Noticeboard - U3A Site Builder Home Page for some exciting things to happen. Liz Kite Photo: Toby Hudson Announcement The Annual General Meeting of Redbridge & District U3A ...

Noticeboard

REDBRIDGE AND DISTRICT U3A

www.u3asites.org.uk/redbridge

WINTER 2016/17

Report from the chair

Now the holidays are over, we can look for-ward to spring. That’s a cheery thought isn’t it? I’m concerned about our Book Swap. Unless someone is willing to take it on, then we are going to have to stop it. A pity because so ma-ny get so much pleasure from it. It only needs a very small case, like the ones used on planes to hold the books. Please, someone volunteer.

The committee and I wish a happy and healthy new year to you all and here’s hoping for another very successful year with U3A where we've plans for some exciting things to happen. Liz Kite

Photo: Toby Hudson

Announcement The Annual General Meeting of Redbridge & District U3A

will be held on Tuesday 14th February 2017 at 2 pm

at Redbridge Institute of Adult Education (Gearies Centre), Gaysham Avenue, Gants Hill, Ilford IG2 6TD.

This year’s AGM is especially important as we seek to adopt our new con-stitution which is in accordance with the recommendations of the U3A Head Office and has been approved by the Charity Commission. Also at the AGM the committee for the coming year will be elected. Nomination papers were distributed with the Autumn issue of Noticeboard and should be returned to our Secretary before Tuesday 17th January.

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Parking problems ...at SWESRS A great number of our groups hold their meetings at SWESRS (South West Essex and Settlement Reformed Synagogue) in Oaks Lane. The U3A pays for the use of the hall and the meeting rooms, but the use of the parking facilities is courtesy of SWESRS. However, there are certain rules: Parking spaces that belong to Norwood, as well as the rabbi’s parking space, are not to be used by U3A members. These parking spaces are clearly signposted and should be easy to avoid. Kindly observe these restrictions and park with consi-deration. This way, we will still be able to enjoy the use of SWESRS’ parking facilities in the future. ...and in WANSTEAD

As you will know by now, from 2017 the venue for our Social Afternoons will be The Churchill Room at Wanstead Library. It has come to our attention that Redbridge Council is planning to impose new parking re-strictions in the area - allegedly as a trial - from February 2017 without pro-per consultation. A petition to the Council protesting this scheme is avai-lable to sign online. We recommend

that as many members as possible sign it so it can still be possible to park while attending a U3A Social Afternoon. Follow the link on the News page of our website to sign the petition.

Photo: Google Earth

Photo: William

More Social Afternoons

Now and then too much time has passed between one Social Afternoon and the next, and as a result many members forget when the next Social Afternoon actually is. Starting in April, we are going to have a Social Afternoon on the last Monday of every month—with the exception of December. From May, we will also produce a short newsletter in the months where there is no Noticeboard published.. The newsletter will be distributed via e-mail, and a limited number of printed copies will be available at the Social Afternoons.

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COMMITTEE NEWS We are happy to welcome Nicholas Levin as a new member

of our committee. Nicholas is already running two groups and has now been co-opted onto the committee. He will take over the task of booking speakers for our Social Afternoons from Suhas Suhasini.

CONCERTS Sidney Sanders regrets that the Spring 2017 programme is not yet finalised. Sidney will inform the group of concert goers when the concerts have been booked. The concerts will also be announced on our website. NOTICEBOARD The Spring issue of Noticeboard will be distributed on Monday 24th April. The deadline for contributions is Sunday 9th April.

Appeal

We have around eighty, well supported groups now but often, through one reason or another, some long established groups have had to close. We are only as strong as our groups and the greater their variety and number, the more members we will attract. BECOME A GROUP LEADER Please think about becoming a group leader yourself. If you volunteer to join our band of friendly, interesting leaders, you will get as much sup-port as you need from our Groups Coordinator Carol Lacome, any mem-ber of our committee and most of the other leaders. There are several ways of organising a group: you only have to have an interest in a particular subject to get a group going. There is no need for you to have to stand and give a lecture each meeting, even leading it can become a joint responsibility with each member taking a turn. YOU HAVE MUCH TO OFFER So come on you people, many of you have so much to offer, especially at our age when life has given us so many rich experiences. You may not consider things you do yourself to be terribly interesting or of suffi-cient value, but I can assure you, that if you were to say that you had an interest in almost anything, (please keep it legal!) others would admire you and want to join. Hope to hear from you soon. Liz Kite

Group News

Carol Lacome, tel. 020 8505 4230 [email protected]

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CLASSIC ENGLISH NOVELS

The Classic English Novels Group will now be run by Helèna New-ton and will meet on the third Tu-esday of the month. Venue to be arranged. Contact Helèna on 020 3689 1578.

ITALIAN Nicholas Levin still has room for more people wanting to be able to find their way around in Italy. The group meets every other Tuesday at 2.00 pm in Snaresbrook. More information from Nick on 020 8989 0413.

CONCERTS Sidney Sanders has been looking for some time for a person with an interest in classical music to take over arranging concert visits to the Barbican, Festival Hall and Cadogan Hall. Details about the job from Sidney on 020 8924 0283.

KUMIHIMO … is a Japanese form of braid-making whe-re cords, ribbons and beads are made by interlacing strands to form jewellery. Jocelyn Shepard will

lead a beginners’ Kumihimo group which will meet in four consecuti-ve weeks, starting in February. If successful, the course will be re-peated. You can contact Jocelyn on 020 8505 7136.

ARTS & CRAFTS Phyllis Lewis is currently running the Wednesday Arts & Crafts Group in Trudy Hollens' absence. At the moment, the group only ma-kes cards, not crafts. Newcomers are welcome, but must have some experience and bring their own materials. Contact Phyllis on 020 8500 2559.

KENNETH MORE THEATRE Elsa Schwarz has been arranging visits to the Kenneth More Theatre for many years, but now feels it is time to pass on the baton. If any-body wants to volunteer, here is a chance to do something for your fellow U3A members and support your local theatre at the same time. Call Elsa on 020 8500 4815.

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What to do in summer...

In these cold winter months it is worth looking forward to summer. And if you have yet to decide how to spend it, you might consider tak-ing part in a U3A summer school. The courses cover a wide range of subjects, from Cryptic Crosswords to Russian Revolutions. Booking for the National summer schools opens on 23rd January. For more information, consult our website. * 19-22 JUNE: U3A SOUTH EAST FORUM SUMMER SCHOOL University of Chichester. * 17-20 JULY: U3A NATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire. * 1-3 AUGUST: U3A LONDON REGION SUMMER SCHOOL The St Bride Foundation, off Fleet Street. Non-residential. * 7-10 AUGUST: U3A SCIENCE SEMINAR Nottingham University. * 14-17 AUGUST: U3A NATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester. * 11-14 SEPTEMBER: U3A NATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester.

Constitution Day

The day has finally come when the proposed new constitution for Red-bridge & District U3A is up for adoption. Our “Constitution Day” will be Tuesday 14th February—the day of our Annual General Meeting. The constitution is the governing document of our U3A, and it defines the purpose of our U3A, what we are allowed to do in order to carry out our purpose, who runs the U3A, how they are appointed and what their duties and responsibilities are. It also defines who can be a mem-ber, how meetings will be held, how we should look after our money and finally, what happens if the U3A for any reason will have to shut down. If adopted, the new constitution will come into effect from 2018. You can see the full text of the proposed constitution on our website, and printed copies will be available at the AGM or on request.

Study Day: Mughal India

The U3A has been invited by The British Library Knowledge Centre Theatre to discover Mughal India at a study day on Monday 27th March, star-ting at 10.45 am. This event is exclusive to U3A members. Ruling South and parts of Central Asia from 1526 to1858, the Mughal dynasty became one of the most powerful and opulent empires the world has

ever known. Remembered through a rich artistic and cultural heritage including exquisite paintings, manuscripts and architecture, the British Lib-rary has assembled six key speakers to explore the art and culture of Mughal India - a world of beauty and exquisite craftsmanship. Price is £25.00. Lunch is not included. For more information and booking, visit our website.

Study Day: Dutch Painting

Dutch painting in the age of Rembrandt and Ver-meer is the title of a U3A study day at The National Gallery on Thursday 9th March. Although the Dutch republic in the 17th Century was relatively democratic, class distinctions has meaning, and paintings by artists such as Rem-brandt, Vermeer, and others, reflect this. Subtle clues differentiate a mistress from a maid, or a nob-le from a social-climbing merchant. The price for this study day is £ 20.00. More details on our website as soon as possible.

Exploring science

U3A members are invited to visit The Royal Institution for an af-ternoon of talks about crypto-graphy, monitoring urban wildli-

fe, and the relation between science, philosophy and the visual arts. The event takes place on Tuesday 16th March from 1.45 to 4.45 pm, and the address is Albemarle Street, Mayfair. London W1S 4BS. The price is £ 21.50 and includes tea/coffee and biscuits. More details on our website as soon as they become available.

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Theatre tickets TUESDAY 21st MARCH—JERSEY BOYS 3 pm at The Piccadilly Theatre, 16 Denman St, London W1D 7DY

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BOOKING INFO A limited number of tickets are available for each show. Tickets are allocated on a first come, first served basis, and until the booking dead-line U3A members have priority. Booking requests with cheque payable to Redbridge & District U3A together with stamped addressed envelope to: Lennart Christensen, 45 Belmont Road, Ilford IG1 1YW. If booking for both shows, please include a cheque for each show.

Jersey Boys tells the sto-ry of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and how they became one of the most successful bands in history. It is an honest

portrayal of how four men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jer-sey managed to find a unique sound. The musical features a songbook that spans the band’s entire career with hits like Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like A Man, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and Bye Bye Baby. Our seats are in the royal circle, and tickets are £ 27.50 with a face value from £ 82.50 to £ 137.50. Booking by 23rd January

WEDNESDAY 12th APRIL—42nd STREET 2.30 pm at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Catherine St, London WC2B 5JF Young Peggy Sawyer is just another face in the chorus line on Broadway’s newest show. But when the leading lady gets inju-red, Peggy might just have the shot at stardom she's always dreamed of. With a cast of over 50, 42nd Street fea-tures the iconic songs We’re In The Mo-ney, Lullaby of Broadway, Shuffle Off To Buffalo, Dames, I Only Have Eyes For You and 42nd Street. Our seats are in the stalls, and tickets are £ 29.50 with a face value of £65.00 to 75.00. Booking by 30th January.

REDBRIDGE AND DISTRICT U3A Registered Charity No 1061549

Chairman: Liz Kite 8478 1450

Membership: Jill Playford 8989 2193

Groups Co-ordinator: Carol Lacome 8505 4230

Secretary: Susan Whiterow 8262 6319

Noticeboard and website: Lennart Christensen

[email protected] / 8478 1450

Dates for your diary

TUESDAY 14th FEBRUARY—ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2 pm at Gearies—Guest speaker: Tony Earle

The guest speaker at our AGM worked as a scientist in Kodak Research Laboratories for 40 years. He is going to talk about one of his great interests—The London Under-ground, from its steam-powered inception and life in the smoke-filled tunnels to mo-dern times. The Mayor of Redbridge, councillor Gurdial Bhamra will preside over the formal pro-ceedings at the AGM. Note that only mem-bers of Redbridge & Distr ict U3A are allowed to participate in the AGM which is

held at Gearies (address on the front page). MONDAY 24th APRIL—SOCIAL AFTERNOON 2 pm at Wanstead Library—Guest speaker: Roger Radford Our guest speaker in April will be Roger Radford, journalist and bestselling thriller writer. His first book, The Winds of Kedem was a pre-scient tale of an Arab nuclear plot to destroy Israel. This was followed by Schreiber’s Secret, which revolves around a question of the identity of a Nazi sadist, and the polemical thriller Cry of the Needle about medical malpractice and its murderous consequences.