Thorpe Bay

Groups

Would prospective new members please go to the 'New Members' page (Button above).

If you are aware of any member who may not be able to receive our regular electronic communications please could you speak to them (safely) and give them an update. Thank you.

On 25 September at 2:00pm Thorpe Bay U3A invites you to a fascinating Zoom talk on the subject of:

Careless Talk Costs Lives

Art & Design on the Home Front in World War II

Presented by Dr James Taylor, FRSA, a former curator at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.
An invitation and link will be sent to all of you shortly.

A reminder to all members.

It is time to renew your membership for TBU3A 2020/21.
£12.00 is the fee to needed to your membership up to date until at least September 30th next year. Once Monthly Meetings resume, the charge will be just £1.00 each time you attend.
You can pay online or by post. If you need the details use the Contact Button above or email chair.tbu3a@gmail.com

We are setting up more Zoom presentations and have some Interest Groups meeting (in groups of 6 maximum) outdoors, or also by Zoom. Again, use the Contact Button above or email chair.tbu3a@gmail.com for details.

We will be having a copy of the Newsletter coming out soon. If you have anything you think may be appropriate for publication use the Contact Button above or email editortbu3a@gmail.com .

Despite the current restrictions we are still able to offer you something in return for your membership fees!

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Some Groups have decided to carry on their meetings online via E-mail or Zoom and you are to be congratulated on your actions. A small number of Groups are starting to meet in the great outdoors to have a little more of a social interaction.
I need to remind this latter group of the restrictions still in place.

Quoting directly from the .gov.uk website

The UK Government is continuing to ease restrictions in a manner that is safe, cautious and consistent with our plan.

Continue to meet outdoors in groups of up to six people from different households, following social distancing guidelines

Updates of the Cabinet Office and DHSS guidelines and advice are available on the .gov.uk website.

Following the latest announcement, as of Monday 14 September no group of more than 6 people will be able to meet indoors or out.

Please, continue to follow the advice from the experts and the UK Government. Do not hold U3A meetings inside private residences unless it is limited to just two households or "bubbles", do not hold U3A meetings outside in groups of more than 6. Always wear face coverings and socially distance at 2 metres if possible. Finally, remember that the U3A insurance is still invalid and you will have no financial support should an accident occur.

We are aware of the need to keep all of you, and ourselves, safe and healthy, and free from the Coronavirus that has blighted our lives for the past 7 months. For that reason, the Committee have decided to move the renewal date for membership to October 1st, 2020. Your current membership card will remain valid until then and you will be able to join in any Thorpe Bay U3A activities that may take place. Some of your Interest Groups are continuing using electronic communication and these seem to be both popular and successful. We are now running some Zoom based presentations the first was very popular and we should have another for you at the end of September.

The new membership year will continue for the 12 months from October 1st, 2020 up to at least September 30th, 2021. The fee for the coming year will the same as the past few years at £12.00 and the fee to attend the Monthly Meeting, once we hold them again, will remain at £1.00. Any Zoom Presentation will be free to members of Thorpe Bay U3A.

Reinstatement of subsequent monthly meetings will be reviewed at all Committee Meetings. However the following statement has been made by the U3A National Office:

"Some of you are asking about whether it is time to resume some face to face meetings. From a U3A activity perspective it is really important that government and NHS advice is followed. The U3A movement has been guided throughout this time by that advice and should continue to do so – for the safety and wellbeing of all our members.

We have been advised by our insurers that this is crucial from a public liability insurance perspective."

The reinstatement of Interest Groups, once officially sanctioned, will be gradual. We have a small team who can offer help and guidance.

So, as you have heard many times recently, I urge you to follow H.M. Government’s guidance; remember Social Distancing if you do go out, wash you hands if you touch anything outside, and avoid public transport if possible.

ALL MEETINGS CANCELLED until further notice

We are still trying to keep you occupied with the E-magazine (has anyone thought of a catchy title for that yet?), U3A Thorpe Bay Facebook Group and various quizzes sent out via e-mail.

Check back here at regular intervals, we will add information once we have it.

To all U3A members - If you feel unwell please remain at home and follow the Government advice. Phone 111 or online Contact 111.nhs.uk for further information. Contact your Doctors surgery if necessary.

If you wish to see the U3A National Office's statement please click on the "COVID-19" link on this page. The message will also give you a link to the .gov.uk website for the up to date recommendations.

INTEREST GROUPS

Thorpe Bay U3A offers an opportunity to members to participate in over 100 activity groups. To find out more about a group just click a link in the group list below.

If you are interested in joining a group, please contact the group leader to find out whether the group has any vacancies before you attend any meetings, you can do this by telephoning the number shown on the programme card or via the 'contact us' link on this website.

If you have any general group issues or would like to start a new group, then please contact the Groups Co-ordinator, Shirley Turner or Anne Marcus.

NEW GROUPS

We are an active and expanding organisation and want to offer you all something that you may either be interested in or that will educate you. If you are interested in the new Groups that we are trying to set up please follow the link in the column on the right.

Please make sure that you check the New Groups Noticeboard at every General Meeting to learn more about the latest groups on offer

If you wish to contact any of the group leaders please use the message box on the Contact Page accessed via the Contact button above.

If a Group is full or if we do not have a Group that covers the subject you are interested in, have you considered running a Group yourself. Contact the Groups Co-ordinator either at the Monthly General Meeting or via the Contact button above.