In this edition:
Notices/Upcoming Events
News from the Speakers’ Team
Our next Monthly Meeting will take place at 2.00 p.m. on Thursday, 18th June, as usual, at the Assembly Room, The Council House, North Street, Chichester. Doors are open from 1.15 p.m. and you are warmly invited to stay after the talk for free refreshments in the adjacent Crush Bar.
Unfortunately Pam Marsden, who was scheduled to talk to us has had to withdraw owing to ill health. In her place we are welcoming Jools Lloyd.
Jools was the Surveillance Team Leader working alongside The Flying Squad on their investigation into what became one of the most famous attempted robberies in criminal history – the attempt to steal the DeBeers Millennium Star and Blue Diamonds on display in a vault at the Millennium Dome in November 2000.
The robbery has been subject to documentaries by ITV and Netflix (both of which Jools took part in), and has always been a fascination of the media.
Jools will outline how the gang were identified after two vicious armed robberies and put under surveillance in order to arrest the gang at their 3rd attempt – The Dome. This is a first hand account of how the surveillance team managed to stay undetected for months until the commission of the robbery. It will also include certain facts and aspects not covered by ITV and Netflix.
April Tea/Coffee Morning Tuesday, 2nd June, 10-12
Always on the First Tuesday of each month, so please mark your calendars!
Our Tea/Coffee Mornings are held in the Bar at the MINERVA THEATRE building, opposite the Chichester Festival Theatre. You can chat with our groups team and learn about current and new offerings, meet old friends and make new ones!
Please note that the Members Monthly Meeting due to take place on Thursday, 10th December will start at 3.00 p.m. instead of 2.00 p.m., in order to give members the opportunity to enjoy a Christmas Lunch at Chichester College before they come along for the talk. Details of Christmas Lunches will come out later in the summer.”
Members’ Monthly Meeting at the Assembly Rooms on North Street, Thursday, 4th June 10 am
U3A Annual Summer Tea
Tuesday 9th June 2026 – Time: 2 – 4.30 pm, bar open until 6 pm. No harm in re-stating the time and place (Oaklands Pavilion Rugby Club on Wellington Road, Chichester PO19 6BB). However, the event is now FULLY SUBSCRIBED, so no more tickets can be provided.
However, the event is now FULLY SUBSCRIBED, so no more tickets can be provided.
Groups Notices & Events
Practical Science, Spring 26
In April the group gathered around two large tables and we were divided into teams. One was set to build electric generators, the other to make a simple electric motor driven by a 3 volt battery. Along with some simple instructions a coil of copper wire and some magnets our dexterity was challenged in winding 300 coils of wire around a flimsy armature but eventually the motor wire and the diode lit up on generating a brief current.
As summer beckons, we turn to our biology sessions. We gave a practice run to the mercury vapour lamp, trapping the extraordinary range of colourful moths which inhabit our back gardens but are rarely seen. Around 60 specimens were caught and identified before being released. Rare specimens are identified and notified for verification to i-record.
In June we have a botany trip to the Yew forest in Kingley Vale just outside Chichester, followed by examination of chalk downland flora under the expert eye of Helen Dignum, who will run the trip. We hope this will be followed by a picnic at the dewpond.
In the Autumn we will be looking at using AI, followed by a session on visualizing radioactivity using different types of cloud chamber.
Advanced Spanish Conversation
– a new group for Spanish Speakers?
The current Advanced Spanish Group is full – but are other members out there who might be interested in joining a new Spanish conversation group – time and place and other details to be sorted out between prospective members?
Participants would need to be fairly fluent in Spanish, either by studying at a reasonable level, living or working in a Spanish seeking country, and capable of helping each other with difficulties in the language.
Please send any responses you may use this link putting “Spanish” in the subject line for forwarding to the group leader.
Technology Workshops
Are any of our members interested in regular providing hands on help with some of the day to day tasks that they can do with their phones/tablets/computers? – asks Peter Motley.
This means every day tasks such as:
• Email; sending pictures, sending to groups, detecting SPAM etc
• Calendar: using online calendar, sharing
• Video calling – how to
• Photos – managing the ever increasing volume
• Ride sharing apps – Uber etc
• NHS app
• QR codes
• Other similar items of interest
If so, please reply to Peter letting us know which topics you would most like to see covered, and if we get enough interest we will start to plan accordingly. Feel free to suggest other topics too.
More Wine Tasters…..
We are looking for more members who would like to join Wine Tasting Group 3. We meet in members’ homes on the second Wednesday of the month starting at 7.30pm. The next meeting will be on June 10th. To register your interest you may use this link putting “Wine” in the subject line for forwarding to the group leader.
Impressionist Art Group Film
The Impressionist Art Group are showing the film Cezanne ; A life in Portraits on Tuesday 4th June at 2.00 o’clock at the Friends Meeting Hall, Priory Road, Chichester.
This 90 minute film explores the life and portrait work of Cezanne who was in the first three Impressionist exhibitions in Paris.
There is a £3 contribution requested to meet the cost of the hire of the hall and free tea and coffee. For more information you may use this link putting “Art” in the subject line for forwarding to the group leader.
Do you like to keep up with current affairs?
Are you interested in hearing other peoples ideas and opinions? We have a vacancy in our Monday morning friendly and relaxed discussion group and would love to hear from you. For more information you may use this link putting “Current Affairs” in the subject line for forwarding to the group leader.
Looking for Travel Companions
Petra Ralph asks whether any members would be interested in getting together to travel around the UK. A retired Nurse who has worked in the medical field all her working life, Petra is now looking for similar minded friends keen to travel. To contact Petra you may use this link putting “Travel” in the subject line.
Local and National
National u3a
There is a wealth of information on the National u3a website – www.u3a.org.uk , including online groups, u3a Radio podcast, upcoming events, and the latest issue of Third Age Matters, the monthly national u3a magazine.
The link to this version is: https://www.u3a.org.uk/what-we-do/u3a-matters
The next bulletin is due out on June 12, so if you have an item to submit, you may use this link.
Links to our Website
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Best wishes,
Steve Painter
The Constitution of the Chichester U3A is available to view here, and its Terms of Use here.
Enquiries: If you wish to contact the Chichester U3A, please call 07490 654524 (and be prepared to leave a message if not answered), or contact the membership secretary.