Ledbury & District

Activities within Ledbury u3a

Monthly General Meeting

Our Monthly General Meeting ('MGM') is held on the third Thursday of each month (except August), 2.00pm to 4.00pm, at Ledbury Community Hall, Lawnside Road, Ledbury. Most months a speaker is engaged to present a talk, lasting about one hour, often illustrated with slides or music. There is a nominal charge to members attending this meeting. Tea, coffee and biscuits are served from 2.00pm to 2.20pm, and each month members of our various interest groups help in the production and serving. For a list of the groups providing this service in 2024 and details of the procedures click on the appropriate link above.

For the latest list of talks scheduled for 2024 click on the link above.

Newsletter/Bulletin

Every 4 months our Newsletter Editor produces a comprehensive guide to what is happening in our u3a, with particular reference to the activities of our Groups. She would love to accept contributions for the next issue and can be contacted by clicking here Newsletter Editor.

Open Day

The September meeting takes the form of an Open Day where existing members and potential new members can see what the various groups offer and put their names down to join. Where groups are full then lists of interested members will be kept and if there is sufficient interest new groups can be started. Ideas for new groups can also be put forward here. And you can pay your subscription to the Treasurer.

Annual General Meetings

Annual General Meetings are held in November each year, combined with the usual 'MGM'. The 2023 AGM was held at 2:30 pm on Thursday 16th November 2023 at Ledbury Community Hall, Lawnside Road Ledbury, HR8 2AE. Click on the appropriate link above for the minutes of the 2022 AGM. The minutes of the 2023 AGM will be available in due course.

Christmas Meeting and Christmas Lunch

The Christmas Meeting, which is held on the 3rd Thursday in December like the normal MGM, usually includes mulled wine, music and entertainment by our members. For many years there was also a Christmas lunch, which we hope to revive in the future.

Outings

Outings are arranged from time to time, often by Interest Groups for their members, but sometimes more general outings are arranged, often following one of the monthly talks.
Occasionally unofficial theatre trips are are arranged which are for u3a members plus their friends.

Malvern u3a invites members to join their day trips. They only have one trip organised currently. For details see below.

Courses & Presentations

We also run Courses & Presentations for our members, for example we ran a First Aid Workshop in the Burgage Hall. There have also been short talks on internet security, fire safety and similar topics.

Ledbury u3a in the Community

Our u3a wants to be a part of the local community and has undertaken various tasks over the years, such as making items for the town's Syrian Appeal. This was recognised when our Chairman was invited to meet the Duke of Gloucester on his visit to Ledbury.

Ledbury Community Day This is the town's platform for clubs and societies to demonstrate to residents, the activities that are on offer and to encourage participation. Our u3a is a regular participant.

The Walled Gardeners (16 members of the Garden Group) work in groups on beds at the top of the Walled Garden and the rose bed outside the garden. See their Group page for more information.

Our Recorder Consort gives free concerts in the Master's House and we hope you will support them. On Saturday 9th December they will be playing there from 10.30 am until noon. The Master’s House lends itself to recorder music and the “minstrels’ gallery” is perfect!!

Activities by other u3as

Cotswold Link This is a network of 27 u3as covering Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Cotswold Link reciprocal arrangement
In the interests of sharing and perpetuating the aims of the u3a movement, the Link has set up a reciprocal arrangement between its member u3as. Any member of a Link u3a may attend one group activity in another Link u3a, without having to become a member of that other u3a. General meetings of the u3a do not count as a group activity. Session fees for the group activity will still apply. This is an entirely voluntary agreement between Link u3as and although it hoped that all will participate, the independence of any dissenting u3a is recognised.

Cotswold Link offers occasional Special Interest Days open to all members of all u3as affiliated to the network. The subject for this year is Our Brave New World. Three expert speakers will talk about Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security and our interface with computers using Human Factors. The event will be held at The Pavilion, Hatherley Lane, Cheltenham on 4th June. Early booking is recommended. For more details and booking form for this event go to the Cotswold Link website events page using the above link.
For more information on Cotswold link to go to their website using the above link .

West Midlands u3a. This network of 85 u3as. The region is very diverse, from rural village to city metropolis, from agriculture to service industry, and the members are diverse too! The region supports u3a groups by enabling members to share ideas and information about u3a. See their website for more details using link above..

National u3a (The Third Age Trust) offers events, residential/non-residential courses, on-line courses, tuition, etc for u3a members and has a link with the Open University. Details of these facilities can be found on the National u3a website.

Trust u3a is an online u3a that gives you the opportunity to join groups, talks and courses. Like any u3a the activities are run by members for members. Access their website via the above link and take a look at the details of the Trust u3a groups, courses and talks.

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