THE latest entertaining and informative monthly meeting was held on July 6.

As well as learning that the King of Tonga is 88 this month, the chairman revealed that 140 years ago, the SS Great Britain completed the laying of the first trans-Atlantic cable.

Of local interest, a total of £900 had been donated to the British Heart Foundation in memory of a former chairman and treasurer of Alcester U3A, Brian Palmer.

The group activities for July were publicised, followed by a promotional poem on behalf of the Ambling Group. This month's poem drew attention to the excuses that it was either too hot, too wet or too cold to walk but that, with the right attitude, it was always good to walk.

The speaker was Cyril Bennis, Swan Master at Stratford, whose talk entitled Swanning around with Cyril was fascinating and knowledgeable.

With the delivery shared with his wife, Roxanne, members were told how dramatically the number of swans has fluctuated over the years.

It is not true that we swapped swans for Canada Geese but many swans were sent to Canada at one time, although later we nearly had to ask for some back. All had deserted Stratford despite brochure pictures suggesting the opposite.

An established cob (male) will defend up to a mile of river and cygnets are chased away when about six months old.

Members now know why anglers' weights are so fatal to swans and not to other water birds, that 'swan upping' is 'swan hopping' on the Avon and of the Queen's ownership of swans.

However, they didn't believe Cyril was in daily correspondence with Her Majesty.