• LINKS LADIES CLUB welcomes new members to its friendly Monday evening meetings in the small hall at Uphill Village Hall. We enjoy a varied programme of talks, demonstrations, outings, etc. Our next session starts on May 12 at 7.30pm. For details ring Joan on 621054 or Jean on 623533.

• THE RAFA CONCERT BAND is always on the look out for musicians to join them. Based in the Blakehay Theatre, Wadham Street, Weston, there are no subscriptions to pay!

You must have your own instrument and be confident in playing band music. We require your musical talent and a reasonable commitment to attend rehearsals and concerts.
Future engagements include: May 10, Solihull for a band concert in the Methodist Church, Shirley; May 14, big band in the Winter Gardens for a private function; June 14, concert for the Air Training Corps in the Blakehay; June 15, joint concert on Grove Park bandstand; June 28,
concert St Andrew’s Church, Plymouth
If you are interested in playing or learning more contact Peter Skellon on 01934 820205 or look on our website.

• WEST OF ENGLAND THEATRE ORGAN
SOCIETY presents John Mann at the Odeon, Weston, on the Compton theatre organ on May 11 at 2pm. Tickets £7. Advance booking available on 01934 625282 (credit and debit cards) after 12noon.

• WESTON AND DISTRICT NATIONAL TRUST ASSOCIATION has enjoyed outings to Arlington Hall, and Westbury water gardens and Berrington Hall near Leominister.

Snowshill Manor is a Cotswold manor house containing a spectacular collection of
craftsmanship and design from across the globe so there should be something of interest to everyone on May 14.

At the AGM the chairman expressed thanks to two long-standing members of the outings
committee, Bernard Harris and Joan McCarthy, who had arranged many memorable visits.
A holiday from September 26-30 is planned in Lancashire and Cumbria with a wide variety of places to visit. Contact David Bowring on 01275 848347.

A coffee morning will be held in St Martin’s Church, Worle, 10am-12noon, on May 10.
There will be tours of the church and bell tower as well as stalls and a raffle. Entrance, including coffee/tea and biscuits, £1. Do come.

• WESTON DIGITAL CAMERA CLUB took a
serious look at all the software available to
members. A show of hands for each package showed that several people used more than one programme to develop their photographs, the most commonly used being Photoshop Elements in any of its versions. Some members use Paintshop Pro which is a low budget programme very similar to Photoshop CS+ and it even has some additional functions that Photoshop doesn’t have, such as tubes for creating patterns within a picture.

However, the many other additional features have made Photoshop the industry standard for photographers and publishers alike. We had hands up for free packages (downloadable) such a Picasa, which is ideal for simple work on a picture if you simply want to crop, or bring out some of a picture’s features.

It is however very limited in what it can do and therefore most members had stepped up to the Elements programme to obtain a greater variety of features. Chris Norton then gave us a demonstration of Lightroom. All the best, most wanted, features are gradually being added and it is fast becoming an industry standard.

Discussions turned to the idea of starting a branch of the club aimed at children challenged either by cerebral palsy or autism, to enable them to develop their creative potential. Feelers are being put out to see whether this is a proposition worth following. The Royal Photographic Society has offered to help in any way they can! If you feel you can offer any help or advice in this worthwhile venture contact 07775647936.

• THE RBL (Women’s Section), Weston, will hold no coffee morning in May as the room is not available. The next one will be on June 27. All are welcome. A report about the national
conference will be given on May 14 at 2pm, in the United Reformed Church Hall, Waterloo Street. Paid bingo will follow this. Our annual strawberry tea is planned for June 11 – to be
discussed at the next committee meeting.

• WOODSPRING RAMBLERS are out this Sunday on a seven mile walk in the Blagdon and Ubley area, and the sixth leg of the Butcombe Trail which is 15 miles. Contact 01275 853004 for details. On Saturday the Ramblers Association is leading a 3.25 mile walk in the Burrington and Rickford area for families with children. Meet at 2pm in Burrington Village Square. Contact 01275 853004 for further details.

• Send your reports to: Clubs & Societies, Weston & Somerset Mercury, 32 Waterloo Street, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1LW. The deadline is 12noon on Tuesday. We reserve the right to edit submitted reports.