Category: Announcements

Hi, trust all is well with you all, our August Monthly Members’ Meeting was quite down in numbers as usual and expected, it was a pity really because our guest speaker Mr Graham Short talking on ‘My Life as a Micro Artist’ was very good and not only interesting but quite unbelievable the minute size of his engravings.

August has been a mixed mash of weather and I sincerely hope that none of you have had a wash out holiday if staying in the UK, or if in Europe keeping out of the sun and dodging the wildfires.

Due to the low turnout in August, we still have plenty of tickets for our September social gathering on Saturday 23^rd Sept, at the John Godber Centre, it is a 60’s night with entertainment from a group called ‘Rocks and Frocks’ Tickets only £8, bring your own food and the JGC bar will be open.

May I remind you that three or four of our committee are leaving the committee having completed their full six year term, therefore we must have members willing to serve on the committee, please talk to me or any committee member if you are willing to consider joining us, it can be good fun and is of course essential as we cannot exist as a u3a without out prime committee members who are our trustees.

On another note we are looking for a new Group Leader(s) for both the Pub Lunch and Quiz Group and the Lunch Group. Sandra Green is regrettably having to step down from leading these two groups for many years due to personal circumstances.

Sandra has already prepared all of the Pub Quizzes for 2024, so that is one major task completed for the next leader. If you are in these groups please either volunteer or have a discussion as to who can take over as it would be a real shame for the groups to close. For further information, please talk to Sue Tedstone, our Group Co-ordinator.

As last year, we are having a stall on the Market Place at the Rotary Clubs ‘Hucknall Community Day’ if you feel that you can spare the odd hour to help and relieve on of the current volunteers, that would be great, please talk to me at the meeting. Last years event was very worthwhile, I would encourage you to visit on the day.

Look forward to seeing you all at September’s monthly meeting, please try and remember to wear your name badges so that all know who you are, and of course don’t forget to sign out if you leave early.

Melvyn Francis, Chair

Hi there folks, it’s been really good to be back at July’s committee meeting, monthly meeting, social sub committee meeting and my various groups. I can’t tell you how much I have missed all of the u3a activities over the past three months.

My knee is well on the way to recovery, just need to keep up the physio, 12 exercises, 3 times a day. The right eye, is a wait and see (pun)

As I write these thoughts, it seems that the St Swithin’s saying I mentioned last month has become a reality, so much rain in July, after June’s gorgeous sunshine. Here’s hoping August is kinder to us with plenty of sunshine. Mind, it has been nice not having to water the tomatoes and flower containers.

Looking forward to our September social gathering, the SSC have organised a great nights entertainment with pop group ‘Rocks and Frocks’ specialising in 60’s music, so get your 60’s gear out and see if it still fits. Tickets on sale next meeting, only £8, bring your own food and dancing shoes.

Trust if you have already had a good holiday(s) you are well rested and recharged, or if looking forward to one, hope the current European hot weather and fires does not affect any of you.

After a few requests, we are once again reserving a few seats on the front row for those with a hearing problem.

Look forward to seeing you all at August’s monthly meeting, please try and remember to wear your name badges so that all know who you are, and of course don’t forget to sign out if you leave early.

Melvyn Francis, Chair

Big Difference Scheme

Recent information from Ashfield Council gives details of a possible discount of up to 90% off your water bill for eligible houses.

The two main criteria are:-

a) Live alone and/or

b) Have an annual household income of less than £20, 048.

 For more details either visit www.bigdiff.co.uk, or phone 0121 355 7766 option 6. Cannot guarantee anything, but worth a try – good luck.

Melvyn

Regretfully I have again not been very active this month, due to my knee and eye. My knee replacement has gone really well, getting about the house, stairs etc., without any crutches, just using them outdoors, so very pleased with progress. Starting attending physio classes next week, so more pain, but hopefully more gain.

Sorry to say, that my retina reattachment didn’t repair and detached itself again, so had to have a second operation on 13^th June, took a lot longer than the first, filling the eye with silicon that will have to be removed after about three months and see how my sight is. So only one eye for a bit more.

The NHS is just coming up for its 75^th anniversary on 5^th July and I am really grateful for its service recently, I just hope that its current problems of staffing, waiting lists, underfunding etc., can be resolved and get back to what it was when we grew up. I remember that when my father died our local GP paid for a holiday for my two younger sisters who were 3 & 9 yrs old, can’t imagine that happening now, don’t even know my doctors name or what he/she looks like.

Having the problems above and having to be basically housebound for three months has really made me appreciate how great it is to belong to our u3a and what an amazing organisation it is, especially those that volunteer to run the groups and activities. I have very much missed being part and joining in with my groups and look forward to taking part again, now that I can eventually get out and about.

Spare a thought please for the many folk that are permanently housebound.

Anyway, it is St. Swithin’s Day on Saturday 15^th July, so lets hope that the weather is exceptional and doesn’t rain, otherwise, according to folklore, it will rain for the next 40 days so states the old poem:-

“St. Swithin’s day if thou dost rain, For forty days it will remain, St. Swithin’s day if it be fair, For forty days ‘twill rain no more”

I must congratulate the Sub Social Committee who despite having a few members on holiday or invalided, still put on an excellent Quiz Night on Friday 23^rd June, with 15 teams competing, congratulations to the winning team ‘3 Pairs’. The food was also good, so thanks to the caters, a good night out and a good time had by all.

Look forward to seeing you all (out of one eye) at July’s monthly meeting, please try and remember to wear your name badges so that all know who you are, and of course don’t forget to sign out if you leave early,.

Melvyn Francis, Chair

Beware of doorstep scams

It can be challenging to distinguish between a genuine doorstep seller and a scammer.

Doorstep scammers are people who show up at your front door out of the blue with the intention of either tricking you out of money or gaining access to your home.

It’s important to be cautious when dealing with strangers who appear unannounced at your doorstep, good advice is to always say NO.

Cyber-romance scammers

Romance scammers are targeting vulnerable individuals on charity Facebook pages that focus on sensitive topics such as mental health, bereavement and ageing. We’ve seen scammers lurking on pages belonging to Age UK, The Good Grief Trust and Mind.

Romance scammers often use grooming techniques, where they connect with their victims before exploiting them financially.

Remember, it’s crucial to stay vigilant and cautious when interacting with strangers online, especially on platforms where vulnerability is prevalent.

Beware of fake Microsoft fraud protection emails

If you have a Hotmail or Microsoft Outlook email account, watch out for fake ‘fraud protection’ emails that prompt you to log into your account.

These emails claim to be from the Outlook Support Team, are flagged as ‘high priority’, and state that they come from a ‘trusted sender’. The messages inform you that there’s been suspicious activity on your account and say you’ll need to click a link to log in. If you do so and enter your details, you could end up giving personal information to scammers, potentially compromising your other accounts.

Microsoft will never ask you to provide personal information or login credentials via email.