Yate and Sodbury District U3A

How to contact U3A

For more information about Yate and Sodbury District U3A, please contact Rosemarie Hughes at 4 The Stable Yard, Petty France, Badminton, South Gloucestershire GL9 1EG, on 01454 232928 or by email:

For more information about U3A nationally, visit: www.u3a.org.uk

Newsletter

May 2011 newsletter

About U3A

U3A is the University of the Third Age - a self-help group with members sharing learning experiences.

U3A membership is not related to a specific age, but to a period in one's life (the third age) after the second age of full-time employment and parental responsibility.

Anybody in their third age can join U3A and this includes people who are working part time. There is no lower or upper age for membership.

All U3As are different, dependent on the skills and talents of the membership.

Exciting Booklet Launch from History and Social Studies

Following a ‘History Remembered’ session we decided to publish a small booklet containing some of the contributions provided by our group members.
Our contributors have their roots in many areas of the United Kingdom, as well as abroad. Some are local to South Gloucestershire but others come from Hampshire, London, Yorkshire, Kent, East Anglia, Cornwall, Newcastle and India!

For some their school years began just before or during the Second World War, with others spanning up to the 1960s. The selection of memories printed in our booklet reflect this diversity and change over time. Some contributors chose to focus on their primary age schooling, others their secondary school years. One or two covered the whole time span. It is hard to escape the significance of the 11+ examination.

It is interesting to see that despite the similarities and differences between schools in urban and rural areas, private schools and those run by the state – there are many core features that we all shared.

This 32 page A5 booklet with photographs is available from Jenny Smith 01454 882814 for £1. We hope to follow this up with another booklet later this year entitled ‘My First Job’. If anyone is interested in contributing a written piece – up to 1000 words - please contact Jenny.

Current Groups

Art Appreciation

Backgammon

Basic Computing
The Course started on May 4th, in Yate Library, each Wednesday 2-4pm, for seven weeks – This course is now full. However, if there are sufficient students, we will run another basic course, probably after the summer holidays, when the children have returned to school, and our lives have returned 'to normal'. Also if there are members out there who wish to move to the level beyond basics, please contact Mac and he'll can see what he can do, dependant on response. Mac Templeton Contact No. 01454 324804

Bird Watching
The new U3A bird watching group meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month. The meeting point is the car park behind the church in Chipping Sodbury. The start time for each trip will vary a little depending on the venue for the day, but will usually be at 9.30am.

Book Club
The Monday Book Club meets every four or five weeks at 7.15pm and The Tuesday Book Club meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7.30pm. Our meetings are held in the Brimsham Green School’s new Study Centre, a comfortable and attractive venue.
Tuesday Book Club now has a waiting list. Please get in touch using the contact details at the bottom of this page.

Boules (Petanque)
Although we currently have about 50 players on the books we still welcome new members whether they have never played or are expert. Remember, this is a game for the whole family. As an English Petanque Association qualified/CRB checked Coach, Duncan, our Group Leader, is in the process of organising some coaching sessions for those who have already put their names on the list. Please contact him if you want to join these sessions. It appears from attendance that not everyone can play on our current specified days and times, so the organisation of further playing days is in the pipeline. This will hopefully give all group members an equal chance of playing when it is convenient to them.

Bridge
We currently play on Monday afternoons at the Shire Way Centre, starting at 13.30 sharp. If you’ve got a partner just turn up before then, if you haven’t then call Gill on 01454 882239, she may well have one you can try out, table money is a mere £1.20!

Cards for Fun
We meet on the 1st Thursday of each month unless notified of any change.

Card Making
Meet once fortnightly and the Ridgewood Community Centre 10am-12noon. For more information please contact

Cinema
See the calendar for dates. Venue: Brimsham Green School, Broad Lane, Yate. Meet at School Reception at 3.45pm. There is a £1 per person charge to cover expenses. Tea and coffee provided free of charge. Come and enjoy an afternoon at the cinema!

Computer Workshops
Recent workshops have covered buying and selling on Ebay, and using Paypal. See the calendar for future events.

Cycling
Besides riding on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Thursdays of each month, the cycling group now frequently ride on the intermediate Thursdays as well. Members take it in turn to organise the rides which are relatively easy paced (the leader will tell you if there are steep hills) and vary from 25 miles upwards with the occasional option of using transport to a distant start point such as Sherston or Cirencester, The usual start point is now the Chipping Sodbury car park in Wickwar Road (we now are on the 9.30 hrs summer start time) or Coalpit Heath if we are using the Bristol to Bath cycle path. Pub lunches are often included, although some riders bring snacks. Concerns over winter ice and snow have now faded – and it is comforting that riding in extreme heat is less taxing than it seems, as moving through the air does generate a nice cooling breeze.
We have been asked to give advice to the local parish council’s Joint Cycleways Group on cycle parking in Chipping Sodbury and to outline our preferred “off road” route from there to Yate (also usable by prams and invalid scooters, not just bikes).
The team is again tasked with running the two Cycle rides which take place on the last day of the Chipping Sodbury Festival and would be grateful for any offers of assistance with road crossing marshals for the family rides. Contact Bob Keen if you can help on the 19th June. We did get quite a bit of media interest in last year’s rides, and even managed a photo in the U3A’s magazine.

Debating
Meetings will take place in the Fire Station, starting promptly at 10am and ending just before noon, on the first Tuesday of each month.

Drawing and Painting Group
The group meets weekly to share studio time supported by several artists. Every so often we have a different professional artist/tutor to run a workshop, so that all aspects of painting are covered. This Group now has a waiting list – please call Sue Bruten on 01454 316232 if you want any further information. The group holds an annual exhibition of work for sale - see the calendar for details.

Family History
A new group with over 40 members will be delving into their past. 2-4pm, Ridgewood Community Centre

Folk Singing
“Folk–singing is an excellent way to start your week”. If you enjoy informal singing in a cordial atmosphere do come along to our weekly group. There are no auditions and all song words are provided.
If you would care to join us, we meet every MONDAY morning at 10am in the Holy Trinity Church, Church Lane, off Wotton Road in Rangeworthy. We look forward to welcoming YOU!

French
The French group meets at Brimsham Green School from 4-6pm on Tuesday in term time. We are primarily a conversation group and if anyone is interested in dusting off their rusty French (apologies for the English here) then they are welcome to come along for a trial session.

Gardening Group

This Group is no longer operating due to low turnout, but if any U3A member wishes to revive it and perhaps be loosely affiliated to Sodbury in Bloom – please contact any member of the Committee!

Greeks and Romans

In our first two well-attended meetings, we have racked our brains trying to remember what we know about the Romans and learned about Roman houses (did you know some were more than 5 storeys high?). Meetings at 2pm at Brockeridge Centre, Woodend Road, Frampton Cotterell, BS36 2LQ. Lifts can be arranged from Yate/Chipping Sodbury.

History and Social Studies Group
All meetings are held 10am-12noon in the Charter Suite at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall. See the calendar for details. We meet for refreshments at 10am aiming to start the talk by about 10.30am. Currently the Group is not accepting new members but has a waiting list for those who would like to join when there is a vacancy.

Kurling
This group is up and running. If you are interested, please contact Janet or Ken Thompson on .

Latin Group
Since our language work at present is concerned with Roman Britain, the small but enthusiastic Latin group enjoyed a visit to the Roman Baths at the end of February. Further visits are possible in the summer – we might even try to persuade other U3A members to join a visit to Fishbourne Roman Palace, We still welcome new members, so if you did O level or School Certificate, you are not too late to join.

Latin/Line Dancing Sessions
2-3.30pm on Mondays in the RidgeWood Community Centre, Yate, and 2-3.30pm on Wednesday in Shire Way Community Centre. Just pick whichever day you feel is appropriate and join us for some fun and gentle exercise – no pressure! Just pay £3 per session. These classes will run each week until further notice.

MOTO (Members On Their Own)
We are a social group that meets on the 3rd Friday of every month at the Ridgewood Community Centre, Yate, 7–9pm. There is plenty of parking space. Come and join us to have a “natter and a cuppa” and make new friends. We try to do different things every month to cater for all tastes. Enquiries to Janet Stanton on 01454 317645.

Music Appreciation
Held in The Old Grammar School Room, Chipping Sodbury at 2pm on the last Friday of the month. See the calendar for details.
Please Note: There is now a sub-Group meeting on the 2nd Friday of each month from 2–4pm at the Old Grammar School when a programme is presented from CDs (brought along by whoever wants to do so) based on title tracks/performers/composers beginning with the letter of the month.

Poetry for Pleasure
Meetings held on the last Wednesday of the month in The Old Grammar School. Our group is small, but friendly. Our themes are as follows: February; Places and March; Spring. (There is no meeting in December). Please note that all themes are chosen by the members themselves and we now include Prose Readings, by popular request.

Playing Music for Fun - Wind Band
We do invite more U3A folk to join us, at 4pm on Thursdays afternoons during term time in the music studio at Brimsham Green School. We have music for almost any instrument. The Fun we have is Enormous! So Come and Join us!

Supper Group
The Supper Group now has spaces on the Reserve list. Please get in touch if you would like to join.

Table Tennis
Meet once a fortnight at Yate Leisure Centre 10am-12noon. For more information please contact

Theatre Group
See the calendar for details of our programme.

Travel Group
Coach prices and entrance fees are given are to the best of our knowledge. We must have at least 30 people to make each trip viable. For instance, if we only have 30 coach price will be on average £16, if 40 people the price goes down to £12. So the more members who support us, the cheaper the fare.
Once tickets are purchased, we unfortunately cannot give a refund as the coach has to be paid for. Coach hire prices for the coming year are in the region of £485 per trip. Please note when making a booking, we would like names and membership numbers of all travelling, together with addresses and telephone numbers, or Email addresses. Also your chosen pick-up point.
Please make cheques payable to “Yate & Sodbury District U3A Travel Group”. Cheques or Cash to Eric or Liz Goode, at 1 St Mary’s Way, Yate, Bristol BS37 7AR. Tel: 01454 319231, email:

Walking Group
A total of 22 people from the walking group enjoyed a very successful and enjoyable holiday at HF Brecon at the end of March. Many expressed an interest in going on an HF holiday next year. I have therefore booked us 27 places for April 30th 2012 at HF Selworthy which is on the edge of Exmoor. Four nights will be £335 less a group discount. This is full board. If you would like more details and/or to join us please give me a ring as soon as possible on 01454 323928.
See the newsletter for the latest list of walks.

Wild Flower Studies
This group will meet on the first Wednesday of each month at 2pm.

Wine Appreciation Group
The Wine Appreciation Group meets monthly to enjoy tasting new wines from all around the world, often with a wine expert to present the wines. We have different types of evening - tasting a particular grape variety, sampling wines from a single country or comparing similar wines from different countries. We also try to visit a vineyard once a year and hold a few social events such as our Summer Party, Christmas Social and an annual dinner. Our meetings will continue to be held on the last Wednesday of the month (not August) at the Pop Inn Cafe, Yate, 7.30- 10pm. There are a few places available if any one would like to join us.

We need your help to start new groups

We are always open to your comments, suggestions and ideas and we would welcome and are always open to anyone who has a skill and is willing to run a 'New Group'.

Please contact us if you feel you have something to offer and our Committee will be happy to discuss options and venues for your particular skill.

First Assist

This is a legal service available to all U3A members. The telephone number and code required are available on request.