News & Group Updates

Please click HERE for news about groups.

I am sorry to begin on a sad note, but I have heard that Bridgette Farrow has died.  Many of you will remember her as a previous chair and group leader.  There is an obituary later in this newsletter; we do not normally publish obituaries, but this is a bit special.

We had a very successful New Members meeting this week; it was lovely to meet so many, and a big thank you to the group leaders who turned out in force.

I am pleased to say that I have had a good response to my appeal for new committee members and will be meeting with them shortly to let them know what it is all about.

At the next AGM we would like to recognise the people who have done so much for Cheltenham U3A over the years.  Without them we would not be so successful; we now have over 1700 members and 130 groups.  WOW is all I can say.  If you would like to put someone’s name forward, I would be pleased to hear from you.

One last note: you will have seen Rosemary Jenner with her jigsaw exchange at the Open Meetings.  She is now looking for more jigsaws.  If you have any lurking around in your cupboards she would be very grateful to have them; they should be 500 or more pieces.

Maggie Conu

MOTO (Members on their own) GROUP

The next meeting will be as follows:

WEDNESDAY, 6^th November, 2019

ST MATHEWS CHURCH, Clarence Street, 10.30 am

Please bring your current membership card and £2.50 cover charge plus ideas and suggestions for future events

This will be a second walking group starting in January, very similar to the current walking group.

There will be walks on Saturday mornings, hopefully led by volunteers, ending with a pub lunch.

As you know there is a high demand for places on walks, and I am hoping that if there are more walks available it will become easier to book. Sometimes there may be two walks on the same day! Members can belong to both groups and choose the most convenient walks.

I will try and put a program for January/February, but there will be a meeting in January to plan for the rest of the year.

If you are interested in joining this group please contact Chris Robinson.

Access, Equality and Inclusion

Cheltenham U3A is committed to ensuring that all members can access the groups and activities it organises under its umbrella. This year, we have a new committee post dedicated to ensuring we are an accessible and inclusive organisation dedicated to the principles of equality. The Access, Equality and Inclusion Policy Statement is available HERE.

Guidance has been provided to group-leaders and organisers of special events in public buildings with the aim of building a database of information about the venues we use in order to advise new members/users.   The information we collect will also help us to ensure, as far as possible, that we as an organisation think creatively to accommodate members with mobility, sight, hearing impairments and a range of other difficulties.

If you have any questions of concerns, please contact Cate Hemingway.

A new Group:  URBAN WALKS

We all enjoy getting to know places better, and there’s nothing like first-hand knowledge of the town where you live.  To develop further our sense of place and local identity, a new group is planned, to be called Urban Walks. It’s deliberately different from the various forms of country walk already in the U3A list. It’s not for exercise. The walk would always be in a town, with no set distance but lasting a non-strenuous 60 to 90 minutes; and not just in Cheltenham but also Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Stroud, etc.

We would meet monthly, with a different leader each time.  We’d agree in advance a 6-month or annual programme, same day of the month in the usual U3A style.  The leader proposing each walk decides on the route and, as the group goes round, points out the features of interest.   The first walk will concentrate on architectural aspects such as public buildings, just as an example.  But it wouldn’t be that subject every time:  it could be schools, churches, or trees, roads, transport, or historical aspects or people, such as who had lived where, whatever the leader for that occasion decided. Group size: never more than 12, but 3 or 4 would be enough for everyone to enjoy learning. If the walk were not in Cheltenham, we could car-share or travel independently to the agreed meeting place.

Please contact Lynne Macedo if you are interested in joining.

MOTO (Members on their own) News

1.There is going to be a Christmas meal on Wednesday 15^th January 2020 at the Everyman Theatre.

They have space for 50 people with a lift to all floors and accessible toilet facilities.

2.Would you like to see the Cinderella pantomime at the Everyman Theatre?

We have very good tickets from £33 to £17.50 each.

Available dates are:

Tuesday 7^th January 2020 at 2pm, stalls

Thursday 9^th January 2020 at 2pm, front circle

Friday 10^th January 2020 at 2pm, front circle

Please contact Marie or Sue for further details of both events.

Marie: [email protected] 01242 210091

Sue :   [email protected] 01242 251456

Bird Group

I have started a bird group. We meet on the first Wednesday of the month at 11.30 am. Our first trip was a very successful visit to Cheltenham reservoir where we saw, amongst other birds and dragon flies, a family of grebes with two adults in winter plumage and two juveniles.

Future trips:

November 6^th Daisy Bank

December 4^th Pittville Park

January 1^st Slimbridge

Details are in the Groups Notice Board pages in the newsletter.

For more information, please group leader Pamela Roskilly

COMMITTEE

Once again we are asking for members to come forward to be co-opted onto the Committee. For various reasons we have had several resignations and need to fill spaces. Can I remind you that several years ago David Siddons said that, if people didn’t come forward to help with the backroom organisation of Cheltenham U3A, it would close?  This is still the case so, if you value Cheltenham U3A,  as I do, please contact me and let us keep everything on an even keel. Experience is not necessary; common sense is. For more information contact me via the link below or phone me, my number is at the front of the newsletter.

Maggie Conu

PUBLICITY OFFICER

We are looking for a member willing to take on the role of Publicity Officer. This will involve a small amount of work to publicise our events in both the Third Age Trust magazine and local press. We would also like to produce a leaflet on Cheltenham U3A to let people know what we do and dispel the University myth. It does not have to be a committee position but could be. Please contact me at  [email protected]  or phone to discuss the role; my number is at the front of the newsletter.