Weekly Update 10 May 2021

Lockdown Quiz

The latest quiz from Julie Clarke (number 58) has been loaded to the website as well as the answers to number 57. Go to the quiz page where you’ll also find this week’s music quiz (number 57) and the answers to music quiz number 56. Our quiz page lists all the quizzes that have been set previously.

Group News

Informal coffee morning – reminder

Our informal coffee morning will be held at Sandbach Rugby Club on Bradwall Road, CW11 1RA, from 10.30 – 12.00 on Monday 17th May.

This will be a simple drop in session. You don’t need to book in advance – just turn up at the Rugby Club. Coffee and biscuits are free and your Committee will be there to welcome you. The Rugby Club has a very large covered marquee and lots of outdoor tables where it is possible to meet safely in groups of six and stay within current government guidelines.

Membership Renewal – advance notice

This has been a difficult year for us all, with many of our activities seriously curtailed. We have endeavoured to let as many groups as possible run, following government rules and guidelines.

We are hopeful that we should be able to run a normal or near normal programme in this coming year.

We would like to say a big Thank You to the great majority of our members who did renew last year, and we understand why some members didn’t renew and allowed their membership to lapse.

To say thank you to the loyal members who did renew your committee has decided that the membership fee for 2021-2022 will be just £5.

Members who lapsed and new members joining Sandbach U3A will be asked to pay the usual £10.

Early in June emails or letters will be sent to all members inviting them to renew their membership for the next 12 months.

There are 3 ways that membership can be renewed: –

    1. The preferred method is online. This can be achieved by following the link in the email or by logging in to the system, clicking the Membership menu and following the Renew Your Membership link. Renewing online requires the payment to be made using PayPal, but you don’t need a PayPal account, you can do this as a guest.
    2. Using the U3A post box in the library (either popping in and dropping your renewal request into the box or by post to Membership, Sandbach U3A c/o Sandbach library). If you use this method please put your renewal letter or email in an envelope, along with your cheque and enclose an SAE if you would like a new membership card. Please write your membership number (if known) on the back of your cheque.
    3. As we don’t yet know what facilities we will be able to use at the library and we don’t want long queues forming in the library we have arranged with Sandbach rugby club to use their large marquee, as we did last year. You will be able to come along and either drop your renewal in a box or go to one of the tables where we will be processing renewals. You will be able to pay by one of 3 methods, cash, cheque or card (at a desk). The dates we will be at the rugby club are 14th and 28th of July and 11th and 25th of August, between 09:30 and 11:30 am.

If you have any questions or queries regarding your membership please email the membership secretary at membership@sandbachu3a.org.uk

Barrie Hacking
Membership Secretary

And on the subject of groups returning to normal you have to admire our ‘Long Walkers” – https://sandbachu3a.org.uk/long-walks-in-may-2021/

U3A walkers on the bridge at Little Moreton Hall
U3A walkers on the bridge at Little Moreton Hall

New Sandbach & District u3a Facebook page

We have created a page on Facebook so that we can tell people about upcoming events as, hopefully, lockdown is relaxed. The page is not going to replace the way we communicate with members but we hope Facebook will help us reach a wider audience of potential members. If you are a Facebook user do please ‘Like’ our page and share posts with friends. https://www.facebook.com/sandbachu3a

Appeal for website photos

 Last week we told you that the website is being updated, with this in mind as well as our new Facebook page we’d last to ask for photos of u3a activities to demonstrate what we do. We need verbal permission from anyone in the photos to use them on our website and Facebook.

Local News

Healthwatch Cheshire Citizens Panel

To coincide with Dying Matters Week, 10-16 May 2021, our next panel survey begins on 10th May 2021. This will include questions designed in collaboration with the End of Life Partnership, focusing on the topic of end of life experience.

The End of Life Partnership (EoLP) is an award winning Crewe-based Cheshire Charity, aiming to create a more complete and holistic approach to living well, care, death and loss. They achieve this through public awareness and community engagement, education and training for the health and social care workforce and the development of best practice and services to better serve the needs of our local communities.

To find out more about EoLP, you can watch a short introductory video on their website:Click here

National News

In partnership with the Barclays Digital Eagles team, the Trust will be delivering programmes to boost u3a members’ confidence online.

The first sessions for u3a members were completed last week and were well attended with over 200 participants across the five days of workshops. We have now reviewed the feedback with the trainers and identified the workshops that were most popular and beneficial to the membership and arranged further dates as follows

Book via the link – https://www.u3a.org.uk/events/online-events/barclays-digital-eagles  or you can click on the sessions in below.

Internet Basics – Wednesday 5th May 10:00-11:30 or Wednesday 5th May 13:30-15:00 or Thursday 13th May 10:00-11:30
This session has been designed to cover some internet basics: Broadband, browsers and search engines, top tips for searching for something on the internet, setting up an email, connecting to a Zoom call, connecting to the internet (iOS and Android), (we also have content which covers different versions of windows for laptops if required)

Digital Safety – Friday 14th May 10:00-11:30 or Friday 14th May 13:30-15:30
How to stay safe while using your digital devices. This includes identifying common fraud and scams, making sure your passwords are strong enough, what to look out for and understanding how you can protect yourself.

Entertainment online – Thursday 13th 13:30-15:00
An engaging session focusing on how to maximise the potential of using your digital device to keep you entertained. From downloading apps, to virtual tours and social media, finding more ways to bring some entertainment into your home.

An Introduction to Digital Wings – Wednesday 12th May 10:00-11:30 or Wednesday 12th May 13:30-15:00

On a Lighter Note

  • Those anger management courses are really popular these days – all the rage!
  • Vincent Price was taller than Katie Price and Alan Price.  This was on a price comparison website
  • I’m looking for jokes about eyes. The cornea the better..
  • Hospitality is the art of making guests feel like they’re at home, when you wish they were.
  • I went to a bookstore and asked where the self-help section was. The sales assistant said ‘find it yourself’
  • A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
  • I just  saw Michael J Fox in the local garden centre. I knew it was him as he had his back to the fuchsia
  • Ever stop to think . . . and then completely forget to start again? It’s called getting Old!
  • Did you know that birthdays are good for your health, as people who have more birthdays live longer.  ️
  • The man who makes the eclairs at our local patisserie is retiring. Some big chouxs to fill when he goes.
  • Just been to a lecture on balaclavas. To be honest it went over my head.
  • My A-Level results weren’t good enough to get me into university to study oceanography – I needed 7  Cs’.

 

© Sandbach U3A 2024