News & Group Updates

First outing of the newly formed Motor home and Caravan group

At the end of October 13 people with 3 caravans and 4 motor homes went to Waterrow caravan site near Taunton for 3 nights.  There were games of boules, walks in the local area, shopping and National Trust visits, plus coffee and chats.
We all went to the local pub, The Rock Inn, for an evening meal and celebrated one member’s birthday!
The next meeting of this group will be in March, hopefully in warmer weather.  Venue to be decided later.

Linda Hurl

Welcome to Autumn and cosy days in, as well as times spent following our interests. At the last Open Meeting (which was brilliant by the way) I asked for hands up if members had looked at our new website. Unfortunately not many had, so can I ask you to look at the website and use it regularly? It will always be up to date and keep you informed of what is going on in Cheltenham U3A.

We are starting to look forward to the AGM in March and you will see from the information in this newsletter and on the website that we are looking for Committee members, an assistant for the newsletter editor and a new meetings secretary. Committee work with U3A is very interesting and varied; we are a friendly bunch of people making Cheltenham U3A work well for its members, so we hope members will come forward and fill the vacant positions. We are also looking for a kind hearted person or small group of people who would take up a new position of Welfare Officer or Welfare group; this would not be a committee position. We would like the person or persons to be willing for members to contact them if they need help or wish to let us know that another member needs help. It may be that someone is ill or very lonely and would love a visit from a friendly face. Hopefully we will gradually get together a list of people who are willing to visit or help members. It would also be helpful if they are dementia aware as, in an older group, this is always a possibility. If any of our members are interested in any of these positions, please contact me.

We are now supporting a foodbank in cooperation with St. Matthew’s Church.  Details are given below. Please support this. There are so many people in need and we should be able to help.

Please remember I am available if any of our members wishes to raise a point or discuss anything.

Maggie Conu

Please click on the link below for more information regarding our Newsletter and our new Website

Newsletter & Website Nov & Dec 2018

Note: The November/December Newsletter will be available in the Members Area soon after it is posted out. This is to ensure that members who view it on the website can only see it at the same time as those who receive it by post.

IMMEDIATE – Newsletter Editor: Until the end of last year, the Newsletter was put together by two editors, Sue and Hilary, with proof reader, Moira. Sadly Hilary developed problems with her hands and had to give up last Christmas. So this year Sue has carried on as the only editor, despite repeated advertisements for help.

Without help, the newsletter will have to be simplified to fit in with the available effort. (Some may remember the last time we became editor-less and the Committee produced a black and white starvation diet Newsletter shorn to essentials!)

We are ever more urgently looking for a member to help Sue Peters prepare the bi-monthly Newsletter.  The work environment is one of cooperation and flexibility. Modest word processing computer literacy is needed. Training will be given. Why not drop Sue ([email protected]) an email to find out more?

IMMEDIATE – Committee Member: We have a vacancy on the Committee which can be filled now, with a view to taking up a Committee role at next March AGM. The advantage of joining now is that you join in the Committee’s deliberations and are able to shadow one of the roles becoming available next March.

Vacancies next AGM in March, 2019:

MEETINGS SECRETARY: to provide committee administration services – prepare agendas, take minutes and hold the committee paperwork (constitution, procedures, minutes etc).

TWO COMMITTEE MEMBERS who, after a period of acclimatisation, will be prepared to take on one of the roles set out on the inside cover of the Newsletter. After some time on the Committee without a role, new members shadow an existing role holder, and subsequently take that role.

NEW ROLE – WELFARE OFFICER: (non-committee position).  Cheltenham U3A has begun to feel that there are many older members who are in need of support for a short time, and where visiting and a cup of tea could alleviate loneliness. We would expect the person in this role to help define this role and organise the visiting.

Please contact me by email, Maggie Conu or any existing committee members if you would like to offer help in running Cheltenham U3A.

At future Open Meetings at St. Matthews Church Hall, the Church will be putting out boxes for our members to contribute food that is in date and non-perishable for local foodbanks.  I hope that our members will support this initiative and bring items along to contribute.

Maggie Conu