The last couple of messages from the Chairman, prepared for the Grange and District u3a quarterly newsletter are below:
June 2026
It seems only days since I wrote the report for the last Newsletter and here we are again! Last month saw our Annual General Meeting and although we have enough Committee members, it was disappointing that there were no offers to join the Committee or indeed fill the position of Vice Chair. The former means that Janet and Ameer Tabarandak have agreed to continue for another year, though they have really done their stint and were looking forward to freedom! The latter means that there is no-one shadowing what I do as Chair, to step into my shoes at the AGM in 2027. Without a Chair the group can not legally continue.
The whole ethos of the u3a is self help. Every member is expected to offer something towards making things work smoothly, whether it be organising one meeting or event for an Activity Group, serving a spell on the Committee ( they are all very helpful and friendly ) or offering to help out flying the flag at events such as the Vintage Car Rally. There are lots of ways you can be an active member rather than a passive one who expects everything to happen with no personal effort. While I realise that chairing meetings is not everyone’s cup of tea, there are lots of other roles which involve minimal effort – maybe just organising one Activity group meeting a year for a group you enjoy attending.
While we are thinking about cups of tea, I would like to offer a HUGE ‘thank you’ to the refreshments team who supply drinks and biscuits at the end of every monthly meeting. They are Superstars who get on quietly behind the scenes, making sure everyone gets their choice of beverage and that the kitchen is left in a pristine condition when they leave.
As usual, Morag has organised some excellent speakers over the past few months. For me the stand-out one was the April talk about Bay Search and Rescue. I really did not realise quite how far their skills stretched, helping out with floods, mountain rescues and much more. I am sure you will be pleased to know that as well as their Speaker’s fee, they took away over £287 in donations which members dropped into the impromptu bucket as they left. While only a tiny bit towards it, it is good to know that we have added a little to the £400,000 they need to purchase a new all-terrain vehicle, their present one being in need of pensioning off.
As we look forward to the summer months, the Committee has been mulling over ideas for something special for our August get together. Maybe afternoon tea and some games? Maybe a trip on a boat or train? If you have any ( reasonably sensible and not too pricey ) ideas, do please get in touch with a Committee member to share them. We will probably set up a small sub-committee to organise something a bit special and we will need volunteers to help. IT COULD BE YOU!
Tricia Thomas
March 2026
Writing this it is raining yet again! I really hope that by the time you read it the weather will be heading towards spring and will be milder and hopefully drier!
I will start with a HUGE plea. We really do need one of our more than 500 members to step forward and join the Committee as Treasurer-in-waiting. Michael McCormick has agreed to continue for one more year but needs someone to offer to take on his mantle. He is happy to mentor them and show them the intricacies of the system U3A uses but we desperately need someone to volunteer. Due to Charity Commission regulations, WITHOUT A TREASURER, GRANGE AND DISTRICT u3a WILL BE UNABLE TO CONTINUE. So, please, think about it. You don’t need to be a practicing accountant, just able to add up and learn the system, which Michael will help you through. If you are even the tiniest bit interested please contact Michael or a member of the ( very friendly ) committee.
On a much happier note, we are now in our 26th year as a u3a! Starting from very small beginnings we have grown to over 500 members and a very wide selection of interest groups. To celebrate our 25th Anniversary over 140 of us met in December for a delicious buffet lunch and entertainment at the Cumbria Grand Hotel. Malcolm Kimber gave us a very entertaining illustrated talk about the growth of our u3a, Andrew Musgrave updated his 20th Anniversary poem and the Sands Band provided music to listen to as well as to sing along with. Four of our earliest members joined us for the cutting of the cake and committee member Roger Handley put on his Mayoral Chain and joined in the festivities. For as long as I can remember, Erline Robinson has edited our magazine and the celebrations provided an excellent opportunity to present her with a bouquet as a very small token of our heartfelt thanks for all her sterling efforts.