Group report

Cycling

We’ve organised rides every month since restrictions were lifted in March. Initially, we rode subject to the ‘rule of six’ which meant running the same ride twice to include as many people as possible who wanted to join in. Some even rode both times!

In June we started riding as a group again although observing relevant guidelines.

Typically we start from HIADS at 10am on the first Tuesday and ride for 2-3 hours with a break in the middle for tea, coffee and cake (or what you fancy).

We’ve gone to a variety of places this year, such as: Staunton, Portsea, Compton and West Stoke and we’ve done a couple of train-assisted rides to Petersfield and Chichester (coming back over the Itchenor Ferry). The very keen ones managed without the train and rode both ways.

We organise our rides in a forum on the HIU3A web site where you can see what we get up to.

We’re not especially fit as a group and we certainly don’t ride fast. We go at the speed of the slowest and exploit greater stamina as an advantage we have over younger riders. Road-legal e-bikes are welcome. Our only requirement is that your bike is safe (let me know if you’d like me to check it) and you are sufficiently confident on your bike to travel on roads (although that’s much easier in a group). If you want, you can shortcut a ride by joining us at The Ship or the Spring Centre. In any case, we keep rides short during the colder months.

Andy Henderson

Group report

Ukulele Thursday afternoon, Ukulele Thursday morning

The Ukulele Thursday group has continued to evolve both throughout covid and during the relaxations since. The number of players increased during lockdown so that when we were allowed to meet and play live again, we needed a larger venue. The Barley Mow provided their conservatory while the weather was good, as shown, but we now sing and play inside. The picture is captured from Facebook where there is also a live video clip.

We try to accommodate the wide range of song choices we enjoy with varying degrees of success but enjoy the challenges that arise. Fun and a relaxed approach are key, we do have laughter and more recently breakfast together before we start!

We are grateful to Steve Jones who helps us along on bass and very recently Trevor Brash who has taken up the cajon. We are delighted to be asked by the Barley Mow management to play for the Seniors Festive Lunch Event on December 9th as well as somehow having our own group Christmas Lunch!

I guess in the true spirit of the u3a nationally we are most definitely Learning Laughing and Living.

Peter Haskell

Group report

Meditation

Following quite a lot of interest on the Open Day, we now have a group of about 14. We meet twice a month, and mediate for about an hour. We have tried different types of meditation - mindfulness, silent, and guided. Many of the Group hasn’t meditated before and we have decided to try different approaches since some people find that they prefer one method over another. Other than the initial get-together, we have only had one session so far. The Royal British Legion was closed for a little while due to Covid, so we missed a slot last month.

We meet in the Lounge at the RBL on Legion Road, and after our session we have a cup of tea/coffee for about half an hour. If you haven’t tried meditation before, and you think you fancy it, do come along; you would be very welcome. Most people think that you have to ‘do’ something. You don’t have to do anything, or ‘get’ anywhere. So, there are absolutely no prerequisites. Just bring yourself.

If you are wondering whether to come, or would like any further information, please do get in touch. Hope to see you all on 1st and 13th December 😊

Ann Pearcey

Group report

Ambling

The Hayling u3a Amblers walked along the shore to The Locks Sailing Club on Remembrance Day. We enjoyed coffee and some delicious cake. It was a perfectly calm day and we saw seals. A delightful three mile amble!

Thelma Cook

Open day competition

Creative writing

Sample poems provided to entrants...

There was an old man with a beard
Who said, 'It's just as I feared!
Two owls and a hen,
Four larks and a wren
Have all built a nest in my beard!'

There was a young fellow from Leeds
Who swallowed six packets of seeds.
It soon came to pass
He was covered in grass
And he couldn't sit down for the weeds!

Sunlight pierces clouds

illuminates autumn trees.

Leaves glow in splendour

Green leaves of summer

rustling in the autumn wind

heralds winter frosts.

The city wakens

I walk in the early light

A moment of calm.

Authors various

The winning entry

Come and join the u3a
Learn, laugh, make friends this way.
Reading, writing, bowls or art,
Half the fun is taking part.
Once you come you'll want to stay.

Thelma Cook

Owls about town

Monthly meetings

Andy Kendall, who runs 'Owls About Town' with his wife, Zsi, in Selsey brought several of his owls to our November meeting and it proved to be a fascinating afternoon. The owls all looked interested in what was going on and various people were allowed to hold the smaller owls, which caused much excitement.

Catherine Britton

Andy was invalided out of the army and unfortunately became homeless. He lived alone in a rural setting and began to adopt rescued owls. Often they had been bought as presents for children who were unable to care for them and they were in need of a new home. Andy developed an affinity with them. He met his wife and they started the business, 'Owls About Town'. They attend many venues and events, such as Residential homes, charity events, schools, birthday parties and team building sessions. They also run individual experiences and attend fêtes and fairs. Good animal welfare is very important to them - they are all fed on a healthy diet and they travel in purpose built boxes. It is an original way of ensuring that the owls are well cared for while members of the public experience interaction with these wonderful creatures.

Maggi Bridgman

Photos by Hannelore Hone

A very successful open day

Hayling Island u3a, Hayling u3a open day 2021

We were very fortunate that the sun was shining and the weather warm. Many of our exhibitors started arriving at 8.30 am and the doors were opened at both the Community Centre and Radford Hall at 10 am.

An area on the field was cordoned off for Petanque, Croquet and Walking Netball, allowing members and visitors to take part in demonstrations and taster sessions.

Visitors started to arrive immediately and there was a continuous flow of people throughout the day. The attendance level was fantastic, and there was definite buzz throughout the various venues.

All exhibits were popular with many requests to join our current groups and suggestions on possible new subject areas. The outside activities of Petanque, Croquet and Walking Netball were particularly busy with many people joining in.

The music groups put on an excellent programme of music between 10 am and 2 pm demonstrating their musical talents. Visitors listened on, whilst taking refreshments and sampling some of the lovely cakes that many donated.

The membership desk was frantic at times with long queues of people wanting to join our organisation, so our Membership Secretary Peter Haskell will be very busy over the next few days/weeks going through all the forms!

The Hayling Island Bowls Club were available to talk with members and visitors about the starting up of a Lawn Bowls group on their new ‘All weather’ facilities. Unfortunately, the contractors had not quite finished laying the surface for our Open Day, but a taster session will be available on the 8th October between 10am and 12 noon. All are welcome.

The Lady Mayoress Rosie Raines, joined us at 1.30 pm and wandered around the exhibits, talking to the exhibitors and visitors and finding out about our activities. The day was ended with our afternoon speaker, Malcom Wells with a talk “So far so Good” followed by tea and cake.

There will be much to do in the coming weeks and months to start up new groups to meet the needs of our members both old and new. Keep an eye out for notices on new start up groups as we begin to integrate them into our portfolio.

The success of the Open Day can only be attributed to the hard work of the Executive Committee, group leaders, and their members both before and during the event. A big thank you to all those who helped and participated before and on the day. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Julie and Anne

Group news

Walking Netball

Did you play netball at school? Did you enjoy it? Maybe you carried on playing it with friends some time after schooldays were over, but if you have any yearnings to refresh your skills, walking netball with Anne Hollis is for you!

Contact Anne

Sessions are weekly on Thursdays during term time.

Maggi Bridgman

Group report

Science and technology

At the time of writing the Group is still ‘grounded’ because the hall we use is not open to group meetings. This could all change after 19th July, but I feel some members may still wish to play safe and stay at home. We may have to use technology to hybridise the meeting and use a mix of the old and new and Zoom the event at the same time.

To help whet the appetite we have a group Newsletter being created, where all the latest technology is trawled from the Internet, currently 6 science and technology web sites' information is looked at, selecting items from Aeronautical, Chemistry, Astronomy, Physics, Automotive and Semiconductor disciplines, plus a fun section, answers to those silly questions that you were afraid to ask.

At the moment I have heard from some members that the acoustics in St Patrick's Hall makes it difficult for them to hear the speakers. So I am looking at an alternative site to see if that is any better, so watch this space for further updates on this.

A recent initiative for the SE Region u3a, was to look into shared resources, so I have asked Waterlooville u3a if they have any speakers but alas they have indicated that they are struggling to get speakers. So I will widen the net and see if I can get speakers, but you may have to be prepared to fund minimum expenses.

If you have any questions, speaker inputs, then contact me.

Bob Hornby

Group report

Woodwind

All through Lockdown the group were able to play together via Skype. This was possible by players taking it in turn to play the lead with the rest playing along but with their devices muted. Most of the time this worked very well, just occasionally someone would forget to mute resulting in some strange noises. We are only a small group so since the beginning of Boris’s roadmap, have quite legally been able to play together, weather permitting, in the garden. Now we are free to give the neighbours a rest and meet indoors.

Pat Bailey

Group report

Reading B

After lockdown restrictions eased we were able to resume our monthly meetings, but with restrictions on numbers. As it happened this was not too big a problem for our members as some members were taking short breaks away or visiting children and grandchildren and some were still having to isolate. So the April meeting was afternoon coffee at the Inn on the Beach for those who were around. A similar get together took place in May, but this time at the Three Beans and at the Tea Leaf Coffee shop. A further easing of restrictions in June meant that 6 people were allowed to meet indoors for the first time so some came on the Tuesday and the rest on the Wednesday.

Hooray! Hooray! after the 19th of July freedom, but of course with caution, and we had a lovely time together yesterday afternoon with all doors and windows open!

Pat Bailey

Group report - surviving pandemic

Reading 2

During the first lockdown in 2020 we set up a WhatsApp group and kept in touch through this and emails, sharing quizzes, jokes and newsletters. One of our members became tech proficient and set up Zoom meetings for us (thank you Diana!) We began Zooming fortnightly for social chat and general news sharing. Once the library allowed access we were able to resume reading our monthly books, meeting by Zoom once a month for book discussion, but keeping up the in-between Zooms for social reasons. During summer 2020 we managed some garden meetings in person. Further lockdowns meant no face to face discussion but we continued as before, with monthly newsletters updating the group on literary happenings eg prize winners, recent book reviews and other book related news.

Books we have read recently include: The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood, Whistle in the Dark by Emma Healey, Love is Blind by William Boyd and Fell Murder by E C R Lorac.

Sadly, two of our members have died in the last few months: Daphne Somerfield, who on being registered blind, intrepid as ever, continued reading by audiobook well into her nineties; and Sue Humphrey, well-known to you all, admired for her boundless energy and commitment. Both contributed a huge amount to our group and we miss them very much.

Jen Cayley