The Three Campuses - Volunteers needed for Ipswich Task Force

It has been decided that U3A in East Suffolk will stay as one U3A but with multi-campus co-ordinators who are represented on the main Committee each with small teams to work with them to further the needs of those in each area. Mary Atkin and Margaret Keeling are the co-ordinators for Ipswich and they are looking for volunteers to work with them in making proposals for speakers in the future, group needs and other aspects, the aim being to improve the offer to our members. Peter Dawes and Pat Dowding have a small team in Felixstowe and Saxmundham respectively and are already working on new ideas.

Chair of U3A in East Suffolk

Michael Matthews is Chair of U3A in East Suffolk and heads up the Committee. He hopes to chair a number of the speaker meetings in each campus across the year.

Brain Training

The Alzheimers's Society is working with the BBC and scientists from King's College London to conduct this clinical trial into the Benefits of Brain Training. They need thousands of people over 60 to take part in the project. It would be so much apreciated if you could either take part and/or send it on to any other contacts you have.

Can puzzling over cross words and sudoko or playing Brain Training games really make you more Brain Fit"? Could Brain Training be the basis of a preventative treatment against dementia? This new research could make a real difference to the lives of people with dementia. Your involvement will help answer important questions about whether Brain Training could help improve or stabilise brain function in older adults. PLEASE sign up today and tell your friends www.bbc.co.uk/labuk/experiments/braintestbritain or Call BBC on 0800 044 044

Speaker Meetings

Our speaker at Kesgrave in October was Louise Reed who re-incarnated Emelline Pankhurst. She gave us a vivid account of the suffragette movement and what it was like to be part of it, the treatment they received at the hands of the Government, Police and general public and particularly the horrors of force feeding which many of them were subject to whilst in prison.

Tom Jarrett from Shawsgate Wine was our speaker at Saxmundham in November and he gave us a very informative talk about wine making at the vineyard. Their winery undertakes the pressing, fermenting and bottling of many other vineyards in the area and we learned that East Anglia is now an officially recognised and designated wine area. Tom gave us two of Shawsgate wines to taste and they were liked by many of those attending. We might well arrange a visit to shawsgate next year.

Declan Moore, Governor at Hollesley Bay gave us an incredibly interesting talk at Kesgrave on Monday 30 November about his life working for the Prison Service and specifically his time at this open prison. It was thought provoking and entertaining. His perspective on why so many people become criminals, having no respect for other people or their property, stems back to their childhood where love was in short supply, violence was prevalent, no firm rules were established about right from wrong. He deals with damaged people every day, be they the creme-de-la-creme of the prison population. It is good to know that they are in the hands of people like Declan who strive to priovide them with the skills and resources to make something of their lives when they come out of prison. He was a tpains to tell us that absconders form Hollesley were few and far between and, on his watch, had never done anything to the detriment of the local community.

In Felixstowe on Thursday 3 December we heard from an asylum seeker and a member of the Refugee Council about some of the facts about being a refugee and the real statistics and impact on the UK and Europe. Did you know that most refugees go to a country that borders their own with a view to returning as soon as possible?

Finally, the ever popular Mark Mitchels gave us a Christmas Miscellany when speaking at our Christmas Lunch at Ufford Park on Wednesday 9 December. Readings from Dickens, seasonal poems and more Mark made us laugh and sometimes cry, and also think about the season of Christmas.

Open to all - Speaker Meeting from the Garden Visits Group

CLIVE PAINE,THE WELL KNOWN LOCAL HISTORIAN IS COMING TO TALK TO US ABOUT HUMPHREY REPTON AND HIS GARDEN DESIGNS IN SUFFOLK on WEDNESDAY JANUARY 27TH AT TOWER HALL,BROADLANDS WAY,RUSHMMERE ST. ANDREW a2pm

THE COST: £7 each ------------------- Cheques made out to U3A in EAST SUFFOLK please and send to : Mary Dufty,Mulberry Corner,Tuddenham Lane, Rushmere St. Andrew, Ipswich ,IP5 1DU Tel.No.: 01473 216270

GARDEN STUDY DAY

ANOTHER DATE FOR YOUR DIARY: 20 March 2010 – Study Day hosted by Bury St Edmunds U3A – open to members of other U3As in our network. Subject: THE ENGLISH GARDEN - Past, Present and Future - A day-long study of the English garden in all its richness. Venue: WEST SUFFOLK COLLEGE Bury St Edmunds. Cost £10 but bring own food. For more details and application form contact Margaret Keeling on 01394 412150 email: margaret.keeling@sky.com

Software4Students

National U3A advise us that if you want a Microsoft product eg Office Professional 2007 etc and are happy to order online you can get it considerably cheaper if you go to this organisation. Just log on to the website: www.software4students.co.uk, select U3A and order - it's very simple. You can also get Kaspersky at reduced rates from them but you may be able to find it cheaper from other sources. Don't try to get Adobe products from them as you need to provide a valid current student ID for this.

National Summer School

These popular Schools are to again be held in Cirencester, a long way from our area. However, they have an excellent reputation so do think about going on one of the Summer Schools. Dates are:

16 - 19 August and 23 - 26 August 2010.

A wealth of subjects are addressed including: Architecture - the Evolution of the English HOuse; Drama -Experiments in Theatre; La Belle France; History - 18thC London; Mah Jong for Beginners; Mahler; Philosophy; Poetry; Psychology - Understanding Human Behaviour; Science & Technology - Lasers, Secret Messaging and Photography; Singing for Pleasure; Art History; Cinema History; Computing Workshop; Geology - the History of Building Stones; Latin American Spanish, Literature, Music Appreciation; StoryTelling (Oral) and Writing (using our lives for fact and fistion).

If you would like more information please contact our Secretary, Pat Dowding on her email: secretary@u3a-es.org.uk or call 01728 668100.

South East Forum Summer School - Chichester

To be held Tuesday 6 - Friday 9 July 2010 at the University of Chichester the subjects on offer here are also quite diverse and include: Chichester - the Castle, Cathedral, Canal and City - a guided walk; Chichester Harbour - walk to inlcude history, people, habitat, Flora & Fauna; Art History - 20th Century;Creative Drama - write and perform in 3 days; Everyday Psychology; Industrial Heritage of the South East; Introduction to the Science of Geology; Needlecraft Lace; Painting with Watercolour for Begineers; Post-war England between 1944 and 1974 - cultural and social context; Science in Society - past, present and future; Three early modern novels - Henry James, Joseph Conrad, Ford Madox Ford; Vienna the City of Music; Words, Music and Drama from Opera; Writing your own life story; visits to two great West Sussex Houses.

If you are interested in attending any of these please contact Pat Dowding - secretary@u3a-es.org.uk for more details.

AUTUMN ACADEMY 5, SATURDAY 9th OCTOBER 2010

APPEAL FOR STUDY GROUP LEADERS As there is obviously continuing support from U3A members in Suffolk for Study Days in the format of the “Autumn Academies”, Suffolk & District Network have booked the date of Saturday, 9th October 2010 for AA5. But these Days are only possible if U3A members will offer to lead Study Groups. They have been very fortunate in all the people who have led groups for the last four years which has included quite a few from U3A in East Suffolk. So there is now an early request for offers to lead Study Groups in 2010. If you would like to offer to lead a group, please would you let Francis Lewis know - email: franceslewis@waitrose.com, and also give some idea of what your subject is about. Formal requests will be sent out to all U3As later in the year, but it can be difficult to get information round over Christmas time, hence this advance request. If you say ‘possibly yes’ now, Francis will contact you in December for more details, and you can then decide definitely if you want to take part in AA5.

BBC TV DOCUMENTARY SEEKS CONTRIBUTORS FOR PROGRAMME ABOUT ELDERLY DRIVERS

BBC1 will be exploring the dilemma facing the families of many elderly drivers in a new documentary next year, and we are looking for people who might like to take part: Are senior drivers safe behind the wheel? How do they know if it’s time to stop driving? And if an elderly driver wants to keep driving, how can concerned relatives address the issue and say – it’s time to stop?

Do you have an elderly relative who drives in a way that worries you? Would you intervene to prevent an elderly relative, whom you consider to be a danger, from driving? Or are you an elderly driver who is being coerced into stopping driving when you think you are perfectly safe? We would love to hear from anyone who is currently wrestling with this issue. Please email us on keys@matchlight.co.uk or call 0131 225 1711. All calls will be kept confidential, and be assured that at this stage simply contacting us won’t mean you are committed to taking part in the programme.

Study Holiday in Holland for U3A members and friends - 18 April 2010 for 9 Days

Travel will be by coach and accommodation will consist of 5 nights in a hotel on a DBB basis and 3 nights aboard a river cruiser, in a twin cabin. Cost will range from £729 - £814 depending on grade of cabin and choice of hotel room. There will be visits to Delft, Keukenhof Gardens, Harlem, Amsterdam and many optional trips. It is hoped this will be an U3A exclusive trip. Interested? email Jean Goodeve, Pembrokeshire U3A at jggoodeve@tiscalico.uk or ocntact Jamie Davies of Pheonix HOlidays on 08444 129900 - option 4 - asap.

U3A Explores Science at the Royal Institute

Each year the Royal Institution and the U3A team up to produce an afternoon of the best speakers from the RI's programme on a variety of subjects. The speakers for the 2010 meeting - to be held on Tuesday 30th March 2010 (1.30 for 2pm) include: Dr Lewis Dartnell, Astrobiologist (UCL Physics and Astronomy)will be speaking about Extra Terrestrial Life Professor Susan Jebb (Medical Research Council)will be speaking about the Obesity Time Bomb Places are limited and admission is by ticket only - £15 incl refreshments. Apply in writing to The Third Age Trust, 19 East Street, Bromley, Kent BR1 1QE enclosing a SAE and a cheque made to The Third Age Trust.

U3A Jazz Appreciation Network Holiday to Rimini - 22 - 28 June 2010

As well as enjoying the jazz music each evening come and appreciate Bologna the home of Europe's oldest university and stunning medieval centre, Ravenna for its sensational Byzantine mosaics and Rimini for moree earthy pleasures. Cost pp £739 for 2 people sharing a double/twin room, includes flights, coach transfer and 6 nights B & B. For more information or to book call Bob Jones on 0118 941 3889 or email him on jazzer@mypostoffice.co.uk

U3A Online Courses

U3A Online courses are short courses specially designed for older people and available through a partnership between Third Age Trust (the UK national U3A organisation) and the U3A Online Inc.(based in Australia). These are courses for which no entry qualifications are required. They offer no credit on completion and are designed purely for personal interest and enjoyment. They have been written by volunteers who are experienced tutors or course leaders in their fields. These courses are aimed at U3A members, ex-U3A members who are no longer able to attend a U3A, and those unable to access conventional courses for one reason or another (e.g. restricted mobility, disability, etc). Go into the National website www.u3a.org.uk to find out more - £10 subscription for one year give you unlimited access to UK courses

TRANSPORT COORDINATORS FOR FELIXSTOWE AND SAXMUNDHAM/LEISTON AREAS

Deborah Stones (01394 284988) kindly agreed to take on this post in Felixstowe and Margaret Dale (01728 833280) likewise for those living in the Saxmundham (IP17) and Leiston(IP16) areas.

If you want a lift from either of these areas to a general meeting in Kesgrave or Saxmundham or an outing either because you have no transport or to save the earths resources then contact Deborah or Margaret (as appropriate to where you live) at least one week beforehand and they will attempt to give you a name for you to contact.

Therefore if you are willing to give a lift on a regular basis or for a particular day then also please contact Deborah or Margaret at least one week beforehand.

Petrol costs will be shared.

IT WOULD BE GOOD IF WE COULD FIND VOLUNTEERS TO ACT IN THE SAME WAY IN IPSWICH AND WOODBRIDGE.

U3A RESOURCE CENTRE

U3A RESOURCE CENTRE

19 East Street
Bromley
Kent
BR1 1QH
Tel 020 8315 0199
Email resource.centre@u3a.org.uk

The Resource Centre

The Resource Centre in the National Office in Bromley has a collection of non-book material available to all U3A groups to borrow free of charge except for the cost of return postage. There are slides, videos, cassettes, dvds and cd roms available in a wide range of subjects. Individual subject lists are available from the Resource Centre on request and the whole catalogue is available here on the web site with an ordering facility.Please note that you have to first register with the Resource Centre as a user either by telephoning between 9.30am and 3.30pm on either a TUESDAY or a THURSDAY, or online by going into the resource centre catalogue and clicking on 'sign up'. Bookings can be made 9 months ahead and loans are for an initial period of 3 weeks. Over 75% of U3As are making regular use of the Resource Centre to support and enhance their study groups and if you would like more detail about a particular item do not hesitate to contact the Resource Centre.

EQUIPMENT FOR GROUP USE

Another digital projector has been purchased primarily for use in the northern area of our territory. It is already being used by the leader of the Digital Photography group to demonstrate different software and how to use it. Ither groups in the area are welcome to borrow this equipment as they need it.