Wednesday meetings
Speaker meetings are usually held on the second Wednesday of each month (except August – no meeting) in The Holy Trinity Parish Hall. The meetings start at 2.00pm and last about an hour. Please see the map at the bottom of the page for the location of the hall
Access There is ramp access to the hall.
Parking Please remember to enter your vehicle registration number on the electronic pad in the hall foyer each time you park. There is no charge for parking but failure to enter your number will almost certainly result in a heavy fine. If you are unsure what to do please ask for help.
Please remember that from January 2025 onwards, you will need your PINK Membership Card at all events, including group activities.
If you do not renew your membership you are deemed to NO LONGER BE A MEMBER of Formby u3a and cannot partake of any of their activities as you will no longer have valid insurance cover
Monthly meetings
NO MEETING IN AUGUST
8th October – John Coventry ‘The Day the Music Died‘
‘So Bye Bye Miss American Pie‘, wrote Don McLean, American musician, in the early 1970’s. With his song, he immortalized and mythologized the plane crash, in 1959, that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. Myths and legends galore have grown up around the crash; ‘Was the plane really called American Pie?’ ‘Did Buddy Holly really fire a gun in the plane’s cabin?’ ‘Did the Big Bopper really survive the crash?’
This presentation examines the crash, what led up to it, and its aftermath, and tries to answer the questions that still hang in the air, more than sixty years later. Even though the subject is sad (we all know the ending), the music is still great!
12th November Bernard Nevin – Margery Booth, the “Knickers Spy”
Margery Boothis a forgotten English Opera Star from the 1930’s but also acted as an undercover wartime spy. Born in Wigan before moving to Southport, Margery was as a young child with a notable singing talent and she eventually moved to London where she sang at the Royal Opera House. Marrying a rich German industrialist, she moved to Germany where she rose to acclaim in 1930’s Berlin, singing at the Berlin Opera. Adolf Hittler became a personal fan, sending her roses after her performances, and dining with him one at least one occasion.
But she was secretly acting as a British Intelligence agent, passing on secrets under the noses of the feared Gestapo, discretely hidden in her underwear, hence known as the Knickers Spy, a title given to her by the post-war media..
Margery sang in POW camps for British prisoners to bolster their morale but fell under the suspicion of the Gestapo, she was arrested and tortured but later released. She managed to escape across Germany as the war came to an end and she gave evidence at post war-trials where English collaborators such as Lord Haw Haw were charged with treason.
Her secretive life in pre-war Germany meant that she was unkindly viewed on her return to the UK and her bravery went unrewarded. This is a captivating, if little known account of a brave Lancashire lady.
10th December – Christmas concert will be at Holy Trinity Parish Hall at 2pm. Refreshments will be served at the end.
Thursday – Coffee Morning
Coffee Mornings are from 10:30 to 12:00 on each second Thursday of the month, except August. These are held in the Workshop, Holy Trinity Church, with free coffee and the chance to pick up information about other groups and meet some of your Committee
These are a great opportunity to meet new people and make friends as well as ask any questions you have about u3a. We look forward to seeing you all
2pm onwards
10:00 am - 12 noon