AROUND 100 members were present at Sully U3A's November meeting to hear guest speaker Rachel Brennan. Rachel is a former principal Bluebell Girl who kept the audience enthralled with her recreation of her time at the Lido de Paris.

Rachel said from when she was 10 she wanted to speak French and dance. From when she was 11 she went to Performing Arts School and when she was near the end of her studies, her ballet teacher suggested that in order to get her Equity card she went to Paris to be a Bluebell Girl.

Without an appointment she presented herself at the Lido de Paris and said she wanted to be a Bluebell Girl. After working with them for an afternoon she was offered a job while still working on her "A" level studies.

She told members about the makeup, costumes, tableux, people she had met and danced with. She tapped her way through some of the routines and demonstrated the high kicks! The shoes she was wearing were hand made for her at the time and still looked new.

Rachel went on to dance at the Moulin Rouge and appeared in Cats. There were many questions from the audience and Rachel stayed to chat over tea.

On show was the poppy display made by the Knitters and Stitchers Group. This started off as an idea in the summer and was inspired by the display at the Tower of London. The finished display of tumbling knitted and crocheted poppies was hung in St John Baptist Church on Remembrance Sunday and now hangs in The Old School.

Sully U3A meets on the second Thursday of the month in The Old School, Sully at 2 pm. The meeting in December will be the Christmas Social and the programme of speakers will start again in January when new members are welcome.