The zoom link for this talk will be made available nearer the the date of the talk . It will start at 2.00pm.

Brenda Ainsley’s talk will explain the science behind the climate crisis and then go on to explore some of the solutions.  There will be time for questions at the end.
The Climate Reality Project was founded by former US Vice President Al Gore;  every effort has been made to ensure that all facts are verified and refer only to Peer Reviewed research.  The work of institutions such as NASA and the Meteorological Office are drawn on, along with many academic institutions.  The presentation is up-to-date and draws on examples from both around the world and here in the UK.   It usually lasts about 40 minutes, with time for Q&A.

Brenda Ainsley is a u3a member, a trained Climate Reality Leader and is also Community Lead for Plastic Free Cotgrave.   She is a Green Flag Assessor for Eco Schools.  Brenda has led various Eco and Climate Groups for the u3a, has presented four National Talks and jointly leads the ‘Countdown to COP’ group for the Online u3a.  Along with members of that group, she is a regular contributor to ‘Third Age Matters’; Brenda works closely with members of the National Office team to raise the profile of Climate and Environmental matters within the u3a.  In November 2021, Brenda set up and led 4 workshops during the COP26 Climate conference in Glasgow, with an emphasis on Intergenerational Climate Activism.  If you have seen the u3a film ‘Do Something Brilliant Today’, you may have spotted Brenda and members of her group!  In March 2022, Brenda and members of the Countdown to COP27 group led awareness-raising workshops for u3a Trustees and staff.  In November 2022, Brenda and her team ran a further successful workshop for 70 people at the London Business School, on Intergenerational Dialogue about Climate Justice. 

Place: St Bride Foundation Institute,14 Bride Lane (off Fleet Street), EC4Y 8EQ Cost: £41 per day including refreshments and buffet lunch with a choice of healthy salads and fruit. Programme: Activities include 17 talks, four workshops and eight guided walks. The wide range of subjects includes: Art, Current Affairs, History, Literature, Performing Arts, Music, Sciences, Social Studies. You can see full details in the Summer School Programme

If you are looking forward to summer school well wait no longer; the following information will help you get ready for the booking date and time of Friday 17th March @ 10.00am, when access to the Booking Form will be available
Please note: All links can be downloaded

This is primarily a 4-day residential summer school held at the University of Chichester, although, participants do have the option to be non-residential. Details about the choice of accommodation, costings and payment along with other relevant information can be found on the Course Information sheet.

Just click on Course Information for full details

The participants register on the Monday afternoon and they are with their tutors by 5.00pm for a short introductory session. There is full programme with their chosen subject on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning. The summer school finishes after lunch on Thursday – home time!!

This year we have some favourite courses returning:
• Cycling
• Fun with French – Intermediate
• Mahjong – Beginners
• Mathematics demystified
• Poetry ‘A World of Dreams’
• Ukulele Intermediate (change of level)

The new subjects are:
• Archaeology & Egyptology
• Fizziks is Phun (Physics)
• Irish and Anglo-Saxon Illuminated Manuscripts
• Seated and/or Standing Yoga & Mindfulness
• Walking/Rambling – A Coastal Delight.

Just click on subject for full details

There is a programme of events each evening:
• Monday – Quiz night – getting to know each other and having fun
• Tuesday – Film night on campus – a recent film OR
• Tuesday – TBC
• Wednesday – Speaker – Jane Glennie: “Violet’s Titanic Escape”

Just click on Speaker for full details of events

If you do not have internet access, please contact Jill Haistead on 07939 332542 and the relevant information will be posted to you.

Please read carefully the Course Information sheet on how to book before filling in the Booking Form, available on Friday 17th March @10.00am.

Looking forward to seeing you all

3asites.org.uk/southeastu3aforum/events

Our monthly talk on March 6th was given by Jo Livingston a Bexley Heath U3A member on the topic of “Odd Corners of London” . This was such a success that although she brought 60 handouts of follow up information with her there still were not enough!  She has given us permission to put the handout on the website for others to use.  Many thanks to Jo for a very good talk.

Handout – Odd Corners of London 1 page (2)

Photos of our winners clutching their prizes of a book token each will be with us soon.  These Quiz Champions will also have just come to terms with the other part of their prize which is to devise and organise next years Quiz!

Doors open 1.30 as usual with a cup of tea and a biscuit to revive all the contestants available at the end as we all discuss our successes or more commonly what we didn’t know.

London Region of U3As    Online Talks January – March 2023

17.30-18.30 (Log on from 17.00) on Zoom To register please click on the links for the talks that you are interested in below.

One application only per person per talk. After registration you will automatically receive a Booking Confirmation email. Please retain this as a reminder of your booking details.

Two days before the event you will be sent an email with the Zoom joining instructions.

NB: If you think you have not received either the booking confirmation or Zoom meeting link, please check your spam/junk folder before emailing the contact below. Further information: Talks.lru3a@gmail.com

January Monday 16 th 17.30-18.30 Log on from 17.00 Hilary Stone: London’s Waste – Past, Present and Future London has had a problem with waste since the thirteenth century. This talk will look at waste and its management through the centuries, at energy generation from waste and briefly at the issues posed by the Edmonton incinerator. It will then consider how environmental law changed during our membership of the European Union – to the benefit of the population of London, what may happen now and finally consider different types of wastes and what the best ways might be to recover their value. Originally a lawyer, Hilary joined the Centre for Environmental Research at Brunel University in the late 1990s. Now an Honorary Research Fellow at Imperial College, London, her interests span both environment and renewable energy – where that energy is derived from novel waste treatments. She currently chairs REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technologies) Gasification and Pyrolysis Group, its Energy from Waste Forum and is a member of the REA Policy Board. She is an independent environmental consultant and a member of Islington u3a Green Issues group. Register here https://u3alondonregion.wufoo.com/forms/z1md4d521o0vgg3/

February Monday 20 th 17.30-18.30 Log on from 17.00 Hazel Beale: Cézanne An illustrated talk on the life and work of the French artist Paul Cézanne, childhood friend of the great French writer Emile Zola, and forerunner of Cubism, Picasso and abstract art. This talk is in conjunction with the Cezanne exhibition at Tate Modern. Hazel has lived in London for the past 23 years after moving from her home town of Bath. Her hobby is guiding in London where she is a volunteer guide with the British Museum, Tate Modern and National Trust as well as leading walks as a City of London guide and with her local U3A (Member of London Southeast u3a). Register here https://u3alondonregion.wufoo.com/forms/zh9r6u609g628s/

March Monday 20th 17.30-18.30 Log on from 17.00 Jo Livingston: Changing London A look at some of the areas of London which have changed over the centuries or in some cases much more rapidly than that – St. Paul’s and Kings Cross – along with a few brash newcomers such as Crossrail and the current fashion for roof gardens and pedways, as well as the tradition of hospitality close to London Bridge over 2000 years and the eruption of some very strange buildings in the Square Mile. In an earlier life Jo was a librarian and later taught basic IT skills to adults who’d missed out on it at work. A member of Bexley u3a, she has given many talks about London and a variety of other subjects to most London U3As, and online to other groups across the UK. She is the u3a Subject Adviser for Living History (life stories, oral histories). As a member of the u3a Research and Shared Learning Committee, she manages the u3a research database of over 1000 projects undertaken by u3a members. Register here https://u3alondonregion.wufoo.com/forms/z1ushhsz087a06t/

Sustainable Design – Kingston u3a members have been invited to take part in an exciting new project with our local university. The Senior Lecturer involved, Dr Jakob, has sent the following summary: During this autumn term, students studying for a Masters in Sustainable Design at Kingston School of Art, Kingston University, will be asked to develop design projects with the older population in mind, generating solutions that have benefits for this particular age group.

Questions to raise include:

• How might we revolutionise the way homes and communities are designed so the needs of older people are considered? • How might we enable the best possible quality of life when we grow older?

• How might we create more social opportunities for all, including those who are older?

To inform the development of the project, we are keen for students to engage directly with their target audience for primary research, to learn about lived experiences and gain insights about individual challenges in connection with growing older. We hope that relationships and collaborations will emerge between our students and members of Kingston u3a during the course of the project. This will include further meetings to provide feedback on the design development and opportunities for participation in the design process. For us it is immensely important that we don’t design for but with the end user.

Further information The researchers need about 10 volunteers who are able to attend the first meeting at the new Town House, Penrhyn Road, Kingston at 11am on Friday, 14 October. There will be about four further meetings, all on university premises, between then and Christmas, all on Fridays. If you are interested, please email Linda Foreman at linda@foto.co.uk.

Anniversary Quilt Competition

The 40^th Anniversary quilt competition was launched for members to create blocks for a quilt on the topic of Positive Ageing. The Anniversary Quilt competition has been judged and 40 squares on the topic of Positive Ageing have been selected for the quilt which we hope will be revealed on as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend.

Find out more

Picnic in the Park | June 2022

Over the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend, u3as are encouraged to hold picnics to celebrate not just the Queen’s Jubilee and the Green Canopy but also our 40th Anniversary. We hope to make a splash with the reveal of the Anniversary Quilt at this time.

Find out more

U3a Science Network webinar | July 2022

The u3a Science Network will host an anniversary meeting, Futures, Foresight and Horizon scanning, in July which we hope will be open to the public as well as to u3a members. There are plans to attract an eminent scientist to open the July science network meeting. Two additional meetings for u3a members will be held during 2022, in April and October.

Find out more

Conference on Research and Shared Learning | July/August 2022

Conference featuring a wide range of topics and sessions about u3a Research and Shared Learning. A planning meeting in January will decide on the projects to be included and we are seeking a significant scientist to open the meeting.

Find out more

One Foot in the Future | September /October 2022

The aim of this project is to engage older people from across the UK in telling real or imagined stories about older people taking positive steps to make a better future for themselves and others. Themes are all about Reimagining the Future in Older Age, raising awareness of the u3a movement as well as the fun you can have as you get older.

Find out more

A week-long celebration of u3a | September 2022

Hundreds of members took part last year in the first ever u3a Day – an annual event showcasing the activity, learning and fun which takes place across the movement every day. u3a members wanted to extend this annual event and showcase positive ageing over a whole week. In 2022, our 40th anniversary, our u3a Week will take place between 17 and 26 September – come and join us as members across the UK hold events and demonstrate just what u3a is all about. u3a Week will showcase members’ lived experience of what it means to have a good later life.

Art Group 2, mixed media in these COVID times we are meeting online with a combination of zoom, emails and telephone calls, in more normal times we meet in the United Reform Church Kingston on Tuesday afternoon.

We are a happy group who have a real love of putting pen, pencil, brush and more to paper. Our tutor is Pat Boyle who challenges and educates us with well thought out projects and is always encouraging and supportive, whatever our individual level.

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This is the seventh episode of our podcast, made by a team of u3a members with experience in radio. Each episode, which comes out on the 17th of each month, features interviews with u3a members and captures the amazing things happening across the u3a movement.

In the April episode of the u3a radio podcast, the team discuss u3a day with organiser Sue Stokes, talk to a u3a member who has taken part in debates in the House of Lords, and discuss Zoom interest groups with Farnham u3a, amongst other stories from across the u3a movement.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=U3A+podcast+episode+7

Listen to the episode now on our YouTube channel and listen to all previous episodes on our playlist. 

If you have a story to share, please get in touch with us.

All the Kingston Monthly Meetings since August have been held on Zoom with members being emailed a link so they can join in.   This has met with great support  nearly reaching the 100 maximum on our Zoom licence in most months. We weren’t completely sure if a few extra might creep in should we hit the magic one hundred well in January we found out it was 100 and no more so several members couldn’t join us.  Consequently at the next Committee meeting after some research we have upped the licence to the next level and unless over 500 of you join us which of course would be magnificent we should be fine!  So see you on 1st Feb to hear Imogen Cunningham speak on the Bayeux Tapestry.

Click below to View Current Work

Drawing & Painting 2 Flowers

Online talks by the U3A Subject specialists and some bodies such as The National Gallery and the National Trust where their have been previous links.

These and many other talks can be booked whether free or paid on The Third Age Trust website  https://www.u3a.org.uk/events/educational-events

Jan 22nd  The Unification of the British Isles:  a lesson in Geology

A Taste of Japan takes place monthly over January, February and March. There are 3 separate event dates you can book or you can book all three.

Feb 25th or March 11th   Join Susan Collini, Subject Adviser for Wellbeing with Nature, for this interactive talk and discussion on spending time in nature.

Watercolour tutorials

Tony Burke, Huddersfield U3A, has run a watercolour class for many years but in March it was cut short. He undertook to complete the course, for those that were interested, via YouTube and has just posted lesson number 26. Tony is really happy to share these with U3A members across the movement.

They are really great tutorials to follow, watch them here.

Please see the Archive section on the menu bar where you can find Nomination Forms for people to become Committee members for 2020/21. This is being announced well in advance as the AGM will have to take place online with the help of ZOOM as the Richard Mayo Centre is not available for large group bookings until 2021. Further details will appear in both the  Autumn Newsletter and the News Bulletins to keep you up to date with the necessary procedures.

Membership Renewal forms for 2020/20121 will be available via the Membership tab on the Menu Bar for you to download as required.  The new membership year will start on October 1st 2020.