At the November meeting of the Northwich U3A, President Janice Jackson welcomed members and visitors to the 15th birthday celebration of the founding of the group. Ernie Styles spoke about how in 1999 a public meeting was held at Hartford College and six people turned up. A group was formed, and Ernie was elected as Treasurer. After 15 years he is still doing the job! The membership fee was £10, and 15 years later remains the same. Of the 30 people at that first meeting, 12 still remain, with a membership now of over 430 members.

Special visitor Jenny Carley, NW Regional Trustee, thanked everyone who had given their time to running the groups and serving on committees past and present. She said that more Group Leaders were needed to relieve the waiting lists. Jenny then handed over a card from the U3A Trust and with the help of Janice cut the birthday cake.

The speaker Peter Braun was then introduced. Peter’s subject was “Powerful Politics at Dunham Massey”, and followed the fortunes of the two families who owned the house since the 1400s. The Booth family lived there for over 300 years, but the seat then came into the Grey family in 1758 through the marriage of Henry Grey to Lady Mary Booth, sole heiress of George Booth. Peter talked about the exploits of the families through the centuries many of them involved in Politics or the Army.

In the 20th Century Dunham Massey was used as a Military Hospital for injured soldiers during the Great War. The last tenant was Roger Grey who died in 1976, he was unmarried and the house and land was bequeathed to the National Trust.

Peter was thanked for a most interesting talk which had been illustrated with beautiful slides.

As members will be enjoying a Christmas lunch at Vale Royal Abbey, there will be no December meeting. The first meeting in the New Year will be on January 14.