Parkinsons UK

EVERYBODY was welcomed to the monthly meeting of Parkinsons at the rugby club, especially Dawn McGuinness, area organiser.The chairman reported that Roy Southgate had been in hospital and had passed away on Saturday. The members stood in tribute.A cheque for £516 was presented to Liz Nicol, the treasurer, and had come from the Welsh Unitarian Magazine Ceredigion, and from Rev Cen Llwyd and his committee.The day trip to Welshpool was said to have been a success.A list was taken for members to attend the half day mystery trip on Thursday, 25 August.The speaker for the meeting was Matt Sims, who worked for Ceredigion County who was the investors in carers in the Health Board.Pat Davies thanked him for an entertaining talk.By the end of the meeting two new members had become members.We’ll be back in September when Dr Phillip Jones, our president, together with Bethan Lewis Pryse, the Parkinson nurse, will be guests.

Rotary Club

THIS week the club gave a warm welcome to Flt Lt Clive Parker of Air Training Corps 561 (Aberystwyth) Squadron.The ATC was founded in 1941 in the depths of World War II but its ideals date back to 1928 with the foundation of the Youth Air League in Bournemouth and that of the national Youth Air League in 1938 as concerns grew about the likelihood of war in Europe.Originally there were three separate local branches in Ardwyn, Aberystwyth and Llanbadarn Fawr offering training to 16 and 17-year-old boys in navigation, aeronautics, radio communication and outdoor pursuits, which made them ideal recruits for the RAF as pilots or ground support staff. By the end of 1944, over 800 boys had been trained in Aberystwyth alone, by which time the air war in Europe had been won and a place in the RAF was no longer automatic.In the early 1960s the three local branches merged into 561 Squadron. The 1980s and 1990s saw continued contraction of the armed services and the ATC had to realign itself to succeed in the face of financial challenges. It is now open to boys and girls from the ages of 12 to 20 and focuses on the delivery of soft skills which can be used in a number of different careers, not just the armed forces, and higher education. These include teamwork, leadership, outdoor activities as well as the traditional skills relating to the airforce, all aimed at improving life opportunities for young people. Cadets are still able to participate in flying sessions at RAF bases around the UK.At present, numbers in the Aberystwyth Squadron are buoyant, with 31 cadets at the end of the summer session. Some will move on but there is confidence that the Squadron remains strong enough to attract new recruits in the autumn and con-tinue to offer great opportunities to youngsters in the area.Club president Derrick Whiting thanked Flt LT Parker warmly for his talk and wished him and the Squadron every success on their Open Day on 20 August.

Bridge Club

FRIDAY, 29 July: 1st, Margaret James and Gwynant Edwards; 2nd, Keith Bellamy and Dai Hayes; 3rd, Roger Boyle and Jeff Thomas.Friday, 5 August: 1st, Magda Corser and Martin Page; 2nd, Andrew Loat and Ian Fin-lay; 3rd, Dai Hayes and John Valentine.Sunday, 7 August: 1st, Tianhua Chen and Yuan Shen; 2nd, Jeff Thomas and Joyce Blair;3rd, Elenid Thomas and Pamela Wood-house.Friday, 12 August: 1st, Kim Marsh and Martin Page; 2nd, Margaret James and Mike Jones;3rd, Betty Brookes and Elenid Thomas.Sunday, 14 August: 1st, Mike Jones and Kim Marsh; 2nd, Elenid Thomas and Pamela Woodhouse; 3rd, Carol Butler and Keith Butler.