Obviously nothing to report so I’ll leave you with the following thought. I think the only way to do Christmas lunch this year is to kill the turkey and have 30 people over for the funeral!
Reading Group
Unfortunately this month, I thought I had sent out the Reading Group notes but I hadn’t; consequently group members didn’t know what set book to collect from the library – many apologies. The set book was to be “Those Who Are Loved” by Victoria Hislop, whose previous books we have very much enjoyed. If the library is open, then could Reading Group members please ask the librarian for this book which they have put aside for us. The set book we hope to read for November should also be available for collection – to save yourself an extra journey during these virus restrictions.
To contact Sandra, the group leader, please use the form below:-
Latest Covid-19 Advice
To read the latest advice please click below:-
Choir
Last month a choir member carried out our first sung greeting, to mark a birthday, using our new Ring and Sing service. Apparently it was enjoyed by both the recipient of the good wishes, and the singer. Well done to our brave first singer, it takes courage to sing alone into a telephone, to what could be an unknown U3A member. Feel free to request a greeting if you’d like it, or know someone who would, there is an email form for requests below (we would need to know a date, reason for the celebration, any greeting you would like conveyed, the recipient’s telephone number, and your ‘phone number would be helpful, for speed in case of queries). We would give the name of the sender with a greeting. It appears our celebrations may be quiet affairs for a while longer, so a friendly voice with a happy greeting could be welcome.
If choir members would like to practise something from our repertoire we have at least one very suitable song for the season, Autumn Leaves. We haven’t done it recently (for a long time before the lockdown) so perhaps we could all have a go. We can think of each other as we make plenty of noise singing alone. Take care, and we’ll see each other when we can. Nothing lasts forever, even if it begins to feel a little like it.
To contact Christine, the group leader, please use the form below:-
Message from the Chair
A September ‘Hello’ to all members.
Thank you for the significant response to our online AGM and for supporting the resolutions. As Barrie stated in his August message he did not expect to be our chairman beyond April‘s AGM. During the period between the March lockdown and now there was lots of correspondence to deal with, decisions to make and frequent Zoom meetings to attend by the Chair. On behalf of all of us at Hucknall and District U3A we extend our thanks to Barrie for carrying on and for remaining on the committee until April 2022.
We would also like to thank Melvyn Francis for standing as Vice Chair and to Greg Umney who has taken on the role of Membership Secretary following on from Marguerite who did a great job for the maximum term of 6 years.
What we are experiencing today is unprecedented in our lifetime. However we know about the ‘Spanish Flu’ and from an even earlier time the Black Death. In the spring of 1918 Mother Nature unleashed the deadliest strain of influenza in modern history. The virus infected as much as 40 percent of the global population over the next 18 months. Of these, an estimated 20 to 50 million died — more than the roughly 17 million people killed during the First World War. Spain was one of only a few major European countries to remain neutral during World War I. Unlike in the Allied and Central Powers nations, where wartime censors suppressed news of the flu to avoid affecting morale, the Spanish media was free to report on it in detail. Hence it was referred to as the ‘Spanish Flu’.
Today we are adapting our lifestyles to minimise the spread and effects of Covid-19. As we are aware older people usually suffer more severe effects than young people, this means it is even more important for U3As to adopt a common sense, safety first, approach to restarting activities. National U3A advice follows from the current Government advice which changes as circumstances change.
David Rose, Chairman