Waltham Forest

Groups

CALLING ALL GROUP LEADERS Invitation are going out now to the annual Group Leaders' Meeting. This is being held on Tuesday 26th March, starting at 10am with coffee/tea available before the meeting. Afterwards a buffet lunch will be served. Lesley is finalising the agenda now but if there is anything YOU think we should be talking about, whether you are a leader or a group member, please do get in touch and suggest it.

Current vacancies are in: Art Appreciation; Book Club; Family History 1; Geography; Nineteenth Century Literature; Painting as a Pastime; Play-reading; Recorder; Remarkable Women; Rummikub 1 & 3; Singing for Fun 1; Upwords. Check with Lesley for the latest news.

Would you like to come to a group listening to 1960s music? Dave is offering to run one - contact Lesley is you'd like to join. And don't forget that there are 2 Mah Jong sets available for anyone interested in starting a new group.

How about starting a new group yourself? Or maybe talking to Lesley about a group you'd LIKE to join if it existed. Could be a subject you know is popular in another U3A. Or perhaps an existing group you'd like to help replicate. How about organising regular art gallery visits, starting a recipe club, or delving into the history of a house?

Interest Groups are the life blood of a U3A. WE 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 sitting 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. 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).

If you'd just like to know more about a particular Group's activities we can put you in touch with the leader for a chat. Groups basically finance their own activities and it is also usual to contribute a small amount towards refreshments at their meetings (currently 50p). Occasionally a Group Leader may make application to the Committee for help with some special expenditure. This may or may not be successful.

We need to remind people that group members who do not attend meetings for some time AND haven't kept the Leader informed will be removed from that group. This helps to keeps waiting lists to a minimum. It also makes sure that everyone knows as soon as possible when new opportunities to join groups have arisen.