Category Archives: NEWS
The theme of January’s Americana Group session was European Americana-influenced songs and compositions.
Talk : Stress control
Jonathan Lipitch: How to Control Stress in a Stressful World
Monday 25 January 2020, 5-6 p.m.
In his talk Jonathan will provide the audience with a greater understanding of how stress operates and builds within the body. He will then describe
practical ways to take greater control over this process in order to improve physical health and an overall sense of wellbeing. An article to set the scene and overall context for the talk will be sent to applicants in advance.
Register
This is a London Region of U3As event and not one organised by the Crouch End & District u3a. It will not be recorded
Shared Reading Group for Haringey residents
From 26 January 2021, 2 p.m. via Zoom or
phone
During lockdown a Shared Reading Group will be offered via Zoom to Haringey residents ; those who do not have internet access can also call in from a mobile or landline phone.
Reading material – short excerpts from books or stories – will be selected from both popular and lesser known authors and poets from around the world.
For residents who phone in to the sessions, the Group will make sure they have the text ahead of the call.
It is very much hoped that this initiative will provide an opportunity for residents from across Haringey to feel more connected, by providing a space for residents to come together, read great literature and look out for each other. There will no need for Group members to read aloud or speak – it will be fine to just listen. The idea is to create a space where people feel at ease.
Find out more
This is Group organised by Haringey Connected Communities, not the Crouch End & District U3A.
U3A radio
Welcome to the U3A radio podcast for January , featuring interviews with U3A members who started a Retiring with Attitude course, a Barnet u3a member who featured on Britain’s Got Talent and a chef from Vegetarian for Life.
Listen
Project : Travelling plants
Timeline : February – December 2021
Travelling Plants invites volunteers from the U3A to take part in a collaborative project to transcribe, research and encode the first of Kew Gardens’ Register Books (1793-1809), funded by The National Archives. Volunteers will work with staff from Kew Gardens and the University of Roehampton to create a digital edition of a key source for the history of botany in Britain. Welcomed are volunteers with interests in botany, gardening, history, exploration, computer coding and/or editing: no particular expertise is requited – just a desire and willingness to learn and contribute.
Training will be provided in all aspects of the project via online seminars and tutorials beginning in February 2021. Support will be provided throughout the project period, which concludes in December 2021, with a launch of the digital edition at Kew Gardens.
For more information, email TravellingPlants@kew.org
Talk : Wellbeing in nature
Thursday 25 February 2021, 2-3 p.m.
Susan Collini : Wellbeing in Nature
You are invited to join Susan Collini, U3A Subject Adviser for Wellbeing with Nature, for an interactive talk and discussion on spending time in nature. The talk aims to provide greater insight and deeper appreciation of the health and wellbeing benefits available through nature connection which might inspire some U3A members to launch their own Wellbeing with Nature group.
Register
This a national U3A event and not one organised by the Crouch End & District U3A. It will not be recorded.
NEWS@

Our first newsletter of 2021 is published and what better way to spend a dismal winter day than to read some inspiring features about our own members and Groups, plus tips on gardening, warming wines and beers, discover our local history and take a look at some of the great photographs taken by Photography Group members. And a quiz as well!
Read the January 2021 Newsletter
CEDu3a in the news
This week’s Hampstead & Highgate Express reports:
“Crouch End’s University of the 3rd Age (U3A) group has raised more than £1,000 for homelessness charity Shelter, simply by walking.

Before Christmas, the group dedicated one of their weekly Thursday walks as part of the charity’s Big Walk campaign, and raised £1,175 to help those sleeping rough or otherwise unable to find somewhere safe to live.”
Read on
CEDu3a Executive Committee
The CEDu3a Executive Committee (EC) held its first meeting of the year on 8 January 2021.
Summarised actions
Executive Processes
The date for the 2021 AGM had been set for 15 April and it will be held online again, following the success of last year’s AGM and likely ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
Nomination papers for an additional two Trustees for the Executive Committee are being sent out on 11 January, with a deadline for return of 5 February 2021.
The Executive Committee is considering a series of priorities for delivery in 2021 and will set these before members at the AGM. A subcommittee structure to support delivery of the priorities is also being drawn up.
Interest Groups / Members
With current national COVID-19 restrictions, the only interest groups able to continue at present are those using Zoom or other online media. Most of the interest groups already using Zoom, approximately 40 of them, will continue to do so. The Photographers and Photography Group will be re-activated in February and Mindfulness from April.
Prior to the end of 2020 all members were notified of the need to renew membership by 1 January and, as of the meeting date, approximately one-third had failed to renew by the deadline. They are being reminded at intervals over the next few weeks and, if not renewed by the end of February, they will no longer be allowed to take part in interest group activity and will have to pay £25 to re-join.
The first newsletter of 2021 will be issued this month.
Talks
Online talks have been booked up to March and will continue for the foreseeable future.
Finance
The annual accounts will be prepared during January and presented at the AGM. Paul Soper has agreed once more to examine the annual accounts.
Course : Post-war blues
Explore the development of the blues after World War II with Lee Wellbrook of Thanet u3a over four weeks in February 2021. The Zoom course will cover the major changes in blues that occurred after World War II and will provide examples of the many genres that emerged – Chicago blues, Texas blues, the folk blues re-discovery, blues-rock, the British blues boom and so on.
There will be an opportunity for participants to ask questions and discuss the music at the end of each session. The course is in the form of four weekly sessions held over Zoom, each session being about 1 hour 30 minutes long.
The sessions will take place from 10 a.m. on:
Tuesday 2 February; Tuesday 9 February; Tuesday 16 February; Tuesday 23 February
Register
Please be aware that by registering for a ticket you are signing up to ALL FOUR sessions and should attend every week. The same Zoom link will be used for each week.This event is for U3A members only. Please do not share this event outside of your U3A network.
Lee Wellbrook is an amateur musician and a long-time admirer of many forms of American roots music (bluegrass, Cajun, country, Americana, folk etc.) with a particular interest in all forms of blues. He currently running the very successful course on the pre-war blues for U3A members.