The new Constitution was formally adopted at the SGM on 6th December 2021.
414 votes were cast by proxy of which 382 were in favour, and 9 postal votes were cast of which 8 were in favour. In total 390 of 423 votes (92%) were in favour.
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Posts
Equality and Diversity
A draft Equality and Diversity policy has been posted for comment by all members.
It can be found under the Policies and Documents tab.
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Group names changed
As groups have been started, stopped and changed about, their names have changed. So we have made some of the names more logical and standardised the formats, e.g. where there were some groups with the same name, they are now <name> A, B, etc, instead of 1 and 2. This will also make it easier, we hope, for members to find their groups.
You can sort the columns, using the arrows at the at the top.
| Group Number | Original Group Name | New Group name |
|---|---|---|
| 177 | Card Making Brkhmstd | Card Making B (Bk) |
| 048 | Card Making HH | Card Making A (HH) |
| 082 | Creative Writing J | Creative Writing C |
| 090 | Discussion Group E (Brkhmstd) | Discussion Group E (Bk) |
| 019 | Genealogy Brkhmstd | Genealogy A (Bk) |
| 051 | Genealogy Hemel | Genealogy B (HH) |
| 095 | Italian Language & Culture | Italian (Language & Culture) |
| 156 | Italian Step 2 | Italian (Step 2) |
| 027 | Literature Group A (Brkhmstd) | Literature A (Bk) |
| 028 | Literature Group B (Brkhmstd) | Literature B (Bk) |
| 030 | Literature Group E (Boxmoor) | Literature C (HH) |
| 157 | Lunch Club 1 | Lunch Club A |
| 203 | Lunch Club 2 | Lunch Club B |
| 092 | More Italian | Italian (More) |
| 067 | Opera - Introduction | Opera (Introduction) |
| 041 | Play Reading 2 | Play Reading A |
| 042 | Play Reading (Brkhmstd) | Play Reading B |
| 050 | Shorter Walks B | Shorter Walks |
| 217 | Table Tennis 1 | Table Tennis A |
| 224 | Table Tennis 2 | Table Tennis B |
| 195 | Writing: Testing the Waters | Writing (Testing the Waters) |
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Groups Restarting Meetings Post Lockdown
We are pleased to announce that the following groups have started / will restart their meetings, face-to-face.
Note that a few have confirmed that they are continuing on Zoom for the moment and one is working entirely via email.
Note also that there have been some minor name changes to standardise the formats, there is a list here.
There is a list of the cancelled groups here and of those suspended here.
See the Group Pages for further information.
Armchair Traveller: St John’s Hall, start Tuesday 17 August
Art Club: Gadebridge Community Centre, started 23 July
Arts, Crafts and Skills: Zoom
Astronomy – Practical: St Mary and St Joseph Church Hall
Badminton (New Group): Hemel Hempstead Leisure Centre, starting 9 December
Book Reading Group: St John’s Church Hall, start 20 September
Calligraphy: Leverstock Green Village Halle, start 6 September
Card Making A (HH): Sundew Road, start 5 October
Card Making B (BK): Open Door Cafe, Berkhamsted (change to venue), start 21 Jan 22 (ex Zoom)
Classical Music Appreciation: St Francis Church Hall, start 14 October
Computer Programming: Zoom
Computer Support: St John’s Church Hall, start 24 September
Creative Writing A: Zoom
Creative Writing B: Wrensfield, start 15 October (Note: Change to Friday from Thursday)
Creative Writing C: by Email
Cribbage & Scrabble: Adeyfield Community Centre, start 13 September
Cycling: Various outdoor locations, start 2 September
Exploring London: Various London locations, start 28 September
Exploring Towns and Villages: Various outdoors, start 16 September
Flower Arranging: Highfield Community Centre, start 9 September
Folk Singing: Adeyfield Free Church (change to venue), start 8 September
French Book Club: Highclere Drive, HH
French Conversation Advanced: Zoom
Garden Visiting: Various outdoors, started June
Gardening A: Various outdoors, started July
Genealogy A (BK): Zoom
Genealogy B (HH): St Paul’s Parish Room (change to venue), start 20 September
German Improvers: St John’s Hall, started 2 August
Industrial History: St John’s Hall, start 15 September
Italian (Language and Culture): St john’s Hall, start 23 September
Italian (More): Zoom Various member’s homes (Note: change to days)
Italian (Step 2): Adeyfield Community Centre, start 10 September
Japanese Language and Culture: Various homes, started 26 August
Jazz Appreciation: St Francis, start 7 October
Latin – Beginners: Various homes, started 23 June
Latin – Intermediate: Various homes, started 23 June
Literature A: Various homes in Berkhamsted, started November
Literature B: Various homes in Berkhamsted, started August
Literature C: Zoom
Local History: St John’s Hall: start 28 September
Lunch Club 1: various locations, start 12 October
Lunch Club 2: various locations, start 26 October
Magic Introduction: Buglass Room, Leverstock Green Village Hall, start 3 September
Mahjong: St John’s Church Hall and Bovingdon, start 15 September (Note: change to locations)
Military History: St John’s Hall, start 1 September
Musical Miscellany: St Francis Church Hall
Money Matters: St John’s Hall, 13 September
Nature Study: Outdoor meetings
Needlecraft: Potten End
Opera – Introduction: Bovingdon, start 24 September
Out with Friends: St John’s Hall and various outdoor locations, start 3 September
Painting for Pleasure: Guide HW, start 28 September
Painting for You: adeyfield Community Centre, start 24 September
Patchwork: Guide Headquarters, 6 October
Pencil Drawing: Adeyfield Community Centre
Philosophy: Friends Meeting House, HH, started 19 October
Photography: St John’s Hall
Playing Early Music: Various members’ homes, start 27 September
Play Reading B: Zoom
Play Reading B (141): Location changed to Berkhamsted: starting 7 September
Poetry Appreciation: Piccotts End, started June
Poetry Writing: Gravel Lane, start 11 October
Practical Astronomy: St Mary and St Joseph Church Hall, start 9 September
Railways: Continuing on Zoom, ongoing
Reading: Middle Way, Berkhamsted
Russian: Briar Way, started May
Science and Technology: St John’s Church Hall (Change of venue), start 27 October
Sewing Bee: Adeyfield Community Centre, start 7 September
Shorter Walks: Various outdoor locations, started 17 June (Note: now only once per month)
Swimming (Berkhamsted) (was Watford): Berkhamsted Leisure centre, start 21 October (Note: change to location)
Table Tennis A: Adeyfield Community Centre, started 8 August
Table Tennis B: Adeyfield Community Centre, started 11 August
Tea Dance: Apsley Community Centre: started 31 August
Ukulele: Grovehill Community Centre: started 4 August
Urban Sketchers: Various locations, started 6 June
Walking: Various locations, started 1 June
Wild Flower Study: Various locations, started 30 June
Wine Appreciation: St John’s Hall: started Friday 30 July
Writing: Testing the Water: Berkhamsted, started 3 June
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Groups Suspended (for now)
The following groups are temporarily (we hope) suspended for various reasons.
If you believe that you could run one pending the coordinator being available again, please contact the Groups Secretary, on the main contact page.
Bus Trippers (183) – due to start again in 2022
Chaucer (225)
Circle Dance (011) – until 2022
GOAL (036)
Discussion (HH) (010)
Knit and Natter (175) – start date to be confirmed
Knit and Natter (198) – no current plan for re-starting but under review
Literature E (083)
Modern British History (149)
Quiz (053)
Rug Makers (213)
Shakespeare (056)
Spanish with Fun (187)
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Group Cancellations
We are sorry to say that the following groups have been cancelled, for various reasons.
If you would like to re-start the group, please contact the Groups Secretary
A Cappella (147)
Belleplates (062)
Board Games (070 and 212)
Bowls (006)
French and Fun (015)
French Conversation (014)
Garden Appreciation (016)
Geology 1 and 2 (021 and 184)
Line Dancing (022)
Music Appreciation (034)
Painting Unlimited (09)
Recorder Ensemble (148)
Sign Language (227 and 189). May start again next year.
Shorter Walks A (050) (Shorter Walks B (050) is continuing)
Sunday Scrabble (055)
Swimming Berkhamsted (226)
Ukulele 2 (192)
Whist (091)
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U3A Monthly meetings in 2021 on Zoom
U3A Monthly meetings in 2021 on Zoom
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions all the U3A Dacorum Monthly meetings will be Virtual and held via Zoom.
Here are the dates for the next few months- Meetings are generally held on the first Monday of the month, but may be later due to Bank Holidays etc.
Note all Zoom meetings will open from 10AM , with the speaker Presentation starting promptly at 10:30AM.
The Zoom link details will be made available to U3A Dacorum members later.
The August Monthly Meeting on Monday 2nd August will start with the AGM.
This will be followed by a Dacorum Heritage Trust U-Tube video titled “Witch Hunting and Ghosts in 18th Century Dacorum”
September 6th Paul Barwick The murder of Alexander Litvinenko
this is a topic that is familiar to us but Paul will tell us more.
October 4th John McCombe – The Voluntary Emergency Blood Transport
November 1st Brad Ashton The job of a Lifetime
December 6th Steve Price Magician
December 6th Steve Price Magician
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National U3A Radio Podcasts
The first ever u3a radio officially launched at 2pm on 29th September directly after the national AGM.
The national office learning team have been working with member volunteers who are skilled in broadcasting and you can keep listening to u3a radio wherever you are as it is delivered as a recorded podcast.
This pilot will feature a series of interviews and features from across the movement – for the launch – all themed around looking forward.
We are very excited about this project which we aim to grow and develop over the coming year. There will be another pilot before Christmas. We hope you enjoy our first broadcast.
u3a Radio Episode 1
Next U3A Radio Podcast Out Now
The second episode of the U3A Radio Podcast aired today on our YouTube Channel at 6am.
The U3A Radio Podcast is made by a team of U3A members with experience in radio – Nick Bailey, Ela Watts and Peter Clift– who structure the episode, conduct and record the interviews and put it all together to create the final product.
In this episode, there are interviews on creative writing, opera and much more. Listen to it here:
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AGM 2020 Review
AGM 2020
We had a very successful 2020 AGM, with about 86 members attending over 72 zoom links. it was clear that many old friends and acquaintances were pleased to see each other.
Our President, His Worshipful Mayor Councillor Terry Douris addressed the meeting and congratulated us on the numbers present, going on to extol the virtues of virtual meeting technology. He expressed surprise at the breadth and depth of the subjects covered by our groups and wished us every success when Covid-19 abates.
The Chairman, Treasurer and Groups Liaison Officer all addressed the meeting and reported on events through the year. Covid-19, finances and resuming group meetings were discussed in some detail.
The personal liability of the trustees should the Third Age Trust insurance be invalidated by the actions of members was explained as the major reason why groups would not resume meetings until government guidance allowed it. Currently Dacorum was bordering on becoming a ‘hotspot’ and extra caution was needed.
Many halls were trying to pass their legal responsibilities for effective cleaning to the hirers and we will not accept this.
The subject of paid for speakers was debated with some passion. It was explained that Monthly General Meetings were held to be different from Group Meetings. It was also held that there was no good reason for some groups to be subsidised while others were not. An example of Dance Instructors was given. It was also explained that many of the monthly speakers did so for no remuneration, and an example of a group frequently using a free speaker was given.
Efforts to lessen the workload of committee members was mentioned – the adoption of the Beacon Membership Management System and simplification of our membership fees.
It was agreed by the meeting to remove the rebate for members whose primary U3A is another U3A. This will greatly simplify the administration of charges, but more importantly it will ensure that all members are insured in meetings without the admin burden of having to frequently check on the membership status of 95 members with other U3As.
Everything can be expected to change, and we can make no assumptions about when we will be able to resume meetings or how much meetings will cost.
THE FOLLOWING TRUSTEES WERE ELECTED OR ASKED TO STAND FOR ANOTHER YEAR:
-
- Chairman – Tina Howard – agreed to stay for another year.
- Group Liaison – Alan Osborn – agreed to stay for another year.
- Members – Jean Sniders – was elected by a majority vote.
- Vice Chairman – Peter Bolton – was elected by a majority vote.
- Halls – Margaret Taylor – was elected by a majority vote.
- Beacon Admin – John Dodkins – was elected by a majority vote.
TRUSTEES CONTINUING
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- Lesley Drake – Treasurer
- Mike Sapsard – Secretary
- Jenny Thirlwell – Speakers
- Terry Thirlwell – Web Admin & Equipment
- Tim Thompson – Trustee without portfolio
If you would like to help run the U3A through these interesting times, or want to know more in any way, please contact any committee member for a chat. We have done a lot to spread the load and make things easy for the most heavily loaded people on the committee, including adopting a new Membership Management System.
Click here to email a committee member.
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Web Conferencing using Zoom, Skype & Jitsi etc.
Web Conferencing
With the prospect of the Covid-19 situation continuing for a few weeks, we all need to keep in contact and try to have regular “Virtual Meetings”.
Some groups have started to use Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp and other free services for small meetings.
We now have two U3A Dacorum Zoom Accounts set up. (Zoom 1 & Zoom 2)
We have also put together a “Beginners Guide to Zoom” in an attempt to make it easier for U3A Coordinators & Members to have regular “Scheduled” Zoom meetings.
The “Beginners Guide to Zoom” is divided into different sections:-
Using Zoom on a Desktop or Laptop,
Using Zoom on a Tablet or SmartPhone,
Using Screen Sharing,
Joining a Zoom Call for the First Time
Click this link to see the User Guide Zoom Users Guide
It is intended to assist all U3A coordinators to setup a Zoom video conference, or U3A Dacorum members to Join a Zoom meeting when invited by a Coordinator.
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