| If any members have information or news items they would like to share with other members in our monthly bulletin please send details to bulletin@cedu3a.org.uk. The normal deadline is the 24th of each month |
From Anne Hutchings
| Several u3a members sing in the Fortismere Community Choir, so we would love you to come and support us at our Christmas concert on Saturday 9 December at 7pm, at St Andrew’s Church, Alexandra Park Road, N10 2DD, with orchestra and professional soloists: Zelenka : Missa dei Fili Christmas carols for audience and choir Discover the ingenious and unconventional composer Jan Dismas Zelenka, a Baroque composer who was highly acclaimed at the time, and yet whose works fell into obscurity for the next 200 years. JS Bach himself knew Zelenka personally, and held his music in high esteem. Fortismere Community Choir hope to contribute to the resurgence of this long-forgotten music giant, considered by many an equal to Bach, Handel and Vivaldi, with a performance of his Missa dei Filii. And of course there will be Christmas carols, including traditional favourites for you to join in with, so come ready to sing! Tickets £12 in advance (£15 on the door) |
From Sue Loder
From Michelle Sinclair
| If you are interested in the arts both fine and decorative, enjoy lectures, visits and tours then the Arts Society Highgate is for you. A new year of activities started in September. You can contact info@theartssocietyhighgate.org.uk for more information and to join. See the website www.theartssocietyhighgate.org.uk |
From Stephen Lustig
| Are you interested in the possibility of u3a being a campaigning group? Are you concerned about the availability of benches with arms and backs, and toilets in public places, and only being able to pay for parking using a smartphone? Those are just some of the issues that a “social influencing” working group of the national u3a, that I am a member of, is thinking about campaigning about. Please contact me if you have experiences, opinions and even campaigning experience on local issues such as those mentioned above, particularly if you have council town planning experience. Contact: stephen@lustigideas.com |
From Alison Miller
| I’ve really enjoyed being a member of Interest Groups Online, which not everyone may have heard of. This is its website . To join an online Interest Group you first have to become an associate member of Interest Groups Online. There is a wide variety of classes to join. I do Intermediate Recorders twice a month. While there is nothing quite as good as meeting with other people to play music in person, meeting online has many advantages too, as some of us found out in lockdown. It is great to meet up with people from all round the country, learn new music, and all without any travel time or having to lug instruments, music books and music stands around. |
From Stephen Lustig
| Those of us of a certain age sometimes think that we no longer have much to offer to society, but that is far from the truth. Two years ago I started mentoring a few young people, organised by a small charity called Hope in Haringey. This charity has asked me to spread the word that it needs more volunteer mentors. It is enormously rewarding to help people in their late teens or early twenties find their way in life. Once a fortnight I have an online or in person conversation with each of my mentees for about half an hour. We talk about general life skills such as resilience, communication skills and punctuality, but help with creating a CV, understanding the tax system, and finding a job also come into the mix. |
| I’ve just started volunteering at a primary school helping with reading. It’s a lovely school not too far from Archway tube or local buses. They are looking for more volunteers for an hour or two a week in school term-time, so if any members are interested in helping, please contact Abigail Townley at the school via a.townley@brookfield.camden.sch.uk |
From Rebecca Harrington
| I’ve just completed a fourth term with Bookmark Reading, a charity which supports volunteers to read, online or in-person with primary school children who have fallen behind. Each volunteer delivers two 30-minute sessions a week with the same child aged between 5 and 9 years old, for six weeks. There is good training and support with the IT – I’m no expert! – and I’ve chosen days and times which suit me. It’s been a joy to see children grow in their confidence with words. I’d be happy to talk to anyone who is interested, and there is more on the Bookmark Reading website. Each year, eight children in every class will leave primary school unable to read well. When a child can navigate words, they can navigate the world. |
