Learn Laugh Live
Last Updated: 8 Aug ’26
Views: 20
MONDAY 7 September, 10:00 REFRESHMENTS,
10.30 PRESENTATION
doors open 09:45
About eight years ago, after a career in international IT and Management Consultancy, Mike became a volunteer at Bletchley Park, having attended as a visitor for perhaps ten years previously as a visitor. Mike serves as a volunteer Guide at the BP heritage museum and also demonstrates the Turing-Welchman Bombe and Enigma codebreaking at the National Museum of Computing. In 2024, Mike Barbakoff entertained us with his presentation about The Women of Bletchley Park. He now presents “Codebreaking against the Land of the Rising Sun”. This talk embraces the inception of the UK/USA Special Relationship and highlights the Signals Intelligence activities of the United Kingdom and United States against Japan in the Second World War. It covers the efforts of Bletchley Park and its overseas outstations as well as the enormous contribution of the Unites States Navy and Army, Australia and New Zealand SIGINT operations. Failures such as Pearl Harbor and successes such as the Battle of Midway are used to illustrate the effectiveness of Signals Intelligence No fee to be paid Contact: Groups via this link (select addressee: Groups) The meeting will be hybrid, if you wish to participate on Zoom, use the link that will be supplied in the Group News closer to the date. If you experience difficulty with the sound, turning on Captions, at the bottom of the Zoom screen on a PC or by clicking on More … on an iPad, should assist greatly. Please bear in mind that the task of getting both sound and picture to members on Zoom is fraught with difficulties. We continue to struggle on, it may not always be totally successful No fee to be paid Contact: Groups via this link (select addressee: Groups) The meeting will be hybrid, if you wish to participate on Zoom, use the link that will be supplied in the Group News closer to the date. If you experience difficulty with the sound, turning on Captions, at the bottom of the Zoom screen on a PC or by clicking on More … on an iPad, should assist greatly. Directions
Northchurch Social Centre Bell Lane, Northchurch Berkhamsted HP4 3RD There is parking at the centre. Please double park! Directions Buses between Hemel and Berkhamsted: 500 and X500 bus. Buses are approximately every 30 minutes: 500 and X500 Timetable See Northchurch Map Last updated: 8 Aug ’26
Views: 105
MONDAY 3 Augusty, 10:00 REFRESHMENTS,
10.30 AGM & PRESENTATION
doors open 09:45
John Tyler has worked in nature conservation for over thirty years, first with the Ecological Parks Trust creating urban nature reserves for children to experience wildlife at first hand and then as the Warden of the Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve in Kent, 135 acres of wetland and woodland where he created and managed habitats and guided schools and adult groups around the reserve. He has a particular fondness for Glow-worms. As well as wildlife, his interests include photography, prehistory, carving and coracles.
In 2023 John fascinated us with his spectacular photographs of the crabs and other animals on Christmas Island. 2025 had him taking us closer to home and exploring The Changing Wildlife of the Chilterns. From warm seas, through Ice Ages, tundra and forest to the farmland and beechwoods of today, we travelled through a hundred million years to follow the story of the Chiltern landscape and its wildlife.
In 2026 he describes the seasons all around us and reminds us to look at the wonderful natural world around us.
No fee to be paid
Contact: Groups via this link (select addressee: Groups)
The meeting will be hybrid, if you wish to participate on Zoom, use the link that will be supplied in the Group News closer to the date.
If you experience difficulty with the sound, turning on Captions, at the bottom of the Zoom screen on a PC or by clicking on More … on an iPad, should assist greatly. Please bear in mind that the task of getting both sound and picture to members on Zoom is fraught with difficulties. We continue to struggle on, it may not always be totally successful.
Directions
Boxmoor Playhouse
72 St John’s Rd
Hemel Hempstead
HP1 1NP
Parking round the Moor OR 55 – 57 Park Road, HP1 1JS
Directions
Buses between Hemel and Berkhamsted: 500 and X500 bus.
Buses are approximately every 30 minutes: Red Eagle Buses
Local buses running in St John’s Road past Boxmoor Playhouse
Last updated: 7 Jul ’26
Views: 142
MONDAY 6 July, 10:00 REFRESHMENTS,
10.30 PRESENTATION
doors open 09:45
Tricia Thompson is an experienced public speaker presenting lively, interesting and fun talks to groups of all sizes around the country.
The talk to be presented follows the spread of seaside holidays to all classes. It explores the iconic entertainments from the donkey rides on the sand to amusement arcades and buying pink rock to take home with you.
Most of the u3a members will remember these joys from their childhoods. More recently the British seaside holiday has meant Spain or Greece, and the local seaside resorts have been in something of a slump.
No fee to be paid
Contact: Groups via this link (select addressee: Groups)
The meeting will be hybrid, if you wish to participate on Zoom, use the link that will be supplied in the Group News closer to the date.
If you experience difficulty with the sound, turning on Captions, at the bottom of the Zoom screen on a PC or by clicking on More … on an iPad, should assist greatly. Please bear in mind that the task of getting both sound and picture to members on Zoom is fraught with difficulties. We continue to struggle on, it may not always be totally successful.
Directions
Boxmoor Playhouse
72 St John’s Rd
Hemel Hempstead
HP1 1NP
Parking round the Moor OR 55 – 57 Park Road, HP1 1JS
The parking outside St John’s church now has a 3 hour limit and no return for 2 hours. This is to discourage commuters going to the station using it for all day parking. The three-hour limit works for our monthly meeting. Warning, there is someone who checks!
Directions
Buses between Hemel and Berkhamsted: 500 and X500 bus.
Buses are approximately every 30 minutes: 500 and X500 Timetable
Local buses running in St John’s Road past Boxmoor Playhouse
Last Updated: 4 Jun ’26
Views: 258