Groups

Spanish to Writing for Pleasure

Spanish 1 & 2

 

For ease of instruction purposes there are two Spanish classes; one class for beginners and one for intermediate.  Both classes currently meet on a weekly basis with a view to improving conversational skills. The Beginners’ sessions include conversation and work on oral and written exercises.  The Intermediate sessions will be more conversation based and use texts as a basis for reading and conversation.

 

Group 1.Beginners-meet Tuesdays from 3.00pm to 4.00pm

Group 2.Intermediates-meet Tuesdays from 10.00am to 11.00am

 

Strolls

 

This group has been running for several years and continues to flourish. We meet once a month and the average attendance is 12 -16 members. The Strollers group is open to and welcomes all U3A members.

 

The strolls are popular social events. The average length is 2 miles and the walk is usually over fairly flat terrain. The walk is at a leisurely pace and is followed by a pub lunch.

 

All members are encouraged to plan and lead walks although the walks programme is coordinated by the contact who additionally arranges lifts in shared cars.

 

This group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 11.00 am. (Details are published in the bi-monthly newsletter)

 

Sunday Lunches

 

This group meets on a monthly basis to enjoy good food and conversation together. Although many of the members attend on a regular basis, members are free to dip in and dip out as they wish and the composition of the group changes month upon month.

 

A list of venues and dates for our lunches is compiled and details published in the bi - monthly newsletter.  Venues are usually within a 15 mile radius of Southampton and lunch usually costs under £12. The venues are often chosen and arranged by one of the members. Anyone wishing to join us should phone the contact at least 5 days before so that numbers can be confirmed with the restaurant or pub. The contact will give you the lunch time and directions to the venue and arrange lifts as required.

 

The group meets on the 1st Sunday of the month

 

Textiles

 

This is a small friendly group which provides the opportunity for members to do most sorts of work with textiles and requires no pre-requisite skills to join.

 

Individual members of the group pursue their own interests including: embroidery, patchwork, quilting, tapestry, cross-stitch etc. obtaining ideas and help from each other. We are hoping in the future there will be the opportunity for experimenting with different ideas, doing group projects and attending workshops.

 

We meet on the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 2.00 – 4.00pm

 

 

Theatre

 

A number of members who enjoy the theatre meet together three times a year, usually in January, April and August, to discuss plays recently seen and to plan a programme for the coming season.

 

During the first half of the afternoon individual members give a short report/review on the performances we have seen since our previous meeting. All members are encouraged to participate in discussion and review but there is no pressure to do so. This is followed in the second half of the meeting with a look at the productions that are advertised at nearby theatres for the forthcoming season.  After much discussion we then make a consensus choice regarding which plays to attend.

 

We visit a selection of theatres including those in Southampton, Chichester, Winchester, Newbury, Salisbury and the National (or wherever our fancy takes us) and our choices cover all types of drama.  We usually travel in shared cars, or by coach for longer journeys.

 

There is approximately one theatre visit per month and visits are, of course, open to all Southampton U3A members.

 

This group meets three times a year. Dates are published in the bi-monthly newsletter.

 

Travel

 

This group meets on a monthly basis to share travelling experiences. Our meetings usually include:

Sharing travelling experiences through comments, photos, slides etc. Presentations on Antarctica, India, Japan and Morocco are planned during the coming months. There will be approximately two presentations per meeting of 30 minutes each.

Sharing experiences of arranging travels through the Internet, travel agents, airlines etc.

Although this group is operating at maximum capacity at present, we would be delighted to hear from U3A members who are interested in joining us. We will also be happy to circulate newsletters and information about arranged travelling.

 

We meet on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 2.30pm

 

Walks

 

The walking group was one of the first to be formed in Southampton U3A. It is a strong group with a regular attendance of 15 - 20 people each month. The group meets on a monthly basis and is open to all U3A members. You are free to join us regularly every month or to come on a casual basis as and when you can.

 

Members of the group often take it in turn to organise and lead the walks although there is no compulsion to do so. The walks average 4½ to 5 miles and are walked at a moderate pace covering open countryside, woods and forest alike in all weathers. Walking boots, waterproofs and a flask for drinks are definitely a good idea! Walks are nearly always followed by a pub lunch for those who care to indulge.

 

In addition to being good for your health, walks are very sociable events providing opportunities to meet people and make new friends…..So why not come along and give it a try!

 

The group meets on 2nd Tuesday of the month at 10.30 am. (Details are published in the bi-monthly newsletter)

 

Wessex Heritage

 

The Wessex Heritage group meets once a month (there is no meeting in December) to study a town or village within a 30 mile radius of Southampton. After we have decided on a place to study, each person takes a different subject or group of subjects to research, i.e. origins and history, trade and industry, museums and galleries, religious and secular buildings, transport, prominent citizens etc. Over the next 1 or 2 meetings we present and discuss our findings and this is followed up with a visit to the place in question (car sharing is arranged).

 

Many local history groups or councils have published trails which we might choose to follow and adapt, everyone making a contribution from their research. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to know an enthusiastic, local resident willing to show us around and occasionally we pay for a guide or give a donation for a guided tour. Every place produces surprises.  At Christchurch a printed trail led us to a replica ducking stool by a stream! At Chichester we had a delightful trip on the little known canal. The skipper and his mate were happy to share its history and answer our questions. None of us joined the group as an historian, but over the years we have gathered fascinating and useful information about this exceptional area where we live and also had some good lunches in the process!

 

The group meets on the 3rd Friday of the month at 2.pm

 

Writing for Pleasure 1

 

This group meets once a month to give those who have some experience of writing already the opportunity to encourage, explore and extend their writing skills.  The only obvious area of commonality within the group is their enthusiasm to improve their writing skills and to enjoy sharing their experiences with like-minded fellows.

 

Sessions generally last about two hours.  All that is needed is a pen, a pad (or even a computer notebook) and an open and enquiring mind. The class is currently preparing their homework around the theme of “Life Experience”. Between meetings we are trying to keep our communication lines open via email to avoid taking up too much time reading aloud at each meeting. When we next meet we shall share our efforts with other group members and in turn offer constructive criticism of what we hear and read. This will hopefully encourage each writer to develop their own skills, and explore other avenues of writing such as poetry or fiction and ultimately to publish what they produce.

 

The group meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 2.00pm

 

Writing for Pleasure 2

 

This group’s common bond is that we all enjoy writing.  We meet once a month to share our efforts with fellow members. We aim to be a self-help group with every member being part of a team which decides how we shall move forward.  

 

Every month a topic upon which to base our writing is chosen democratically by the group.  Recent topics have included: Ourselves, An Early Experience and a piece which began ‘He came into the room…..’.  Once a topic has been decided upon we then individually write pieces of approximately 350 words based upon the topic as our homework.  

 

At the following meeting members take it in turn to read aloud their pieces which are then appraised by the group.  We are all keeping our pieces of writing hoping that one day we may be able to publish them in a simple form to share with others.

 

We meet in the afternoon of the 2nd Thursday in the month at 2.00pm

Back