June 2017

The next monthly U3A meeting will be held at St Andrew’s Methodist Church Hall, Merton Road, Slough, SL1 1QW, on Wednesday June 21^st from 2-4pm. Entry to the meeting is free to members as well as to first-time visitors.

In this month’s talk Ruth Shelton of Groundwork South will talk about the Iver Environment Centre and their work with local communities. Since opening in 1990 and set in 2.5 acres the site has habitats including orchard, meadow, pond, wetland, woodland and an allotment. IEC is staffed by a team of professional educators, rangers and horticultural therapists, supported by a dedicated group of volunteers, all working hard to ensure our activities are innovative, safe and fun.

Upcoming meetings: –

• Wednesday July 19^th – David Hunt talks about the work of the National Trust
• Wednesday August 16^th – Chris Leach on “The Work of the Thames Valley Air Ambulance Service”
• Wednesday September – Tom Wigley “Getting Started with your Family History”

Slough University of the Third Age welcomes retired and semi-retired people – those in their “third age” – who are interested in participating in any of our activities or groups.

U3A Notices and Groups

Activity Groups

We have the following active groups at the moment; if you wish to join any group, please ask any committee member or Geraldine, our Groups Coordinator.

Art Appreciation	Book Club	Bridge for Fun	Cookery
Create & Craft	Creative Writing	Current Affairs	Drawing
Film & Theatre	French Intermediate	German Beginners	Pilates
Practical Philosophy	Salsa Dance	Scrabble	Table Tennis
Walking	Play Reading

Are you reasonably comfortable with computers? Slough U3A have a project to improve our membership records by transferring to a secure system called U3A Beacon. The process will be straightforward but it’s important that we should have a group of members who are familiar with the system. Please contact Bob if you would like to join this project.

What’s on around Slough?

Slough Older Peoples’ Forum meets monthly at Kingsway United Reformed Church, Church Street Slough SL1 1SZ. Meetings start at 1:30 pm

• Thursday 15th June- Celebrate Community in memory of Jo Cox MP.
• Thursday 20th July— Skills share with young people.

Slough Carers Week 12 – 17 June 2017. Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. For a complete list of free events for carers, click here

Langley Neighbourhood Forum’s next meeting is on Tuesday 20^th June 2017 at Langley Hall Primary Academy at 7.00pm. Our Guest Speaker is Roger Parkin, acting CEO Slough Borough Council; come and discuss your concerns about Langley. You may send in your questions and comments in advance of the Forum to langleyforum@gmail.com.

The Curve community centre & library has a varied and exciting programme of events – click here for a complete list www.thecurveslough.com or enquire at any library.

• Prehistoric Slough – What was Slough like before our town even existed? Join Roland Smith of Berkshire Archaeology Service as he lets us know about the discoveries of prehistoric industry, Roman farms and Saxon migration on Monday 12 June, 2pm at The curve
• Lion – This acclaimed film, starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman, tells the true story of a five year old boy who gets lost on the streets of Calcutta. Adopted by an Australian couple, he sets out 25 years later to find his lost family. Wednesday 14 Jun 2017 at 7:45pm
• The Curve Choir – a community choir open to all ages and abilities. Reading music is not required but a passion for singing with others is! New members always welcome. Every Thursday from 6.20pm – 7.20pm

Events forming part of The Great Get Together in memory of Jo Cox MP, from 16 to 18 June:

• Streets Alive – a summer festival in Slough town centre on 17th June from 11.30am to 4.30pm. The high street town centre will be full of surprises during a day of pop-up performances to delight adults and children alike. A timetable of events is available here or from any library.
• We Are All Made Of Stars – Creative Junction, Slough Museum, the Herschel Stars Choir & the Herschel Arms Writers invite you to join us on Saturday 17th June from 6pm in NFER grounds, The Mere, Slough Bring a picnic, join in with free and fun activities, and enjoy singing and spoken word performances.
• Community get-together at St Andrew’s Shared Church in Cippenham. Health Checks, Slough Fostering, Sure Start and Glitter Tattoos to name but a few things to do. Saturday 17 June from 3:30pm to 6:30pm

Cippenham Community Carnival! Back after an absence of over a decade, featuring mobile farm, birds of prey, ferrets, arts and crafts, local charities and community groups. The Scouts doing the BBQ and so much more. Mercian Way Recreation Ground, Cippenham on 1 July from 12:00 onwards.

Active Slough has a full programme designed to suit participants aged 50 and above. It’s just as important, if not more so, to remain active regardless of age. Within this programme there are physical activity classes that range from higher intensity, to low intensity for people wanting to maintain, get back into, or improve fitness. Click here for a complete A to Z of activities in Slough for older people.

Burnham Beeches’ Big Community Picnic on Sunday 16 July, 12 – 3 pm. This popular event returns in 2017 with displays from Ellington Morris and Berkshire Search and Rescue Dogs, and the added attraction of a display from the English School of Falconry. In addition to this there will of course be the usual inflatables, sports activities, crafts and a bit of a sing song (not forgetting the cow pat flinging!). All you need to do is bring a picnic and enjoy the fun.

The East Berkshire Executive Job Club is a free, volunteer led, self-help group that provides advice and guidance on all aspects of job application and interview for managers and professionals. We are a registered charity and we are currently looking for a volunteer with accounting experience to act as our Treasurer. Contact U3A member Brian Murphy brian-murphy@bpsemconsultants.com if you would like to help.

U3A Local Study Days

• The work of William Morris on 17^th August at Kelmscott Manor
• Crop Growth and Climate Change on 28^th September at Benson Parish Hall
• Gilbert & Sullivan 18^th October at Harwell Village Hall
• Aspects of Archaeology in the Thames Valley 15^th November at Benson Parish Hall

More details on these events available here: http://www.u3atvnetwork.org.uk/Events_Programme_2017.html

U3A Principles and Membership

The U3A approach to learning is “learning for pleasure”. There is no accreditation or validation and there are no assessments or qualifications to be gained. Members share their knowledge, skills and experience, learning from each other; the teachers learn and the learners teach. You can find out more about the University of the Third Age at the national website www.u3a.org.uk Membership of Slough U3A is £20 per annum; if you join now, membership is valid until 31 August next year 2018. Subscription monies are used to pay for hire of premises, speakers’ expenses, magazines, newsletters, postage etc. during the coming year.

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