Holiday Message from the Chair
I’ve just got home from our Christmas Lunch at Chichester College. What a lovely occasion and how nice to see so many of our members enjoying the very festive atmosphere and good lunch, served by such attentive staff. The Christmas lunches are so popular that we have already booked a couple of dates for December 2024. Our thanks go to Marion who took all the bookings this year and for dealing so patiently with the rush of applications.
There were quite a few new faces at the lunch – this isn’t surprising as, since September, we have had over one hundred new members joining our u3a. There is a continuing demand to set up new and exciting Interest Groups, and we are very grateful to those members of our expanding Groups Team who are enabling these new Groups to start up. Keep your eyes open for the Friday Bulletin, because that’s where we ask if you’re keen to get involved with our latest Group activities.
Whether the average age of our membership is slightly lower than it used to be, or maybe because we’re all just trying to keep fitter, but we now offer many sports in addition to our long-standing physical activities such as keep fit, cycling, rambling and walking: we now have badminton, short tennis, strength & conditioning classes, Nordic walking – and skiing. A small group of skiing enthusiasts is heading to the French Alps in February! We wish them good snow, good weather and a jolly good time!
Do tell your friends about how forward-looking we are and how much fun we have, and persuade them to join our u3a. It’s very clear how much we all enjoy each other’s company, looking at the full house at our Coffee Mornings and particularly today at Chichester College.
My thanks to all of you who have volunteered your time and energy to maintain and support our activities. The Committee members join me in thanking all our members for your involvement and enthusiasm over the last year; we wish you a Happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you in 2024.
Jill
Groups Notices
As we head into 2024, group activities and ideas for new groups are bubbling up like fine Champagne. Be sure to check out all the new offerings, and make it your New Year’s resolution to take full advantage of them.
Tell us what you’d like:
The groups team has been asked to gauge interest for the proposed new groups listed below. If the response warrants starting a group, we will arrange a meeting for all interested members and help provide a way forward for the group to start in the new year. Please register your interest by emailing us via THIS LINK. Thank you.
Relaxed Chamber Music Group
This group would be a relaxed, friendly group, with flexibility as its keynote, for anyone who regards themselves as a fairly competent pianist/instrumentalist, who would like opportunities to play chamber music repertoire. The group would adapt flexibly as more members join.
Astronomy
Anyone with an interest in looking up at the night sky would be welcome to join this new group. You don’t need any knowledge or experience of astronomy, just an interest in the sky above us and the things that shine down on us. It would be an inclusive, informal learning group with discussions on all aspects of Astronomy.
Beginners Table Tennis
This would be held at the Westgate Leisure Centre for those of a beginner’s standard who wish to learn or improve with practice in a social, welcoming and uncompetitive environment.
Ukulele
The name ukulele comes from the Hawaiian for “jumping flea”, an allusion to the rapid movement of the player’s fingers. The emphasis would be to have fun in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, playing all types of music from traditional ukulele songs to modern arrangements. This would be a self-help group, playing together and learning from each other. It would include players of all abilities but not beginners – you would need to teach yourself the basics at home first.
To register your interest and sign up for the respective sampler session please contact us via THIS LINK.
Tai Chi for beginners
NEW GROUP: Tai Chi for beginners – to start January 2024
Tai Chi is a mind-body exercise rooted in multiple Oriental traditions, including martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine, and philosophy. It integrates slow, intentional movements with breathing and cognitive skills. It aims to strengthen, relax, and integrate the physical body and mind, and improve health and personal development. It is a great low-impact activity, focussing on improving your balance and core strength. It is accessible to everyone no matter age or ability.
Wednesdays 3.00-4.00pm at Westgate Leisure Centre. The fee will depend on numbers but will be payable each week on arrival at the reception desk.
Wear loose-fitting clothes, flat shoes and layers to keep warm when it is cool or cold.
To register your interest please click THIS LINK – thank you.
GREEK FOR BEGINNERS
Would you be interested in a beginners’ Greek course? You will learn how to greet people, order food and drink, manage shopping and much more, as well as enjoy the mental exercise of learning a new language. This will be held on Wednesday mornings at East Wittering, starting in January. To register or to find out more please contact us via THIS LINK
Strength & Conditioning Group Needs More Members!
This group meets weekly on Wednesdays at 13:55 at the Westgate Leisure Centre in the Studio. It is a gentle yet effective 45-minute session, and the instructor is very responsive to the needs and desires of the group. The cost of a session is £6.30, payable at the till upon arrival. Although we are getting a lot out of the class, for one reason or other our band has dwindled and we are very much in need of new recruits in order to remain a viable size for the centre to host. Strength training is so important for graceful ageing that we urge you to come along for a taster session next Wednesday before the holiday break. Classes will restart on 3rd January, 2024. You don’t need to register in advance, but if you have questions you can contact us via THIS LINK.
Book Club with a Difference
We had a great response to our shout out for more members and are now full with a waiting list. We are looking at the possibility of setting up a second group. If you are interested or want to find out more, please get in touch (insert link here)
A reminder about how this group works
We choose a country then we all read a book/piece of writing with a connection to that country (it can be fact, fiction, poetry or even a travel blog. It can be about the country or by an author from that country – there are no limits!) Then we come together and discuss what we have read and what we have learned about our chosen country. The discussions we have are really interesting and insightful.
So do get in touch if this is of interest to you. Contact us via THIS LINK
Ten Pin Bowling Group
Come along for a fun and non-competitive game of ten pin bowling and good company.
It’s open to all members, you don’t need experience of bowling, you can learn and improve as you play. We bowl 2 two games costing £3 a game. It’s at Chichester Gate Leisure Park, Terminus Road, Chichester, PO19 8EB (easy parking) on the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month at 10:00am.
Please do come along – we look forward to welcoming you!
Dining Group 2
Dining group 2 is a new group to start in February 2024
Meals (breakfast, coffee, dinner, lunch or tea) will be arranged once a month at a local restaurant with the aim of enjoying good food (sometimes just tea and cake) with friends, for company and pleasure. Venues, dates and times to be decided by group members. Each member would pay for their own food and drinks. Please register your interest using THIS LINK.
Beginners Basic Bridge Course (BBB24)
LAST TWO PLACES AVAILABLE
This course is now established and will start on 22nd January 2024. However, one or two members have asked about joining but there will need to be four to make up our third full table. Further applicants should contact me without delay by applying through the Groups team using THIS LINK.
The course will be held at Donnington Parish Hall on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 10 to 12am between 22nd January and 8th April 2024. The cost will not exceed £56.25 which covers the hire of the hall. The content is designed for real beginners even with no experience. After just ten short weeks you should be able to play proper basic bridge with any of our casual and friendly groups. Applications should be made using THIS LINK to the Groups Team.
Trips
Invitation from Arun East u3a!
Arun East u3a runs a number of holidays each year, booked via Woods Travel. They have a number of spaces available for their 6-day/5-night tour of Warwickshire starting on 30 June 2024. Taxi pick up from home is included in the price of £794 anywhere within the area under the red line on the map above. They have been able to negotiate a large number of rooms for single occupancy.
You can read about all the details of the trip on our website at this link. If you would like to join the trip to Warwickshire next June let us know HERE and we will forward your interest to them. If you have further questions, you can contact Pam of Arun East u3a at 01903 859094
National u3a & Regional Events
National u3a
Below are the Third Age Trust zoom talks currently listed for the next month or so: please remember you can always find the latest, and fullest, information on these talks here.
Tuesday, 19th December at 15:30 – Maggie’s Laughter Yoga (monthly)
Thursday, 21st December at 10:00 – Mindfulness & Meditation (monthly)
Thursday, 4th January at 14:00 – How to Better Insulate Your Home
Wednesday, 10th January at 10:00 – Laughter Yoga with Judith (monthly)
Friday, 12th January AND January 19th at 10:00 – Chinese Wand Exercises
Thursday,18th January at 14:00 – Toulouse-Lautrec and the Music Halls of Paris
Tuesday, 30th January at 15:30 – Maggie’s Laughter Yoga
Local Events
Tuesday Talks at the WSRO
There are no talks in December, but talks have been arranged for January to May 2024, all at 19:00, all costing £8 to attend in person. All the talks except the last (Returning to the Moon) also provide attendance by Zoom for £5. More information here .
30th January – Ford Madox Ford in West Sussex – finding a ‘rhomboid of green’
27th February – Recovering Britain’s Amateur Theatrical Past 1789-1914 – A West Sussex Perspective
26th March – The Material Culture of Life in Elizabethan Chichester
30th April – What did the Victorians do for Chichester?
26th May – Returning to the Moon – Sir Patrick Moore’s Legacy.
Wednesday Coffee Time Workshops for those interested in Family History: topics for the workshops scheduled for next year include Researching the History of Your House, How to Start Your Family Tree, Getting Started with Ancestry.co.uk, and Reading Old Handwriting. Cost £7.50.
Oxfam Talks 23/24
These talks take place at the Oxfam shop, 36, East Street, Chichester, and are arranged by Chichester University. They all run 17:30 -18:00 on a Wednesday evening, usually the first Wednesday in the month, but not the first one., They cost £5 (tickets can be bought in the shop – in advance, I assume). starting 8th November. The talks so far announced are on literary topics.
Wednesday, 7th February: Revisiting Kerouac’s ‘On the Road’
Wednesday, 6th March: Writers of Exile: Kafka, Murdoch, Nabokov
Wednesday, 3rd April: Poetry Reading
Wednesday, 1st May: Finding Stories in Things: A Creative Writing Workshop.
Wednesday, 5th June: What are the Five Best Books in this Shop?
Wednesday, 3rd July: Lady Chatterley’s Lover
The next bulletin is due out on 29th December, so if you have an item to submit, you may use this link.
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Enquiries If you wish to write to the Chichester U3A, then the correspondence address is: U3A Chichester, Box 809, MailboxesEtc., 26 The Hornet, CHICHESTER, PO19 7BB If there is an urgent matter that needs to be discussed then call 07460 109600, or contact the membership secretary.