Newsletter January 2023

1 of 4 Website: www.flintshire-u3a.co.uk Phone: 07546 094927 Volume 18 Issue 1 January 2023 Flintshire u3a Newsletter New Group: Playing With Fabric As the name suggests we will be exploring the many things we can do with fabric, from quilts to toys, to decorations. We welcome new members and new ideas. We meet on the first Thursday of the month between 10:00 and 12:00. The venue will be made known to you when you join the group. Hilary Jones Membership Renewal Please pay by 28th February to continue enjoying all that our u3a has to offer. Members who wish to pay by card will be able to do so from the 2nd January once you have received the renew email. Music Appreciation At the meeting on 7th December the variety of music selected by members was much enjoyed, as were the seasonal refreshments. This was the last meeting led by co-ordinators Arthur Kemp and Enfys Jones, who were warmly thanked for their work in ensuring the smooth running of the group. Eileen Jones Theatr Clwyd Group Members studied the January to June 2023 Theatr Clwyd programme at our latest meeting, and now have tickets for the plays, musicals, ballet, opera and concerts on offer over the next six months. New members are always welcome to join us in the enjoyment of live performances at our local theatre in Mold. Eileen Jones Dates For Your Diary 18th January : Open Meeting at St David's Church Hall, Mold 10.00 - 12.00. Speaker: Jim Holmes. 24th January : New Years Buffet at New Brighton Community Hall CH7 6QA. Arrive from 12.30. Lunch 1.00pm - 3.00pm. 9th February: Final date for submission of articles to the March edition of the newsletter. 2nd March : AGM at Airbus, Broughton 10.30 - 12.00. 1

2 of 4 Chair’s Report I would like to wish you all a happy, healthy New Year filled with fun and friendship within Flintshire u3a. As a member you need to know what is going on in Fu3a, the planned events, new groups, open meetings, new ideas and also about national events that you could be involved with plus lots more. How do we ensure that all of you, regardless of whether you use technology or not, know all of the above? This newsletter is a great source of information. You can read it on the website but many of you are welcoming a paper version too, so we are getting plenty printed. These can be picked up at open meetings (six a year) also from your group co-ordinator. The newsletter team does a brilliant job but would welcome more contributions from members and groups, including photos. The website has a huge amount of information on it, which our web administrator keeps up to date. The bulk email system is used to notify all members with an email address about the many things happening in Fu3a. I have heard that some don’t read these emails, what a pity, you are missing very useful communications. If you need help with accessing the site or emails do get in touch with any committee member. We have people who would be happy to help. Once you have grasped how easy it is there will be no stopping you! Open meetings, group coordinators and friends are all good forms of communication but if you can think of other ways to spread the word, again, get in touch. Our AGM is in March and two of our hard working committee members are finishing their term of office. If you feel you could contribute by joining the committee please submit a nomination form as soon as possible. We would be delighted to hear from you. Hilary Meet Groups Liaison Hi, I’m Sue Wilcox and I joined the Fu3a committee as Groups Liaison this year. Before moving to Northeast Wales, I was a Personal Assistant to a Director in local government. A demanding but fulfilling job that I loved and learnt a lot from. I originally came from Nottingham where my two daughters and wider family still live. I fell in love with North Wales when my dad used to drive us the six plus hours to Snowdonia and surrounding areas; in the days before the A50 (Nottm to M6) and A55 were even thought of! When my mum died in 2006, we relocated to Connah’s Quay and enjoy a quieter pace of life than living in a large city like Nottingham. I joined Flintshire u3a’s Writing Group back in 2017 where I met a great bunch of people who made me feel welcome and praised my amateur attempts at fictional writing. Thanks to their encouragement I was able to take on the leadership of the group which is now known as Writers Together and has grown into two groups which meet at the Pen y Bont Restaurant, Mold. My role as Groups Liaison is quite challenging but I love to encourage, develop, and watch people grow as they encounter new ways of doing things, meeting new friends, and enlarging their social skills and abilities within a culture that is caring, fun and ever developing. I hope to encourage and support more people to come forward as Group Coordinators within our present groups to help run current activities and create new ones that meet their mutual interests. Sue Wilcox Dining Club Thursday The photo shows the group at a recent meeting in the Griffin Inn, Llanbedr. Everyone enjoyed the food and good company. We have a new program for 2023 so everyone is looking forward to some more good dining. We meet on Thursdays between 7pm and 10.30pm. The following dates have been set and members will decide the locations nearer the date:- March 2nd, May 4th, July 5th, September 7th and November 2nd J. Elwyn Williams 2

3 of 4 Social History Group Programme February to May 2023 Date A Group - 9:45 am B Group - 11:15 am Monday 6th February The River Alyn Do you remember the 1960s? Speaker: Peter Evans Speaker: David Hearn Monday 6th March Mutiny on the Bounty (the true story) Gems of Chester Cathedral Speaker: Derek Arnold Speaker: Tom Jones Monday 3rd April Gems of Chester Cathedral Mutiny on the Bounty (the true story) Speaker: Tom Jones Speaker: Derek Arnold Tuesday 2nd May Do you remember the 1960s? The River Alyn Speaker: David Hearn Speaker: Peter Evans Please note: May talks are on a Tuesday due to Monday being a Bank Holiday. Brian Bennett Bell Plates Group Are you looking to try something new in 2023? If your answer is YES then why not give the Fu3a Bell Plates a try. We are a music group that meet on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month, starting on 9th January 2023 at Mold Cricket Club. We are an inclusive, friendly group who enjoy playing Bell Plates and having fun. There is no requirement to be able to read music as each section will be clearly marked. All we ask is that you can count up to 6 and can distinguish red from green and know your left from your right everything else takes care of itself. We also, when we have enough players, visit various community groups or care homes etc for them to enjoy something a little different. Please give it a thought and if you feel like trying just come along. There is no pressure. Just give it a try. I look forward to meeting some of you in the New Year. Margaret Cooper Scrabble Group What has eight letters beginning with an S and ending with an E? Why Scrabble, of course! Yes, a new Group will start on 23rd January at the Grosvenor Hall, Grosvenor Street, Mold, CH7 1EJ led by Marie Edwards. I have a feeling this Group will attract a lot of new members. Contact Marie for more details. Sue, Groups Liaison The first meeting will be Mon 23rd Jan 2.30 till 4.30pm. The maximum number is 20 and the cost will be £1.50 or £2 depending on numbers to cover the running costs. If successful it can continue on the 4th Mon afternoon of each month. All equipment and refreshments will be provided. You can join by going on the Fu3a group list or you can email me [email protected] Marie Edwards Why Are We Waiting? It seems there are quite a few ‘Waiting Lists’ within Flintshire u3a. New and existing members want to join groups but are told that the ‘Group Is Full. Join The Waiting List.’ I would like to see no waiting lists for Fu3a by the end of April 2023; here are a few examples of what can be done. 1. Create another group. For example, if your group is already large (over 20 members), then consider splitting it into two groups e.g. each group has ten members. Both groups can run on different days with the same Group Coordinator (GC) or a member may decide to become a GC of the 2nd group. 2. Identify potential GCs within your group: There is no doubt there are long term members within existing groups that have ‘deputised’ when the GC is unable to attend for whatever reason. Encourage these members to consider GC roles for creating another group. 3. Check your group membership. Check your Attendance List over the last 6 weeks – do you have consistent absences? If so, then contact them asking if they are still interested in being part of the group or can they be removed from the group so another person, ‘eager to join’, can take their place. Please feel free to contact me should you have further ideas, questions, or queries. Email: [email protected] Sue, Groups Liaison. 3

4 of 4 Refreshments Rota Open Meetings Starting from January we are asking groups to take Please make sure you bring your membership turns in serving refreshments at a Fu3a event. card to open meetings. Everything will be provided, all we ask is that three to four members of the group take responsibility for During 2021 we had several online open serving the teas and coffees. Archaeology is the first meetings in which the speakers gave group to do this in January and from then on, the group permission for them to be recorded. Links to coordinators will have a list of which group is doing it those recordings can be found by clicking on on which date. Your turn should come round once every the Documents Store/Members Documents ten years! The list of dates and groups doing and either view or download recordings of past refreshments will be on the website, on the open speaker's talks. meetings page and the social events page. It has also been sent to every group coordinator. Many thanks for Remember that the Book Exchange will be at your help and support. Hilary each meeting. 18.1.23 St David’s, Mold Open meeting January Open Meeting 24.1.23 New Brighton Hall New Year buffet lunch 2.3.23 Airbus AGM Subject : Dee Estuary and River 18.4.23 New Brighton Hall New members coffee morning Date : 18th January 10.00 - 12.00 23.5.23 The Armoury, Flint Open Meeting Speaker : Jim Holmes, Photographer 5.7.23 St David’s, Mold Open Meeting Venue : St David's Church Hall, Mold 21.9.23 St David’s, Mold Open Meeting 22.11.23 St David’s, Mold Open Meeting March Open Meeting (Talk follows the AGM) ??.12.23 St David’s, Mold Post Christmas Coffee Subject : TBA Date : 2nd March Speaker : Brian Bennett Venue : Airbus, Broughton May Open Meeting Subject : My Life As An Acrobat Date : 23rd May Speaker : Barry Williams Venue : The Armoury, Flint ‘You Say Goodbye And I Say Hello.’ Marie Edwards has been the Group Coordinator of Singing For Pleasure for many years with the Group having many happy memories of Marie directing the Group with her cheerful disposition, leading them on silly warm up songs and her Liverpudlian banter (particularly with Flo) ringing through the air, especially when they went out to care homes etc. Chatting and encouraging the residents to join in and enjoy themselves. Marie has decided to step down from Singing For Pleasure and Jude Jones, a member of the Group, takes up the role of Group Coordinator from mid-January 2023. On a personal note, I would like to thank Marie for all her hard work, dedication, inspiration, and passion over the years which has made Singing For Pleasure such a success within Flintshire u3a. Sue, Groups Liaison Reading Group 1 Our new venue is the Gladstone Library, Hawarden. The book for January is ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ by John Green, February’s book is ‘The Remains Of The Day’ by Kazuo Ishiguro and the book for March is ‘One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich’ by Solzhenitzyn. Bob Gaffey Editorial Team: Martin Hampstead and Jo Shone. Submit articles for inclusion in the newsletter to [email protected] The newsletter can be viewed on the Fu3a web site and copies will be available at the January open meeting. 9th February is the final date for submission of articles to the March edition. 4