20th February 2026 – The Story, Development & Operation of the National Garden Scheme – Surrey Network
Presented by Clare Bevan, Clare Waters, Georgina Waters, Sarah Wilson, Vicky Flynn & Richard Claxton
We offer hybrid events so that members can attend the hall or view the study days online. The fees from February 2025, including coffee/tea and biscuits, are £12 for hall attendance or £7 online, £15 for guests and £15 for all attendees paying at the door, although booking in advance is preferred.
For more Details and Booking Information Click on the Link Below
https://surreynetwork.u3asite.uk/events/
24 Feb 2026 – Florence Nightingale Museum – Away Day
Florence Nightingale Museum: Tour. Florence Nightingale was named after the Italian city in which she was born. She laid the foundation of professional nursing when she established her nursing school in St Thomas’ Hospital, where the Museum is now situated. Her most famous contribution came during the Crimean War, where she gained her nickname, ‘the Lady with the Lamp’.
Our guided tour starts at 12.30pm and lasts about 30 minutes. Afterwards you’ll have the opportunity to look round the exhibits on your own, which, it is suggested, should take another 30 minutes.
There are a couple of places nearby to stop for coffee – Gail’s Bakery and the Slug & Lettuce (they are happy to serve coffee only), located on the corner of York Road and Chicheley Street. Afterwards a stroll around the Jubilee Gardens near the London Eye may be in order, weather permitting, or a visit to Tate Modern, about a 15-minute walk along the South Bank, or you can take the bus.
Meeting Time/Place: 11.15am (note later time than usual), Waterloo Station opposite Platform 4 Travel: From Waterloo Station it’s approximately a 15-minute walk to the Museum in Lambeth Palace Road.
Cost: £13.40 (includes entry fee and tour)
Accessibility: The exhibition is all on the ground floor.
To join us, please fill in the form in the centre of this newsletter and send it with your cheque, made payable to Kingston u3a GAS, to Pam Townsend. pamandgil@icloud.com, 07789 397635
2nd March – Monthly Meeting – Being a Global Pharmacist
Trudi Hilton talks about setting up pharmacy services in war-torn areas
Held at the Richard Mayo Hall, Kingston Doors open at 1.30 talk starts at 2.00. Coffee/ tea and biscuits at the end of the talk. Cost £1.00 to members £1.50 foe guests.
20th March 2026 – Global Warming & Your Grandchildren’s World – Surrey Network
Presented by Dr Colin Summerhayes & Professor Jan Zalasiewicz
We offer hybrid events so that members can attend the hall or view the study days online. The fees from February 2025, including coffee/tea and biscuits, are £12 for hall attendance or £7 online, £15 for guests and £15 for all attendees paying at the door, although booking in advance is preferred.
For more Details and Booking Information Click on the Link Below
26th March Away Day – Visit to the Handel/Hendrix House
In one London street, separated by a wall and 200 years, are the homes of two of history’s great musicians. From 1723 to 1759 George Frideric Handel lived and composed at 25 Brook Street.
Two centuries later the legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix lived in a flat at number 23, the adjacent property.
Step back in history and see how a typical Georgian gentleman’s house would have looked and then step forward, yet still in the past, to the heady world of the 1960s.
Handel House occupies four floors, with all rooms now restored. Additional rooms in the adjoining house are also used for temporary exhibitions, which focus on aspects of his life in Georgian London, his legacy and the baroque instruments used in his extensive body of work.
There are new exhibitions about Hendrix’s music, Handel’s music and the musicians he worked with, and displays about London in the 18th century and the 1960s.
Hendrix’s flat occupies the upper floor of number 23. The main room where Jimi lived, entertained friends and wrote new music has been restored. There are also displays dedicated to his legacy and performances.
Date: Thursday, 26 March
Meeting Time/Place: 10.15am at Waterloo Station opposite platforms 1-4
Travel: Jubilee Line to Bond Street (3 stops). We’ll go into the Caffè Concerto, a few steps from the station in South Molton Street (refreshments not included in the price), then it’s a short walk to Brook Street, to arrive at 11.30/11.45am for our self-guided tour.
Cost: £13.45 Free entry for National Art Pass holders Accessibility: Visitors move up through Handel’s House first. At the top the route crosses over to the Hendrix side and back down to where the tour began.The lift can access all areas of the house.
To join us, please complete the booking form in the cerntre of your Newsletter and send it with a cheeque made payable to Kingstonu3a GAS to to Hazel Burr. 07950 687553
13 Apr Monthly Meeting – Archaeological Frauds, Hoaxes and Silly Things – Scott McCracken
Learn about the various frauds and deliberate hoaxes perpetrated against archaeologists, historians and museums. Some are well known (Piltdown Man). Others, including the Vinland map, less so. And some frauds may simply have been a joke that went too far.
Held at the Richard Mayo Hall, Kingston Doors open at 1.30 talk starts at 2.00. Coffee/ tea and biscuits at the end of the talk. Cost £1.00 to members £1.50 for guests.
20th April Away Day – Visit to Denbies Vineyard
Join us on a visit to Denbies Vineyard in Dorking for a wine-tasting experience, which begins in their cinema with a film showing the vineyard as it changes through the seasons. Learn the history of the estate and also a little of the geology of the area and why this makes it an ideal place to grow grapes. See the winemaking process from vine to bottle.
This 20-minute film is followed by a guide through a selection of their classic wines with one of their wine experts. There’ll be an opportunity to taste some wines and visit their cellars.
The complete tour lasts approximately one hour.
Date: Monday, 20 April Cost: £15.35
Travel: The journey to Denbies will be by the 465 bus from Kingston or you can join the bus in Surbiton.
Freedom Travel cards accepted. Meeting times/places: ● 10.10am Kingston: Cromwell Road Bus Garage, stop A16 ● 10.15am Surbiton: Claremont Road, opposite Waitrose The journey time is about one hour.
Get off at Pixham Lane, which is the stop opposite the driveway to Denbies Vineyard. We cross the busy road and a 10-minute walk along the driveway will bring us to the entrance of the Visitors’ Centre, where we can enjoy a coffee in the conservatory (not included in the price) before the tour begins at 12 noon.
Return journey: The timings of the buses from Pixham Lane are 1.25pm, 1.43pm, 2.10pm and 2.38pm. To join us please fill in the form in the centre of this newsletter.
Remember to tick the box to indicate which bus stop you will be using and check your availability before applying.
Send this form with your cheque, made payable to Kingston u3a GAS, to Pam Townsend. pamandgil@me.com, 07789 39763520th April
11 May Monthly Meeting – Historical Houses in London – Colin Lomas
Colin talks about some of the houses with a long history, all in or near London. You can visit them all. We’ll also learn about the characters associated with them.
Held at the Richard Mayo Hall, Kingston Doors open at 1.30 talk starts at 2.00. Coffee/ tea and biscuits at the end of the talk. Cost £1.00 to members £1.50 for guests.