Annual Review 2020 Welcome to Derby U3A
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Derby U3A Annual Review 2020 Welcome to Derby U3A This Review gives an account of Derby U3A activities over the past year and provides a flavour of what we do. We hope it will encourage our members to consider joining other groups and non-members to join us. Derby U3A is part of a world-wide movement for people in their third age, where we participate in learning, social and recreational activities. It is run by our members for our members, and we are all volunteers which means that our costs and charges are very low. We have nearly 400 members with 44 interest groups. Indoor meetings are generally held at city centre venues. Our membership has been growing over the past few years. There is a general meeting every month with an outside speaker, also at a city centre venue, and we run a Christmas buffet lunch. Outings to places of general interest are organized about once a month. Non- members can attend up to two interest group meetings and also two general meetings as a visitor to find out more about what we do and how we operate. There is information about many of our groups in this review. How much does it cost Annual subscription £15.00 January to December £8.00 September to December Interest group meetings at venues which are paid for: £1.50 per meeting, no charge for other meetings Monthly meeting charge: £1.50. Includes tea/coffee and biscuits. How to join Phone: 07866 078 180 Website: http://u3asites.org.uk/derby Email: [email protected] 2 General meetings We have a general meeting on the last Thursday of the month (August and December excepted) when we normally have a talk given by an outside speaker or occasionally by one of our own members. The range of topics is very varied, so there should be something for everyone. Chris Vasper gave us a fascinating presentation about his participation in the Marathon Des Sables in 2016 and 2018. This event takes place in the Moroccan Sahara every April when about 1200 „hardy‟ or „fool hardy‟ souls run the equivalent of 6 marathons in 7 days. As well as facing the scorching heat, the runners carry all the food and gear they need. Chris talked us through the strict rules of the event – e.g. the amount of water they carry and consume at check stations is stipulated and penalty points given if exceeded, their backpacks are checked for required supplies and weighed to ensure they are adequately equipped and risk of injury reduced from carrying too heavy a load. What an achievement when you succeed and even more so the second time when you reduce your time, having learnt from your mistakes first time round. John Hawkins gave a very interesting talk on Plant Hunters. This started with the importance of Carl von Linn푒 (Linnaeus) whose taxonomic classification of plants using a binomial system became universal across the natural world We followed the adventures of four of his followers in their hunt for plants throughout the world, encouraged to bring back anything that might benefit the country. Robert Fortune, who smuggled tea from China to start the tea industry in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and India, Joseph Banks who is credited with bringing back 30,000 plants and establishing Kew Gardens, David Douglas who the Douglas fir is named after and who died at the age of 35 in Hawaii and Ernest Wilson who introduced many plants from China as well as travelling to the Americas. We also had talks on: Mastermind The wildlife of Namibia Magic Theatrical costumes Birding in the USA Derbyshire Life photography The history of brass bands. 3 Outings My objectives regarding trips are that they should be varied, interesting, enjoyable and in part educational. I hope that the 8 trips in the last year fulfilled these parameters. From late autumn to early spring the venues must incorporate plenty of indoor interest in case of inclement weather. Summer venues can have a greater outdoor bias. Always there must be the provision of eating facilities which can cope with the influx of a hungry coach party. My estimate of cost is based on a number around 30-35 people taking up the offer. Since trips must be, by U3A ruling, a non-profit making venture then if many more members attend this may reduce the cost of the coach and I may be able to make a small refund on the day. One difficulty is in organising Normanby Hall the timing during a trip. License CC BY-SA 2.5 Interests vary so the balance between the times spent at different locations on a single trip will never suit everyone. I try to find less well known venues or one off special exhibitions. New venues are becoming more difficult to find within the range of a day trip. I am always open to suggestions. Places visited: February Collection and Usher Gallery, Lincoln March Beverley April Styal Mill May Little Morton Hall and Lion Salt Works, Cheshire June Normanby Hall, Lincs September Winterbourne and Selly Manor, Birmingham October Temple Newsam, Leeds November Pompeii Exhibition, Ashmolean, Oxford. 4 Poetry We are a newish group, who held our first meeting in February. Although small in number, our meetings are enjoyed by all, and some excellent work has been produced. Poetry is sometimes seen as élitist, but it really isn't. With imagination and a pen or pencil, wonderful things can happen! Some of our most modest members have revealed astonishing talent. We have had readings of our favourite poets, and of our own work, and we always make sure we do some writing. And most importantly, we have a cuppa and treat at breaktime. Poets can't function without a cuppa. We would welcome new members. Details can be found on the website, so don't be shy. We are in the process of producing an Anthology of some of our work, which will be revealed to all on publication - so watch this space. I would personally like to thank all our members for their dedication, hard work, wonderful and sometimes hilarious poetry-making, and above all their excellent tea-making skills (and I'm fussy about my tea!) Bron Rees (group organizer) Badminton The weekly badminton sessions have been most successful. Over the last year numbers have risen from 7 to 12 so recently two courts rather than a single one have been booked in advance. New players have varied from those who have never played before to those who have not played for some time. The standard of play is variable but everyone is able to join in during the sessions. 5 Photography This new group held an inaugural start up meeting in February. A further nine meetings have been held on the fourth Wednesday of each subsequent month. Each month a topic for photography has been chosen (these are normally chosen two months in advance to enable notification in Bits and Pieces). Members have submitted two for the group to review, and from these, two are chosen to go on the Groups page on the Derby U3A Website. Topics covered have been Spring, Gates and Fences, Derby, Elvaston Castle, Rivers and Canals, Animals, Still Life, Transport (Mechanical), the Knife Angel and Autumn. A photography discussion topic is chosen for each indoor meeting and has included Exposure Controls, Histograms, Composition, Still Life and Macrophotography. Additional to the monthly meetings, photoshoots have been organized. The first was in Derby which covered the topic for the May meeting. The second to Canalside Heritage Centre, Beeston, which coincided with an exhibition of photos from members of The Beeston Camera Club and was attended by four members of the group. National Memorial Arboretum The next was to Calke Park, again four members attended, and a variety of pictures of the park and house were taken. The final one of the year was to The National Memorial Arboretum where seven members met and after a session of photography, met in the café to review the morning. A selection of photographs taken by the group can be seen on the Derby U3A website (go to groups and click on Photography) 6 Ukulele for Pleasure Ukulele groups seem to be one of the success stories of the U3A movement – they are spreading everywhere! Perhaps they serve as a counter-balance to more cerebral groups. The joining of playing and singing seems to suit many, and there are plenty of choir members in our number at Derby. For others, the pleasure and challenge of acquiring a musical skill is a driving factor, and the levels that some members are reaching is reflected in a rich tone of playing (on a good day!). It may also have something to do with the availability of cheap electronic tuners for our instruments, so all our chords should sound the same. Attendance numbers are steady around thirty, and that leaves space for one or two more in the group. Our meeting place at Chester Green Community Centre will accommodate more, but at full throttle the sound level can be quite high – there‟s a pyramid shaped roof which throws it round, but we are comfortable for now. Our repertoire now covers 120 songs with two dozen more for Christmas, and we try to vary the playlist for each meeting, to cover all tastes. The hot drinks break at half-time is always welcome, and a cheerful band of helpers ensures there is as much chatting in the kitchen as in the hall, where useful tips are often passed around, and latest instruments inspected.