Tuesday 4 February at 1 pm – Film Group screening will be La Chimera
Wednesday 5 February at 2.15 pm – Wednesday Lecture – Into the Doughnut; (An introduction to Doughnut Economics) by Jeremy Johnson
Booking is now open to attend in person in the Pink room – please email the Office.
An exceptional venue is being planned, by the U3AC Lunch Club Organiser, Marie-Joelle Galvez at Trinity Hall on 22 July 2025.
The event is offered to all U3AC members as well as friends and family on a first come first served basis. The minimum places in the historic dining hall are 70 people.
Trinity Hall’s stunning historic architecture, spectacular setting and riverside grounds is one of the oldest and most beautiful of the Cambridge Colleges.
Lunch will be celebrated in the Dining hall. It will be preceded with drinks in Latham Lawn, beautifully manicured gardens and the river terrace overlooking the river cam which are used to host many prestigious outdoor events.
There will be a set menu as well a vegetarian/Vegan option menu which will be issued nearer the time by Trinity Hall’s award-winning chefs who create innovative seasonal dishes with artistic flair.
White table cloths, silver service will set the scene in the dining hall which is housed in its original building dating from 1350 and still has features dating from its medieval beginnings such as the stained glass crests and its minstrel’s gallery.
A friend of Marie-Joelle has generously as an alumni, offered the waiver of the private dining room hire cost and a discount on the meal.
The 2 set menus (standard and Vegetarian/vegan) where all guests will enjoy the same starter, main, dessert will be issued on 1 April 2025.
The price per person is £62.00 – 3 course meal including coffee
Pre-dinner drinks and wine with the lunch are charged on consumption.
Payment is to be made to U3AC bank account which is as follows:
U3AC NO 2 ACCOUNT
SORT CODE: 08-92-99
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 65863363
REFERENCE: TRI+SURNAME
Trinity Hall is extremely popular and they have asked that a contract be signed within a month otherwise the booking may be offered to another party that can progress rapidly.
The deadline is therefore 28 February 2025 to secure the only remaining date available which has been offered to us.
Please contact Marie-Joelle Galvez – email: mjagalvez15@gmail.com – to register interest.
Cases of winter flu and colds are rising and as U3AC members are a high-risk demographic group we politely request you to consider your fellow U3AC members and if you feel unwell, particularly if you have a temperature and display symptoms of a respiratory infection, please do not attend your courses or enter the Bridge Street premises or any of our external venues used for courses and activities.
Do we really have enough Water?
Speaker: Cameron Adams, U3AC Environment Group
Date and time: Thursday 20 March, 10:00 – 11:00
Venue: U3AC, Pink room
Places: 30
Only 2.7% of the water on our ‘blue’ planet is freshwater – essentially a ‘common well’ which we all ‘drink’ from either directly or indirectly. Crucially, our water intensive lifestyles in tandem with a growing population, agriculture, economic growth, the ongoing impacts of climate change and our ageing and outdated water infrastructure is putting this vital, life supporting resource under ever increasing pressure both locally and globally. It’s therefore vital Cambridgeshire plays a full and meaningful part in meeting these challenges. I will examine the need for a more forward-thinking, joined up and proactive approach towards how we source, manage and use water in order to protect and improve our natural environment. There will be an opportunity for questions and further discussion.
About me: I recently retired from the Environment Agency where I undertook secondments with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and the then Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Having worked in academia and for various environmental NGOs, I was previously the Sustainability Officer at South Cambridgeshire District Council.
GEO 04: Public rights of way and access in England – history, legal basis, rights and responsibilities 2 (Spring term)
Tutor: Jill Tuffnell
Day and time: Tuesday 15:45 – 16:45
Venue: U3AC (Orange room)
Length of course: 1 term. Spring (5 weeks)
Places: 8
Start date: 11 Feb
This course is a repeat of GEO 02.
Format: Taught course or activity
About me: I have been a keen walker for over 40 years and am Secretary of the Cambridge Group of the Ramblers and vice-chair of the Cambridgeshire Local Access Forum.
As we increasingly rely on virtual platforms like Zoom to stay connected, it’s important to be mindful of a few basic etiquette tips.
Privacy and respect: Remember, even if you’ve chosen not to view other participants, your own camera may still be on. It’s essential to be mindful of your appearance and surroundings. Dress appropriately, as you would for any other virtual meeting. Avoid engaging in distracting activities, such as eating or drinking, which can disrupt the flow of the conversation.
Active listening: When others are speaking, give them your full attention. Minimize distractions and avoid multitasking. This shows respect for the speaker and helps create a more engaging and productive sessions.
By following these simple guidelines, you can ensure a positive and enjoyable Zoom experience for yourself and other members.
If you are doing courses on Zoom, please make sure your Zoom app is up to date before term starts.
If you are interested in applying for additional courses, there is a Vacancy list on the website showing all courses with current spaces; this is regularly updated.
If you are unable to attend one of your allocated courses, please let us know so that the place can be offered to someone on the waiting list. Thank you.
This visit is now full, we are taking names for a waiting list in case anyone cancels their place.
A visit to Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake at Norwich Theatre Royal has been arranged for Thursday 20 March 2025. Cost £68. Application forms are now available on the Trips and Visits page of the website or in person from the Office.
A trip has been arranged to Bletchley Park, near Milton Keynes, on Thursday 1 May 2025. Cost £57.
Bletchley Park, one of the birthplaces of modern computing, was once the top-secret home of the World War Two Codebreakers. It is now a vibrant heritage attraction and museum, displaying the extraordinary achievements of the men and women who worked there.
Application forms will be available on 17 February from the Office and on the Trips and Visits page of the website. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Closing date for applications is Thursday 20 March.
We have now received the full definitive results of the latest Legionella testing of our water system.
The news is basically very good. Most importantly, the tank room is at last completely clear of any traces which means that the cleaning and disinfection programme has done its job. This process will become a regular part of our yearly maintenance schedule.
More widely, the system is completely clear except for one single tap in the second floor Ladies’ toilet which has retained a tiny trace of the bacterium. We have been informed that this is not a significant concern. Nevertheless, because this toilet luckily has two separate hand basins, we have adopted our usual strict health and safety approach, and the single tap has been hazard-taped off until it too is fully clear. The taps in this toilet will also be flushed regularly.
More importantly, there will now be further investigations into why we contracted the infestation in the first instance, and this will obviously feed into our own investigation, under our Vice-Chair, Michael Gibbs, on the causes of the outbreak and the consideration of the lessons to be learnt.
In many ways, this event may have proved a blessing in that it has exposed the weaknesses in our ageing water-supply system, and further remedial work to piping can now be carried out to ensure a more modern supply system.
We owe particular thanks to the Staff who have overseen all of the work over the Christmas and New Year period.
Philip Stott, Chair, U3AC
We’re excited to announce a fantastic opportunity for you to be part of the design of our upcoming U3AC Programme.
To make our new programme cover truly reflective of our vibrant community, we’re inviting all members to submit photos capturing the essence of your U3AC experience.
What kind of photos are we looking for?
How to submit your photos:
Important Notes:
We look forward to receiving your wonderful photos and hope to showcase the vibrant life of our U3AC community on the cover of our new programme.
The Photography Forum has mounted an exhibition on the first-floor gallery in the Bridge Street premises. The photographs are exhibited in pairs, one representing a local scene at some time in the past and its equivalent contemporary photograph. In some cases the scenes have changed out of all recognition, while in others they’re virtually unchanged over half a century and more. Proof of the old axiom “the more things change, the more they stay the same”.
U3AC supports other local organisations by listing their activities on the Other organisations page of our website https://www.u3ac.org.uk/news/other-organisations/
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.