1st Year Renewers Event
Recently an event was held targetted at our newest members (those who joined last year). It was an opportunity for them to provide feedback on their first year — what was good, what was not so good. It was also an opportunity to try to encourage them to take part in running their u3a — to help in some small way. All said that they had enjoyed the event and the chance to chat to other new members. Some longer term members who were current volunteers also attended, to explain how they helped out and how they enjoyed supporting iU3A.

AGM 2022
In November 2022 we held our Annual General Meeting. This was held as a face to face meeting. Full information on both meetings held and information of the resolutions passed can be seen here.

40th Anniversary
The national u3a is starting a programme in 2022 of events to celebrate its 40th birthday. One aspect is to plant trees and help the climate. iU3A has played its part by procuring a copse in this new wood in the Brecon Beacons (see our Certificate here). You can see more information regarding 'our' copse here.

Our Picnic in the Park event went very well with over 80 members attending on a cool June day. We needn't have worried about not having enough food, members brought great quantities and variety to share. To mark the national u3a '40th Anniversary' we had a cake to cut and the new borough mayor was there to cut it. We also then featured in the Islington Tribune.










Islington U3A will be supporting the London Region initiative of 'Walking Around London' — over 230 miles of Capital Ring and the LOOP.

Other events will be added here as the celebrations continue.

Digital Strategy
National u3a Day
In 2021 iU3A participated in this nationwide event to celebrate the u3a movement and attract new members. We kicked off our activities with an attractive stall in Chapel Market flying the banners of u3a. It was supported by many members giving out literature to the passing public. 15 signed up on the spot and many others took away our literature. On the actual day of 02 June we had a public demo from our Petanque group in Caledonian Park and a day-long online programme of events. The programme, again open to the public, showcased some of our Groups (Current Affairs, Classic Films, Bird Watching) and our Courses (past and future). We rounded off the day with an external entertainer (telling us the tale of a gory murder in Victorian London) and then another of Mary White's popular quizzes.

Last Monthly Meeting
For information on our last monthly meeting and all our previous monthly meetings see here.

Shared Learning Projects — London Met
In collaboration with London Metropolitan University we are undertaking some Shared Learning Projects (SLPs). The first of these was regarding 'Hybrid Meetings' and the future shape of our Groups using online and physical blended learning techniques. The feedback from this first SLP can be seen here.

New Members' Teas
We've been running these for a number of years now with a variety of formats. The intention is to offer a direct welcome to new members to iU3A and they have always proved to be a great success. The new members appreciate the individual invite and the opportunity to meet some new members in the same position as themselves, learn a bit more about iU3A from the attending Executive Committee member(s), discuss their interests and what groups they may sign up for. Due to Covid restrictions these have had to be held outdoors and with few people attending.


Pub Quizzes
These are becoming regular events. We held a further three in 2020 all on Zoom.

Our last physical pub quizzes was in February 2020, again in the Canonbury Tavern (just before lockdown). As always it was well supported, with 58 members buying a ticket for the event. A number of members met beforehand to eat at the Tavern and then we took up our team places upstairs.

Again we were using Jez Worsnip as our professional quizmaster for the evening. Jez designs the questions especially for iU3A and of course the judges' word is final! As always it's a great opportunity to test the grey matter and get to know other members.

Ten teams battled it out with mixed fortunes. The first half's musical round had caused some pains to most teams and there was a clear leader. In the second half the favourites lost ground. The winning team was the Steely J’s. They got 37 points. It was a close contest with only seven points between the first and last  teams: another successful event enjoyed by all. Thanks to Mary W and Margaret O for organising the event. We are all looking forward to the next one in the Autumn.




We've now held a few of these 'Pub' quizzes in 2020. The first was held online on Zoom in May 2020. Covid-19 has caused some of our activities to be cancelled, so this was a replacement activity, working much like our previous 'physical' pub quizzes. It was run by our usual quizmaster Jez, in 'virtual' teams which communicated with each other through WhatsApp, Skype, phone or other means. Each team had one electronic scorecard, which was then sent to Jez electronically for marking. 50 took part, over 10 teams. It was different! But it was enjoyed by all.

Team K, which consisted of Helen Wright (quizzing from lockdown in Italy), Norman and Jean Wilson, Jayne Forbes and returning member Rob Townsend, won with a score of 32 points out of a possible 42. Well done to them! And thanks to Mary White for organising!




Open Days
We were due to hold one of these again in 2020 but due to the Covid pandemic we had to postpone this to 2021. So it was with great joy that we were relatively back to normal in October 2021. We had a great turnout from current members and from members of the public interested in finding out about Islington U3A. Our Interest Groups were on display some showing their 'wears' or activities.  

We didn't hold one of these in 2019 but in October 2018 our Open Day was also our fifth birthday celebration. Again this proved very popular and enabled non-members to meet us and find out about all the things iU3A does. As in previous years there was an excellent turnout with over 200 attending (151 members and 50 non-members). Out of the 50, 23 joined iU3A on the day and many others took away forms, so we hope to hear from them again soon. The existing members who turned up used the chance to see what other groups were on offer and sign up to them. Everybody also enjoyed our delicious birthday cake and had a good natter. This year the 'star' who cut our birthday cake was our acting Vice Chair, Ruth Gee.

With over 60 interest groups on display there were many great displays. Eight potential new groups were also being advertised to gauge interest and support. Visible and audible displays charmed the audience as they strolled around. All the existing Group Coordinators and their helpers did an excellent job of explaining what their group did and hence encouraged many to sign up. Hopefully this exercise also encouraged more members to be brave enough to volunteer to be Coordinators.

A special thanks must go to the sub-committee which organised another successful day, particularly to Sue Welsford, Diane Austin, Margaret Wearing and Isabel Dickson for coordinating the whole event. The Open Day is our major showcase for members and to the public who might be interested in joining.

Summer Parties
These are a regular annual event. We had a very enjoyable gathering in September (2021), with nearly 100 members present. This was the first time after the pandemic and lockdowns that many of our members had met physically, so it was much appreciated. The good food and drink might have helped as well. Thanks to Margaret O and all helpers who made this event a great success.

To see more of the photos taken at this event look here.




In June we held our annual Summer Party for all members. The venue was the Olden Gardens and it was looking its best — particularly the rambling rose. This tranquil haven is a glorious backdrop for our jolly party. This year we sold 108 tickets allowing us to just about cover the costs.

The weather forecast had threatened rain — again. However, it held off, but it wasn't that warm.

The booze lasted well this year so all were happy, in fact the challenge was getting people to vacate the gardens at the end when our time was up.

There was much socialising, chatting to friends and making new friendships. Thanks to Lesley Delacourt for again bringing the bubbly back from France at a very low cost allowing us all to benefit from the low ticket price.

Thanks also to Diane Austin and other volunteers for organising this event.



Group Coordinators Lunch
These are becoming more frequent. In 2020 with lockdown and other restrictions these were all held online through Zoom. In April 2019 we held the annual Group Coordinators' meeting: a good turnout, over 60% of coordinators attending. As usual there was a full agenda and plenty of healthy debate. The Chair kicked things off with a welcome and then some feedback from recent surveys and initiatives. The full presentation can be viewed here.
In January (2019) we held a 'thankyou' lunch for all our Group Coordinators. 45 attended, a good majority of the total we have. They were all thanked for the efforts they provided in running their groups. Our activity groups make up the majority of what we offer in iU3A, so we are highly dependent on these volunteers. Unlike the annual Group Coordinators' Meeting this was not about training but merely a thankyou. However it still provided an opportunity for the Group Coordinators to exchange ideas amongst themselves and learn about other group activities. While the service was a bit slow the conversation flowed.



It was also an opportunity to put a face to a name on an email. All seemed to enjoy the event.

A big thank you to Sue and Judith for organising the event.
 
Results from the recent (June 2018) Group Coordinators' survey can be read here.




iU3A Outings
Outings are organised from time to time by members to places of interest in London and the Home Counties. Destinations are varied and can always be reached by public transport, usually within the Freedom Pass Zone, but occasionally a bit further afield. If you want to arrange a visit, please contact Judith at outingscoord.iu3a@gmail.com. Forthcoming visits are advertised in the Members' Bulletin.
These have been resumed after the pandemic.
 
May 2022 — St Albans: 17 members travelled from St Pancras Station to St Albans. Most of the group walked through the town, and through the rain, to the cathedral, taking in the sights of the City Centre, including the City Museum, the weekly market and the Old Courthouse en route. A few decided to take a taxi to conserve their energy. We all met up in the cathedral cafe for a coffee before joining our pre-booked guided Cathedral tour at 12 noon. Our guide was excellent: he told us the history of the building, including many interesting anecdotes, and pointed out its main architectural features.


The cathedral stands on the site of the tomb of St Alban, who was martyred in about 300 AD. A series of churches were built to house the shrine and the building of the cathedral itself was started in 1077 by the Normans. St Albans became an important abbey and centre of pilgrimage until it was dissolved soon after 1534. By the 19th century the building was in a poor state and extensive changes were made to the fabric of the abbey, including the installation of stained-glass windows. There are some interesting modern touches as well, such as statues of recent saints of various Christian denominations. St Albans is the only ecumenical cathedral in the United Kingdom. We viewed architectural details of all these many phases, including the shrine to St. Alban and the shrine to Amphibolus, a priest he sheltered and then saved from execution as a Christian by the Romans by exchanging cloaks with him.

During recent restoration work an additional carving was added to Amphibolus’s shrine to commemorate the pandemic.






After a lunch break group members had a choice of activity; a few decided to explore St Albans on their own but the majority opted to walk through Verulamium Park, below the Cathedral, where only a few remains are visible above ground but there are intriguing humps indicating the site of the Roman city. Verulamium was one of the largest cities in Roman Britain, built in a valley which was the site of a tribal centre and occupied by Romano-British citizens from c.50 AD to 450-500 AD. Our destination was the Verulamium Museum of everyday life in Roman Britain, which has many artefacts as well as very fine mosaics excavated from the site by Mortimer Wheeler. 

Afterwards, one or two visited the nearby Anglo-Saxon Church of St Michael built on the site of a Roman basilica, but the heavy rain deterred us from venturing to the Roman Theatre of Verulamium, built in about 140 AD. It is the only example of Britain of a theatre with a stage rather than an amphitheatre.
We returned to the station for the train back to St Pancras in our own time.  Many managed the slog back up to the top of the town through the rain, although a few decided to call a taxi.


2021 Audley Village: a new block of retirement flats overlooking Clapham Common was the destination for 13 members on 16 November. The Audley "village" has 94 one to three bedroom apartments as well as a pool, cinema, restaurant, health club and in-house care team. There was a warm welcome with tea and cake and no hard sell. One member was impressed with the transparency and willingness to answer questions and came away “longing to move in tomorrow”. The Audley model operates in some 20 locations outside London, and the price of flats varies accordingly.

December 2019 — Bath Christmas Market: on a sunny Monday morning in early December, nineteen members of iU3A set off from Paddington for a day out at the Bath Christmas market. It turned out that much was on offer in addition to opportunities for Christmas present buying, and food and mulled wine tasting at the 100+ pop up chalets in the centre of town. Some of the more hardy set off for a walking tour taking in the Holbourne museum (Raphael and Matisse exhibitions currently), the Royal Crescent, a quick look at the outdoor ice rink, frequent reminders of Jane Austen and Persuasion, all of course in the setting of the stunning honey-coloured sandstone of the Georgian architecture. Others looked round the Abbey and then the Roman Baths for what turned out to be a highly recommended, fun guided tour. In the late afternoon as the Christmas lights were at their best we all met up for a delicious supper before a dash to the station for the journey home. (Lisa Crispin and David McPhail)

To see more of our previous events and outings follow the links below:
For 2019-20 look here.
For 2016-18 look here.

Theatre Visits
Archive
To see more of our previous events and outings follow the links below:
For 2019-20 look here.
For 2016-18 look here.

Or you might want to read about 'Our iU3A Story' which maps our development over the years: Our Story.