Melbourn & District

Group list and group news

WE ARE GETTING USED TO MEETING AND MIXING.

As of Summer 2021 several groups continue to meet either online and some are meeting face-to-face. To be in the know of what's happening do please contact the group leader directly as that information is not often made public. For general news about our interest groups see Melbourn & District U3A Newsletter.

WHAT HAPPENED in 2020 - THE YEAR WE MISSED

Five hundred locals who were members of Melbourn & District U3A, are still missing their monthly book or philosophy club, walk and pub lunch, or coach trip to some lovely gardens. With 35 interest groups the U3A is for all sorts of retired, but nevertheless active people. When our members shut their front doors in March 2020, hundreds of seniors said goodbye to a lot of hobbies and socialising. Some of us got busy in the garden or opened cans of beer or cans of paint. Some were understandably resigned to what I’ll call the ‘new awful’. But several U3A members wondered if we could at least get together on our computers.

To make that happen we needed to introduce some skills. In short, our computer club emailed members to attend April’s online video meetings. Some of us already did ‘zoom’ video chats with the younger end of the family. A few were well ahead as they’d given online lectures or, in one case, played in a county-wide ukulele ‘zoom’ group.

Some months later, the local U3A picked itself up. Its computer group has met weekly online instead of at All Saints Hall. They enjoy the social connection. Our yoga teacher still runs her weekly lesson by video. A Science group, a quiz group, a Current Affairs group, a German conversation group, a French conversation group and even Bird Watchers now hold video chat meetings monthly, weekly or fortnightly. The Poetry Group emails a monthly poem and members email back their feelings about it. The Music club posts this month’s music tracks on a website and members write in to comment. And while a table tennis group can only wait for safer times, the monthly walks enjoyed a brief return to walking last summer. Meanwhile the walking group leader has been helping us to find public footpaths we’d been oblivious to.

As we look ahead we hope to restore some of the busy timetable our U3A previously had. Our monthly Speaker Meetings resumed in 2021 on Zoom until further notice.

Melbourn & District U3A is open to ‘retired’ people who live locally.

Roger Frost, newsletter editor for M&D U3A.

NATIONAL U3A SUBJECT RESOURCES
Tucked away on the U3A national website are links and subject resources made by people like you. There’s a newsletter for art appreciation; a poster for philosophy and a way to contact a horticulturist, or indeed any expert for advice. There’s a DVD library with ballroom dance videos and advice on yoga. While there’s not as much as a hint for Scrabble here, others might look and find an idea. Start at the National U3A/resources

PROJECTOR
The Melbourn U3A projector is now under the guardianship of Nicole who is also the Membership Secretary and can be reached at membership secretary.

GROUPS WANTING MEMBERS
Members are welcome to suggest interest groups. To register your interest and make things happen drop a line to Tony Garrick, Group Leaders’ Co-ordinator

CALLING FIRST AIDERS
If you are an up-to-date qualified first aider, do please signal that fact to the leader of any group you belong to, or to any member of the committee.