The University of Leeds Ladies' Club
Autumn 2021
University of Leeds Ladies’ Club
President’s Message and Review of the Year - December 2021
(Please note, in the interest of privacy, this is an edited edition, for the full script consult emails.)
Dear Ladies,
2021 has been a very difficult year for us all and especially so for the Ladies’ Club. With so many restrictions it has been impossible to maintain our normal programme of events but we have managed to hold some gatherings, both in person and on Zoom. For those who may have missed any meetings or news I have compiled a Review of the Year which I hope you will find of interest.
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As New Year’s Eve dawns and we prepare to say farewell to 2021, I am conscious that, whilst this has been a very difficult year for all, there are a number of members, and their spouses, who have experienced illness, injury, surgery and loss during the last twelve months.
I am delighted to report that all are doing well and we send our best wishes for continued good progress.
To all those who have experienced loss this year we send our most sincere condolences.
Events
With the continuing Covid restrictions at the beginning of the year, and the difficulties in securing University accommodation, it became impossible to hold any face to face events. However, with the lifting of restrictions during the late spring we were, at last, able to start planning a small events programme.
In April we started a programme of Zoom meetings with a talk on the Leeds City Council plan ‘Towards a Greener Leeds’. In May we heard from the team of the ‘Maggie’s Centre’ at St. James’s Hospital and in September we had a talk on Artificial Intelligence from the team at The University of Leeds. All three talks were very well received and proved to be popular innovations. Our thanks go to Gillie Andrews for acting as online host to these talks and also to all the Zoom committee meetings. We are very grateful for all your efforts and expertise.
As restrictions eased further over the summer, we decided that, for our first ‘face to face’ meeting for 18 months, we would hold an informal ‘Coffee Morning’. We were unable to hold this at the University and so, in September, we booked a private area of the Lawnswood Arms hotel on the Otley Road for coffee, and lunch if people wished to stay on.
This has proved to be a most popular arrangement and we have held further ‘Coffee Mornings’ each month since then. We have arranged to continue this practice into the New Year and details of the next meeting are in the ‘Forthcoming Events’ section in the December newsletter.
As we were not able to hold our traditional Christmas Coffee Morning at Devonshire Hall we arranged instead a Christmas Lunch at Headingley Golf Club. This was held on Wednesday 8th December when 40 members and guests enjoyed a splendid lunch in the very pleasant surroundings of the Golf Club.
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Local and Interest Groups
With the restrictions it was not possible for any of the groups to meet earlier in the year but I am pleased to report that most groups have been able to meet since the summer.
I understand that the Gardening Group held an open air meeting during the summer which was well supported. I have heard also that the Adel and Roundhay groups have held several, very popular, meetings. The Book Groups continue to thrive and have held a number of monthly meetings, at which lively discussion of the book of the month was followed by lots of tea and delicious cakes!
All the meetings have been very popular and suitably socially distanced and thanks go to all the Convenors of the Groups for keeping everyone involved.
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Monthly Quizzes
The monthly quizzes have proved to be quite popular. Most people are aware that most of the quizzes have been compiled by my husband, Geoff, but not all of them. Both he and I are very grateful for the contributions we have received from other members.
My thanks to Sian Batchelder for her most interesting and varied quiz questions. My thanks also go to Diana Wetherill for sending in many quizzes through the year and also for the idea for the Word of the Month item….together with lots of new words!
During the year several members sent in contributions to the newsletter in the form of photographs, anecdotes and other news and I am grateful for their support.
At the beginning of the year Jillian Johnson sent in two online jigsaws which she had compiled and which were available on ‘Jigsaw Planet’ (www.jigsawplanet.com). One of these was taken from a photograph of a ULLC Afternoon Tea at University House, the other being a very good photograph of spring flowers in her garden. I know that I was not alone in enjoying doing these and I thank Jillian for all her efforts on behalf of the Club.
Finally, I would like to send my thanks to all the members of the committee for all their hard work, support and friendship during a year of such unprecedented times.
So, now we look forward to 2022 and I hope that the New Year brings better times for all.
With my best wishes for a Happy, Peaceful and Healthy New Year,
Carole
Just another gentle reminder that, if you have not yet paid your subscription, Margaret Bradbury, the Membership Secretary, would be pleased to receive your cheque. If you prefer you may pay by bank transfer, BACS, to the Ladies’ Club account at Lloyds Bank in the name of ‘The University of Leeds Ladies’ Club’.
It would be very helpful if you could let Margaret Bradbury know if you have paid by BACS.
If you prefer to pay by cheque, please make your cheque payable to
‘The University of Leeds Ladies’ Club’ and send it to the Membership Secretary,
You will find addresses and telephone numbers in your email box
AutumnTerm 2021
Subscription
The University Of Leeds Ladies’ Club
Christmas Lunch
The Headingley Golf Club, Back Church Lane, Adel, Leeds. LS16 8DW
Wednesday 8th December 2021 at 12.30pm for 1.00pm
Menu
- Roast Turkey with all the Trimmings
- Roast Topside of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding
C. Mediterranean Vegetable Parcel with White Wine Sauce
all served with Seasonal Vegetables and Rosemary Roast Potatoes
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- Christmas Pudding with Brandy Sauce
- Belgian Chocolate and Raspberry Torte
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Coffee or Tea and Mince Pies
Bookings should be sent, together with menu choices and full payment in advance, to the Ladies’ Club Secretary, as detailed on the attached booking form.
(Please note that for catering purposes, attendance must be booked and paid for no later than Thursday 2nd December 2021)
Monthly Newsletter - November 2021
Welcome to the November edition of the monthly newsletter which I hope you will enjoy reading.
Final numbers attending have to be given to the Golf Club on Friday 3rd December so, if you are planning to attend and to avoid any possible disappointment, please send your completed booking form and cheque to Gillian Roche to arrive no later than Thursday 2nd December. Gillian’s details are on the Flyer attached to your email.
In view of the current situation concerning the newly emerging Omicron variant of Covid 19 and in light of the new government regulations regarding the wearing of face masks in public places, the committee asks all members attending the lunch to please wear a facemask whilst moving around in the Golf Club and unless seated at the table. There will be a number of separate tables in the dining room to allow for good social distancing and the premises are well-ventilated.
Although we may assume that all our members have been fully vaccinated we cannot be certain that this is the case. Therefore we suggest that the wearing of a face mask is not just a courtesy to those around you but is also for your protection and for the protection of others.
In addition, we would encourage you to self-test if you are able to do so, perhaps the day before, and if you have any symptoms, we would ask you to not attend.
We look forward to seeing you all on the 8th.
Lawnswood Coffee Morning
As a number of members are not able to attend the Christmas Lunch on Wednesday 8th December we thought that it would be a good idea to hold another ‘Drop-In’ coffee morning at the Lawnswood Arms on the Otley Road in Adel. This will give those members unable to attend the lunch the chance to catch up with friends before the Christmas break and, of course, you are very welcome to attend both events.
This December coffee morning will be on Wednesday 15th December at the usual time of 10.30am. As before, we have arranged for a section of the restaurant to be reserved for our exclusive use for as long as we wish to stay. Coffee/Tea and other drinks are available to purchase at own cost and for those who wish to stay on and have lunch afterwards this also can be purchased, again at own cost.
There are no steps to this section of the restaurant and it can be accessed through the main doors at either end of the building. There is plenty of free parking with a number of blue badge spaces and for those travelling on public transport, the Numbers 8 and X84 buses stop outside.
As this is a ‘drop-in’ session there is no need to book in advance but I hope as many members as possible will be able to attend and enter into the festive spirit at our last get-together of the year. I and other members of the committee will be there to welcome you all. If you would like more details please don’t hesitate to get in touch, my contact details are at the end of the newsletter.
As we have not met for some time we decided that the first get-together of the new session should be a very informal one, so that friends can meet up again, socialise and catch up with all the news missed over the last sixteen months.
Owing to a rescheduled operation, the Garden Party had to be cancelled. Please refer to your email copy of the newsletter .
Tuesday 7th September at 11am at the Lawnswood Arms, Otley Road, Adel.
As we are unable, as yet, to book any University accommodation we have arranged for a very informal ‘Drop-In Coffee Morning’ to take place at the Lawnswood Arms on the Otley Road in Adel at 11am on Tuesday 7th September.
This will be a ‘drop-in’ session for which there is no charge. Coffee/Tea and other drinks are available to purchase and for those who wish to stay on and have lunch afterwards this also can be purchased, again at own cost.
For those who do not know the Lawnswood it is a very friendly and welcoming Pub/Restaurant and we will have sole use of one section of the dining room, or the outside terrace if weather permits. There are no steps to these. There is also plenty of parking with a number of blue badge spaces.
I hope as many members as possible will be able to attend this first meeting of the Club and I and the other members of the committee will be there to welcome you all. If you would like more details please don’t hesitate to get in touch, my contact details are at the end of the newsletter you will receive.
Wednesday 22nd September at 2pm.
Zoom talk on research into Artificial Intelligence.
This talk has been arranged by Dr. Margaret Wilkinson and we are grateful to her for all her efforts in organising the event. She has sent the following information.
A Zoom talk has been arranged on Wednesday 22nd September 2021 at 2pm of a National initiative based at the University of Leeds that will speed up the diagnosis of diseases. It will collaborate to establish the biggest database of pathology images to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence in medicine.
By 2022 the Northern Pathology Imaging Co-operative (NPIC) will have made digital pathology widely available in hospitals throughout the north of England and will be developing automated image analysis to improve the efficiency and reliability of diagnosis, especially for cancers.
Report of Zoom Talk on Wednesday 22nd September at 2pm.
A Zoom talk on research into Artificial Intelligence at the University took place on 22nd September. The talk was organised by Dr. Margaret Wilkinson and we are grateful to her for all her efforts in arranging the event. She has sent the following report.
The meeting went very well. 15 members joined in the talk. There were three speakers, all of whom were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about how the use of Digital Pathology and AI can be used to improve Diagnosis and Research into diseases in the future.
People were fascinated by the talk, borne out by the number of questions, and although the Zoom session ended at 3.30pm it was obvious that discussions could have gone on much longer.
The Presenters indicated that might be able to visit their facilities when Covid Restrictions are lifted and I am sure that more people would be interested to see the work they do. The National Pathology Imaging Co-operative (NPIC) do have a facility for a group visit (at St James hospital) once all Covid restrictions are lifted and they have the capacity to receive us.
We will pursue this idea in the Spring term and see what we can arrange.
Our thanks go once again to Margaret Wilkinson for organising such an interesting talk and also to Gillie Andrews for facilitating the Zoom and giving her time so generously
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Tuesday 12th October at 10.30am onwards at the Lawnswood Pub/Restaurant, Otley Road, Adel.
Our first get-together of the new session was deemed to have been great success, with 27 members attending for coffee and 9 staying on for lunch. We were blessed with beautiful weather and were able to eat outside in the sunshine, a real treat, and it was so good to catch up with friends in an informal way.
The feedback afterwards was very positive with many members asking if we could repeat the event. Therefore we have arranged for another ‘Drop-In Coffee Morning’ to be held at the Lawnswood Arms on the Otley Road in Adel on Tuesday 12th October from 10.30am onwards.
I can’t think we will be quite so lucky with the weather this time so we have arranged for a section of the restaurant to be reserved for our exclusive use for as long as we wish to stay. For those who do not know the Lawnswood it is a very friendly and welcoming Pub/Restaurant and we will have sole use of one, private, section of the dining room. There are no steps to this section of the restaurant and it can be accessed through the main doors at either end of the building. There is plenty of free parking with a number of blue badge spaces.
Coffee/Tea and other drinks are available to purchase at own cost at the bar and for those who wish to stay on and have lunch afterwards this also can be purchased, again at own cost. As this is a ‘drop-in’ session there is no need to book in advance but I hope as many members as possible will be able to attend. I and other members of the committee will be there to welcome you all. If you would like more details please don’t hesitate to get in touch, my contact details are at the end of the newsletter.
News of Groups
A meeting of the Garden Group took place in the summer and Heather Harrison sent the following message
No Garden Group meetings during the lockdowns, when we kept in touch to some extent by email and telephone. However, we managed an outdoor Garden Group meeting on 13 Sept 21 at my home. All but three members attended, very happy to be together again, although at a safe distance! The weather was in our favour, but looking ahead another outdoor meeting like this in the near future seems unlikely. No plans for an indoor meeting at present.
Best wishes
H
October Newsletter
As we advised in the September newsletter it was decided at a recent meeting of the committee that the subscription for the coming year, 2021/22 should be levied at £5.00 only. The committee felt that it was necessary to impose some form of subscription this year, after not levying a charge at all last year. This is in order to pay for the necessary administrative expenses of the club. Postage has gone up, as has the cost of office supplies and we have to cover the cost of visiting speakers, either on Zoom or in person.
The committee felt therefore that a cost of £5 would not be excessive as this is a reduction of 50% on the normal subscription level (of £10) and reflects the fact that, whilst we are resuming our programme as best we can, we are not yet fully back to our normal, face to face, programme of events.
This note is, therefore, a gentle reminder that, if you have not yet paid your subscription, Margaret Bradbury, the Membership Secretary, would be pleased to receive your cheque. If you prefer you may pay by bank transfer, BACS, to the Ladies’ Club account at Lloyds Bank as follows –
It would be very helpful if you could let Margaret Bradbury know if you have paid by BACS.
If you prefer to pay by cheque, please make your cheque payable to
‘The University of Leeds Ladies’ Club’ and send it to the Membership Secretary,
For more details please refer your email.
Tuesday 9th November at 10.30am onwards at the Lawnswood Pub/Restaurant, Otley Road, Adel.
Our second get-together of the new session was deemed to have been a great success, with 30 attending for morning coffee and 12 staying on for lunch. By request therefore, we have arranged for another ‘Drop-In Coffee Morning’ to be held at the Lawnswood Arms on the Otley Road in Adel on Tuesday 9th November from 10.30am onwards.
As before, we have arranged for a section of the restaurant to be reserved for our exclusive use for as long as we wish to stay. Coffee/Tea and other drinks are available to purchase at own cost and for those who wish to stay on and have lunch afterwards this also can be purchased, again at own cost.
For those who do not know the Lawnswood it is a very friendly and welcoming Pub/Restaurant and we will have sole use of one, private, section of the dining room. There are no steps to this section of the restaurant and it can be accessed through the main doors at either end of the building. There is plenty of free parking with a number of blue badge spaces and for those travelling on public transport, the Numbers 8 and X84 buses stop outside.
As this is a ‘drop-in’ session there is no need to book in advance but I hope as many members as possible will be able to attend. I and other members of the committee will be there to welcome you all. If you would like more details please don’t hesitate to get in touch, my contact details are at the end of the newsletter.
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News of Groups
I have not received any news from other groups about any meetings they have held but I have received the following report from Christine Roy, the convenor of Book Group II.
Book Group II (meeting held on Thursday 28th October)
Another lively meeting was held and many thanks to Tina for hosting us. It was a shame that Val and Carole were unable to join us but it was thoughtful of them to send us their comments which provided a good starting point for our discussion.
The book was “Days Without End” by Sebastian Barry. Candy gave us a great introduction and the discussion showed how much we had all enjoyed the book, perhaps for different reasons. We all agreed that this is a brilliantly written book, where the lyrical language is sometimes in strong contrast to the brutal subject matter. Some counted that at first they had worried that the “voice” of the narrator would be a barrier but then were pleased to realise it enabled them to “hear” his voice throughout. We discussed how the subject matter contrasted the peacefulness and happiness of those parts of their lives in the theatres, and at the farm, with the sheer butchery of the massacre scenes. We also enjoyed the contrasting landscapes which emphasised the vastness of America and the changes that were taking place at that time. It was noteworthy that no characters were shown as completely good or bad and that all were capable of acts of great kindness and also of great brutality. One person had abandoned the book, finding it too brutal in parts but was pleased that she had gone back to it as the ending had redeemed it.
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Take care and keep safe
Carole