Dear Member,

You may have heard that we are expecting the CEO of the national u3a (Iain Cassidy) to be with us for our Open Day on April 29th and I hope he will be able to meet many of you on the day. I thought it would be a good way for him to see another u3a in action.

Anne Bannell and I were interviewed on Huntingdon Community Radio's "Over to You" programme about our Open Day, and I have put an edited version of it onto our u3a Open Day webpage (omitting the news, adverts and music).

We are hoping that our May newsletter will be printed in time for the 29th and that we can offer a copy to everyone who comes. It will have news of new groups forming.

Finally, if you are able to bake cakes or biscuits as part of our free refreshments, please just bring them along on the day.

I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 29th.

-----

If you want to comment on what I have written or anything happening in our u3a, feel free to click "Reply". If you want to talk I will be in Wetherspoons every first Thursday of the month  and at the Members' Open Meetings on the second Thursdays.

Best wishes

Peter Cooper, Chair, St Ives (Cambs) u3a, chair@u3aivo.uk

Dear Member,

Lots of us are now working to prepare for our u3a Open Day on Tuesday April 29th 2-4 in St Ives Corn Exchange. Many people do not realise the breadth of activities available to u3a members, and this is an opportunity for members and non-members alike to find out about all our activities - interest groups, outings, theatre trips, members' open meetings, on-line events etc. (and there will be free refreshments!).

If you are a member of an interest group I hope that you feel able to share in your group's preparations, and maybe come and share what you are learning and some of the fun you have. Some groups are displaying what they have created, others are performing, and many are finding ways to show visitors what they are about.

We always need more interest groups and there will be a place where we can talk about any ideas you have, or about any skills or passions you have that you would like to share. We have support available for members to set up and run groups of all types (including purely social groups). 

I am hoping that many of our 900+ members will be able to come and bring friends, so why not put it in your diary and think about who you might bring with you? Posters and flyers are available to help you publicise it.

If you feel able to help, we need more members to be part of the team welcoming visitors to the Open Day (hit reply if you can offer).

And, as something new, we are asking anyone who would like to bring a cake to share as part of our free refreshments, to just bring it along on the day.

-----

If you want to comment on what I have written or anything happening in our u3a, feel free to click "Reply". If you want to talk I will be in Wetherspoons every first Thursday of the month  (Meet the Chair) [3.15 TODAY!]. Another place you can usually find me is at the Members' Open Meetings on the second Thursdays.

Best wishes

Peter Cooper, Chair, St Ives (Cambs) u3a, chair@u3aivo.uk

If you want to unsubscribe at any time just click on "Reply" and type "Unsubscribe".

Dear Member,

It is good that the new groups (AI Club, Casual Conversation, Everyday Technology, Scrabble on the Move) are underway, and they still have spaces. Even better is that the new Tai Chi group is full!  We are working to get the Genealogy group going again soon.

There were about 50 members, group leaders and guests at the February "New Members Meeting" (and another is planned for June).  It is lovely to have so many joining us at the moment, and they expressed lots of interest in the range of our activities.  Recently suggested new groups include another Book club, Italian Beginners, French Beginners, Folk group, Gardening, Model Railway, 3D printing, Psychology, MOTO (Members on their own).  If you are interested in any of these (especially in helping to set one up), see the Possible Groups page on the website and let us know so we can put interested members in touch with each other.

Our next big event is our u3a Open Day on Tuesday April 29th 2-4 in the Corn Exchange - there will be lots to see and discover for both members and non-members. Put it in your diary and bring your friends! I hope that those of you in groups will be able to contribute to your group's display, or be available to answer questions from visitors. Watch out for notices in local media, and reminders nearer the date.

Finally, I was reminded this week that, even though we have lots to join in with locally, there is even more u3a activity at a regional and national level. I benefitted from a talk and discussion on AI, and there's lots more on their Events website. The March topics include  Exploring World Faiths, Sustainable Travel in Europe, Auguste Rodin, Penguins, Laughter Yoga, Making your Smartphone easier to use, Mindfulness and Meditation, How Many Letters in the Alphabet?, Lung Disease in advancing age, Secrets of the Human Brain, (Aircraft) Stealth technology - all free!

If you want to comment on what I have written or anything happening in our u3a, feel free to click "Reply". If you want to talk I will be in Wetherspoons every first Thursday of the month (Meet the Chair). Another place you can usually find me is at the Members' Open Meetings on the second Thursdays.

Best wishes

Peter Cooper, Chair, St Ives (Cambs) u3a, chair@u3aivo.uk

If you want to unsubscribe at any time just click on "Reply" and type "Unsubscribe".

Dear Member,

Again, thanks for subscribing to my "Updates from the Chair" emails. If you want to comment on what I have written or anything happening in our u3a, feel free to click "Reply". If you want to talk I will be in Wetherspoons every first Thursday of the month 3.15-4.15 (Meet the Chair).

You may have noticed me using u3aivo.uk for our website address. We have not changed the address of our website, but we have created this easier to remember way to get to it. (It also allows us to use email addresses like chair@u3aivo.uk)

Some groups that were full now have spaces. See our website (https://u3aivo.uk), where you can express an interest by clicking on a blue envelope. Other groups are new, or looking to start:

• The AI Club (artificial intelligence) - "None of us knows much, if anything, about AI, so let’s learn together"
• The Convivial Conversation Club (changed from Men's group) - meet for the second time tomorrow (Tuesday) at 2.30 in Wetherspoons - any member welcome
• Scrabble on the Move - "The idea is to have a leisurely walk together to a local pub or cafe, where our Scrabble boards are waiting for us"
• Everyday Technology - exploring technology through working with it (Plumbing, Plastering, Electrical wiring, Solar panels, Lawnmowers, Robots etc )
• Genealogy- hoping to start up again
• Tai Chi - there has been lots of interest in this and we are looking for a venue

Some members have been invited to a "New Members Meeting" on the afternoon of Friday, February 28th. They will be hearing from several members and leaders about the breadth of what is available in our u3a. If you missed out on such an opportunity when you were a new member and would like to come to the meeting, there may still be spaces so please let me know by replying to this email.

Best wishes

Peter Cooper, Chair, St Ives (Cambs) u3a, chair@u3aivo.uk

If you want to unsubscribe at any time just click on "Reply" and type "Unsubscribe".

Dear Member,

Thanks for subscribing to my "Updates from the Chair" emails. If you want to comment on what I have written or anything happening in our u3a, feel free to click "Reply" as that should get through to me. If you want to talk I plan to be in Wetherspoons every first Thursday of the month 3.15-4.15 (Meet the Chair). 

Yesterday I joined nearly 200 other members in a u3a Zoom meeting about Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education.  It was fascinating! Did you know that as members of St Ives (Cambs) u3a, we can sign up for many free national learning events put on by members of other u3as?  Details are in the Friends newsletter (sign up at the foot of every page on the national u3a website) and on the Online Learning Events page (over 30 subjects there at the moment).

Locally there is a lot going on, I am particularly encouraged by two new groups starting up - the Men's group and Everyday Technology, although they are only small at the moment. See the website for more information.  

I am meeting soon with a few members to talk about the challenge of the next generation who are nearing the end of full-time employment, and how we might need to adapt.  We particularly want to attract and inspire people who want to contribute. If you would like to be involved in the conversation at this point please let me know.

Best wishes
Peter Cooper, Chair, St Ives (Cambs) u3a
chair@u3aivo.uk

I am planning to send these brief emails out 2 or 3 times per month. If you want to unsubscribe at any time just click on "Reply" and type "Unsubscribe".