WARMEST NEW YEAR WISHES FOR 2019
 
It’s been an amazing 15 months since our Inaugural Day in September 2017.
 
At 20 December 2018 we had 694 members. We now offer over 65 groups, a range of social events and high-quality talks at the Monthly Meetings. This is due to the generosity and expertise of the group convenors and the dedication of our Steering Committee, Publicity Group and a range of helpers at events.
 
This coming year we will be holding our first Annual General Meeting, following the monthly meeting on April 11. We very much hope to see you there (see below for more details).
 
To make our plans a reality we will need help from you: organising events, help with catering and audio visual equipment, bringing ideas and more.
 
On behalf of the Steering Committee, I look forward to meeting more of you at our gatherings and wish you a very happy new year.
 
Sue Felgate
Chair CEDU3A
 
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
 
Now that Crouch End & District U3A is a registered charity, we will be holding our first Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 11 April 2019, directly following from the monthly meeting. The Steering Committee will be replaced by an elected Executive Committee.
 
At the AGM you will be asked to elect officer and non-officer Trustees (Executive Committee members) and approve the accounts, and hear a brief overview of progress to date and plans for the future. Calls for officer and non-officer nominations will go out in early February. Please watch the website and emails for further information.
 
The meeting should last no longer than one hour. It is important that as many people as possible stay for the AGM as we need a minimum of 60 members for it to be quorate. We look forward to seeing you there.
 
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
 
Renewal notices were sent out in November to members whose membership was due to expire on 31 December 2018. A reminder will be sent out in January, after which membership will lapse.
 
Many thanks to all those who have already renewed: new cards will be available at January’s monthly meeting – any not collected then will be posted.
 
MONTHLY MEETINGS
 
These are held on the second Thursday of the month at Union Church & Community Centre, Weston Park N8 9PX.
 
Thursday 10 January 2019
 
Hugh Hayes: A Park for Finsbury
 
A talk celebrating the 150th anniversary of the opening of Finsbury Park. Hugh will outline the Park’s complex history up to its opening in 1869 and describe highlights from its history. The talk will be illustrated from Hugh’s large collection of ephemera relating to the Park and the surrounding area, and followed by questions.
 
Hugh Hayes was chair of the Friends of Finsbury Park between 1999 and 2005 and is author of A Park for Finsbury – a history of the Park (now out of print). He has often led walks in the Park detailing its history and for eight years ran the community garden. Hugh lived in Stroud Green for thirty-one years, but now lives in Cornwall.
 
Thursday 14 February 2019
 
John Withington: Living to 100 – The Secrets of the Centenarians
 
What is it like to live for a century and which of us will survive to find out? Drawing on his acclaimed book Secrets of the Centenarians, John Withington examines: Why are there 90 times as many centenarians as there were 100 years ago? Why do women outnumber men by about 5 to 1? What determines who will make it to 100 and who will fall by the wayside? And can we go on expanding human lifespan or have we reached our limit?
 
John will also tell the stories of the oldest people who have ever lived and the famous people who made it to 100 – the celebrity centenarians.
 

John Withington is an award-winning television producer and reporter and the author of a number of books, including London’s Disasters, A Disastrous History of the World and Storm: Nature and Culture.
 
The monthly talks are open to all members (please bring your membership card), and you are welcome to bring a guest: it is possible to join at the meeting. Talks start at 10.45 am, tea and coffee is available from 10 am. Union Church is a plastic-free zone, so please bring your own cup or mug
 
START THE NEW YEAR LEARNING ABOUT EFFECTIVE EXERCISE
 
In January Helen Maestranzi will lead a short talk/interactive session for anyone interested in learning about exercising successfully as we get older. The session will cover how to exercise safely, different types of exercise, how to know when exercise is effective, how chronic illness can affect exercising and how to sustain exercise. There will also be an opportunity to try different types of exercises (not compulsory) with a fully insured experienced exercise professional. This session is aimed at people who are new to exercise or feel unconfident about exercising and who can walk freely and unaided.
 
There are only 12 places available. The session is free to attend and will take place at I pm on Wednesday 16 January 2019 at the Small Hall, Hornsey Vale Community Centre, 60 Mayfield Road, London N8 9LP.
 
To book go to: http://bit.ly/2P4GIXK or call Helen on 07984 120014.
 
COFFEE MORNINGS
 
These monthly get-togethers, held in people’s homes from 11 am to 12.30 pm, are a great way to meet other members. January is full, but there are spaces available for Wednesday 13 February and Tuesday 12 March (both in Crouch End). We need hosts from April onwards.
 
To book for February or March, or if you would like to host a coffee morning please contact Jackivia https://cedu3a.org.uk/coffee-mornings.
 
GROUPS
 

We now have 69 groups running. New or upcoming groups are:
 
Strings (violin, cello etc): see https://cedu3a.org.uk/strings/
 
Netball (virtually ready, but we need someone to help organise it): see https://cedu3a.org.uk/2018/12/17/%e2%96%b7-netball-walking-netball/. If you’d like to help organise the group, email David at groups@cedu3a.org.uk
 
Feminists: being set up. Look on the website in the next couple of weeks, or register your interest via Jane at groups2@cedu3a.org.uk
 
Modern Greek: some members have expressed interest in such a group, but we don’t have a convener. If you’d like to join the group, contact Jane as above. If you’d like to convene it, contact David as above.
 
Decluttering
There will be one more meeting of the Decluttering group (see https://cedu3a.org.uk/de-cluttering/), on January 16, after which we will need a new convener. Please contact David on groups@cedu3a.org.uk if you would be interested in convening the group.
 
For details of all groups see https://cedu3a.org.uk/interest-groups/
 
For those without email ring Jane Clarke on 020 8341 1239 or 07948 273 960
 
CURRENT GROUPS
 
The 1960s
Architecture
Art Appreciation 1
Art Appreciation 2
Art – Beginners
Art – Intermediate
Badminton
Birdwatching
Book Group 1
Book Group 2
Bookbinding
Bridge
Crime Fiction Book Club
Crochet
Current Affairs
Decluttering
Economics
Exhibitions and Galleries
Family History
Felt Making
Films
Foreign Films
French Book Club
French Conversation
Futurology
Gardens
Gentle Exercise (Feldenkrais)
Geology
History
Italian Conversation 1
Italian Conversation 2
Jazz and Improvised Music
Latin
Local History: Introductory Course
Local History: Further Research
London Loop Walk
Longer Walks
Machine Embroidery/Surface Textiles
Music Appreciation
Opera
Outings
Pétanque (Boules)
Philosophy
Photography
Play Reading
Poetry for Pleasure
Poetry Writing
Polish Conversation
Recorder
Relaxation
Science and Technology
Scrabble
Shorter Walks
Singing for Fun
Singing: Part Songs and Harmonising
Spanish Conversation
Table Tennis
Textiles
Theatre Visits: Fringe
Theatre Visits: West End
Ukulele
Wine Appreciation
Wine … and more
World Literature
Writing
 
Groups with a booking system
NB to be eligible to book you must join the relevant group
 
Exhibitions and Galleries (places may be offered to members outside the group)
Films
Foreign Films
London Loop Walk
Longer Walks
Outings
Shorter Walks
Theatre Visits: Fringe
Theatre Visits: West End
Wine … and More
 
HELPING OUR U3A
 
Volunteer Coordinator
 
We now have a Volunteer Coordinator who will be the main point of contact for those members who express an interest in offering time, skill or expertise to our U3A. You can contact her by email jenny@dreamcountry.org. The phone number for non-emailers is 
020 8340 0681.
 
New members’ get-together socials – organiser(s) wanted
 
We would like a volunteer (or volunteers) who can organise get-togethers, either coffee mornings or afternoon teas, for new Cedu3a members, to welcome them and tell them more about what’s on offer in our U3A. We would hope to run these about three times a year with smallish gatherings of up to 12 people. Members of the Steering Committee will be there to support and answer questions.
 
If you’d like to find out more, contact Sally: vicechair@cedu3a.org.uk
 
Help with setting up audio visual equipment at the monthly meetings
We have a good, reliable team for this but need additional help to cover absences. It involves help with either the projector/screen/laptop or sound and mic system. You will not be needed at every meeting and can shadow for a few times if necessary. We have full notes and a video of setting up the sound system. Contact Sally: vicechair@cedu3a.org.uk.
 
SAVE THE DATE: QUIZ NIGHT
 
The next quiz night will be Wednesday 27 February. The previous quizzes have sold out, so keep an eye on the website for booking details.
 
DATA PROTECTION
 
Data Protection regulations require that the Crouch End & District U3A keeps up-to-date records of its membership.
 
To this end we would be grateful if you could inform us of any changes to the details you provided us when you first joined.
 
You can make the changes yourself online by logging on to our membership database with the details you provided when you joined, ie forename, surname, membership number, email address and postcode. Once logged in you can update your record. If you prefer to have your membership details updated by one of our membership team, please email crouchendanddistrictu3a@gmail with your changes.