Bulletin 240913

Chichester u3a - Bulletin

Dear #FAM,

Your membership number is #MEMNO.

Notices

STOP PRESS:  GOODWOOD HOUSE AFTERNOON TEA AND TOUR, SUNDAY 15th SEPTEMBER

Due to a last-minute cancellation, there are two tickets available for the u3a visit to Goodwood House, with tea, at 2pm this Sunday, 15th September.

If you would like to take up one or both places, you should email chair@chichesteru3a.org.uk as soon as possible.  The tickets cost £34.00 each. 

Are you handy with a teapot?


If so, and if you could spare an hour on a Thursday afternoon about once every two months, the Tea
Teams at the Monthly Talks at the Assembly Room would be very glad of your assistance.
We have two small teams who meet at about 1pm to start serving tea and coffee from 1.15pm till
1.45pm before the Talk begins at 2.00pm. The teams alternate each month so you would not be
required more than six times a year, at the absolute maximum.
Please contact the Chair at chair@chichesteru3a.org.uk if you can volunteer your time. Many thanks

Upcoming Events

Monthly Meeting on Thursday, 19th September at 2pm at the Assembly Rooms on North Street

Talk: Origins of Sayings Used in Everyday Language

Our speaker will be Madeleine Salvetti. Her talk is titled “Origins Behind Our Sayings Used in Everyday Language.” Madeleine taught for a number of  years in Portsmouth and has also trained as a Blue Badge Tourist Guide – She is now involved with Viking Cruise ships.  She is a  founder member of Rowans Hospice and is currently involved with the QA Hospital League of Friends.

Most of us are unaware of the origin of phrases we use automatically – but do we know why we use these phrases:  Flash in the pan?  Cat got your tongue? Bite the bullet?  Ever wondered where some of our sayings come from? A month after the talk, you will be more aware and curious.

Tea and coffee will be served in the Crush Bar at the rear of the Assembly Room from 1:15 to 1:45pm and the meeting starts at 2pm.

Coffee Morning – Tuesday, 1st October, 10am – 12 noon

Always on the First Tuesday of each month, so please mark your calendars!

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Our Coffee Mornings are held in the Bar on the first floor of the MINERVA THEATRE building, opposite the Chichester Festival Theatre.
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!

There will be breakout tables at the coffee morning for these groups:

  • MOTO 2

GROUP LEADERS: If you would like to promote your group at a coffee morning, please contact the Groups Coordinator!

Groups Notices

“The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.”
–Albert Einstein

THE LAUNCH of MOTO 2


MOTO is a hugely popular group that is for members who live on their own or whose partners are unable to accompany them to social events. Since the group first started, a wide variety of outings have been enjoyed by members, including meals in local restaurants, drop in coffee mornings, cinema and theatre trips, garden visits, walks, day trips by train and coach, to name but a few.  All MOTO members are encouraged to contribute ideas and suggestions, and in doing so, have given much pleasure to other members and contributed to the success of MOTO.

This group is now full with over 70 members, so MOTO 2 will be launched in October. This new group will initially run with links and access to MOTO 1, along similar lines and with assistance from the current MOTO group leaders.   

If you would like to join the new group, come along to the October coffee morning in the Minerva Theatre Bar & Grill on Tuesday 1st October or click on this link to register your interest.

Ukelele

We are planning to have another try at starting a Ukulele Group at Chichester U3A.  it could be a beginners group or a group for people who already have some ability or a group for both.  The details of when and where the group will meet is open for discussion and depends on the size of the group.

There are ukulele groups all over the country, singing and strumming chord accompaniment to popular songs from the 20’s to today.  For beginners it’s inexpensive, a starter instrument and electronic tuner, are all you need. No music theory or scales to learn come along and you can play the ukulele in just a few lessons.  Playing an instrument is both a mental and manual skill. 

In the first instance please contact the Groups Team here.

Groups News

Climate Change Group (Notice from 24/08/24)

When a member of Chichester u3a joins an Interest Group or agrees to receive our fortnightly Bulletin, he/she is giving permission for his email address to be used for communication by the Group Leader and by the Bulletin/Newsletter team.  Direct communication from a member to other members, unless they have agreed to this, is not permitted under GDPR.

We therefore use the Bulletin for all communications to members (apart from internal Group correspondence) and any member wishing to notify the membership as a whole should in the first instance contact the Bulletin team.  If there is any doubt about a notice conforming with the GDPR requirements, the Committee (who are Trustees of the Chichester u3a) will make the final decision as to its publication in the Bulletin. 

Colin McKenna (Leader of the Climate Change Group) would like members’ attention to be drawn to the following:

Chichester District Council consults on its proposals to address climate change once every 5 years. The Consultation is included in the District Council’s “Initiatives” magazine which was circulated to households in Chichester District in July.  It is also available online at https://letstalk.chichester.gov.uk/climatechange/participate

Local politicians have indicated that the priority the Council give this issue will depend on the results of the consultation.

The Chichester u3a Climate Change Group have been pressing the District Council to consider more proposals

to reduce the impact of intense rainfall and other extreme weather by considering more proposals for capturing water flow before it runs quickly from hard surfaces (houses roads, buildings etc) into watercourses.  So, for example, planting more trees, persuading more people to have porous surfaces in their gardens and persuading businesses and other users to reduce areas of impermeable hard standing are all proposals that help this effect.  Such action would also reduce sewage overspills until the water companies invest in better drainage and sewerage infrastructure.  There are proposals such as these in the consultation.

As you probably know, Chichester, Bognor, the Manhood peninsula, coastal areas bordering Chichester Harbour and the Lavant Valley are vulnerable to flooding.  And the area is affected by all 3 types of flooding:  coastal, river, and ground water.  In addition it is affected by sea level rise, with the possibility of widespread inundation forecast later this century.

So while the Council’s proposals to reduce carbon emissions is important, unfortunately what can be done locally is a mere drop in the ocean compared to actions that governments can take at the international level.  So we think the important priority for this area, now, is to ramp up measures to adapt Chichester and the wider area to the relentless pressure of more frequent extreme weather events rather than focusing, say, on the purchase by the Council of electric waste collection vehicles.  However, sometimes the two initiatives (reducing carbon and adaptation) run together.  To counteract extremely hot days of which more are likely in future summers, achieving better insulated homes will make our homes cooler.  It will also, of course, reduce carbon emissions as well as making our homes warmer in the winter and saving us money in the long run.  The Council has proposals in this area which it wants feedback on.

But the important thing before 30th September is to focus on what climate change proposals the Council should give more attention to by responding to the District Council’s consultation.

National & Regional

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 the current version is:
https://www.u3a.org.uk/news/u3a-matters/screen-reader-editions/u3a-matters-summer-2024-screenreader-edition


The next bulletin is due out on 27th September, so if you have an item to submit, you may use this link.

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Best wishes, Miriam Knight


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.