GROUP CHAIR NOTES
HAPPY NEW YEAR to one and all!
I hope you are all keeping well and warm and coping with the latest set of storms that we have been experiencing.
We meet at the Festival Church Hall, Queen Street, Chester, CH1 3LG at 2.15pm on the second Monday of each month, except August and December.
2023 has been much the same as the previous year, the continuing war in Ukraine and the terrible war in the Middle East. Energy prices and inflation look to be a bit better in 2024 but the public sector of which we were all once a part is still in dramatic decline, not to mention the state of the NHS. We can only look ahead in hope that all these issues will be resolved.
We had plenty of really interesting speakers in 2023, our first being a talk on boat building in Chester with plenty of old photographs. There was visit by a very cute puppy from The Guide Dogs for the Blind who is in his first year of training, getting used to being in different social situations. Our June meeting was a trip to Hoylake Lifeboat Station, where we were able to see the lifeboats and hear about how Hoylake is a bit different from other stations as often the sea is too far out to launch the lifeboat, so they have specialised equipment to race across the sand. We had a speaker from the Cheser Heart Support Group who told us of their meetings and about help they can offer anyone who has/is suffering from heart trouble. Our last speaker was from
the Woodland Trust. The year ended with our usual Christmas lunch at The Mill in Chester, which again was exceptionally enjoyable.
2024 Calendar
12th February: Talk from a representative of Independent Age
11th March: AGM
15th April TBA
13th May Stretton Water Mill talk by West Cheshire Museums
I know it is not easy to commit to attending meetings when there are so many calls on your time, but you can also keep up with what CSPA is doing nationally by using the website https://www.cpsa.co.uk Keep your eyes open for new details of this in the Spring Pensioner.
I hope 2024 is kind to you
Cynthia Coltman
Chairperson
Tel no: 07851 727460
