Barnsley and District U3a
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A dozen of BU3A’s finest? Our bemused, befuddled and bewildered Monday Ten-Pin Bowlers BARNSLEY AND DISTRICT U3A Internet: BarnsleyU3A / Charity no. 1077654 1 Send info. and photos to: [email protected] You have probably heard by now that we have recently achieved another landmark as our membership numbers have passed the 1,200 mark. It seems to have been an annual event in recent years as our numbers increase by around 100, year on year. As always, the challenge is to try to satisfy all our members by ensuring that we have enough spaces available in a wide variety of groups. Whilst this is not an easy task, we will always try to rise to the challenge. Our constant aim is to recognise which groups are full and to see how we can duplicate or replicate them with new versions. This constantly requires our members to step forward and take up lead roles. This principle fits exactly with the National U3A philosophy that all members are potential volunteers and therefore potential leaders or helpers. On the subject of volunteering, there has been a lot of debate recently at national level with Eric Midwinter, the one remaining founder member of the U3A movement, getting a little fired up about it all. He writes….. “We must never get to a point where a small elite is providing for a large supine clientele.” He goes on to explain that, “Ours is and must be a participatory membership.” Eric finishes by reminding us of two of the principles in the Third Age Trust litany: “Members promote the values of lifelong learning and the positive attributes of belonging to a U3A” and “Members should do all they can to ensure that people wanting to join a U3A can do so.” On this last point he stresses that “It does not say that U3A committees should do these things - it says Members. It might, on occasion, be worthwhile for all members to be reminded that they signed on the dotted line and accepted these responsibilities. We must not, in a movement dedicated to cooperativeness, have situations where a few do everything and many do nothing.” I am sharing Eric’s comments above in the knowledge that volunteering is not a major problem for us in Barnsley but it does no harm to remind all our 1,200 members of the expectations placed upon us by virtue of us joining BU3A. As many of our members will testify, there is a potential feel-good factor to be experienced by all those who put themselves forward into a volunteering situation. Such volunteering ranges from helping with teas and coffees through to running a group or joining a committee. If the best thing was joining the U3A in the first place, volunteering runs it a close second. Still on the topic of our growing membership, I am very much an advocate of ‘the biggest is best’ view. When I look at the group listings, I can see many examples of groups that now exist as a result of our large membership providing enough people wanting to take part in some of the less mainstream activities. For example, when we had 400 members it would have been unlikely that enough members would want to join a brass band or a flute group or a recorder group. However, with 1,200 members we triple the chance of creating enough interest to form a viable group. The additional benefit is that once a group is established, people outside the U3A hear about it and apply to join our ranks. A brilliant example of this is with Walking Cricket. Whilst we all know that what Mac has achieved with this activity is incredible, it is a fact that a good number of new members have joined BU3A as a result of the publicity surrounding Walking Cricket. Anyway that’s enough from me. Have a great festive period and can I wish all our members a wonderful New Year for 2020. Alan Swann 2 Buzz editor and Vice-chairman: Derek Bacon CONTENTS My thanks to so many contributors. Welcome to the It’s really quite amazing to receive so much. Winter BUZZ 2019 P2 Chairman’s Message I hope that you P3 Editor / Contents enjoy it. P4 BU3A Committee / Buzz photos / New members / Spring 2020 Buzz deadline P5 September Monthly Meeting – The Life of Bees Following the stinging criticism (that kept me awake P6 October Monthly Meeting - Choir and Creative Writing for almost 10 seconds one night) about the Autumn P7 November Monthly Meeting – Andrew Raftery / Buzz photos being mainly of BU3A members of the Alan Swann Photo Competition / NEW BU3A Facebook / female sex, I have responded immediately to the Picking up The Buzz deluge of online and verbal demands that I should P8 Love Later Life Event at The Civic redress the balance. This Winter issue, therefore, is male-dominated and I am thrilled to be able to show P9 Creative Writing – Indu Kumar’s ‘War Games’ the very best of true manliness on the front cover P10 James Naylor paintings with two dozen of our strapping ten-pin bowlers. P11 James Naylor paintings This is what being a man is all about these days, Alan P12 A tribute to Judith Bisset Swann tells me, but, judging by the look on his face, P13 Table and Board Games he doesn’t appear to be quite as relaxed as some of P14 Travel / Hilary and Leslie Roberts his colleagues who are holding their coloured orbs P15 History with far greater pleasure and satisfaction. P16 Choir 10th Anniversary Concert P17 Two poems I rather like our Facebook BU3A Members-only P18 Walking Cricket page. In my view, it is a bit of a harmless nonsense with members trying each Saturday to work out P19 Yoga Alan’s maths teaser and being ‘rude’ about other P20 Burns Night people’s answers/guesses in a friendly, humorous P21 Campervan & Caravan / Classical Music & Opera way. But people do also post their valuable thoughts P22 Member 1,200 Beverley Goddard / about BU3A matters and other things that they French Language and Culture come across. One Facebook member posted a P23 Sequence Dancing poem; I’ve read it so many times and it ‘says it all’; P24 - 28 GROUP ACTIVITIES CALENDAR it could be the U3A ‘National Poem’; it’s on P17. P29 Venues & Buses But onwards and upwards; we now have a BU3A P30 Thursday Bus Pass Walkers Facebook page where we can show the whole of the P31 Wednesday Ramblers UK what we are doing. Huge thanks to Vanda P32 Thursday Longer Walks / Sunday Strollers Outram for putting in many hours of graft to make P33 Tuesday Walkers / Thursday Walkers this possible. Why not take a look and suggest things Penistone Walkers we are proud of that could go on it? P34 Mathematics group / French Conversation The 2020 Monthly Meetings are all arranged. The P35 Literature / Helen Simms Jan-June are detailed on P44. Our thanks to Speaker P36 Cycling / Birdwatching Finder, Betty Higginbottom, for her hard work here. P37 ‘My memory’s fading’ - Maureen Robinson P38 Book Forum 1 The Chairman’s 2019 Xmas Message is a good one P39 Book Forum 2 / Satnav / Local History (“aren’t they all?”, I hear him shout at me! “Well, yes, they are!”). So much truth in it! P40 Naturequest / Tuesday Gardeners P41 Thursday 10-pin Bowling Alan’s message also says that we are growing by P42 Flix at 6 around 100 members per year but with 85 just this P43 Flix Films DVD Auction quarter (P4), his maths is ….... (I don’t dare say it!) P44 2020 Monthly Meetings at Priory /Flutes Galore I started compiling this Winter Buzz on September P45 Social Committee / Buzz Production / Stitches 2nd when an article came in that evening; that was P46 Country Dancing 1 a few hours after the Autumn Buzz was given out at P47 Beware the Silent Killer / Cookery Corner Priory! That was one keen Coordinator! Impressive! But that’s BU3A for you! 3 BU3A Committee – as of November 10th 2019 IMPORTANT NOTICE: PHOTOGRAPHS IN ‘THE BUZZ’ from the Editor Chairman: Alan Swann Vice-Chairman Derek Bacon All photographs of our groups ‘in action’ are taken by me Business Secretary: Jacqui MacKinnon or offered to me so that our membership can take pleasure Buzz Editor: Derek Bacon and satisfaction in seeing how effective we are as an Choir Secretary: Sue Rowley organization. It goes without saying, I hope, that NO Development Officer: Joanie Tollerfield photograph is published with intent to upset anybody and Equalities Officer: Max Senior I have not received any complaints about photos in my Membership Secretary: John MacKinnon time as editor. However, the rules on privacy and data New Members Secretary: Helen Dew protection are changing all the time and you have the right, Penistone Manager: Helen Dew of course, not to be photographed or to have your photo Publicity Officer: Vanda Outram published without your permission. Room Bookings Officer: Mike Nevins The Buzz would be a much poorer publication without Social Secretary: Margaret Saxton photos and I hope that you trust me, your Coordinators Treasurer: Hilary Newton and the team of Buzz proof-readers to use all photographs Webmasters: Robin Northcut/ Mike Booth of members respectfully. --------------------------------------------- Other positions National Committee Representative: Sue Stokes BUZZ DEADLINE FOR MARCH 2020 ISSUE: Blue Box Exchange: Mike Pease Minutes Secretary: Hilary Thornton FRIDAY 7TH FEBRUARY Buzz Technical Advisor: Trevor Winslow Speaker Finder: Betty Higginbottom Write to: [email protected] Here are 85 new members Janet Sammon, Martin Smiley, Tracey Flather, Rose Roberts, Ann Smith, Paul Smith, Neil Heppenstall, Jackie Heppenstall, Ron Moore, Brenda Kowalkowski, John Kowalkowski, Pauline Deards, Julie Watson, Lynn Armitage, Glenys Phillips, Paul Shevill, Libby Beever, Edward Bennett, Hilary Howe, Sue Whitfield, Tony Carlisle, Margaret Green, Linda Felski, Suzanne