Tuesday 18 March at 1 pm – Film Group screening will be The Taste of Things (La Passion de Dodin Bouffant)
Tuesday 18 March from 1.30 – 2.30 pm – One off talk – Electric bikes – my experiences – further details see below
Wednesday 19 March at 2.15 pm – Wednesday Lecture – High Treason and a Medieval Royal insult in a Cambridgeshire Village Church by David Oates
Booking is now open to attend in person in the Pink room – please email the Office.
Thursday 20 March 10.00 – 11.00 – One-off talk – Do we really have enough Water? – further details see below
Thursday 20 March 11.00 am – Spring Concert U3AC Choir – further details see below
Thursday 20 March 2.00 – 4.00 pm – Chat with the Chair – in the 2nd floor social area
It never rains but it pours!
Work on the building has (inevitably, perhaps) discovered that there is asbestos which needs to be removed safely from the premises. I am thus informing everybody that the Bridge Street Building will need to be FULLY CLOSED between Monday, 7th April, 2025, and Tuesday, 15th April, 2025.
During this period, our staff will not be allowed to enter Bridge Street and alternative arrangements to work from home are being put in place, including a ‘Work from Home Policy’. We should also note that there can be no guarantee that the work will not need to be extended beyond Tuesday, 15th April, especially if further asbestos is uncovered while the initial removal is being carried out.
We shall aim to keep all members informed of progress primarily via the weekly Bulletin.
In many ways, this is clearly a much-needed refurbishment of what is an older building, and, for the long run, the work must be viewed as welcome.
I must thus ask, again, for your continued patience and understanding while this vital corrective work is carried out, but especially for your kind consideration where our staff is concerned.
Philip Stott
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).
A visit has been arranged on Thursday 5 June 2025 to Windsor Castle and The Savill Garden. The visit includes a morning visit to Windsor Castle and St Georges Chapel, initially viewing the Changing of the Guard ceremony outside. Which is followed by an afternoon visit to The Savill Garden, set in Windsor Great Park. Highlights include the National Collection of Rhododendrons and Rose Garden. Cost £65.
Application forms are now available on the Trips and Visits page of the website or in person from the Office. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Join your U3AC friends and classmates for a free celebration of Easter in choral music by the U3AC Choir. On the programme are Parry’s ‘Blest Pair of Sirens’, spirituals, and a mellifluous medley of choruses from The Messiah. The concert will be held at St James’ Church, Wulfstan Way, CB1 8Q, which is served by the number 2 bus. On-street parking is often available nearby. ALL WELCOME! Refreshments will be served after the concert; donations towards costs are welcomed.
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.
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.
The past, present, and future of work: a critical introduction to employment law – one place left!
Speaker: Paul Ratcliffe
Date and time: Friday 14 March, 11:20 – 12:20
Venue: U3AC, Pink room
Places: 30
Far beyond the domain of HR management, employment law’s evolutionary development has a long, multi-disciplinary history, encompassing economics, social justice, technology, ethics, and most aspects of all our lives. This presentation opens a wide-ranging analysis of a subject full of surprises and important issues that existentially affect us all. From serfdom, slavery, and the Black Death, to the Guilds, Poor Laws, child labour, two world wars, the Welfare State, gig economy and AI.
About me: I am a researcher at the University of Surrey, with a background in education, publishing, software localisation, languages, and in HR, having also lectured on business management and project management. My PhD thesis is on the subject of the performance of work in the employment law context. I am a published translator and author.
Electric bikes – my experiences
Speaker: Juliet van der Velden
Date and time: Tuesday 18 March,1.30 – 2.30pm
Venue: Zoom
Places: 30
In this talk I will reflect on my experiences of riding electric bikes and will share all the advantages I have discovered, as well as addressing common concerns such as security and the weight of the bike, and looking at practicalities such as price and battery range. I expect to talk for around 30 minutes and then there will be a further 30 minutes for questions and discussion.
About me: I have been a cyclist for many years, using the bike mainly as a means of transport. A few years ago I bought an electric bike to make cycling easier, and unexpectedly discovered the joys of going on longer rides. About a year later I replaced it with a more compact e-bike to make it easier to take on the train, and a few months ago I bought a folding e-bike for taking on the ferry.
Come along to a drop-in session on Wednesday 26 March from 10 am – 12 noon in the U3AC, 2nd floor social area to get your NHS Hearing Aids cleaned with new tubes & domes & pick up some batteries – FREE.
This event is being run by Cambridgeshire Deaf Association. Tel: 01223 416141 or email: riley.astrup@cambsdeaf.org for enquiries. Why not volunteer with us, we always need a helping hand.
An exceptional venue has been 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 tablecloths, 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
The deadline for application is 1 June 2025.
If the maximum places of 134 has been reached the applications will be automatically closed.
Please contact Marie-Joelle Galvez – email: mjagalvez15@gmail.com – to register interest.
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.
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. Application forms are now available on the Trips and Visits page of the website or in person from the Office.
We have now received the full results from the latest testing (18th February, 2025) of our water for Legionella. I am pleased to be able to report that no trace was recorded of any form of the Legionella bacterium, not even of the Legionella Sp (non-pneumophila). This is a fine testament to the hard work of our Office staff liaising with our allotted plumbers.
A further test will be made this month (March), while a new system of regular flushing of the system is to be established.
I would like thank you all for your patience and understanding over this issue.
There is currently a lovely exhibition of work by members of ART 01 on display on both floors of the U3AC premises. They have been working on a variety of topics including: Sgraffito and Scumbling, Asemic Art, Overpainting photographs and Overpainting maps. The group enjoy experimenting with a wide variety of techniques and approaches to abstract art and hope you enjoy looking a small selection of that which has been created this year.
The work will be on display until the end of term.
** We have had limited response to this request, please consider if you could submit some photos **
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.
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.