Chard, Ilminster & District

Groups

Chard, Ilminster and District U3A groups (see list at bottom of this page) offer subjects ranging from practical activities, such as gardening and needlecraft, to study opportunities such as languages, history, etymology, religion, and philosophy. Also available are numerous social and practical activities including table tennis, play reading, lunch club and rambling.

GROUP RESOURCES

The Resource Centre at National Office has a collection of material in many subjects for U3A groups to borrow. These are available for group leaders or individuals.

For further information, e-mail: resource.centre@u3a.org.uk or phone 020 8315 0199 or log into the U3A national website, https://www.u3a.org.uk and follow the Resource Centre link.

Please Note that the information about groups listed on this page is correct at the time of entry. It is the responsibility of individual Group Leaders to contact the web site manager if the times of meetings and locations are changed.

If you would like online help to update your group details on the Beacon System click Group Leader. If you would like practical help do not hesitate to call me on 01460 61615 or email me at cidbeacon@gmail.com. Mo Chilvers, Beacon Co-ordinator.

GROUP NEWS

This page contains news on Groups that are either up and running or where a member is keen to start a group. We do have requests for new groups to be formed but without Group Leaders this is not always possible. If you feel you would like to run a Group then please look at our REQUESTS page. Maybe one of the topics listed there is something you are really keen to share with others. A link to REQUESTS may be found in the header at the top of this page.

Note: Click here to view Public Groups and Public Calendars on our Beacon Site.

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BEGINNERS FAMILY HISTORY GROUP

Yvonne Roskelly is starting a new Beginners Family History Group and would like a few new members. Meetings will be on the second Thursday of the month, in the afternoon, at her house. Please contact her for more details :-

Tel: 01460 419674
Email: yroskelly@gmail.com

GUITAR GROUP

Bob Partridge, the leader of the newly formed Guitar Group, is seeking a drummer and singers. The drummer does not need a full set of drums, just to keep rhythm.

So if you want to join in on the fun please contact Bob on partridgerobert1@sky.com or telephone him on 01460 250755

BOWLING

Harry Jacobson has been enthusiastically planning the formation of a U3A Bowling Group which will meet at Chard Bowling Club, Bonds Close, Thorndon Drive which is a turning off the lower end of Glysnwood. Tuition will be given so this venture is open to absolute beginners right through to the more experienced.

Dates for your diary - first two sessions

Friday 9th August @ 2pm
Friday 23rd August @ 2pm

Also the possibility of consequetive Fridays - 2nd, 9th, 16th & 23rd August @ 6.30pm Tuition on bowling and etiquette.

For further information please click on the poster link in the column on the right.

Please contact Harry Jacobson -
Tel : 07891 98 48 38
email: harryjacobson653@gmail.com

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VACANCIES

There are a few vacancies in the Table Tennis group on a Tuesday and Thursday morning. There are also a few places in both Indoor Cricket and Short Tennis. Please contact the group leaders or Group Co-ordinator for further details.

MUSIC APPRECIATION GROUP

After many years as group leader Ann Hipwood has relinquished her role due to ill health. I have now taken over as group leader and we continue to meet at 10.00am on the second Wednesday of each month. Meetings last for two hours and we listen to a programme of music selected by one of the members of the group. This music is generally ‘classical’ but programmes often include other genres, for example jazz and musicals. We are a relaxed and friendly group who just enjoy listening to music.
At the moment we do have space for a couple of new members so if you would like to join us please contact me on 62085.
Bob Inskip

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC GROUP

Most Music Appreciation groups focus primarily on ‘classical’ music but there are many people who love to listen to other kinds of music. I formed this group to offer a forum for those people to meet together to listen to pop, rock, folk and country music together with anything else that takes their fancy.
We meet on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 9.30am. Usually the host chooses a theme and we all take along a few tracks that match that theme in some way. The music played can be very varied, but we all enjoy finding out about new artists or indulging in the nostalgia of old ones.
We do have space for one more member at the moment, so if you would like to join us please contact me on 62085.
Bob Inskip

COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

This is a new group which met for the first time in February, 2019. The purpose of this group is to bring together members who are crucial to our U3A communications. The objective would be to support each other and draw on skills and ideas to promote U3A activities.

The group will meet when necessary, the next planned meeting being on
Thursday 17th October at 2pm in Eleos Cafe in Chard.

Please see the group page Communication for further information or please contact
Roy Howells, Tel 01460 76695, email roy.howells@gmail.com

CRICKET INDOORS GROUP

Please note that the venue and time for this group has changed. The group now meet at Holyrood School Sports Hall in Chard at the new time of 5pm. The sessions are still on a Wednesday and last for one hour.

There are still a few places left, so if you want to join in contact Jim Lobley at jim.lobley1950@gmail.com. Jim is a Chard & Ilminster member. Please see the Cricket Indoors Page for further information.

RAMBLING GROUP 2

In November members were enjoying the late autumn sunshine in the Hemyock area.
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NEWS AND VIEWS

Do you enjoy reading the news and airing your views? Our group does just that, with members bringing along any item of news, serious or trivial, that they have found interesting and would like to be the subject of a brief discussion.

To sample a meeting please contact Clive Robinson on 01460 234719 or email clive@robinson171.plus.com. The group meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 10.00am.

POETRY GROUP 2

Do you enjoy reading poetry? Would you like to know more about poets and their work? If so, why not come and meet a friendly and welcoming group who read their own choice of poetry on a theme selected in advance.

Please contact Gillian Macdonald on 01460 64687 if you are interested.

NEEDLECRAFT

A new Needlecraft Group has been formed to replace the Patchwork Quilting Group. This new group is for anyone who likes making things using a needle including knitting, crochet, embroidery, cross stitch and tapestry. The group also visits exhibitions and needle craft shows.

They meet on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 2.00pm at St Gildas in Chard. The Group Leader is Maggie Darby, Tel 63428

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The following table lists the days on which group meetings normally take place, and whether they are a morning or afternoon affair. It should be noted that the majority of meetings are monthly rather than weekly.

Groups highlighted in yellow are either new or have a new structure
Groups highlighted in grey/blue are full