Members Notices
An invitation to Singing for Pleasure
Dear U3A member
I would like to extend a warm invitation to any U3A member who is able, or keen, to participate in four part singing. I have been leading the Singing for Pleasure group since the early 90’s, and some of my present members have been with me for much of that time. By no means do all of them read music. It is a very relaxed, easy going group. A good ear for a tune and rhythm is a starting point; the rest should follow with note practice during the sessions. We have singers in each section who are choral society singers, and as you sing along with them, you will learn. I have watched people - who were shy and quiet when they joined - blossom over the weeks. Very heart warming.
At the moment we are short of alto, tenor and bass voices with some singing experience, in order to balance the sound. We also have a Barbershop Group and are desperately looking for either a Bass or 2nd Tenor voice.
We meet on alternate Wednesday mornings – 6th Sept. is our first autumn Singing for Pleasure date. 10.10 am for coffee and chat – 10.30 start.
Barbershop is alternate Wednesday mornings at my house.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Warm regards,
Gwen Crosse
Help is always required at our various Events throughout the year. To become part of our Volunteer Team is an enjoyable way to become more involved with the various aspects of our U3A. A FUN way to get to know a wider circle of our large membership.
Become involved with your U3A by helping at various meetings and events throughout the year. The more we are, the lighter the duties. Volunteering to help at our various events is not only a very necessary part of our U3A, but is also very enjoyable. Contact any member of the Committee.
We have had several queries regarding the use of Zoom so we have prepared three sets of simple instructions for novice Zoom users, which we can send to you on request. They are:
a. How to join a Zoom meeting;
b. How to change your screen name;
c. How to join a Zoom meeting without a camera or microphone.
Furthermore, we are happy to run individual Zoom meetings to help you get used to the technology as we'd love to see more of you joining us. For more information contact:
Paul Chamberlain
Photo by Gabriel Benois on Unsplash (free download)
We have a small selection of equipment for use by groups.
We have a Public Address System (P.A. System). This is a small box with an amplifier integrated with a speaker and a number of microphones. One microphone will sit on a stand but you have to speak into it and most people tend to move around and away so their address comes and goes. To make life better we have some radio microphones that either fit on your head or lapel and feed the sound by radio to the amplifier. The system is simple to set up and is available to groups within our U3A to use and make life more enjoyable for members.
We also have:
- Data Projector
- Lap top computer which can be used to show films, PowerPoint presentations and pictures etc.
- Two large screens.
Contact Paul Chamberlain He is willing, where necessary, to deliver the kit and also assist in setting it up.
ICE NUMBERS
What are they and why do we ask for them?
If you have been on any of our coach trips, you will have been asked to provide an emergency contact (ICE) number. This is just in case an emergency arises on the day.
Most minor emergencies can be dealt with by a co-ordinated group effort and our u3a has a plethora of talented members who would respond immediately, should such an occasion arise. Golden Boy drivers are also trained to deal with any foreseeable emergency situations.
I have only ever needed to use an ICE number once and that was to arrange for an unwell participant to be picked up at the return coach stop rather than struggling home on their own. Hopefully we will never have to do more than this.
You may have ICE numbers already registered on your mobile phone. These are probably your next of kin and other family members.
For our outings, your ICE does not have to be your next of kin, who may be travelling with you or live nowhere near to Hertford, perhaps abroad. It should be a reliable person, family member, good mate, neighbour or even your travelling companion’s ICE number. BUT do ask them first and make sure they know enough about you to get in touch with your nearest and dearest, in the unlikely event of that being necessary.
I gather numbers before we leave on an outing to take with me and leave a copy of this list with a reliable ‘Hertford based’ u3a chum. This list will be deleted after everyone has returned safely. I have never yet needed to contact the Hertford chum.
If you have any questions about ICE numbers, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Liz Cooper
Please note that the email address to be used when sending copy to the Editors is
All the Editors will receive a copy and the Duty Editor will acknowledge receipt.
Please put your copy in the body of the email and send photos as attachments.
Overnight stays: please notify Pam Beale, U3A Secretary, if your group is embarking on a trip involving an overnight stay as explained in the Group Leaders’ Guide.
We have been reviewing the implications of the Data Protection Act on email communications sent to Members by our Committee or by Group Leaders.
Where email addresses are disclosed in the "to" address field of an email, those addresses are visible to all recipients of that email. It is a contravention of this Act for such disclosure to be made unless the consent of the individuals concerned has been obtained prior to the inclusion of their email addresses in this fashion.
The Committee has accordingly advised Group Leaders that if such consent has not been obtained then round robin emails from them to their Group Members should be sent using the "Bcc" blind copy facility. Indeed we recommend the use of this facility as a general principle.