Honiton U3A has a new year of talks which kicks off, when Helen Baggott gives a talk entitled 'From Bombs to Bournville.'

The first talk takes place at the Beehive on Wednesday April 17th at 2 p.m. Her illustrated talk includes the story of a family who helped build torpedoes and buildings. And she discusses the story of a man from Cornwall whose invention transformed manufacturing on both sides of the Atlantic. Visitors are welcome to attend by paying £2 on the door.

On May 15th, Toni Hiscocks give a talk about Hospiscare, about their work and the need to raise around £10 million a year to continue doing so. Just 18 per cent of the charity’s income comes from the NHS.

On June 19th, Jenny Mallins delivers an insight into five generations of her family who lived in India during the days of the British Raj. Her presentation, entitled “Walking into Grandmother's Kitchen at Christmas: a British Raj lifestyle”, contains an extensive collection of sepia photographs and the story of a 170-year-old cookbook penned by her four-times Grandmother in 1844.

And on July 17th Barry Hamblin talks about “Lavender, the Forgotten Herb”. Barry explores the history of lavender, how it is grown, different varieties, its properties and uses. His talk is based on his and his wife's experience running a lavender farm in Somerset.

As well as the monthly talks, Honiton u3a runs 30 Activity Groups, ranging from Walking and Nature Appreciation, to Current Affairs and History, from Book Groups and Poetry Appreciation to Knitting and Crochet.

In addition, Honiton u3a has also recently organised several popular one-off events. These included a First Aid session for members, which gave those who attended essential practice in CPR and some awareness of Defibrillators. And new members were invited to a special meeting to meet the Committee and Activity Group leaders who were seeking potential new members.

This year, they have been examining the possibility of starting a group to play Pickleball, one of the country’s fastest-growing sports. The group has also recently carried out a detailed survey of members, to get important feedback from members and in order to identify potential new activities and groups.

Over the last 12 months, the group has welcomed 60 new members to its ranks. A spokesperson for Honiton u3a said that their ethos can be summed up in the famous quotation by the poet W. B. Yeats, who wrote: “There are no strangers here; only friends you haven't met yet.”

Honiton u3a will be taking part in the Open Day at The Beehive on Saturday April 6th, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.