The canal gardens, Roundhay
Click below for enlarged versions of photos taken at some of the Group's recent activities.
Lifelong Learning in Action
Welcome to the web site of U3A Leeds, devoted to lifelong learning, providing opportunities to share skills and interests by learning together.
U3A Leeds is affiliated to a national organisation, the Third Age Trust. Membership is open to anyone within the Leeds area who is no longer in full time paid employment. There is no age limit.
For information on how to join, please see the Membership page.
Forthcoming activities
[The webmaster is on holiday. This column will not be updated until 7 February.]
Next General meeting
24 January
Martin Whillock
What's out there?: a tour of the solar system, plus something of what is beyond
Details of General meetings for the Spring session are on the Programme page.
Next "7 up" walk
25 January
Roundhay to Scarcroft
Details on the 7 up page.
Next Book Group meeting
2 February
"The Talented Mr Ripley" by Patricia Highsmith
See the Book Group page.
Next Strollers Group walk
15 February
Lister Park, Bradford, 1 ½ miles
Details on the Strollers Group page.
Next Grand Day Out
29 February
Special Winter Offer: Morecambe
See the Grand Day Out page.
Another Grand Day Out
8 March
Wakefield, Oldroyd's Rhubarb Triangle Experience
See the Grand Day Out page.
Getting too big for their boots? Walking boots, that is ....
Thanks to the huge success of the U3A's long established medium length Walking Group, the leader Jane has reluctantly had to close the group's waiting list to new applicants. Unfortunately, the waiting list has been getting ever longer and we badly need more U3A members who would be willing to lead medium length walks. Are you a walker? Was one of your New Year's resolutions to walk more in 2012? Have you often thought how nice it would be to take some friends with you on your favourite walk? If you have, please take a little time to talk about it to Jane, leader of the Walking Group, or Janet, Groups Coordinator.
Fun at Racketball Group's first session
Members of the new U3A Leeds Racketball group enjoying an hour long session at Chapel Allerton Tennis, Squash & Gym club under the direction of Head Racketball Coach Peter Edwards. As well as a coach and an experienced club player being there to show members how to get the most out of the game, the club also provides all the equipment – non-marking shoes, racket and ball for participants free of charge.
Some members had already attended the free taster sessions held before Christmas whilst others were on court for the first time. Alex, a recently retired service engineer said "I was looking for something active, to get me out of the house." Others were beginning to have rallies thanks to some patient "feeding" by club volunteer David Keogh. In fact, some members felt a real "high" when they hit a good shot experiencing a "Billy Elliot moment" when they were so focused on the ball, they forgot about everything else!
U3A Summer Schools
The Third Age Trust is organising two residential Summer Schools in 2012, one at Harper Adams University (near Newport, Staffs.), 16–19 July, and the other one at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, 20–23 August. Courses cover a wide range of subjects including Art, History, Drama, Philosophy, Website Design. For details, see here.Leeds City Museum: 'Silver 70s' exhibition
In order to coincide with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee next year, Leeds City Museum is preparing an exhibition entitled 'Silver 70s' which will run from 27 January to 22 April about life in the 1970s. In October a small group of U3A Leeds members went (together with members of the Leeds Older People's Forum) to the Leeds Museum Discovery Centre to see what it was all about. We had been asked to bring along photographs, artefacts, memorabilia and, most importantly, our memories of life in the 70s.
After a presentation explaining what form the exhibition would take we were given coffee and asked for examples of our lives in that decade covering such topics as: music, food, most influential man, most influential woman, fashions, games and pastimes and much more. Some people were recorded individually talking about what life was like for us at that time with the intention that our voices be used as interactive 'sound bites' as people walk around the museum's 'mock-up' of a 70s home.
A lively round-table discussion took place, again recorded, following which some of our memorabilia, artefacts and photographs were borrowed for the museum display.
We all enjoyed reminiscing about 'tank-tops', fine dining at the Berni Inn (enjoying the obligatory prawn cocktail, steak & chips and black forest gateau), Ford Capri cars, fondue sets, watching Starsky & Hutch on TV and listening to John Denver LPs on the stereogram. We also talked about the Women's Liberation Movement, the 'Three-Day Week', the first woman Prime Minister, the cost of living, decimalisation and other important issues of the day.
It was a very interesting and enjoyable event which will add our collective knowledge to the social history of life in Leeds in the 1970s and help to keep the past, our past, alive for future generations.
Janet Keogh
Announcements from other organisations
Leeds CAB needs volunteer advice workers
Are you looking for a new challenge, to learn new skills and use the skills and experience you have to make a difference? This could be the opportunity you have been looking for.
Leeds CAB helps 12,000 people a year with legal, money and other problems. We are extending our telephone services and are looking for long-term volunteers with a range of skills and experiences. Being a volunteer advice worker is a challenging but rewarding role.
If you have good literacy, numeracy, computer and communications skills, the ability to explain information to clients, commitment to the aims and principles of the CAB service, and can commit to a minimum of two days a week for at least nine months, look for further information at www.leedscab.org.uk/.
HOST UK
HOST is a voluntary network of people – including a good number of U3A members across the UK who enjoy occasionally welcoming international students at UK universities to their homes. U3A members are just the kind of interesting and interested people students love to meet, to gain an insight into the real life of this country away from the campus, and to share their own culture with their hosts. Hosting a student for one weekend, or at Christmas, or just for a day, makes a personal and meaningful contribution to international understanding and goodwill. U3A members make ideal hosts! If you would like to know more, please visit www.hostuk.org, or call HOST'’s local organiser Corinne Serle on 0113 277 6109.
HOST is a national charity founded in 1987 by the British Council, the Victoria League and the Foreign Office. Hosting students is a voluntary activity.