ROMSEY and District
Low-down in the Lockdown Bulletin No.2 - 11 May 2020 HELLO EVERYONE It’s already time for our second edition of ‘Low-down in the Lockdown’ from your Romsey and District U3A, helping you to Stay at Home, Stay Safe and Stay Active. THANK YOU to those of you who let us know how pleased you were to receive the first Bulletin; it was lovely to hear from you. Our May Newsletter will be sent to you next week; if you have given us your email address we will only be sending it this way. If this is a problem you need to let us know now. The next Bulletin will be on 3 June - plenty of time to send something you would like to share with others. May would have been the month for our Annual General Meeting, now postponed until August, followed by a talk by Jo Shannon of the Tools for Self Reliance Charity. Here is some information from their website, collated by Janet Moody - one of their local volunteers: Many of you will have heard of Tools for Self Reliance, a local charity based in Netley Marsh, started in 1979 as a practical way to support tradespeople in some of the poorest parts of the world. They collect tools and sewing machines, refurbish them and send them mainly to Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia. Working in partnership with local organisations best placed to identify local needs, they deliver training programmes to bring about effective and sustainable change to tradespeople and their communities. Vocational training projects provide people with technical trade skills: carpentry, welding, bricklaying and sewing, but also business and financial management, health awareness and life skills. On completion, graduates receive a start up toolkit and are supported in forming their own businesses. This holistic training model is proven to support the development of sustainable livelihoods and income diversification for people affected by poverty. PRACTICAL HELP FOR PRACTICAL PEOPLE! Use this link to read more: https://www.tfsr.org
Learn
INTEREST GROUPS Look how PAINTING 1 have been sketching & painting in ‘lockdown’:
A huge thanks to Jeremy Holder, Marilyn Setford and Maureen Sercombe for sharing these with us.
SHORT DAY TRIPS have sent group members a newsletter and a questionnaire. This month, members should have received ‘Quiz No 1’ with 20 questions based on places the group has visited since its formation. The closing date is 18 May - if you’d like to ‘win’, don’t forget to return your answers! We now have thirteen groups using virtual meetings to keep in touch, and eleven other groups are communicating in different ways, with photography featuring in many of them. Could you or your group send us something to share for the next bulletin? NEW MEMBERS Have you just joined R&DU3A but not been able to join any groups or activities because of the lockdown? Are you unsure how to contact someone or ask for more information? Would you find it helpful to talk to other new members? The May newsletter will have the usual pull-out centre pages for groups, with contact details for the group leaders. The Interest Group Co-ordinators, Jo and Margaret, will be happy to hear from you too, so please let us know if we can help in any way. Page 1 of 2
Did you look at the U3A WEBSITE: u3a.org.uk ? Try https://www.u3a.org.uk/learning for the MATHS CHALLENGE MADE IT! MAKE IT! Are you signed up to receive the monthly newsletter? https://www.u3a.org.uk/newsletter The MAY issue has just come out. LEARN AT HOME Have you heard of Earworms language courses that use a revolutionary approach to language learning, with a ‘Musical Brain Trainer’ audio-book? http://www.earwormslearning.com/
Laugh
ROMSEY REVEALED Quiz
If you were lucky enough to go to our 20th Anniversary Birthday Party on 12 May 2019, you may recall a picture quiz of Architectural features in Romsey, set by Colin Moretti. Now Colin has another 12 photos for us to identify; here is the first one. How many of them can you find around Romsey? Use this link: https://u3asites.org.uk/romsey/welcome OR email us for a copy OR ask us for a printed copy. ANSWERS on 3 June when Bulletin 3 comes out!
Live
Remember that regular EXERCISE! Mike & Barbara Driscoll live in the New Forest National Park and are fortunate when out walking to only have to social distance the local wild life. Returning from one such outing in April, they came across a herd of young fallow deer who gave them a heads-up, long stare before doing a disappearing act, never to be seen again. Live on YouTube English National Ballet 13 May - 7pm - Fantastic Beings https://www.youtube.com/user/enballet National Theatre at Home Free full length plays - Thursdays 7pm (for 1 week) 14 May - Barber Shop Chronicles https://www.youtube.com/user/ntdiscovertheatre/ playlists
International Dawn Chorus Day 3 May 2020 Did you wake early enough to listen to it? This RSPB web link will help you identify the birds: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/birdsongs/what-bird-is-that/
If you hear of a TV programme that other group members may enjoy, do tell your group leader. Do you know how to use ‘CatchUp’ on TV so that you can view later? If not, ask someone for advice. It’s Water Saving Week. 11 - 15 May 2020 https://waterwise.org.uk/wsw/ Facts, info, ideas & tips to help you become a keen, green, water saving machine!
The Royal Opera House The Royal Ballet 15 May - Anastasia 7pm https://www.youtube.com/royaloperahouse
Bulletin 1 sent by email to all on the U3A Beacon system was a great success - we hope it arrived safely. For those members without email, you should have received a copy hand-delivered or by post. Please tell us if there was a problem receiving your copy or that of another member you know of. If you prefer NOT to receive further copies of ‘Low-down in the Lockdown’ from us, please tell us. You can still become a ‘Buddy’ to help someone without email by printing them a copy. Contact Gill Hodge 01794 511529
treasurer@romseyu3a.org.uk
This Bulletin will also be on our website: romseyu3a.org.uk ‘Low-down in the Lockdown’ team: Gill Hodge, Glenda Taylor, Janet Moody, Margaret Marchbank, Dave Lovell. Do you want to join us? We’re just an email away: news.copy@romseyu3a.org.uk What would you like to see in YOUR bulletins? Please send us your ideas! Page 2 of 2