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Hear this page!
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What is the future of Minehead & District u3a? I pose this question as last month I wrote about the Aladdin’s cave of riches found on our new website and on the wider internet.
Accessing this untold wealth brings its own problems: the digital divide between people without the skills, means or inclination, and those who are embracing the opportunities of the internet will widen, possibly at the cost of that essential element of a u3a, the social interaction within its local community.
As a committee, we have worked hard during lockdown to keep that divide as small as possible. We have provided help and support to access technology, thanks to our IT Champions, created a local technology platform for members, and even acquired ten tablet computers for loan to those with no technology. There are still some available, by the way. But what now?
The government ‘roadmap′ anticipates that group meetings can resume after 21 June. It is unlikely that large meetings, like our coffee mornings will be allowed or manageable before 2022. However, outdoor meetings can take place from 17 May, socially distanced of course. I am delighted to hear we have an e-bike group in the making.
The committee has spent some time looking at the next few months, as May will soon be here. Membership subscriptions are due at the beginning of that month, and the AGM will be on the 20th. I had proposed to conduct a members’ survey but on reflection – following an attempt to formulate some questions – I realised that what is really important is what YOU think.
What are your thoughts about the u3a in the coming months? How can we contact new members, promote the movement, encourage and energise existing groups, and keep the u3a relevant and valuable to the local community? Finally, do you believe that next year’s basic membership fee of £10 is value for money?
What is the future for Minehead & District u3a? There is a detailed paper ‘Planning for the u3a Post Lockdown’, by the Chair of the Third Age Trust (I can post a printed copy to anyone interested). BUT what is vital are your thoughts about the future for our u3a. Can I invite you to send your thoughts, ideas or concerns to – the website page, via an , or if you prefer to chat about it, you can simply telephone me, or any committee member.
I wonder whether our thoughts are clouded by ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’ syndrome!? Getting back to ‘normal’ appears tantalisingly close and it is all we can think of after practically a year of pandemic worry. Are we close to going back to life as we were? This is a question we could do with debating.