skye u3a news...much hoping to grow and new members are extremely welcome. skye u3a news is...
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Contact details
ChairJoy Davies ✆ 01470 511727;8 [email protected]
Vice ChairTony Livesey✆ 01470 511207; 8 [email protected]
SecretaryJo-Ann Cherry✆ 01470 5427778 [email protected]
TreasurerChad Killington ✆ 01470 5823848 [email protected]
Membership SecretariesBarbara Macdonald✆ 01470 5215768 [email protected]
Peggy Hunter✆ 01470 5213248 [email protected]
Group Co-ordinatorsPola and Tony Livesey✆ 01470 5112078 [email protected]
The Isle of Skye U3A has been in existence for over three years. It was originally based around the island’s capital, Portree, but has extended itself to include Broadford. These two centres are separated by 26 miles and many members are scattered in remote locations around the island. This presents special challenges but the Isle of Skye itself is a major compensation, offering rich sources of interest in areas such as archaeology, geology, nature, and walking. Given the population of Skye we will never approach the size of city U3As but we are very much hoping to grow and new members are extremely welcome.
Skye U3A news is published irregularly. Copy date for the next issue is 10 December 2014. Send material for inclusion to Ian Burn [8 [email protected]].
Message from the (arm)chair
A belated Happy New Year everyone.
Christmas seems a long time ago – the days are already getting longer and hopefully the weather will soon show a similar improvement.
In November I attended the All-Scotland meeting in Inverness. One of the topics that I noted was an expression of interest from other U3A groups to come to Skye and explore some of our geological and archaeological sites. We could become sort of tour guides for off-island U3A groups! I will be watching with interest to see if the idea is taken up seriously and keep you all informed.
Earlier in January we had a committee meeting at which several decisions were agreed.
Last autumn's MacMillan coffee morning (we called it a tea party) was a great success. There was a good turn-out of members and guests and it raised a significant sum of money for MacMillan. It was decided we should hold another 'tea party' this year.
We also reviewed the success of our Christmas meeting and it was suggested we might try a different format this year. Instead of having a Christmas meeting in early December, maybe we might hold a Epiphany lunch on or about 6 January in 2016. The one problem that was foreseen was the need to find three wise men instead of one santa!
Our Annual General Meeting is fast approaching (27 March). Nothing has been decided regarding the format of the meeting, but suggestions include showing a film (possibly one with a local interest) and a quiz. Watch this space!
Finally, a reminder that Skye U3A has computers for loan to members. We have five lap-tops (running MS Windows 7) and an iPad. Members wishing to borrow the equipment should email Tony or myself.
Joy
U3A committee
The observant amongst you will recognise we ran an article asking for volunteers for the committee a year ago. Amazingly enough, little has changed since then – the same committee members are doing the same jobs and the plea goes out again.
The Skye U3A is run by a committee of between 5 and 12 members and our constitution says committee members should only serve for a maximum of three years.
The current committee have all served their full term (doesn't time fly) and it needs volunteers to come forward to join/replace them. As well as satisfying the terms of our constitution, new blood is good for the society.
The work is not too onerous. The committee meets every couple of months and these meetings last for a couple of hours.
I have been Chair since Skye U3A started and I cannot give enough praise to the current committee. I hear of so many problems and difficulties in committees of other organsiations and smugly think: "Ah, the Skye U3A is not like that; we all work together for mutual benefit".
The continued success of the Skye U3A depends on all of us. If you would like to know more about what being a committee member involves, please button-hole an existing member at the January or February meetings.
It would be so good to have some new blood by the AGM in March.
Joy Davies
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Skye U3A newsIssue #14 – January 2015 web: u3asites.org.uk/code/u3asite.php?site=325&page=0
Isle of Skye U3A 2014-25 programme
Friday 30 January
Love and Music will Endure
Liz MacRae Shaw
Breakish Hall, Breakish.
Friday 27 February
Skye Young Carers
Marjorie Jagger
Aros, Viewfield Road, Portree IV51 9EU
Friday 27 March
Annual General Meeting
Shinty clubhouse, Pairc Nan Laoch, Struan Road, Portree IV51
Friday 28 January 2015 meeting
Love and Music wil Endure by Liz MacRae Shaw
Our January speaker will be Liz MacRae Shaw who will be speaking about Màiri Mhòr nan Orain.
Màiri Mhòr nan Orain (Great Mary of the Songs) is the heroine of 'Love And Music Will Endure', a historical novel on her life which was published earlier last year by The Islands Book Trust.
It tells the story of the Skye poet and political campaigner, who was born into a crofting family in North Skye. Her powerful voice was only unleashed in middle age after she was falsely accused of theft and imprisoned. She poured her rage and despair into songs about the plight of her fellow Highlanders who were being driven from their homes. Through force of character she overcame the barriers of background, class and gender to become their champion and inspiration.
She was a fascinating and complex personality. She was deeply rooted in her homeland and her songs are still very much in the musical repertoire today but her story also has a universal resonance. She was one of that indomitable collection of doughty Victorian women who refused to accept the constraints society imposed on women and forged a public role for themselves.
November 2014 speaker
Our speaker last November, Ian G MacDonald, gave us a most illumination talk on crofting.
A Crofting Commission Commissioner for the West
Highlands, Ian's talk started from the 'Old Order' (Clan Chiefs etc) and continued up to the present day (Tenants and Owner-occupier Crofters).
Isle of Skye U3A2015 programme
Contact [email protected]
ChairJoy Davies ✆ 01470 511727; 8 [email protected]
Vice ChairTony Livesey✆ 01470 511207; 8 [email protected]
SecretaryJo-Ann Cherry✆ 01470 542777; 8 [email protected]
TreasurerChad Killington
✆ 01470 582384; 8 [email protected]
Membership SecretariesBarbara Macdonald✆ 01470 521576; 8 [email protected]
Peggy Hunter✆ 01470 521324; 8 [email protected]
Group Co-ordinatorsPola and Tony Livesey
✆ 01470 511207; 8 [email protected]
U3A stands for the University of the Third Age, which is a self-help organisation for people no longer in full time employment providing educational, creative and leisure opportunities in a friendly environment. It consists of local U3As all over the UK, which are charities in their own right and are run entirely by volunteers. Local U3As are learning cooperatives which draw upon the knowledge, experience and skills of their own members to organise and provide interest groups in accordance with the wishes of the membership. The teachers learn and the learners teach. Between them U3As offer the chance to study over 300 different subjects in such fields as art, languages, music, history, life sciences, philosophy, computing, crafts, photography and walking.
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.
The U3A movement is supported by its national organisation, the Third Age Trust.
The Isle of Skye U3A was founded in September 2010 and originally operated in the northern part of the island, with meetings taking place in the ‘capital city of Skye’, Portree. It was subsequently extended to the southern part of the island, with meetings being held in the ‘second city’, Broadford. These two centres are separated by 26 miles and many members are scattered in remote locations around the island. This presents special challenges but the Isle of Skye itself is a major compensation, offering rich sources of interest in areas such as archeology, geology, nature, and walking. Given the population of Skye we will never approach the size of metropolitan U3As but we are very much hoping to grow and new members are extremely welcome.
We meet at 2.00 pm on the last Friday of every month, with the venue alternating between Portree Shinty clubhouse and Breakish Hall. At most meetings there is a guest speaker, but now and again we hold internal events such as quizzes, group presentations, etc.
Tea, coffee, and biscuits are available at all meetings.
Isle of Skye U3A newsletter; issue #14 | January 2015
Isle of Skye U3A interest groups
Interest groups – an update
Two new interest groups have quietly made their first tentative steps: photography and music appreciation.
Both groups are trying to overcome the problem of travel-distances facing groups on Skye by being internet based, using ‘cloud sharing’ services like Dropbox.
The Photography group seeks to help members to improve their photography; members submitting their photographs on a chosen topic for comment from others in the group. U3A members wishing to find out more or join the group should email Steve Terry ([email protected]).
The Music Appreciation group seeks to encourage members
to share and comment on each others musical recommendations. It tries to have a monthly musical theme or topic for members to contribue and listen to, and appreciate and comment on.
Members wishing to find out more or join the group should email Ian Burn ([email protected]).
U3A Skye interest groups
Geology groupThe group normally makes a monthly field trip on Skye. We try to read up on an area before and after our trip as some of us are complete beginners. As well as broadening our knowledge of geology in a practical ‘eyes-on’ manner, the outings are also great fun and always involve a mini-picnic.
Tuesday 3 FebruaryDinosaur footprints and other fossils under the direction of Ray.
Rainy day topic 'Fossils' – Ray.
Tuesday 3 MarchElgol caves, sandstone and limestone cliffs.
Rainy day topic 'Sandstone and Limestone Deposits at Elgol' – John.
Tuesday 7 AprilPahoehoe lava at Talisker Bay.
Rainy day topic 'Basalt Cliffs and Ropy Lava' – Judy.
Remember to visit the geology blog http://u3askyegeology.blogspot.co.uk/.
Group co-ordinatorJo-Ann Cherry
✆ 01470 542777
Nature groupThe group has a field trip each month to see what Skye has to offer in the realm of nature. Although each event focuses on a particular area of flora and fauna, we keep an eye out for anything, from lichen to raptors, from flowers to sea mammals.
Monday 16 FebruaryLoch Sneosdal, Trotternish.
Monday 16 MarchLoch Sligachan, north shore.
These dates are provisional and subject to change nearer the time. All changes will be announced by e-mail.
The current U3A nature blog is available at http://u3a-skye-nature.blogspot.co.uk
Group co-ordinatorJohn Kennedy
✆ 01470 532765
Walking groupTuesday 10 FebruaryThe old Moll road (south of Sligachan). The advantage of doing this walk in winter is that, because we'd be walking along the old road, the bog factor would be zero no matter what the weather!
Tuesday 10 MarchQuiraing
Wednesday 22 AprilGlen Brittle forest walk
Tuesday 10 MarchQuiraing (weather dependant so we may have to have an alternative up our sleeves).
Wednesday 22 AprilGlen Brittle forest walk.
Group co-ordinatorsDavid Hammond
Linda Shove
U3A Nature interest group blogFor more information on the group, don't forget the current U3A nature blog is available at http://u3a-skye-nature.blogspot.co.uk
Dinosaur hunting on Staffin Beach
On a clear but very cold day during a gap in the wild and wet January weather, the Geology group made the journey to Staffin Beach looking for the famous dinosaur footprints.
The conditions were good – clear and dry and the tide was out but despite the best efforts of the group no footprints could be found.
Directions were followed (twenty paces from the second rock') maps and information boards consulted but no footprints. After about an hour the group decided to give up for now and return when they had a U3A member who has seen the footprints and knows exactly where they are.
Were we downhear ted – no, we retired to the warmth of a nearby house for coffee and cake.
Isle of Skye U3A newsletter; issue #14 | January 2015
National U3A news and events
Summer School 2015
This year's U3A Summer Schools are being held at:
Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire, TF10 8NB
Monday 13 to Thursday 16 July 2015
Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester, GL7 6JS
Monday 17 to Thursday 20 August 2015
A very wide-ranging programme of topic are being covered:
Art History – La Belle Epoque – France – 1890-1914; Creative Writing; France – Regards sur la France d’aujourd’hui; Film History – Directors in Focus; Philosophy/Literature – Novel Ideas & Winning Words; Practical Theatre Project – ‘In Our Time’; Recorder Ensemble; Shakespeare and the Supernatural; What is This Thing Called Mathematics?; Drama – 20th Century American; Garden Design – How to design your dream garden; Golden Age of Rome – From Augustus to Hadrian; La Bella Italia – La cultura e la lingua; Literature – Diaries, Letters and Memoirs; Music –
Making Friends with Music around the World; Scandinavian Noir – Is it the new black?; Science – Skywatching in the 21st century; Singing for Pleasure; Writing – Biography with a Difference.
For more information about Summer Schools, visit the website (www.u3a.org.uk), or contact the National Office (tel: 020 8466 6139; email: [email protected]).
Isle of Skye U3A newsletter; issue #14 | January 2015
Third Age Matters
A reminder to members that the latest issue of the U3A magazine, Third Age Matters, is out and includes articles on a variety of interesting topics, including a full report on the U3A AGM.
More than 400 delegates from U3As all over Britain visited Cirencester for the AGM. Chairman Barbara Lewis told the AGM that there is now a three year plan for the national organisation of the U3A, and the future is bright.
“Its vision is to make lifelong learning through experience of the U3A a reality for all third agers,” she said. And she offered a new definition of what the U3A experience is about:
“U3A is an organisation of men and women who regularly gather together to share their experiences, knowledge, philosophies, values and ideas. They learn from each other.
“It is a forum for the growth of the human spirit, the development of friendships and the exploration of ideas to enrich the quality of life in the Third Age.” That might be ambitious, she said, but “if you don’t reach for the stars you will never reach the moon”.
The three year plan has taken a full year to produce, and it provides a 'road map'. There is a surplus this year, and that will be “the war chest for the three year plan”.
The philosophy was provided by the launch of a new version of Time to Learn – a guide to organising and running U3A groups on the day that she was speaking to the conference.
Events
U3A Spring Concert
Tuesday 28 April 2015 15.00 – 17.00
Tickets £18.00
Temple Church, Temple, London EC4.
Vivaldi with the Brandenburg Singers and Organ; Conductor: Robert Porter.
Temple Church is late 12th century and was built for the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. In modern times, two Inns of Court (Inner and Middle Temples) use the church. It is famous for its effigy tombs and for being a round church. It was heavily damaged during World War II but has been largely restored.
The concert will be introduced and conducted by Robert Porter, the Brandenburg Choral Festival’s Artistic Director. The programme will include a selection of a cappella and organ favourites, followed by the ever popular Vivaldi Gloria. The Brandenburg Singers is a small hand-picked group drawn from the finest of the members of the 150 choirs that perform in the Brandenburg Choral Festival – the largest choral festival in the UK.
Early Flight and the First World War in the Air
20 Sept, 14 Oct, 18 Nov
Time 13.30-15.15 onwards
RAF Museum, London NW9 5LL
Tickets £10 – booking is direct with the museum for this event.