“May is the month of expectation, the month of wishes, the month of hope.” And isn’t it all looking lovely!
An early message this time, to make sure that everyone has plenty of time to register that our Drop-in will NOT be on the first Thursday of May, due to the Mayoral election taking place. If you turn up at Burnby Hall on the first of May, all you will get will be a pencil; for the usual combination of coffee, tea and good company you should come between 10.00 and 11.30 a.m. on Thursday, May 8th for a warm welcome.
After the Drop-in on the 8th, you may like to join in the VE Day commemorative wreath-laying ceremony, which will take place at midday at the Memorial Garden near All Saints Church. You are probably already aware of the range of activities and events planned in the town to mark the eightieth anniversary of the Victory in Europe – a date worth acknowledging, even if we don’t remember it ourselves.
May also brings our branch Annual General Meeting round again, and all our members are invited to join us at Burnby Hall at 2.00 p.m. on Thursday May 22nd for this. It’s a chance to review what has happened in our branch over the last year and what changes might be forthcoming, and an opportunity to find out more and tell us what you think and feel about our u3a.
The Third Age Trust (TAT) is the central governing body of all u3a branches, and one of the matters laid down in the Constitution which we are all governed by is a set of rules about branch Committees. All officers and trustees serve for fixed terms, so that newer members can bring a fresh approach and a committee cannot become ‘cliquey’. Under this ruling, three new officers for the P&D committee need to be chosen at this AGM:
- A Treasurer, who has some experience of working with accounts: someone organised and in possession of a calculator!
- A Vice-Chair, who can stand in for the Chair, can assist when needed, and would have the option of becoming Chair next year.
- A Secretary who can help with day-to-day correspondence and fielding general enquiries.
None of these roles would take over your life, and a lot of help and support can and will be given by the present incumbents! We’d be happy to give more information and answer any questions beforehand, so do please consider whether you could be prepared to give this little bit of extra involvement to help support your branch; as we often say, the u3a runs on goodwill and cannot go on without commitment.
Attached to this email you will find the Agenda for the AGM, the Minutes of last year’s, and nomination forms for joining the Committee. (All of these must be sent to all members 21 days before an AGM.) Give it some thought, and we’ll hope to see you on the 22nd.
As usual, you’re invited to join more groups: this month, the Archaeology Group is having a relaunch, now called “Archaeology and The Past” to make it clear that members are not actually expected to be grubbing in the earth with trowels! The group will be considering all aspects of the past and how it has defined us – as always, to find out more, contact te Group Leader through the website.
The English Language Group will hold its first meeting, in Allerthorpe Village Hall, at 2 p.m. on Monday June 2nd, with “A Not At All Boring History of the English Language”. The group promises to be lively and interesting; again, contact the Group Leader for more details.
The popular Writing for Pleasure group 1 also has vacancies. If you fancy expanding your creativity or imagination, contact Margaret on 01759 303683 or meet her at the Drop-In.
As well as giving us two Bank Holidays, May offers a range of days themed on kindness and feeling good: we can sing along on Gilbert and Sullivan day on the 3rd, which is also World Laughter Day; later in the month, there will be days to think of Nurses, Families, Children and Bees. And it’s National Biscuit Day on the 29th!
You may be planning to wash your face in the dew on Mayday morning, Morris dance round the Black Mill on Beverley Westwood, get to grips with the garden or just ‘cast a clout, since May be out’. But whatever you’re planning for the next month, enjoy the return of summer, and take care of yourselves.
Rosemary Waugh (Secretary)
