Weekly Update 23 November 2020

The latest quiz from Julie Clarke (number 35) has been loaded to the website as well as the answers to number 34. Go to the home page and search for “quiz”. The list of posts you see contains all the quizzes that have been set. This week the music quiz is number 34, while the answers to music quiz number 33  appear.

A quorum was easily achieved for our first virtual AGM, with some members responding by post and others by email. We recognise that there were some difficulties with the electronic version of the voting form, and this may have reduced the number of members who participated in the AGM. We will ensure that a different system is used if we find ourselves in similar circumstances again. The results of voting are as follows.

• Minutes of 2019 Annual General Meeting: agreed with no dissent (5 abstentions)

• 2019-20 accounts and treasurer’s report: agreed with no dissent (2 abstentions)

• Proposal for election of new Committee members for 2020-21: agreed with no dissent (2 abstentions)

• Proposal for election of Officers for 2020-21: agreed with no dissent (2 abstentions)

A committee meeting was held immediately after the AGM, and a treasurer and vice chair were elected by the Committee. Here are the members of your new Committee and their roles:

Stuart Naylor (chair)

Linda Bilsborrow (vice chair)

Sue Jones (secretary)

Richard Thorne (treasurer)

Alan Casey (SWISH manager)

Barrie Hacking (membership secretary)

Alice Holmes (social events)

Paula Reilly Cooper (groups co-ordinator)

Don Rickards (venues co-ordinator)

Pam Thomas (library & members’ meetings)

Our thanks go to retiring committee members Arnie Laing, Kevin Dean and Sandy Boyle and also to Tricia Naylor Budd for her minute taking.

We are in the process of organising photos of all the Committee members so you can recognise them. These will be posted on the website and in the library as soon as they are available.

Several comments were made by members, thanking the Committee, group leaders and other volunteers for their work during the year. One question was raised about whether it would be fairer for all members of a group to contribute equally towards the cost of venues, regardless of how often they attend the group. Your new Committee will be reviewing fees for 2021-22 during the coming year and they will certainly give proper consideration to this question.

Many thanks to all of you who participated in the AGM. We hope that our next AGM can be held face to face, ideally linked with some kind of celebratory event at the end of another U3A year in Sandbach.

A huge thanks goes to those Group Leaders who have been able to take their groups online, either making use of the “official” Zoom subscription or doing their own thing:

A Good Read 1

A Good Read 2

Bird Watching 1

Book Group – Fiction 1

Book Group – Non-Fiction

Choir

Creative Writing

Geology

French Conversation

History – 17th Century Studies

History – Interactive Forum

Painting – Watercolours

Patchwork & Quilting

Philosophy

Play Reading

Practical Photography

Wine Tasting 2

also Online Pilates and Beginners Yoga

and groups who have been using WhatsApp to set “projects” or just keep in touch with their members.

We have been asked if anyone in our group has any knowledge of the underground tunnels in Sandbach. Information about where they are located, why they were built and if there are any openings still in use is requested. Please reply to this email for contact details or visit www.facebook.com/groups/2736056030000948 the Sandbach Tunnel Network group with your information.

Our next concert is by Zoom on Wednesday 25th November

The concert will feature superstar violinist Rakhi Singh (from Manchester Collective), her sister Simmy Singh and amazing young musicians from Sandbach.

You can sign up for the concert here – https://forms.gle/nJ1GGR6uTMehfPr87

(Zoom details will be sent to you nearer the time)

This winter U3A have a partnership with Independent Age to provide our members with quick access to their free and confidential advice line.

To access the Independent Age helpline, call freephone to 0800 319 6789 or email your query to advice@independentage.org

If you know what you want to talk about, say the codeword ‘U3A’ when you call or email and you will be put directly through to an advisor.

As well as their advice line, Independent Age provide a series of free guides which can be found on their website.

This is the latest national U3A Radio Podcast for November.  This month we have interviews on creative writing, opera and much much more.

The UK’s famous International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival launched its new online streaming service – GSOPERA.TV.  It is now growing steadily and offers fantastic entertainment for subscribers as well as an outstanding resource for all things Gilbert & Sullivan.

The GSOPERA.TV Advent Calendar of festive fun and frivolity starts on December 1st and runs daily until Christmas Day. Every day the door will open onto a new and exciting event –  from interviews with stars from the National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company to G&S singalongs, specially filmed concerts and festive carols. Subscribers can also watch any films from a vast catalogue covering the past twenty-six years of the Festival.Every day in December,  a new event will stream live at 7 pm, but if anyone can’t make it, they can log on later to watch.

Subscribers can take advantage of a free four-day trial to make sure they are happy with what they see.  GSOPERA.TV – Magical merriment, on-demand!

The G&S Opera TV subscriptions offer two options, both beginning with a 4 day free trial: 1. Annual at £99.99 per annum 2. Monthly – at £9.99 per month. Log on to: www.gsopera.tv  the web address of the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival: www.gsfestivals.org

 Some thoughts during lockdown:-

 1. If poison passes its’ expiration date, is it more poisonous or is it no longer poisonous?

 2. Which letter is silent in the word “Scent,” the S or the C?

 3. Why is the letter W, in English, called double U? Shouldn’t it be called double V?

 4. Every time you clean something, you just make something else dirty.

 5. The word “swims” upside-down is still “swims”

 6. 100 years ago everyone owned a horse and only the rich had cars. Today everyone has cars and only the rich own horses

 7. At the theatre, which arm rest is yours?

 8. If people evolve from monkeys, why are monkeys still around?

 9. Why is there a ‘D’ in fridge, but not in refrigerator?

10. Who knew what time it was when the first clock was made?