Welcome to New Members

To date, 108 members have not returned their membership renewal forms for 2008. Can you all please give/send your forms to me immediately? Eight applicants have been sent membership forms. There are a further 26 on the waiting list and they will be sent forms at the end of January should some of the 108 not respond.

Phyl Mullins: Membership Secretary (322570).

I wish you all a belated Happy New Year. Our family enjoyed Christmas, however we did all manage to get colds. Norfolk, where we were staying, was rather chilly but we had some beach walks. Unfortunately there was not the variety of birds you would hope to see on the North Norfolk coast in winter.

Now we must look forward to 2008. Do not forget to send off your renewal subscription: the closing date is January 31. This enables Phyl to determine the number of applicants who can receive membership forms and allows the Treasurer, Maureen Pardy, to set the budget for the AGM. The AGM this year is on Wednesday 19 March. We do need new committee members. Please ask your friends if they would like to join the committee. If so, ask me for a nomination form or just write their name and the names of their proposer and seconder on a piece of paper and give it to a member of the present

committee. Could I ask group leaders to suggest to their group members that they would be welcome on the committee. It is important to help if you can, otherwise it is difficult to run a thriving U3A.

I have a pair of navy gloves that were left on a chair at the front of the hall at the December Coffee Morning: they are much too good to lose. Please collect them from me or ring me at home (415979) and I will get them to you.  Josephine Hawkins

March Exhibition
Can I remind you that, as usual, we shall combine our AGM in March with an exhibition about our groups’ activities. There will be more details next month; meanwhile groups might like to start planning how to give members some idea of what they get up to in living rooms and halls round the district!

New Members
As we come to the end of Sarum U3A membership renewal time, a number of new members from our substantial waiting list will soon be joining us. Would Group Leaders please note that they may be contacted directly by these new members to see whether there is a vacancy in a group. In some cases it will not be possible to integrate new people half way through the season but I hope that in others it will be and that we can welcome them into our midst. As usual, all members will have to reapply for groups in the summer.

Walking Group
Thursday 31 January
The group will meet at at 10.00am on at the Grey Fisher, West Harnham. Please assemble at the car park entrance off the Downton Road (A 338). The walk along the drove will be varied depending on the weather.

Strollers
Thursday 31 January
Please meet at Tesco's, Southampton Road car park (garage end) at 10am.

More details from Maureen (504295).

Travel Abroad
There are one or two places available in this group for new members. The activities comprise presentations about any aspect of travel or living abroad whether tourism, business, social or political.

Contact Bob Bradshaw (01980 862901).

Wednesday 20 February at 10.00am

A talk on Wildlife Rescue will be given by Phil Groombridge of the Animal Hospital in West Winterslow

Wednesday 19 March
Exhibition and AGM

Tuesday 12 February
There will be a visit to the British Museum to see The Terracotta Army, one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century. Waiting list only.

Wednesday 26 March
A performance of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin by the Welsh National Opera at the Mayflower theatre.

Thursday 17 April
There will be a visit to Kew Gardens. An optional one hour guided tour of Kew Palace will also be offered. Full details and bookings will be available at the February Coffee Morning.

14 – 18 September 2008
A 5 day visit by Eurostar is planned to Strasbourg in the Alsace region of France. There will be visits to the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.

For further details of these and other visits, please see the noticeboard at any Coffee Morning or ring John Ewington (500699). Also see HERE

Please send all contributions for the Newsletter by mid-day on the 2nd Wednesday in the month to the Editor: Bob Bradshaw, Beech Lodge, Easton Common Hill, Winterslow, Salisbury, SP5 1QD.  Phone 01980 862901 or by email to: u3a@lizbob.waitrose.com