Dukeries u3a held their first ‘in person’ meeting in September when old and new members came together to enjoy an entertaining musical presentation of ‘Old King Coal’ by northern musicians Fool’s Gold. This was a tremendous start to the relaunch of the monthly meetings. In October, members heard author Philip Caine speak of his fascinating career ‘From Baghdad to Barrow and Back’.
Activity groups continued to meet and it was heartening to see new members joining in. The Tuesday and Sunday lunch clubs welcomed new members to visits to the Angel at Blyth and Forest Lodge at Edwinstowe. The Ramblers enjoyed a sunny, circular eight-mile walk from Firbeck, including a visit to the ruins of Roche Abbey. Information on events and the varied activities Dukeries u3a offer can be found on their website (details below). The list of next year’s speakers will be available soon.
If you would like to sample what Dukeries u3a have to offer, you can attend up to two monthly or activity group meetings for a nominal sum of £1.00 each time. The full membership fee is £8.00 up to 31st March 2022. This fee gives access to all activity / interest groups, social activities and monthly members’ meeting (with visiting speaker) followed by refreshments. Members receive a monthly newsletter and can join the private Facebook group. They can also apply to join an activity group run by other local u3as who participate in the North Notts Network Group.
The next members’ meeting will be at Jubilee Hall, Wellow Road, Ollerton on Monday 15th November at 1.00pm. The speaker will be Paul Stafford, who will be telling of his intriguing visit to North Korea. Paul is a very well-travelled man, having visited 113 countries including Rwanda, Syria, Bosnia and Iran – but no country is as secretive and strange as North Korea. In his talk Paul will tell members all about the ruling Kim dynasty, show them the astonishing sights of the capital Pyongyang and take them to the world’s most dangerous border.
Dukeries u3a continue to forge links with community partners such as Newark and Sherwood District Council, the Miner2Major project and Dukeries Workshop. This gives a great opportunity for members to follow the u3a motto ‘Learn, Laugh, Live’ while supporting local initiatives. Dukeries u3a also believe that ‘now is the time to make the most of your life’. Despite the recent Covid restrictions they have been successful in increasing membership by 25% over the last two months. They now have over 125 members drawn from Ollerton, Edwinstowe and surrounding villages and are open to anyone aged over 50 who is not in full time employment.
To find out more about them and what they offer please take a look at www.u3asites.org.uk/dukeries/welcome to contact Wendy, the membership manager. Alternatively, their chairperson, Leslye, will be happy to give more information. She can be contacted on 07756 436177 or du3achair2020@gmail.com.
