News
NEXT OPEN MEETING
Monday 20th May at 10:30am
"Rewilding the Hepple-Whitefield Estate and Hepple Gin"
A talk by Walter Riddell.
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MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS 2024-25
The annual membership subscription of £10 is due from the 1st of April.
We would be grateful if you could pay by direct bank transfer if possible. For details please click
How to pay U3A Membership by BACS here. If you wish to pay by cheque then please email by clicking u3a Treasurer here to request details.
Please check that you are using the correct bank details as our bank has recently changed.
We are asking renewing members to complete a membership application/renewal form available for download from the Membership page.
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SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Forage
We are considering arranging a guided Foraging Walk for August, one of the months we don't hold a meeting. The cost will be approx. £15 for an hour's walk with Gemma Gee who runs wild food foraging courses in Northumberland. We would need a minimum of 10 people to make it viable so if you think you would like to do this, drop us a line by clicking on T. A. Matters We’ll be able to provide more information and look at dates once we know if we have sufficient interest.
Raby Castle and Barnard Castle Trip
The proposed trip to Raby Castle and Barnard Castle in May has now been switched to Autumn due to refurbishments at Raby Castle. The expected cost has now risen to about £27. If you are interested in going (even if you have previously expressed an interest) then please contact our Social Secretary by clicking on Social Secretary here.
Details on these proposed events and trips are to be found on the Social page and you may also express an interest by sending an email via the link on that page.
If anyone would like to join the Social Events sub-group, do come on board by contacting the Social Secretary here. It's a great way to have input on our trips and visits and you will be made most welcome!
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REGIONAL INTEREST GROUPS
For any one keen on bird watching, you might like to consider joining the Regional Birding Group which is hoping to go on outings twice a month. The outings planned for February are a visit to Wallsend Swallow Pond (Rising Sun Colliery site) and a 3-day trip to southwest Scotland to search for Geese and Birds of Prey etc.
There are regional interest groups and also groups run by Newcastle u3a available to all members in the our region which you can attend via Zoom. Current groups include Real Ale, Astronomy, General History, and an iPad User group run by a Coquetdale u3a member.
Topics covered this month in National u3a Online Learning Events include Laughter Yoga, an Introduction to Cryptic Crosswords and a talk on suffering and hope in the novel Anna Karenina. you can register free for these and other events.
To find further details on these then please going to our Events Page where you will find links on the top right of the page.
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GREAT NORTH RUN
The Great North Run is on 8th September this year and the Third Age Trust, is participating by offering 5 charity running places to members. If you're interested in running and able to raise £350 in sponsorship for the Third Age Trust, send your details to communications@u3a.org.uk by 29th February and they'll put your name into the draw. You will need to put Great North Run in the subject line, tell them you are a member of Coquetdale u3a and whether you have run a half-marathon before. Places will be randomly selected and the lucky 5 will be notified by mid-March with information on how the Trust will support you. If you do put your name forward, please let your committee know, for example by emailing by clicking on T. A. Matters here.
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RISK ASSESSMENTS
Risk Assessments are available for download from our Risk Assessments Pages, a link to which may be found at the top right of the Welcome Page. If you wish to contact the Health & Safety Officer then you may do so by clicking on T. A. Matters here to send an email.
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MINI BUS DRIVER REQUIRED
Our minibus driver is due to retire very shortly. If you would like to help out by volunteering to drive the minibus on our trips then please contact T. A. Matters for details.
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GROUPS
1) A Board Games Group has started - Please see Groups Tab for details.
2) Book Group 2 has now started and has been renamed to Border Readers - Please see Groups Tab for details.
These groups are looking for some new faces to swell their numbers:
o Discussion Group - small friendly group - spaces available.
o Dowsing Group - we don't have enough members to get this group going again.
o Nordic Walking - welcomes new and existing members.
o Photography Group - small friendly group - spaces available
o Poetry Group - small friendly group - spaces available
o Railways Group - small friendly group - spaces available
If you are interested in any of these Groups please contact the Group Coordinator by clicking on the link on that Group's page.
If you are interested in the establishment of any of a new group, then please contact Susie, our Interest Groups Coordinator by clicking on %I am interested in a new group% here.
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PAST NEWS
You may find past news items by clicking on the Archive Tab above.