The outing on 1st July was a two-venue excursion; firstly, to Castle Farm Lavender Fields and thence to The Shoreham Aircraft Museum (Kent). Our first stop was at the Castle Farm Lavender Fields. Our visit there included a guided tour by a very knowledgeable guide who outlined the origins of the farm and gave us a comprehensive description of the growing and distilling techniques. We were then shown the variety of products that were produced (and available to purchase from the Farm Shop). From the Farm we were able to see several large fields where the Lavender was growing, and the vibrancy of the colour impressed all of us.
From Castle Farm we boarded the coach for the short trip to The Shoreham Aircraft Museum. The museum was situated in the centre of the very attractive village (which has three pubs!) and was located within several interconnecting outbuildings behind the Flying Teapot Tea Room. The Museum was one of the best of its type I have visited. Over the years the Museum has collected numerous exhibits, many from shot down aircraft (both RAF fighters and Luftwaffe fighters and bombers) which had been buried under fields for many years before being discovered. There were also items of clothing and personal effects, plus numerous details and stories about the airmen who had fought above the Kent countryside during the Battle of Britain. There were also a number of Museum Stewards on duty who all had a very good knowledge of the Second World War and the aircraft of Fighter Command (and then Luftwaffe). Although the Museum concentrated on Fighter Command there is also a propeller blade from a Lancaster which bore the signatures (and squadron numbers) of a number of ex Bomber Command crew members who had visited the Museum. The Museum has a Tea Room (mentioned above) and a garden where a good brew and a generous piece of cake was available at a very reasonable cost. I came away very impressed with the Museum. It may not be as big as some of the others, but I found the visit most interesting and informative.

Eight u3a members enjoyed a lively Murder Mystery Evening at The View in Seaford on Friday evening. As we settled in for our meal, the action unfolded around us, performed with great energy by the MAD Theatre Group. Before long, a “murder” had taken place, and we were challenged to work out who the murderer was. Clues were added to the board throughout the evening, and the eight suspects made visits to our table, each offering snippets of information, casting suspicion on others, and answering our questions. This included “Seaman Blue”, seen in the picture being interrogated by our two efficient investigators. With red herrings everywhere, it soon felt as though everyone had a motive. Our team didn’t fare too well — the majority of us confidently chose the wrong suspect. The exception was Linda, who cut through the confusion and correctly identified the murderer - a well‑deserved victory. A fun evening was had by all.

Our June monthly meeting featured a great presentation by Ian Gledhill on “The Daddy Long Legs Railway”. This proved to be a wonderful talk that held the audience’s attention from beginning to end. Ian began by telling us a little about Magnus Volks, Brighton's brilliant inventive engineer. He went on to tell us about the development of Volks’ electric railway and then the development of the Daddy Long Legs Railway. What an ambitious project it was - a train running through the shallow water between Kemptown and Rottingdean, quite unlike anything else. Ian described how the first version operated for just a few days in 1896, before being destroyed by a storm. Volks was undeterred and rebuilt the rail car and it was running again eight months later. The railway continued running until 1901. The photographs Ian shared showed just how striking and unusual this coastal “sea tram” was. I’m sure next time we visit Ovingdean, many of us will be looking for the remains of the rails, still visible at low tide. Everyone enthused how interesting the talk had been with many members saying it was the best talk we had ever had! Ian has an impressive range of topics in his repertoire, and we will be welcoming him back soon.

Twenty‑one u3a members gathered on Tuesday 9 June for a leisurely lunch at the Reading Room at Saltdean Lido. We were seated along a long table in the elegant art deco rotunda, with the sunshine pouring in through the windows and with views out over the pool, a delightful setting. With a new company now doing the catering, we were all eagerly waiting to see what the food would be like. We were not disappointed. The meal began with generous sharing platters of meat, cheese, bread, olives and vegetables, far more than most people could eat. The mains that followed were very flavourful and well-presented and enjoyed by all. Fabulous desserts rounded off the meal. It was a wonderful, relaxing, leisurely lunch with good company complemented by fantastic food. A return visit is a must.

On Thursday 4th June we set off for Chichester with some trepidation, the weather forecast was absolutely awful. Rain and thundery spells were forecast! When we arrived in Chichester the weather had brightened up considerably and we set off to explore Chichester feeling more optimistic. After coffee the craft fair in the cathedral cloisters was much better than many, lots of stands and a real variety of goods on offer. It was easy to spend time and money there. We headed off into Chichester to look at the quirky independent shops, cafes and restaurants. After a very satisfactory lunch we returned to the cathedral, our entry time was 2/3.30pm when we hoped it would be a little less busy. I had never visited the Flower Festival before, believing that the arrangements would be of a formal style. What a surprise when we entered the cathedral, no stiff and formal arrangements in sight. There were several little gardens complete with garden seats in the shade of trees and bushes, even birdsong in some. The theme of many of the displays and gardens was green and white with subtle coloured flowers, very restful and lovely. As we approached the altar the theme changed to bright, vibrant reds, yellows and orange with some very big displays. The main display was stunning with a floor of her flower heads and a stunning blaze of fiery colours. The whole display was cleverly planned going from soft and gentle flowers and gardens to amazing bright and colourful displays. Most of the group were early for the coach sitting on the many benches outside the cathedral and congratulating ourselves on the nice weather we had enjoyed. Steve, out fabulous driver turned up a few minutes early and most people were on the coach before, you’ve guessed it! The heavens opened. We had an easy run home after a lovely day which everyone enjoyed.

A small group of about 20 members boarded the coach on Wednesday 13th May. We were blessed with a sunny start so decided to make the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill our first stop where we enjoyed coffee and some of us indulged in the beautiful array of cakes and savouries whilst enjoying the stunning sea views. We reached Hastings around midday, by which time there was drizzle in the air and all scattered in different directions - some to explore the quirky little shops, others to the various museums and for one member a trip down memory lane as he grew up in Hastings. Kevin had a wonderful time visiting all his old haunts, all the while trying to avoid the hail storms and thunder that peppered the day. We left Hastings at 4pm and our lovely Spirit of Sussex driver Steve took the scenic route back, delivering us back home around 5.30pm.

On Tuesday, seventeen u3a members — plus one very well-behaved dog — visited The View at Seaford Golf Course for a delightful afternoon out. Guests had the choice of Afternoon Tea or Cream Tea, and those who opted for the Afternoon Tea were treated to a wonderful feast. We began with a selection of sandwiches, with the smoked salmon proving a particular favourite, followed by mini sausage rolls and mini quiche, before moving on to generously sized scones served with clotted cream and jam. The finale was an elegant assortment of little cakes — though by that point, most of us were defeated! Doggy bags were gratefully accepted all round, and calorie-counting was firmly left at the door. The views across Seaford were fantastic, even though slightly spoilt be the mist. A lovely, relaxing afternoon was had by all.

Thirty-seven members enjoyed a superb day out to Ightham Mote and Tudely Church in Kent. Driving down some very narrow Kentish lanes we found ourselves at the magical 700 year old Ightham Mote (via the onsite cafe, of course). A very peaceful place with lots to see and do. We then went on to have lunch at The Hutch, a cafe and deli on the outskirts of Ightham where we were very well looked after by Violetta, her husband and staff.  We then visited All Saints Church in Tudely to see their magnificent Marc Chagall stained glass windows and to hear a little about the Church and the windows from a local volunteer guide who was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. A full and very satisfying day out for us all - thanks to Linda and Ros for finding these 'tucked away' places and organising it all (oh, and thanks to Steve our driver who's the one who had to negotiate all those tight bends)! More pictures at this link.

The u3a Bird Watching group had to cancel their December and January visits to Pulborough Brooks, due to the bad weather. However, Monday was third time lucky as ten members met at the RSPB reserve at Pulborough Brooks on a fabulous sunny spring day. We started the day by seeing a cuckoo, a bird usually heard not seen and for most of us this was the first time we had seen a cuckoo. This was quickly followed by 4 deer who ran through a field giving us a great view. We walked around the reserve to the sound of birdsong, most notably the singing of the nightingales which were heard often but never seen. By the end of the three hour stroll we had seen over 40 different birds. We finished the visit sitting in the sunshine on the tea terrace eating our lunch. A lovely enjoyable day out.

Our monthly meeting in April was a talk by Jacquie and Ray Sparks on Punch and Judy. Ray had run the Punch and Judy show on Eastbourne seafront for 34 years. Ray provided an entertaining talk, telling us about the history of Punch and Judy. We learnt that the first Punch and Judy was performed in England in the Covent Garden area in 1663 and that Punch and Judy had their roots in the Italian Commedia dell'arte. Jacqui and Ray brought along all their puppets and explained how each puppet had its origin in the original Italian characters. The original Punch and Judy puppets were marionettes, but later became glove puppets. All of Rays puppets had been hand made by him. We met Punch, Judy, Policeman, Baby, Hangman and the Crocodile. For most of us the talk was full of nostalgia as we remembered our childhood watching Punch and Judy at the seaside.

It was lovely to meet some of our new members at the New Members Tea Afternoon last week. The event was held at Saltdean Lido with tea and coffee and delicious cake on offer. This was a chance for our new members to meet some of the committee, find out what the Five Deans u3a has to offer, to ask any questions and to meet other new members. A lovely afternoon was had by all.

Our March Monthly Meeting was a talk on Roman Jewellery. Our speaker was Mike Shorer. Mike had given us an excellent presentation last year on his work as jeweller, so we invited him back. Eighty members turned up to hear his talk. Mike is a jewellery designer and goldsmith who lives locally. He is famous for producing many sporting trophies for football, snooker, darts to name a few. His talk on Roman Jewellery and artifacts was fascinating. He brought along some examples of his work and after the talk there was a continual crowd of people around the table admiring his work.

On Tuesday 14 u3a members visited Southdown Nurseries in Hassocks for afternoon tea. We were served 3 sorts of sandwiches, a scone with cream and jam, a mini dessert and two sorts of cake. This was accompanied by tea or coffee with refills. Definitely fantastic value for money. Most of us had to take at least some of our cake home as the helpings were so generous. A lovely afternoon with great company. Many of us finished the afternoon with a wander around the garden centre and found that we couldn’t resist buying a plant or two.

17 u3a members were given useful tips on how to use iPads/iphones (android & apple) by 2 ladies from AbilityNet. 

AbilityNet is a charity that helps older people with modern technology so that the digital world is accessible to all.

Sixteen members of the walking group wrapped up warmly and enjoyed a great walk on Friday lead by Frances. We met at Telscombe Civic Centre and from there walked to Chatsworth Park, an oasis of green in the middle of the houses. Most of us did not know this green space existed. From there we walked towards Telscombe along an unmade road, carefully avoiding the numerous deep pot holes full of water. When we reached Telscombe Tye we turned to walk toward the sea and directly into a bitterly cold wind that was blowing off the sea. There were signs of spring along the way, especially the beautiful swathes of snowdrops in Chatsworth Park and on the Tye the skylarks were singing. On returning to the starting point we headed for Hegy’s café opposite and warmed ourselves up with tea and coffee and of course cake. The weather was kind and waited until we got home to pour down with rain.

The weather gods were certainly smiling on us today (11th February) for our outing to Highdown Gardens, Worthing and Lancing College chapel. 

51 Five Deans members piled on to our Spirit of Sussex coach, a record number for us. After an easy hour's drive we arrived at Highdown Gardens where we enjoyed an hour-and-a-half strolling around the extensive grounds admiring the snowdrops, hellebores and even a cherry tree already in flower.

Next we were taken to Worthing where we were treated to a superb lunch at The Arcades restaurant. Excellent hot, freshly-cooked food, good service and excellent value - highly recommended.

Our last port of call was the Chapel at Lancing College, an absolutely stunning building inside and out. If you've never been it is well worth a visit, quite magnificent.

More Pictures in the Gallery

On 29^th January we had our first outing of the year to the Imperial War Museum (IWM). We were blessed with fine weather which made the day more pleasant.

The Spirit of Sussex coach arrived on time at Peacehaven and Saltdean Lido. Steve our driver was a considerate and courteous driver and made the journey to London and back very comfortable for the 30 members. The IWM is a huge museum covering the first and second world wars with extensive video coverage which brings home just how difficult life was in those times. The displays were very educational and showed the various weapons used against humanity. There was also the Holocaust exhibition which was very poignant.

More pictures in the Picture Gallery

The first coffee morning of the year was a great success with 20 members enjoying coffee and chat. It was lovely to see some new faces at the event. There was also great support for our book swap with piles of books on the book table. We hope you will come along to the next coffee morning which is on Wednesday 25th February at The Saltdean Tavern 10.30 to 12.00. 

More Pictures in the Picture Gallery

The first monthly meeting of 2026 was held on Thursday, on a cold damp day and we were pleased to see 70 members attending.  Our speaker, Ian Everest, entertained us with a wonderful talk on “Stories of the Sussex Downs”. It was an A to Z of stories. We started with A for America farm, near Firle which was requisition by the War Department in World War 2 as an army training area and finished on Z for Drusillas Zoo began by Captain Ann in the early 20^th century. Somewhere in between we learnt about John Christie owner of Glyndebourne, the mounted Home Guard in World War 2 at Lewes Racecourse, the Sheep Fair at Findon, an underground bunker in South Heighton built by the Royal Engineers, the use of Oxen in farming and many more fascinating tales. We all came away with so much more knowledge of the area in which we live. Our thanks to Ian for a very informative afternoon.

This year the lunch was held in the Paganini Suite of the Old Ship Hotel.

92 members attended and the hotel provided an excellent selection of Christmas Fayre for lunch. After lunch Rosie Ann Page gave us a lovely rendition of songs from the 50’s, 60’s and musicals. A raffle finalized the afternoon.

 Our thanks go to the staff of the hotel and special thanks to Linda Fisher, our lady of lunches, who put the afternoon together.

Our Christmas party was held on 11^th December. We had 71 members attending. A spread of mini savories and sweet treats plus white, red and rose wine and non-alcoholic drinks were available. An excellent quiz was followed by the Saltdean School Choir singing a selection of songs and carols.  Our thanks to the boys and girls of the choir.  As always there was a raffle with excellent prizes. Thanks go to all who helped in making the afternoon a great success.

Picture on the left are the winning quiz team.

The weather gods were definitely smiling on us yesterday, 3rd December, for our day out to Petworth. After a slightly damp start, by the time we reached the A23 the sun was shining for our scenic drive to Petworth and the green fields of West Sussex were a beautiful sight. After a trouble-free journey and some tricky negotiating of the narrow streets of Petworth, Kevin our Spirit of Sussex driver delivered us safely right to the door and our 42 members enjoyed a relaxed day.  Most of us headed straight to the coffee shop after which we all went our separate ways.  The House is beautifully decorated with many Christmas trees all tastefully decorated and lit and we were able to wander at will around the house and grounds as much as we wanted.  Some of us made the way to the big lake which looked glorious in the Winter sunshine, and many of us made the short walk into the town for lunch as one of the many coffee shops and pubs.  Kevin arrived promptly just before 4pm to take us all home, a very successful and enjoyable outing.

On Tuesday 25 members travelled to Portslade for an excellent lunch at Medi Terra. Here we were able to sample Turkish cusine. The food was deliscious with very generous portions. The service was excellent. Everyone enjoyed the meal and I'm sure many of us will be going back to sample more of the menu. The Turkish wine was recommended and so we decided to try it and to our surprise it was a very enjoyable glass of wine. Thank you to Linda orgainising lunch and for a great choice of venue.

On Friday 19 of us visited Preston Manor in Brighton. This was the home of the Stanford family. In 1932 Sir Charles and Lady Ellen Thomas-Stanford left the manor to the Brighton Corporation to be used for the benefit of the public. On arrival we went on a walk around on our own, exploring the luxurious ground floor and first floor bedrooms. Then having seen upstairs we went downstairs to the see the basic kitchens and servants’ quarters where the hard-working servants worked. This was followed by tea and cake in the old fashioned tea room. Then finally we had a guided tour of the house when we learnt about the history of the house and the family. Preston Manor is said to be a haunted house and the tour also told us about the ghosts said to roam the manor including the nun that haunts the eerie Cleeves Room. A thoroughly enjoyable visit and of a piece of Brighton history that was new to many of us.

Last Wednesday 27 of us went to Mowglis Indian Restaurant in the Lanes, Brighton. The menu is Street Food and the food arrived in tiffin tins for us to share. We started with Yoghurt Chat Bombs, followed by 3 curries and rice and finished with desert. It was delicious food and we enjoyed the chance to try several different curries. Thank you Linda for organising a meal at another excellent restaurant.

A new venture for our u3a group was to organise a theatre visit to Eastbourne. Members first met for lunch at Pomodoro restaurant before going to The Congress Theatre to see the stage version of the old TV classic “Fawlty Towers”. It proved to be a fantastic comedy enjoyed by all.

Lovely to meet 20 new u3a members at our New Members Event on Friday. Tea, coffee and yummy cake were served at the Club Room at Saltdean Lido. Our New Members had a chance to meet the committee, meet other new members and ask any questions they had about the u3a.

For the first lunch of the new year, we visited Pablo Picasso Restaurant to sample some Italian food. The lunch club enjoyed a warm welcome, good food, and good service

It was lovely to see so many members at the monthly meeting after our summer break. It was also good to welcome lots of new members to our group. The meeting was attended by nearly 100 members. Sarah-Helen Snow gave an enjoyable talk about a letter sent by Mrs Fitzpatrick writing to a friend, telling her all the gossip in Brighton in the early 1800’s. This was followed by a session promoting our Interest Groups to members. The afternoon finished with tea and biscuits and a raffle full of wonderful prizes.

Our u3a had a stall at Rottingdean Fair on Saturday. The weather was lovely and the fair was very busy. We were publicising the Five Deans u3a. There was lots of interest and lots of people took publicity leaflets or asked us to send more information about the u3a. We also had 5 people join on the day. A big thank you to the volunteers who helped to man the stall.

Last Friday 13 members of the bridge group got together for an afternoon of bridge followed by afternoon tea, with cakes and scones made by Pam. A fun afternoon was had by all.

Our grateful thanks to Frances for once again organising the Croquet Group. This group only runs during the summer months and this year ten members enjoyed the Tuesday afternoon sessions. At least the last day of the season was a lovely sunny day
Do think about joining next year, it’s such fun.
Croquet group (4 missing)

Lovely to see over 70 members enjoying our u3a Summer Party today. Fabulous entertainment from Rosie-Ann Page, lovely food and drink, a great quiz basted of sweets and chocolates and a raffle with fantastic prizes..

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day and VJ Day the family history group decided to each research their family history during WW2 1939 - 1945. At our Friday meeting we shared our research.

What an interesting afternoon. We had an account of the emotional visit to a great uncle's grave in France, others researched what family members did during the war including a nurse in a London Hospital during the London Blitz. Two people researched the war time journeys made by family members in the RAF using service records, photographs and squadron diaries. Plus, we had the story of a school boy from Austria living in Wales who was interned in an English internment camp, recruited to SOE and then killed in Holland. The tear jerker was the letter that was read out which was written by a lady living in Coventry during the bombing raids describing the carnage of being bombed by the Luftwaffe.

If you are interested in researching your family history, come and join the group when we meet again in September

Nice to see 24 members at the Saltdean Tavern coffee morning on Wednesday. Also great to see the book swap providing lots of new reading material for our members

Great day out at Watts Gallery, if you haven’t been here you should try it. Lots to do and see.

Thanks Linda and Ros for arranging it.

On Monday 6 members of the birdwatching group visited Knepp to see the Storks. The planned route had to be adjusted as the footpath was occupied by a herd of free roaming cattle and we decided it was not good health and safety practice to try and share the path with them. However, our new route was very successful and we saw three stork nests all with babies and we watched the babies being fed by their parents. We watched the storks soaring overhead many of them low enough for us to get a good look at. At one point there were 12 birds flying in the skies. We finished off the morning with coffee at the new Knepp cafe. Definitely recommend a visit.

Lovely walk last Friday from Newhaven to Piddinghoe, in glorious sunny weather. Thank you Mike and Anne for leading the walk.

Lovely afternoon tea at the Lewes Garden Centre. Enjoyed by everyone who came.

Lovely to see 20 members at the coffee morning yesterday. It was also our first book swap, I've come home with books from 3 authors I've never read before, so now I have to decide which one to read first. Hope to see you next month and don't forget to bring some books to swap.

On Wednesday we went on the u3a trip to Arundel Castle Tulip Festival. It was a wonderful day out. The tour around the castle was so interesting and many of the original features such as the Norman Keep, medieval Gatehouse and Barbican survive. Those of us who made it up all the steps to top of the keep were rewarded with stunning views. Much of the castle was rebuilt in Victorian times and is fantastic, especially the great hall, dining room and the library. The Arundel Castle Gardens are glorious and the displays of tulips wonderful, with so many amazing displays in such a fabulous range of colours. A great day out and thanks to Ros and Linda for organising