THE visiting speaker at this month’s Pershore U3A meeting, Roger Butler, gave an entertaining talk about his journey through the remote regions of South America entitled, “Penguins and Patagonia”. Travelling by bus, train, boat and on foot Roger’s journey took him south, from Santiago, through some of the more remote areas of Patagonia, to the Chilean coast and a visit to the colony of Magellanic Penguins living in burrows along the sea shore. Roger illustrated his presentation using some of the stunning photographs he took along his way, capturing the pristine landscape, its mountains, volcanoes, fjords and forests, flora and fauna. Of particular interest were his pictures of the distinctive and colourful architecture of the towns and villages he passed through on his journey and the local people he encountered. Travelling with a small group and using local transport gave Roger the opportunity to experience the local culture, to learn something about the regions history and to sample the local cuisine.

At the next meeting at Pershore Civic Centre on Tuesday 19 July from 2-15pm, David Howe makes a welcome return to talk about “Modern Manners” and what should count as good manners today, in an age of texts, emails and mobile phones.

JOHN AIREY