Page 32 - Oundle Life January 2021

Learn, laugh, live...
OUNDLE & DISTRICT U3A
‘Do not write the older generation off!’
‘Our members are vibrant, young at heart and have much to offer.’
‘They want to achieve in life, be active and keep experiencing new things.’
These are some quotes from Sam Mauger, the CEO of u3a. What is u3a, you may be wondering? If you are of a certain age (over 55?), you might have come across it because it is an organisation open to anyone who
is no longer in full-time work. It gives its members the opportunity to share skills, take up something new and develop interests in
a friendly atmosphere and at low cost. There are over 1,000 u3as in the UK, with more than 40,000 groups meeting every week.
Oundle & District u3a launched in 2008 and now has over 600 members. Interest Groups
are varied and range from Birding to Bowling, Gardening to Genealogy, Shakespeare to Scrabble, and from Walking to Writing Poetry. Each Group has a Group Leader, not necessarily an expert, more of an enabler.
In those heady days before the first lockdown, Groups met either in each other’s homes or in a local Community venue. We also held monthly Meetings in the Queen Victoria Hall, with a chance for Members to chat and listen to a talk from a visiting speaker. Our final talk on 9th March was given by Graham Short, a world- renowned micro-engraver. He astounded us with his work, which included the complete Lord’s Prayer on a pinhead and the Queen’s portrait inside the eye of a needle! It was absolutely fascinating.
The Falcons Walking Group enjoying the fresh air
How is our u3a keeping going at the moment?
In the early days, several Groups met via zoom or skype – not the same as meeting face-to-face, but better than not meeting at all.
Then, as we moved to being able to meet outside, following the ‘rule of six’, many Groups started to meet in gardens, while still maintaining social distancing, and of course we were blessed with glorious weather.
More recently, groups of six were able to meet indoors again. Larger groups coped by having some members meeting in person, with others joining virtually. Walking groups were exempt from the ‘rule of six’ provided that they followed u3a and Ramblers Association guidelines.
Our Monthly Meetings are now ‘virtual’
and in the comfort of our own homes – quite appealing, with the approach of colder weather.
As I write this, we are about to go into a second lockdown, so back to square one, but at least we are now experts at zoom etc! I have been enormously cheered by our Members’ resilience and their determination to keep things going. Many live on their own and are
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Shakespeare Group 4 meeting outside for the first time since lockdown