Waltham Forest

Groups

Due to the COVID-19 situation, General monthly meetings at Winchester Road are CANCELLED until further notice. However members at the last AGM assured the Committee of significant support for online talks and we have arranged these until at least July 2021. We would love to see lots more of you there with us. See the Events page for more details of how to register.

Many groups are still in regular contact with each other by phone or email. So please do continue to talk to your Group Leader (or Lesley) to find out what's happening, to make a suggestion, or to just have a chat. We don't want anyone feeling lonely or socially isolated.

Update on Groups 8 May 2021:
The current situation means that groups can now meet outside with a maximum of 6 people. Though the weather is not proving very encouraging at the moment and most are still using Zoom. Book Club, Poetry, Knit & Natter, Gardening, Remarkable Women, Geography and Play Reading are all meeting regularly. So are the Singing for Fun groups, though to socialise not to sing. Upwords has also had a Zoom session. Rummikub 3 is hoping to do likewise very soon. Click here on Events Calendar to see definite dates as these are not always exactly the same as the 'normal' schedule. Hybrid meetings (where some attend in person and others attend the same meeting virtually) are also a possibility.

Latest news is that Painting for Pleasure may also be able to meet again soon and if so the new leader will really appreciate the support of new members. Contact Lesley for the latest.

The Film Group is looking for a new (private) venue. Ideally this needs to be a home where we can all attend together (when unrestricted indoor meetings are permitted) and we all see a large TV screen. Otherwise we may have to settle for having two sessions a month in smaller homes - which mightn't be quite so enjoyable because members really like the sociable discussions after the film. The Cinema Group hopes to restart too, as soon as cinemas open again - scheduled for the 17th May onwards.

From 17th May indoor meetings of up to 6 people will be allowed, which widens the possibilities. Outdoors the limit will be 30, so walking groups could restart. Winchester Road is hoping to be able to welcome meetings later in June, although we will probably start with the smaller groups and the committee meetings. The monthly meetings might resume there after the (Zoom) AGM in August, namely in September. Watch this space and read your monthly newsletter.

Zoom meetings are not limited in size you may well be very welcome to join any group.

The Shakespeare Group is active in a different way - they all study an agreed text at home and then pair up with each other (differently each time) to discuss and reflect on what they've read.

Get in touch with Lesley (or with members of those groups) for more details of any of this. And if you've got an idea for a new group along those lines, however small, she'd love to hear from you.

What else can I do to pass the time?
Rather than bombard you with suggestions for other things to do, if you are looking for ideas try the U3A National website, which has dozens. To connect to it, click on U3A, to the right of the top bar on any of our pages. Or just google U3A. Our Regional London U3A also has lots of details of events you can join in with. To see that, go to the Events tab above and there's a link on the right of that page.

There is also a really good Facebook group called U3A: Keeping in touch which has over 5000 members now. Go to it on Facebook and apply to join. It's free of course but when you apply they will ask you to type in which U3A you belong to. The check will only take 2-3 days. Then you'll be admitted and can take advantage of all the chats, links and other information there. Several of your committee are already members.

Don't forget to check our newsletter each month for more local ideas.

FOR WHEN WE EMERGE FROM COVID-19
Interest Groups are the life blood of a U3A. WE WILL NEED MORE as our membership increases. Being a Group Leader is not frightening and it isn't hard work either. You don't have to be an expert (very few, if any of us, are.) You only have to be interested in learning more about something and enthusiastic about doing it in the company of a few other people. Groups are often the place where people quietly make lasting new friendships, rather than being in the big audience for the monthly talks.

We warmly welcome new ideas and we try to support anyone who is nervous about leading a group but would like to try. If you would like to start a group but you can't offer a home as a meeting place, you might want to consider booking a small room at Winchester Road? The cost is shared between members of the Group but it's very modest; a few groups meet there already. Another possibility is offering a short sequence of meetings to explore a particular topic or try out a new skill. Lesley will be happy to advise. Her direct contact details are in the monthly newsletter (or send a general message on the Contacts page and it will get through to her).