Update January 3 2023

 Welcome to 2023 – a Covid Update

It will soon be three years since the first nationwide lockdown due to Covid, and it’s a relief to be able to say ‘Not much to report’. The number of people in the UK with Covid is still reasonably high – an estimated 1 in 45 people in England in the early part of December – but nothing like the numbers that we saw when Covid was at its peak. Fortunately the NHS vaccination programme has made a massive difference to the numbers of people becoming seriously ill after being infected. Much of the vaccination programme has been carried out by volunteers, including those working in the NHS and those recently retired. We should be grateful to every one of those volunteers.

If you haven’t already been for your booster jab then you really ought to do that immediately. If any of you harbour any reservations about the safety or efficacy of the vaccines, you don’t need to be concerned. You do need to know that the scientific community is united in recommending the vaccines. It’s a bit like Charles Darwin’s description of evolution by natural selection; it isn’t in any way controversial within the scientific community. Of course it suits some vested interests, including newspapers and social media companies who like to whip up fake controversies because they make more money that way, to pretend that vaccines (and Darwin’s ideas) are controversial amongst the scientists. They aren’t. It’s that simple.

Unfortunately the NHS is in a much worse position now than it was a few years ago. There are huge problems with recruitment and retention of nurses, GPs and other medical staff. Admissions to hospital A & E departments have gone from being a major problem to complete disaster. Similarly recruitment and retention of staff in social care have gone from problem to crisis. It’s probably fair to say that, for many u3a members, the biggest risk to their health now isn’t Covid, it’s the crisis in the NHS. I’ve already written to my MP about this; you may wish to do the same.

So I shall wish you a calm, happy and healthy year to come. I hope to see some of you at about 10.00 am at the Town Hall on Monday 9^th January for our next members’ meeting.

With best wishes for 2023

Stuart Naylor,
Chair, Sandbach and District u3a

Sandbach & District u3a AGM

Our AGM is next month!  It seemed a long way off when the notice went out in December which is possibly why only 22 members (Out of the 1138 members who receive this update) have voted so far!

We do need your votes to make sure we are quorate so please review the papers and vote online if possible. This saves a lot of paper and the counting and checking of votes is done automatically which saves a lot of time for committee members.

Members Mornings

Our next Members Morning is on January 9^th from 10.00 at Sandbach Town Hall and will be “A show and a talk with a mix of songs and stories. –  The Life and Legacy of Ol’ Blue Eyes”

On February 6th our Members Morning starts at 9:30am for our AGM followed by “Bygone Sandbach” by Stephen Minshull

Members Trips

Alice has responded to member requests to create our programme for 2023:

Venue	Date		Cost
Boundary Mill 2023	13 Feb 2023		£14.00
Manchester Ship Canal Cruise	22 Jun 2023		£54.00
The Mikado at Buxton Opera House	09 Aug 2023		£38.00
Southport Flower Show 2023	17 Aug 2023		£30.00

Please see our events page – https://u3a.simplemembership.co.uk/Sandbach/events or contact Alice on 01270765856 for details, or to book a place.

 ‘And finally …’ – a New Year offering

• • Who gets the most excited about the New Year’s Eve countdown?
    Calendar companies.
  • What happened to the man who stole a calendar on New Year’s Eve?
    He got 12 months!
  • Not to brag, but I already have a date for New Year’s Eve.
    It’s December 31st.
  • Why should you put your new calendar in the freezer?
    To start off the new year in a cool way.
  • What did Dad say at 11:59 p.m. on New Year’s Eve?
    I promise not to make any bad jokes for the rest of the year.
  • What is a New Year’s resolution?
    Something that goes in one year and out the other.
  • At the beginning of the year I made a New Year’s resolution to lose 10 pounds …
    Only 15 more to go!
  • How do you make sure you do not break your New Year’s Resolution?
    Make your New Year’s resolution to break your New Year’s resolution.
  • Where is New Year’s Eve most mathematical?
    Times Square.
  • Why do you need a jeweller on New Year’s Eve?
    To ring in the new year.
  • Why does nobody listen to each other on New Year’s Eve?
    Because their words go in one year and out the other.