Following two successful New Members’ meetings and an enjoyable Christmas Lunch, I hope that everyone is happily settled in their chosen groups.
Thank you to those members who responded to my plea to help reduce waiting lists. The New Year sees the start up of additional French, German, Spanish, Philosophy and Creative Writing groups, plus a new Latin Group and the promise of a course on Modern British History (1946-1990s) to start in October 2009.
My thanks also to those of you who offered suggestions in response to the Food for Thought consultation document. It will be the main focus of the January committee meeting, and further discussion at the Group Leaders’ meeting on March 6th.
We now have a full Committee, and have been able to organise support for some of the roles. However the search continues for your next Chairman, and I ask that groups seriously consider whether they have a member that they could recommend for the role, and either let me know or get that person(s) to contact me to find out more about what is involved. This is now a matter of extreme urgency.
Harrogate U3A is a mutual help organisation dependent for its success upon the shared knowledge, skills and experience of its members (all 800+). Over to you!
Best wishes, Janet Coatman, Chairman. January 2009
The Chairman’s Message
Trying Out a Group – Clarification of the rules
At the November 6th 2008 committee meeting the question of sampling groups was revisited,
as the Committee had been asked to clarify the situation. The following points were
agreed and transmitted to all Group Leaders/Contacts:-
1. Prospective members are welcome to attend up to three Open Meetings at a charge
of £1 per meeting before deciding whether to join Harrogate U3A.
2. Once they are paid up members of Harrogate U3A they may attend group(s) meetings
as a visitor for up to two meetings (an appropriate fee being paid) before deciding
whether to join the group.
3. Those already on the group waiting list (who must be Harrogate U3A members) should
be given priority when places become available.
Janet Coatman, Chairman, January 2009.
Membership
On 1st December 2008 65 members were deleted from the list leaving a total membership
of 789. Enquiries continue at a steady pace, as do new members joining. We now have
around 800 members, over 150 more than at this time last year.
