In this edition:
Notices
u3a Group booking for ‘OLIVER!’
at the Chichester Festival Theatre
MONDAY 15th JULY 2024 at 19:30
This spectacular new production of Lionel Bart’s iconic musical has been fully reconceived especially for CFT by director and choreographer Matthew Bourne and Cameron Mackintosh and promises to be one of the most unforgettable shows ever at the Festival Theatre.
We have 20 tickets for the above show. The tickets are £35 each, reduced from £57 for the group booking. You can get your tickets to Oliver! HERE on our website. Booking closes on Friday 5th April. Please pay for your tickets when booking.
Upcoming Events
Next Coffee Morning – Tuesday, 2nd April, 10am-12noon
Always on the First Tuesday of each month, so please mark your calendars!
Our Coffee Mornings are normally held in the Bar at the MINERVA THEATRE building, opposite the Chichester Festival Theatre, however this one will be held in the same building but in the restaurant on the ground floor.
You can use this opportunity to chat with our groups team and learn about current and new offerings, meet old friends and make new ones!
April Quiz Night – 11th April, 2024.
Reminder: New Venue & New Options for Eating
The next u3a Quiz will take place at The Chichester Inn, Westgate, Chichester on THURSDAY 11th April.
The start time for the quiz is 7.30pm. There is no charge for the quiz and a meal is optional. The Chichester Inn kitchen opens at 5.00pm and we expect diners to eat prior to the start of the quiz. The menu can be found here: the chichester inn menu.
You do not have to order food in advance, but it would be helpful if you could register for the quiz using this link, and tell us, using the “Comments” box, whether you intend to eat; we will then be able to advise the pub of the likely numbers. Booking opens on Friday 29th March and closes on Sunday 7th April.
Tables are for 4 people and if you want to be seated with friends, please let us know their names in the “Comments” box of the booking form.
Parking is available free of charge after 6pm in West Street and in the Orchard Street carpark, opposite The Chichester Inn. The pub also has a small private carpark, accessible from Avenue de Chartres.
Please email Margaret if you have any questions: social@chichesteru3a.org.uk
Monthly Meeting at the Assembly Rooms on North Street – 18th April at 2pm
‘Grandma Flew Spitfires’
John Webster and the story of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA)
John is an ardent aviation enthusiast and amateur historian who, since retiring from the UK’s National Air Traffic Service (NATS), has been involved as a volunteer researcher for Maidenhead Heritage Centre’s permanent ATA exhibition and archive. He has been privileged to have interviewed several of the surviving veterans and his involvement has led to him being elected as Secretary of the ATA Association.
The Air Transport Auxiliary was a civilian organisation, which was tasked with supporting the RAF and Fleet Air Arm by ferrying aircraft between factories, maintenance units and operational bases together with performing many and varied transport roles.
John’s talk will expand on the ATA’s structure and the role of its men, women and boys. It will feature a newsreel clip and extracts from two of his interviews.
Credit: Wikipedia
Despite the talk’s frequently applied title above, the women were significantly outnumbered by their male colleagues. However, as most media attention focuses on the female pilots, we continue to use the phrase to attract attention to an amazing story!
Groups Notices
“The fun of learning never retires; it just takes on a new chapter in the book of senior wisdom.”
Badminton Group
Keep fit, have fun, meet new people and enjoy a coffee in the leisure centre café afterwards!
The Badminton group is friendly and welcoming playing doubles only, rotating partners so you get to play with everyone and take a break (if needed), with players of varying ability, having fun even if
you have not played for a while.
We meet every Thursday 10.00-12.00 at Westgate Leisure Centre, Via Ravenna, Chichester PO19 1RJ
£4.30 payable to Westgate Leisure Centre on arrival – free parking
Friday Table Tennis Group
Table Tennis is considered to be one of the best activities for retired people, as it provides physical exercise and mental agility within a social environment. This group was set up to give beginners or returning players the opportunity to play, learn more skills and improve. However, players of all ability are welcome to join the group too.
Westgate Leisure Centre on Fridays 2.00-4.00pm – £4.30 pay on entry at the reception desk. Parking is free.
Stay and enjoy a sociable coffee in the cafe afterwards.
New Short Story Book Group
Have you given up on book groups because the books are too long or perhaps you are looking for a different sort of book group?
Why not try a short story group instead? Short fiction is made to be shared! A short story can promote a more focused discussion and sometimes the best stories are short..
We will meet once a month at St Paul’s Parish Centre, Churchside, Chichester PO19 6FT. Date and time will be chosen to suit the majority.
If you’d like to register your interest please email: groups@chichesteru3a.org.uk.
Bridge for Fun Group 3
Have you taken Bridge classes but don’t feel confident enough to join an established Bridge club? This new group aims to be sociable and welcoming, helping improvers find their ‘bridge legs’ and enjoy the game.
The group will play social bridge and it is aimed at those wanting to improve and polish their game. You don’t need a partner. It will meet at Donnington Parish Hall on Monday mornings, 10-12, starting in late April. Depending on numbers the price should be no more than about £3.50 per session, (payable in non-refundable 10 week blocks in advance.)
To register your interest, email groups@chichesteru3a.org.uk.
Advanced French
Vanessa has started up a very successful beginners’ class in French, and is now offering to teach at the other end of the spectrum.
The idea is to hold a monthly class which will focus on a particular aspect of the language. The pluperfect tense, the subjunctive, or a more advanced vocabulary and expression in a particular theme, are just some of the possibilities. The programme could also develop into studying some French literature. It will largely depend on the preferences of the group as it develops.
The main emphasis of this group will be self-learning through set homework tasks, with the monthly class there to provide instruction and feedback. It is not aimed at general conversation, there are other groups already providing this.
The classes are scheduled for Wednesday afternoons, time tbd. The first is on Wednesday 3rd April. Vanessa will be at the monthly coffee morning meeting on Tuesday April 2nd if you would like to find out more from her. Alternatively you can register your interest or make an enquiry via this link.
Groups News
Skiing Anyone?
The U3A Ski group’s first outing to Les Arcs was a great success: great fun, great company, amazing snow and wonderful food.
Look out for a repeat next year or email treasurer@chichesteru3a.org.uk to go on the mailing list.
National u3a & Regional Events
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 like Festival 2024 (18th-20th July, at York), and the latest issue of Third Age Matters, the monthly national u3a magazine (the link to the current version is: https://www.u3a.org.uk/news/publications/third-age-matters-february-2024-screenreader-edition.)
The next bulletin is due out on 12th April, so if you have an item to submit, you may use this link.
Links to our Website
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Best wishes, Miriam Knight and David Rees😎
The Constitution of the Chichester U3A is available to view here, and its Terms of Use here.
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.