Maura Chapman presented a Certificate of Achievement to Mike and Jill Burnham for all their hard work and dedication to the production of the two Hayling Island U3A books and the successful exhibitions. Sue Humphrey provided a brief overview of their work as an introduction.
The following announcements were made:
- Tickets are still available for the next visit to Kew Gardens on the 6th May. Price £40
- The next Science and Technology meeting is on Wednesday 26th February 2pm St Patricks Church hall. The subject is ‘Boeing 737 Max and the accident that was going to happen’. Speaker Percy Phelps.
- Anyone interested in joining a Scrabble, Rummikub or Sunday Lunch groups, please contact Julie Taylor or Anne Hollis.
- We will be holding coffee mornings for new members several times a year to meet other members and the committee. Invites have gone out for the first meeting which is on the 13th March. A further meeting has been arranged for July.
- A group leader meeting is being held on 2nd April.
- As you may have heard we are looking to trial a new way of distributing the newsletters this year. We are asking group leaders to circulate hard copies of the newsletter to those of their members that request it. If you are in several groups then you just need to elect which one you will collect your newsletter from. Those members that do not attend any groups will have their newsletter distributed in an alternative way. Please bear with us whilst we try out this new process. We will keep you informed of our progress.
- As many of us will find that we become less independent in the coming years, it is important that we are able to carry on attending both groups and the monthly meetings. The committee want you to know that carers can, and are welcome to, attend with you so that you can continue with your activities. Carers will be registered as discretionary members so that they are covered by our insurance but there will be no charge. They will be able to attend with a member for free.
- We are still very keen to have suggestions from members so please let us know of anything that comes to mind.
- The National U3A would like to remind us all to be vigilant regarding symptoms that could be the start of the coronavirus. If you have travelled to the Far East - or have been in contact with someone from that region - please dial 111 if you have a cough, difficulty breathing and a fever.
- The next monthly meeting is on the 19th March - '1200 miles stroll to Santiago' by Valerie Archibold.
Car parking at the Hayling Island Community Centre has been at a premium since the extension was built. At this last meeting, we had many people walk away from the meeting, as they could not find suitable parking spaces. This is far from adequate since we want to encourage as many of our members to attend the meetings.
The committee have been in discussions with the Council this year, together with other key user groups. There are a number of possible ways forward, but none of these will be available anytime soon.
Therefore the committee will be looking into alternative temporary solutions which are suitable for the majority of our members, whether able bodied or disabled.
If you know of other members who are not on email - then please inform them of our news.
Thanks,
Anne Hollis, Julie Taylor