On this trip, we took 50 u3a members to The National Arboretum Museum for our third outing of the year, having visited Port Sunlight and St. Fagans in June and September.

Despite an anxious wait for our coach to pick us up, we arrived without incident.

The site covers 150 acres on the edge of the National Forest in Staffordshire. There are now over 400 different memorials from various regiments and services set amongst 25,000 trees - planting began in 1996. 

The first monument installed was the Polar Bear Memorial, a tribute to the 49th West Riding Infantry, erected in June 1998.

The current site opened in 2016, now attracting over 300,000 visitors a year. There are guided walks and a land train which takes you to the far corners of the Arboretum. There is also an excellent visitor centre to explore. 

As we visited in the build up to Remembrance Day, it was a particularly moving experience. It certainly brings home just how many lives were lost during various wars. Some of our group had been at least once before - I recommend that you try and pay a visit if you can.  

See www.thenma.org.uk site for further information.

Back on the coach, nobody missing, and home by 6pm!