It was World Poetry Day (21 March), established by Unesco in 1999, it aims to recognise the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind – but how do you convince people that this is something worth celebrating? Poetry is for academics and posh people, right? Wrong! So Reading Group members, why not let us share your favourite poem with you? Thanks.
Otherwise, please let me know what books you have been reading over the last month.
The April Newsletter will be sent out on 2nd April. Once again, many thanks to Margaret Whilde for printing off copies for those members not on email and for delivering them on her morning walk. We are now starting to make provisional plans for meet ups after the end of May and also optimistically our birthday lunches, an outing and a Christmas lunch but of course that all depends on whether the great British public behaves itself! Fingers crossed!
Optimistically I have booked our Christmas Lunch at the Nottingham Albert Hall for Wednesday, 15th December, 2021; let’s hope we will be in a position to enjoy it!
The situation with regard to Covid-19 guidelines and restrictions seems to be improving but also still remains uncertain for reasons that we are all aware of such as the situation in Europe and a possible slowing down of the vaccination programme. For our group there are still some major hurdles to overcome.
Firstly, with regard to coach travel there are strict guidelines in place regarding the wearing of masks on board, social distancing rules to protect the driver and passengers which mean that it is not possible to run coaches at anywhere near full capacity. There are also regulations with regard to how to board the coach itself, where social distancing must be maintained.
Secondly, as you will be aware, National Trust properties are only operating at a reduced capacity for people who live locally to exercise. Car parking is limited and there is presently no facility to book coaches in for a day. Indoor facilities are closed for the foreseeable future although plans to open indoor cafes etc are being planned.
Thirdly, The Third Age Trust require that we complete a Risk Assessment before going on any visit. Whilst it may be possible for some u3a groups to meet in numbers up to six in the relatively near future, I think that the date which will determine our progress will be June 21st, when a decision will be made on Social Distancing and the wearing of face masks.
IF decisions made in June allow, then we will book the dates for the first two visits and let group members know immediately. We will put a short further update in the May Newsletter and on this website. In the meantime if you have any suggestions or comments please contact Sue or myself via the form below:-
Error: Contact form not found.
The meeting will start at 2pm, the Zoom access link will be sent to you on Monday 5th April.
There will an introduction and some u3a business before our guest speaker Mr Stephen Nurden presents an illustrated talk about his grandfather Stanley James.
This is a brief synopsis of his interesting life:
STANLEY JAMES, as a young man in the Canadian West, was by turns a cowboy, shepherd, navvy, hobo and newspaper reporter, soldier in the Spanish-American war, poet, playwright and actor. Returning to his native England, he married and became a Nonconformist minister who both charmed and alienated his Walthamstow congregation with his socialism and pacifism. In 1923 he converted and reinvented himself as one of the best-known Catholic writers of the English-speaking world, with nine books to his name.
