NEWS
Good News on Subscriptions! The subscription for 2010/2011 has been agreed at £10, yes ten pounds, a reduction from last year. The sub. is payable in April, so don't forget to come early on 7th April as there's likely to be a bit of a queue.
The AGM was held on 3rd March, see below for brief report. Lynne Geldart remains Chairman, and Paul Corby was re-elected as Secretary. The Treasurer is now Jack Shearman.
INTEREST GROUPS
With the recent expansion in the number of Interest groups, could you please check the Groups page to make sure the details of your Group are correct.
WEBSITE NEWS
If you have suggestions for other specialist links, please let David Geldart know. Also, he will construct a web page for any group that wants one.
RECENT MONTHLY MEETINGS
MARCH 2010 - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Chairman Lynne gave a brief report on the year's activities, noting that we had had some very interesting speakers and a well-supported trip to Bodnant Gardens. She noted that we were now memebers of two local U3A networks, Shropshire and Mid Wales. The latter is fairly recent and comprising ourselves, Newtown, Llandrindod Wells, Dyfi and Aberystwyth and is a fairly loose association. The benefits of these contacts with other U3As included the exchange of ideas and information, and were manifested in invitations to an Arts Awayday in Whitchurch and a lecture by Sir Roy Strong in Llandrindod.
Lynne thanked the members of The Committee, who had ably supported her during the year, and gave special thanks to Margery Ashby, Jim Cook and Pauline Hawkes, who were stepping down from their jobs.
Margery, in her final report as Treasurer, noted that we had a good financial balance at the end of the year and proposed that the subscription for 2010/2011 be reduced to £10 per person; this was given unanimous approval.
In the General Meeting that followed, the main points of note are:
- it was agreed to have the Christmas lunch again at Powis Castle
- following advice from the Third Age Trust concerning Group meetings and outings, non-members could attend one as a taster, after which they would have to join the U3A if they wanted to come again; members who have guests in their homes can invite them on the odd occasion, but not with any degree of regularity; members of other U3As are of course welcome, but should be encouraged to join Welshpool as a member if they come regularly
- additionally, people who come as guests to the main monthly meeting and pay their £2 can only come twice before they need to join.
FEBRUARY 2010 - HAZEL THOMAS: THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
Hazel decided to to do fundraising for cancer research after she lost her husband to the disease several years ago. This led to her undertaking various activities which she had never contemplated before, and she gives talks about some of them in order to raise further funds for Cancer Research UK.
Today, we were regaled about her efforts on an 8-day trek along the Great Wall of China, with photographs to illustrate the length and difficulty of the trek. Although some repairs had been done, large sections of the Wall were in a sorry state, making walking hard. Added to this the Wall, which winds its way over hill and dale, seemed to the weary walker to consist mainly of upward climbing steps! Hazel's party was made up of people of all ages, many of whom had had cancer themselves or had lost loved ones to cancer, so that the trek was something of a pilgrimage. At the end of the walk, they all stood in silent contemplation for a few minutes, perhaps in wonder at what they had achieved.
Afterwards, Hazel stayed on in China and did the tourist thging around Beijing, another experience she will never forget.
JANUARY 2010 - MEETING CANCELLED
Sadly, there was too much snow about so many could not get out and into Welshpool.