September 2026 Newsletter

by Graham on 30 Sep 26

Sunflowers to welcome you to the newsletter. The picture was a collaboration by members of the Art for All group who each painted a tile. I think it’s brilliant.

A new term for our groups and a number of those will be welcoming new members. But if your group still has room for more let me know so we can tell everyone.

As at today we have 354 paid up members – 36 of those are new and very welcome to Ash u3a. Hopefully over the next month many of the remaining 80 will renew. But now, onto the news…

Volunteers

We have a set of excellent volunteers doing all sort of things for our u3a but as always things change and we have a few vacancies. We are looking for Groups, Publicity and Monthly Meeting co-ordinators. None of these roles take up too much of your time but help running things much easier for all and can be shared roles.

Your help will be most appreciated.

Publicity

Whilst our u3a appears robust unless we continue to publicise what we do there will be a gradual decline over the years. The primary means of marketing almost everything these days is online (and in particular using social media) and using imagery as the main media format.

What does that mean for us? It means pictures – as many as we get. If every group took one picture each month the newsletter would be quite spectacular. We can then distribute these pictures and the accompanying stories on our website and across a range of social media channels to expand our reach.

We do understand some members are reticent about having their faces published online but the general expectation is that members of a group may take publicity pictures during an activity and when this happens there is a minimal impact on your privacy (because you are not named nor are you the focus of the picture). These two conditions are referred to under GDPR as legitimate interest and do not need explicit consent.

Where practical the photographer shall let members know when they are about to take the picture so any members who don’t wish to be featured can turn away or move out of shot. But there may be some occasions where a picture is taken ‘in the moment’ because something is happening that will be gone in seconds. In this case those who don’t want to be identified can have their facial images blurred out if appropriate and practical.

If you want to find out more about legitimate interests and what it means this is the ICO information page.

AGM Minutes

The AGM minutes have now been published and can be viewed on this page.

A New Venue

We have been offered the use the 1st Ash Vale Scout Hut in Wood Street. We are still negotiating the details but it may be another useful place to meet

Anyone for Tennis?

We have a new member (Richard Lucas) who would like to start a tennis group. The tennis courts in Ash Vale are rarely used during during the day between Monday and Friday so they are offering their use at a favourable rate. If you think you could be the next Rod Laver or Virgina Wade let me know and I’ll pass on your details.

Tai Chi Sabre

Tai Chi Sabre is an excellent way to exercise your shoulders and release tension. It also helps with your overall well being, balance and co-ordination. We have room in the group so if it’s something you would like to have a go at all the details are here.

Signs

An excellent selection of pictures this month from the photography group. The September themes was signs.

See the winners here

Climate Crisis

After the long hot summer a topic we should all be thinking about.

Read the report from the S&T Group

Day of the Jackal

I remember reading this in 1973 when I was 14. A bit of a step up from Biggles.

Read what the Book Circle thought

Stopping for Coffee

An amble along the canal with coffee to follow. What a great way to spend the day

Canal and Coffee

Ambling round up

A bit of a quiz here from the ambling Group. Can you identify all the locations?

See all the Ambles

Monthly Meetings

Something a little different in September with a talk about Tales of the Unexpected from Christine and James Rowley. We had a record attendance of 59!

Click here to see details of all upcoming meetings

Next month you may see some changes. We plan to provide tea and biscuits before the talk so you have time to chat with friends. and to make thing easier, we will be putting out tables. The talk will then begin at 3pm.

Blackberry Picking by Seamus Heaney

Late August, given heavy rain and sun
For a full week, the blackberries would ripen.
At first, just one, a glossy purple clot
Among others, red, green, hard as a knot.
You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet
Like thickened wine: summer’s blood was in it
Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for
Picking. Then red ones inked up and that hunger
Sent us out with milk cans, pea tins, jam-pots
Where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots.
Round hayfields, cornfields and potato-drills
We trekked and picked until the cans were full
Until the tinkling bottom had been covered
With green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned
Like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered
With thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeard’s.
We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre.
But when the bath was filled we found a fur,
A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache.
The juice was stinking too. Once off the bush
The fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour.
I always felt like crying. It wasn’t fair
That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot.
Each year I hoped they’d keep, knew they would not

Anne Write:

Seamus Heaney (April 1939 – August 2013) was an Irish poet whose work is notable for its evocation of Irish rural life and events in Irish history as well as for its allusions to Irish myth. Although he was not an overtly political poet, his work often referenced the Troubles. Heaney received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995 and was cited “for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past.”

Seamus Heaney is one of my favourite poets and many people think he should have been our poet laureate when alive.

Southwood Woods

Off to Southwood went the Healthy Walkers

A Grand Day Out

We are in the initial planning stages of organising a trip to the Christmas Market in Winchester on 8th December. The coach only has 55 seats so places are limited. If you are interested in going please register your name on the event page.

If we get sufficient numbers you will be asked to pay £15/head. If we don’t get 55 wanting to go we may not be able to run the trip.

And don’t forget we also plant to hold an Ash u3a dinner in 2027. But to do this we would need some help with organising. Volunteers would be most appreciated.

Picture courtesy of the Aireborough Historical Society. They have some wonderful pictures on the site.

Christmas Wreath Workshop

Shel Kidd is planning a workshop to make a Christmas Wreath on 24 November. This is a doing event – no previous experience necessary!

National Emergency Briefing

Some of you may have heard about or seen mention of the National Emergency Briefing. This is a film being shown across the UK to many organisations. We are considering showing the fiulm at a monthly meeting early in 2027. If anyone has already seen the film and considers it of value (or of little value) to Ash u3a members can you please let us know.

Visit the NE Briefing Website to find out more.

Things we are doing in October