2 April 2025

Temporary closure of U3AC Building

Please note: The Bridge Street Building will be FULLY CLOSED 7 -15 April 2025. Contact the Office via email or by leaving a telephone message and we will call you back.

 

New items


Course amendment

LEI 33: Punting (Summer term): the start date has been changed to 1 May.

Visit to Windsor Castle and The Savill Garden

** Note: This visit is now full, we are taking names for a waiting list in case anyone cancels their place. **

A visit has been arranged on Thursday 5 June 2025 to Windsor Castle and The Savill Garden. Cost £65.

Visit to Knebworth House & Gardens

A visit has been arranged to Knebworth House & Gardens, set in the 250 acre Knebworth Deer Park, on 11 September, which is a day not open to the general public. The morning will include a private guided tour of the house and in the afternoon a guided tour of the gardens, followed by free time to explore the gardens. Sir Edwin Lutyens created the present layout of the 28 acre formal gardens. The herb garden was designed by Gertrude Jekyll. In the morning we can also visit The Exhibition Space showcasing details of all the famous films, rock and classical concerts that have been held at Knebworth. Refreshments and lunch can be purchased in the Terrace Cafe. Cost of trip £44.50. Application forms will be available on Monday 28 April from the Office and on the Trips and Visits page of the website. Places will be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.

The following new courses currently have vacancies – full details on the website – please contact the Office to enrol

ARTC 02     Hardanger, pull thread and other decorative stitches

CMP 05      PowerPoint tips and tricks

FIT 41         Walks around Cambridge – Tuesday 2

HIS 10        Cambridge sport: in Fenner’s hands

HIS 33        The impact of colonialisation – a specific country example

HIS 44        Hoofbeats through time

HIS 45        Traversing the Himalaya on Foot: a Personal Journey through its Culture and History

FRE 14        A tale of two plays: a bilingual course

LEI 32         Backgammon

LEI 33         Punting

LIT 06         Ancient Greek comic drama: war-weary wives on sex-strike for peace…

LIT 14(z)     Eskimo folk stories

LIT 45         The Sonnet

LIT 46         Literature and Language and Challenge – in person

LIT 47(z)     Literature and Language and Challenge – Zoom

MUS 05       From The Beach Boys to Neil Young, music from the ’60s and ’70s

MUS 21       Summer Singers

WLL 13       Understanding sexual orientation and gender identity 2

WLL 15       Honoring the Departed: A course in working through the stages of grief

WLL 16       Mindful Movement Chair Yoga

 

The following one-off talks currently have vacancies

Full details of the talks are in the March Newsletter – contact the Office to enrol

Thursday 24 April – Understanding Coppélia: the dark comic ballet born out of tragedy

Monday 12 May – Hidden voices of World War 1: The poems time forgot

Thursday 15 May – Adapt and Thrive Workshop – note new title; amended description below **

Monday 19 May – Providing a sustainable bus network in the post COVID world

Thursday 22 May – Echoes of the Big Bang: A Cosmic adventure story – in person or by Zoom

 

** As extreme weather events like flooding, heat stress, and drought are becoming more frequent, prioritising adaptation is essential to managing unavoidable climate disasters and save lives. Join us for a highly interactive workshop which will encourage you to challenge your thinking about adaptation. Through presentation, groupwork and discussion we will explore global and local challenges to identify what humanity needs in order to survive and thrive.

 

Reminders – Courses and talks


Courses and activities for 2025-26

We are now starting to plan next year’s course Programme.

We have emailed current tutors and course leaders inviting them to submit the information via our website. We have also contacted those who have indicated they might like to run a course next year. If you are expecting to receive either of the above emails but haven’t, please check your junk or spam folder. If you still haven’t received it, please contact us.

If you have not yet contacted us but would be willing to run a course or activity, please also contact us.

The closing date for submitting proposals is 11 April.

You might like to see a short video about tutoring here: HERE (you will need to log in to view this).

Course Feedback

Members of courses and activities that finish at the end of this term have recently been sent an email requesting completion of an online feedback form by 5 April 2025. Tutors and course leaders find the feedback very useful and it would therefore be very helpful if members could do this. Thank you.

U3AC cycling group

The U3AC cycling group is open to all U3AC members, and we welcome riders of all abilities, and including those with electric bikes. Our rides are in small, friendly groups and we cycle between 12 and 30 miles, with a refreshment stop. We start from various locations in and around Cambridge. No commitment is required – you can join as many or as few rides as you wish. If you are interested in joining the group, please contact the co-ordinator, Hans van der Velden at u3ac.cyclingclub@gmail.com.

Our current Rides Programme can be found on the U3AC website. Login to the site, and then visit https://www.u3ac.org.uk/extra-groups/cycling-club/

We have 13 rides planned for March, April and May, ranging between 14 and 29 miles, including a ride to the Reach fair. Full details of each ride and contact details for the ride leader can be found in the Rides Programme.

 

Reminders – Visits and events


Celebrate mid-summer 2025 with Private fine dining

** Note: This event is now full. **
Please email U3AC Lunch Club Organiser, Marie-Joelle Galvez if you’d like to be added to the waiting list for the lunch experience at Trinity Hall on 22 July 2025. The price per person for the 3 course meal is £62.00.

Please email Marie-Joelle Galvez: mjagalvez15@gmail.com

Bletchley Park trip

Note: This visit is now full, we are taking names for a waiting list in case anyone cancels their place.

A visit has been arranged to Bletchley Park, near Milton Keynes, on Thursday 1 May 2025. Cost £57.

Visit to Chartwell

A trip has been arranged to Chartwell, near Westerham in Kent, on Tuesday 8 July 2025. Cost £40.80 (£21.00 for members of the National Trust). For over 40 years Chartwell was the family home of Sir Winston Churchill and he lived there until shortly before his death in 1965. You will see the dining room where he met with the supporters of his campaign against the rearmament of Germany in the 1930s, the study where he wrote his speeches and books, the beautiful gardens and lakes, which he helped to construct with his own hands, and his painting studio. The property now belongs to the National Trust.

Application forms will be available on Monday 28 April from the Office and on the Trips and Visits page of the website. Places will be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.

 

Reminders – General


Other organisations

U3AC supports other local organisations by listing their activities on the Other organisations page of our website.

Facebook

Remember to check out our Facebook page to see the latest photos – shared with permission – of U3AC courses, activities and events. Facebook does not replace our Weekly Bulletin and will not be used for communicating directly with members about courses or cancellations. Please follow, like and share U3AC’s Facebook page if you have a Facebook account.