AGM AND CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR TRUSTEE POSITIONS
A reminder for your diaries that our first AGM will take place on Thursday 11 April at 12 noon in the Union Church and Community Centre in Weston Park. The meeting should not last longer than one hour and it is important that members are there as we need a minimum of 60 members present to be quorate. Looking forward to seeing you there!
The Call for Nominations for Trustee positions went out recently and closes at noon on Monday 11 March. If you are interested in being a CE&DU3A Trustee on the new Executive Committee, please have a look at the information about what is involved and complete the nomination form https://cedu3a.org.uk/agm/.
If you would like to discuss what this would entail in more detail please email either Sally on vicechair@cedu3a.org.uk or Jackie on secretary@cedu3a.org.uk with your phone number and we will call you back for a chat. Committee meetings are held every two months and the role should not take up much of your time.
MONTHLY MEETINGS
These are held on the second Thursday of the month at Union Church and Community Centre Weston Park N8 9PX.
Thursday 14 March 2019
Sandra Clark: Singing witches, authenticity and innovation: Macbeth on the Victorian Stage
Macbeth was one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays in the nineteenth century and all the major actors tried their hand in the main roles. Productions were characterised by music and spectacle, including large numbers of singing witches. One of Shakespeare’s shortest plays often took more than three hours to perform. This talk will consider the range and variety of the productions and the innovations some performers introduced.
CE&DU3A member Sandra Clark taught early modern literature, including Shakespeare, for many years at Birkbeck, University of London. She has written a number of books and articles on the literature of the period, the most recent being Shakespeare and Domestic Life: A Dictionary (Bloomsbury, 2018).
Thursday 11 April 2019
Fool’s Gold presents Stormy stories and tragic tales
April sees something unusual for our monthly meeting. To set us up and get us in good voice for our first Annual General Meeting, which will follow this event, we are delighted to welcome from Durham an acoustic duo, Carol and Steve Robson – Fool’s Gold. Carol and Steve are big favourites at U3As around the country and we are delighted that they are bringing their show Stormy Stories and Tragic Tales to north London. Although a Fool’s Gold show is rooted in music it is much more than just a concert performance, using live music, story and projected visuals to reveal the stories behind the songs – and of course there is plenty of audience participation. Their musical style is folk-based and they are multi-instrumentalists, featuring guitars, flute, whistles, bass and ukulele in their performances.
Our monthly meetings 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.
SCIENCE OF HEALTH MEETING
Monday 25 March 2019
Dr David Perlmutter’s Brain Maker: the power of gut microbes to heal and protect the brain
A video discussion between two eminent US neurologists: Dr David Perlmutter and Dr Dale Bredesen.
Dr Perlmutter claims that the body’s silent killers are wheat, carbohydrates and sugar. He overturns many of the assumptions that have been made about nutrition and shares the science behind his findings. Dr Bredesen says ‘Thanks in large to a dramatic new understanding of the brain-gut-microbiome connection there is new hope for the treatment of autism, to Alzheimer’s, to Multiple Sclerosis’. Neither research neurologist believes that drugs will be the answer to Alzheimer’s.
Venue: Union Church and Community Centre Weston Park N8 9PX.
11.30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
FIRST MONDAY PUB LUNCHES
As the name suggests, our pub lunches are held on the first Monday of every month, at the Mossy Well in Muswell Hill. They provide an opportunity for members to meet each other and chat in an informal and social atmosphere.
Members will of course have to pay for their own food and drinks.
If you are interested in coming along to the next pub lunch on 1 April 2019 at 1 p.m, please email crouchendanddistrictu3a@gmail.com, so we have some idea of numbers intending to join us.
COFFEE MORNINGS
These monthly get-togethers, held in people’s homes from 11am to 12.30pm, are a great way to meet other members. The March meeting (Tuesday 12 March, Crouch End) is currently full, but you are welcome to go on the waiting list, there are spaces for Friday 12 April, also in Crouch End. To book, or if you would like to host a coffee morning (we need a host for May, and for July onwards) please contact Jacki on https://cedu3a.org.uk/coffee-mornings/ Expenses can be reimbursed.
GROUP NEWS
New Groups
Current Affairs: issues explored in depth
The purpose of the group is to explore issues of current importance that interest members. The expectation is that all members will attend regularly and will undertake some prior research and present brief papers on a particular aspect of the topic. Members will decide the subjects for discussion.
The March meeting will focus on ‘populism’ – its history, re-emergence in the 21st century and gender characteristics. Other possible topics include migration, shifts in world power, nationalism, migration, global warming, and free trade – other suggestions welcome.
The first meeting of this group will be on Thursday 28 March at 2 p.m. It is hoped to run the group monthly, rotating between members’ homes (initially Crouch End).
For further information please see our website at https://cedu3a.org.uk/interest-groups/ or contact the convener: Paul Wedgbury at paulwedgbury@hotmail.com
Current debates in mental health
Mental health is much in the news. Less often reported are the many debates in this area which have implications for how we think and talk about, and respond to, what are commonly called ‘mental health problems’. This time-limited group (6-8 sessions) is an opportunity to learn more about and discuss these important issues. Guided by the group’s interests and preferences, the topics for discussion could include: different ways of thinking about ‘mental health problems’; psychiatric diagnosis; drug treatments and talking therapies; compulsory treatment; the service user movement; and the future of services. Group members will be asked to carry out some research and reading between sessions, which will mainly be guided discussions. The group could be of interest to those with or without any kind of background in mental health services. Maximum size 8 members.
The first meeting will be in March 2019, day and time to be agreed by members. Then, meetings will be fortnightly or monthly, depending on group preference, at a house in Crouch End.
For further information please see our website at https://cedu3a.org.uk/interest-groups/ or contact the convener Mary Boyle at mboyle@globalnet.co.uk.
History – Ancient to Medieval
This new group will start in a couple of months. To express your interest please contact Jane Clarke at groups2@cedu3a.org.uk.
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
Current Affairs: Issues explored in depth
Decluttering
Economics
Exhibitions and Galleries
Family History
Felt Making
Feminism
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
Mental Health Debates
Music Appreciation
Opera
Outings
Pétanque (Boules)
Philosophy
Photography
Play Reading
Poetry for Pleasure
Polish Conversation
Recorder
Relaxation
Science and Technology
Scrabble
Shorter Walks
Singing for Fun
Singing: Part Songs and Harmonising
Spanish Conversation
Strings
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
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 27396.
OTHER EVENTS
Welcome Coffee Morning for New Members of the Crouch End and District U3A
Our new members’ social organiser Llorett Kemplen would like to invite you to attend a ‘Welcome’ coffee morning to introduce you to the U3A, meet representatives of the committee and other new members and find out how you can get the most from your membership.
The first meeting will be on Tuesday 26 March 2019 ,11.30am – 1pm at Union Church & Community Centre, Weston Park N8 9PX.
Please let Llorett know if you are interested in coming along so that suitable arrangements can be made for refreshments at lfkemplen@gmail.com
Future dates: Tuesday 25 June and Tuesday 29 October – venue to be confirmed.
Summer Garden Party
We’d love to put it on so … we need organisers. We would like to put on our own Summer Garden Party for all members in the early summer – a chance to meet up, have a drink and bite to eat and listen to music. Can you help us?
We need a small group of people to organise all aspects, from confirming a venue, hiring equipment to organising catering and entertainment. Members of the Executive Committee will support with contacts, payments and advice. We have already scoped some outdoor spaces. If you would like to help with this one-off project so that we can celebrate summer and the second year of CE&DU3A, or just want to talk over what it might involve, contact: Sue: chair@cedu3a.org.uk or Sally: vicechair@cedu3a.org.uk.
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY ASSISTANCE
CE&DU3A now has over 600 members and our membership secretary Ed Allen would welcome some assistance with the consequent administration. If you can spare some time to help, please get in touch with him at membership@cedu3a.org.uk.
Remember that if you would like to offer ideas or help in any other way you can get in touch with our Volunteer Coordinator, by email: jenny@dreamcountry.org, or non-emailers can ring her on 020 8340 0681.
OTHER NEWS
London Regional Summer School 2019 – 23, 24 and 25 July 2019
Venue: St Bride Foundation, Bride Lane, Fleet Street (easy access: 5 minutes from Blackfriars underground station).
This is a popular annual non-residential event. Members can attend for one, two or three days, and can choose from 28 talks, 4 workshops and 6 guided walks around the City of London. There is a wide range of topics taken from the subjects of Art, Current Affairs, History, Literature, Music, Science and Travel. This year we have also selected ‘Celebration of the Sea’ as a general theme.
Please note that sessions book up quickly, so we advise booking as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
