Newsletter from your Chairman September 2021
Hi everyone,
How great it was to see so many of you at our AGM at the end of July – thank you for making the effort to come. The buzz of excited conversation was lovely, and it was good to hear some group leaders promoting their activities. Many groups are now underway and many more are getting ready to start in the next few weeks.
The August Bank Holiday is now behind us – for the first time in over eighteen months it was good to be able to have friends back together for a garden party – the only hiccup came from the weather. Just as well we were well prepared! We lasted outside for about three hours until the drizzle drove us indoors. We should not have been surprised – it was a Bank Holiday after all!
Wine group 1 had their first group meeting in August – again it was great to see our u3a friends again. Unfortunately the covid lockdown had affected all of our taste
buds and in the wine identification part of the afternoon our scores were below par. Never mind we will have to keep practising and tasting to get our palates back on form!
An added bonus has been the many friendships that have been established within the group – a common theme perhaps within many of our groups in Edenbridge u3a.
Many of you may have taken up new hobbies, activities and interests during the pandemic. Now, as we start to get back to some degree of normality, it might be a good time to expand and share your new interest with other like-minded u3a members by forming a group. All you need to do to start a new group is to find 4 or 5 people who share your interest. You don’t have to be an ‘expert’ and you don’t have to run the group if you don’t want to. All you have to do is tell our Groups Coordinator, Brian Swift at [email protected] of your particular interest and he will try to find the others to form the nucleus of a new study group.So come on, let’s hear what activity has kept you sane throughout the last 18 months or so, whether it’s cooking, a language, geology or wing walking. There may be others in Edenbridge u3a just waiting for you to suggest it!
As you know this month sees us return to our full monthly meetings with a guest speaker. Remember - these meetings move to a Wednesday and the first will be on the 29th September at Crockham Hill Hall at the usual start time of 2pm. We have a super speaker lined up for you – the return of Alan Haines to cover part 2 of his ‘Baby Boomer Nostalgia Show’. Many of you commented how part 1 was one of the most entertaining speakers we had ever had! So part 2 should be fun also.
Thinking ahead – our October meeting is on the 27th – close to Guy Fawkes night and November 5th .Our speaker is Andy Thomas who will be talking about the Lewes Bonfire Society and Bonfire Night. Our Edenbridge Bonfire Society has very strong links with Lewes, and this promises to be a good subject for our u3a.
Future meetings and speakers will be published next month. For the last three years all of our guest speakers have been organised by Paddy Jennings. Unfortunately for us Paddy and Victoria are moving to Sussex and will be leaving our u3a. I am pleased to inform you all that Molly Ward will be taking on the role of Speaker organiser from November onwards. If you have been to a meeting where you have listened to an inspirational speaker that you think would be good for our audience, please let her know details.
We are all really looking forward to us all getting together again albeit under different circumstances. Take care, stay safe and see you soon!
Best wishes
Mike
Mike Collins
Chairman
Email [email protected]
PS – We are still looking for a keen photographer who would like to take on the Photography and Camera group that doesn’t have a leader at the moment.
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