20th at 2:00pm there will be the normal monthly session of Petanque at the side of the Golf Course driving range alongside Oak Lane. We have had record numbers taking part over the last month or two - just turn up if you wish to take part...
Wednesday, 21st July, is the date that Weekly Line Dancing sessions are commencing. This will now be for one hour, starting at 10:30am, and will be beginners line dancing, (for beginners and those that may have got a bit rusty...).
The following week we will be re-commencing bi-monthly Coffee Mornings, Art and Table Tennis and weekly Soft Tennis; and then in August our regular monthly Friday meetings, and Monday afternoon Kurling sessions.
Ten Pin Bowling will not restart until after the school holidays.
We are unsure about Pilates at present and will confirm with all in due course.
Initially, we will mail out when each activity restarts as a reminder to all; we don't expect that everything will necessarily resume at the same time or days or format as we left it back in March 2020, and there may be some changes.
Our first Monthly Meeting is on Friday, 13th August and our speaker is Guy Bartlett with a talk on the Battle of Britain (which was originally scheduled to coincide with the 80th anniversary last year).
On the same night, we are celebrating with our BreakOut Party with live entertainment. Those who have booked a place on the original date at the beginning of July will have received a mail confirming the change, please let us know if you can no longer attend the date. There are still a few places if any members who have not booked, wish to party with us, please Email: uparaupchurch@gmail.com There will be a table plan to ensure people can sit with friends etc. More info nearer the time...
Our first trip, to Oxford, leaves on 17th August and Malcolm has many more planned, see the link below.
We will have more to say in the coming weeks as things settle down and the committee has had a chance to meet, (our first in-person committee meeting for a long while takes place on Monday). We have a number of plans, and we will also be asking for your help to help us go forward.
One question we are asking at the moment is whether anyone would be interested in Ballroom Dancing Lessons - if you do, let us know and if there is enough potential support, we can take it further.
We have tried to keep the website up to date as much as we can: www.upara.club
Please click on the links below to view the calendar, and the outing and speaker lists that are currently in our plans:
Regards and hopefully see you all soon
Your UpARA Committee
The new floor and ceiling in the main hall.
The Village Hall Management Committee has been busy during lockdown overseeing a major refurbishment project including new fire safety measures, lighting, heating, electrical work, insulation and a new floor and ceiling in the main hall.
Read their report at >> https://bit.ly/32H1q9M
Upchurch Matters
Hello UpARA members,
Just under a third of our membership, have taken part in activities since restarting on the 6th October, and so far each activity has been well attended and well received, even though we are having to run them in a slightly different fashion.
The Village Hall reopened on 5th October as a COVID-19 secure facility, and it really does look very good with the works completed; we’re looking forward to trying out the new lighting with a social night whenever that becomes a possibility.
We are able to use the VH loos prior to our walks, which we hope will encourage many to join us, a great way of keeping in touch.
One change for all our activities is the pre-booking element. We need to know who is coming on every session so please continue to do this; it has worked really well so far.
We have put together this newsletter to share what has happened and let you know our plans for November; in these uncertain times, nothing is fixed, and any plans can of course, change.
The Thoughts of Chairman John
Hi Everyone,
Just a short update on our current activities.
Around 25-30 members have taken part in each of our Village walks, I personally have taken short local ones, with a short coffee stop at the golf club on the way! We also had the opportunity to check out the "New Look" Village Hall first-hand, I am sure we were all suitably impressed! Well done to all who were involved in the Planning and Fundraising, congratulations a job well done.
The Art Classes have been a great success on Tuesdays, utilising cameras and our big screen to help teach to a socially distanced class, and the Soft Tennis and Table Tennis activities were also a very nice reprieve from the tedious months in lockdown.
Another outdoor activity, Petanque, restarted last week and was also a great success on a lovely, bright sunny afternoon. We are looking to restart Kurling soon, if you are interested please book your places.
Fingers crossed, we all are waiting at the moment for any other "Lock Down" regulations being introduced! all we can do at the moment is to remain upbeat, "WE MARCH ON" despite whatever is in store for us.
Stay safe, John W
All Activities
We have produced risk assessments for each of our activities to mitigate any risks. Before attending any session, attendees will be made aware of what is required of them.
We march on! Our Chairman shows the way at our first walk out. Walking in groups of six, with walks to cater for all, including just up to the golf course, (for a cuppa), and back. The eagle eyed amongst you will notice the Southampton scarf - Yes, our Chairman is a Saint!
Our first Art lesson back - Using the whole hall, we’ve been able to use our screen and lapel microphone and audio equipment to help teach the lesson, so everyone can stay safely in their seat - Note the new ceiling, lighting and new floor!
We’re using just one of our two Petanque pitches, with six allowed at each 50 minute session. We had a great afternoon with 18 members across 3 sessions. We can manage more sessions if necessary and you can enjoy a coffee or a wine in the Golf course before or afterwards, (or both)!
It is essential that if you wish to participate in any activities you let us know beforehand by Email, text or phone:-
• Text or call: 07802 250773
Please give your name and subject ‘eg, Village Walk’, and we will get back to you.
John Wishart - Chairman
Tel: 07971 511956
John Wishart - Chairman
Tel: 07971 511956
Space
John Wishart - Chairman
Tel: 07971 511956
Space
Over 100 members enjoyed live band, Rebound at UpARA's Valentine's Party in the Village Hall on Friday 14th February 2020.
The band packed the dance floor from 7:30pm until they finished playing.
The fantastic amount of £1,000 was raised towards the Village Hall Restoration Fund.
John Wishart - Chairman
Tel: 07971 511956
Space
