June 2026

We learned about historic hobbies followed by our members.

Jigsaws were invented several centuries ago as a tool for teaching geography. Modern jigsaws can vary from the simple few pieces for young children to large complex puzzles with hundreds of thousands of pieces.

Cigarette card collecting used to be a popular hobby. Cigarette manufacturers put stiffener cards in packets then saw an opportunity to create collectable cards covering every topic imaginable. The Second World War put a stop to production of cards but there are still collectors looking to fill gaps in their collections.

Trainspotting was a popular hobby with schoolboys postwar encouraged by Ian Allan’s ABC books listing loco numbers. Still a popular hobby, the schoolboys are now a lot older (and members of the u3a).

Models of HMS Victory can be found in junk shops and one member buys them and restores them.

Spinning is a very ancient skill and we learned about the principles and spindles that could be used.

Stamp collecting is a hobby dating back to the Victorian era and teaches about countries and their history.

We finished with amateur radio which lead to the mobile phones we use today.