U3A in London Update – 2 August 2021

This information was published on: August 02, 2021

Shepherd’s Delight?

The Summer Programme, timetable and update

The Summer programme, a reduced version of the continuing timetable are on our website www.u3alondon.org.uk. They will be largely unaltered as the weeks go by, but can be updated if necessary, so keep your eyes open!

Note: On the subject of our website, the classes you see there refer to those online that we have been holding during the last 18 months. It is now out of date and will soon be replaced by a description of the classes we intend to hold from 20 September, together with a new hybrid timetable. Let us hope it will fulfill our ability to return to the Town Hall.

From Naomi

Since writing in last week’s update, our landlord Wac Arts has also adopted a policy of requiring all regular users of the building, such as our members, to be double vaccinated in order to continue to use the premises.  Wac Arts has many vulnerable students and is acting in their best interests.

On another important subject.  Many of you have been enquiring when you can renew your membership for 2021-22.  We hoped that by now most of you would have been able to pay online.  However, the new system still has unresolved problems, so we will not be using it for the time being.  Instead, we will be returning to a simplified version of last year’s method. You will not receive a renewal form, so obviously you will not have to return one.  Therefore, the use of your membership number is vital.

Membership fees remain unchanged.  The basic fee for the year, that is until mid-September 2022, is £75; for coordinators it is £25 and those on benefits £15.

You will soon receive an email from Herbie giving precise instructions on how to pay and it will include your membership number.  Payment will be either by cheque, which must be posted to the Town Hall, or by direct bank transfer.  Those of you who prefer to make your payment in our Office in the Town Hall will not be able to do so until we are really certain that we can open up in September.

Those paying by cheque MUST WRITE THEIR MEMBERSHIP NUMBER ON THE BACK OF THE CHEQUE, so we can readily identify the member.  Please make the cheque payable to U3A in London.  Our address is U3A in London, Old Town Hall, 213 Haverstock Hill, Hampstead, NW3 4QP.

For those preferring to pay by bank transfer, the email will also give our bank details – the account name, sort code, and account number.  If you choose to pay this way, Please SPECIFY YOUR MEMBERSHIP NUMBER IN THE “REFERENCE” BOX  so we can easily identify you.  Some banks presented minor problems last year but it should not happen again.  If it does, try a second time and the payment will be accepted.

If anyone has any queries about payment or anything else, please don’t hesitate to email me.

Somehow, asking you to renew your membership makes me feel that we really will be back soon.  I look forward to seeing many of you in just a few weeks’ time.

Take care, Naomi

To make you smile

5 Beers, please.
Sorry, do you mean 2? No, 5.
Here we use Roman numerals

Getting a Hairdryer Through Customs.

A young woman on a flight from Ireland asked the priest beside her, ‘Father, may I ask a favour?’ ‘Of course child. What may I do for you?’     
‘Well, I bought my mother a hair dryer for her birthday. It is unopened but over the Customs limit and I’m afraid they’ll confiscate it. Is there any way you could carry it through customs for me? Hide it under your robes perhaps?’     
‘I would love to help you, dear, but I must warn you, I will not lie.’     
‘With your honest face, Father, no one will question you.’     
When they got to Customs, she let the priest go first. The official asked, ‘Father, do you have anything to declare?’     
‘From the top of my head down to my waist I have nothing to declare.’     
The official thought this answer strange, so asked, ‘And what do you have to declare from your waist to the floor?’     
‘I have a marvellous instrument designed to be used on a woman, but which is, to date, unused.’     
Roaring with laughter, the official said, ‘Go ahead, Father. Next please!’

From London Region of U3As

Topic: 50+ Years in Sport
Speaker: Patricia Gregory

Redbridge & District u3a have kindly opened up one of their talks to all London Region u3as. It’s a free event on Friday 6th August, from 14.00 log in from 13.45
If you require further information please email: u3aredbridge@gmail.com
Kind regards,
Jenny Wilson VChairS.londonregionu3a@gmail.com
Derek Harwood VChairN.londonregionu3a@gmail.com

And From Fahad Alhathal, University of Southampton

I hope to recruit around 300 participants aged 65 and over to complete an online-based questionnaire based on their grocery shopping experiences, which will take approximately 10 minutes. Grocery shopping is considered one of the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living which helps older people live independently. This research aims to explore the grocery shopping experiences, in a physical store, of customers aged 65 and over in the UK and to design better solutions by using emerging technologies that supermarkets could adopt. This research was approved by the Faculty Research Ethics Committee (FREC) at the University of Southampton (Ethics/ERGO Number: 62401).

All collected data will be used for research purposes only and will not be shared with third parties.

Warm regards, Fahad Alhathal

 

Best Wishes from the Team