At Gainsborough and District u3a’s May meeting members were entertained by Chris Hewiss, on his topic of ‘A Pictorial Return Road Trip from Lincoln to Gainsborough’.
Chris’ delivery was superb; he entertained everyone and was able to show picture postcards which brought back many memories. Some members were even able to identify the maternity home at which they were born.
The talk in June was about fraud, and then in July members will hear about ‘Ghostly Goings-on in the Tower’.
The group’s la st outing on 21st May was a visit to the National Holocaust Centre at Laxton. Set in a peaceful location and surrounded by beautiful grounds, visitors immediately feel drawn in. Hundreds of white rose bushes have been planted, each in memory of a missing relative or one killed during the Holocaust.
Similarly, an enormous pile of over 600 pebbles catches the attention. It is the start of ‘mountain’ of stones, each one representing the death of a child in the Holocaust (horrifyingly, over 6,000 youngsters were killed).
The group’s guide was knowledgeable and helpful as he led members to the main exhibition and to one called The Journey. Both were most informative and very moving, with all taking something from the experience.
Stephen and James Smith and their mother Marina, a Christian family, set up this National Centre in what was once their home. Their driving force was that the Holocaust should not be forgotten and that younger children should be taught about it. Thirty years on, this is precisely what the Centre does.
There was plenty to think about as members spent free time wandering in the gardens. That, and sampling the good food and drinks in the café, along with the helpfulness of all the staff, made for a most memorable day.